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Trip Report from a Newbie
Trip Report from a Newbie
This was our first stay in St John so I will try to cover all aspects of such a nice trip or holiday.
We stayed for 10 days from August 11th to the 21st. We are a couple in their late forties and since 1992 we have done one or two Caribbean holiday a year as we have done quite a few all-inclusive resorts, but in the last 5 years, we are focusing mostly on snorkelling so we now do our own trip and rent condos and rent a car so we can go explore the various snorkel spots. Our last destinations included Grand Cayman, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
Flight: We took Delta from Montreal with a one hour stopover for the connection in Atlanta. Everything was just great.
Car Rental: After getting our luggage, we immediately called Discount on St-Thomas and within 5 minutes they picked us to drive to the agency. After getting the paperwork in order, we were off to Red Hook in an almost new Jeep Liberty. The vehicle was very clean with no wear at all (4K on the odometer) and was very comfortable. The return of the vehicle was also very simple and straightforward. Strongly recommend Discount as we paid $564US for the 10 day rental. Driving from the airport to Red Hook was relatively easy as we stopped in a food market just before we reached Red Hook to stock up on groceries and beverages. I can’t recall the name of that food market, but it has everything you could want (except the mint leaves for the mojitos...) so we had everything when we reached the villa. The barge was also easy to deal with.
Villa: Moments after we got off the barge, we were met by our greeter from Book-it-VI and were brought to “Island Dreams” our villa in Coral Bay. This villa was exactly what we needed. Well located, very well equipped with a pool(no hot tub, we did not want one...) with a wrap around veranda giving stunning views over Coral Bay and the fabulous sunrises over the BVI’s . The outside of the villa is very well designed with lots of flowers and plants as the inside has all the things you could imagine(DVD with lots of movies and concerts,AC, Wireless internet, washer, dryer, cooler, beach chairs etc...) . This villa is located in the middle of a small stretch of 3 villas: below is Pink Horses, where you have a direct view into their pool if you stand along the railing of the veranda or at the edge of the pool. The above villa is St John Livin’, which has a view on the Island Dreams pool if the occupants stand on their deck around the pool. We could still have privacy as there was a nice area with lounge chairs that was hidden from any other villa. Just a note to let you know that this area of the island is relatively windy. About half the days we were there, we could not sit on the front veranda as the wind was too much. We only had to move either to the pool area or the lounge chair area to get cover from the wind. We knew when we booked this trip on St John that it was hurricane season and the internet access came in handy as we monitored Ana and Bill, the two hurricanes that went by the island. Only Ana gave us a half day of wind and rain, that forced us to throw the lounge chairs into the pool and move the outside furniture inside the villa for the night.
The island: I had read about the roads on St John and it was even worse than I expected...but that being said, driving around the island is relatively easy. Yes , the slopes are at times steep(it always depends on what you are used to at home...)and the numerous switchbacks are tight, but after half a day, you get used to drive around quite easily. I only got on the wrong side (remember you drive on the left) once and I got a gentle reminder from the lady at the gate of Caneel! The landscape of the island is just bucolic and has stunning lookouts on multiple bays and beaches with luscious vegetation and the occasional ruins just located roadside. I had ordered on the web two books and maps of St John: Foot, Fins and 4WD and “St John Off the Beaten Path”. Both were excellent references and proved valuables in choosing and getting to the various snorkelling sites. I also bought two maps of St John (one of them the National Park one...) and they were all we needed to drive around the island. We really enjoyed staying in the Coral Bay area as it’s quiet although the choice of restaurant is limited compared to Cruz Bay. The advantage is proximity to the beaches of the east end and south part of the island. There is two little grocery store, but the choice in fresh products is limited compared with Starfish and Dolphin markets in Cruz Bay. I had read on the various forums that people on St John could be somewhat rude but everybody we met along our travelling on the island and St Thomas were very nice people always helpful and polite. We did go for a day in Cruz Bay when Ana(tropical depression) hit the island. Going around Cruz Bay is a little bit more of a challenge, mostly because of the rare parking spots which makes parking your vehicle an adventure where you end up doing each downtown street a few times...
We did not do any trails or hiking other than the necessary trails we needed to hike to get the snorkel spots we desired. We did visited the Cinnamon Ruins(roadside) and the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins as we parked there to get to Waterlemon Cay. Nice views and photo ops for both sites.
Eating and restaurants: On vacation, we hate to cook... so we stocked up on breakfast goods and the occasional lunch at the villa. On our typical day, we would wake up early(5:30 – 6:00 am) to have coffee with the sunrise and read , then after breakfast, we would pack the cooler with drinks and snacks and hit the roads to snorkel. We would have a light lunch somewhere on the road and get back to the villa in the afternoon and hit a restaurant in Coral Bay for dinner. Throughout our stay we ate at Skinny Legs(OK), Aqua Bistro(very good), Shipwreck Landing(very good), Tourist Trap(very good), Sweet Plantain(very good but expensive), Deli Grotto(very good), Caneel (beach restaurant)(very good) and Cinnamon Campground(fair). We always ate well, but our favourite places were: Aqua Bistro for dinner and Tourist Trap for lunch. I had read about the “painkiller” cocktail being one of the best, but our favourite was definitely the “Drink Right, Keep Left’’ from The Tourist Trap. This place looks like nothing but we really enjoyed the simple but well prepared food by Larry G. Our least favourite was at Cinnamon Campground. All of the places, except for Caneel, are very laidback, and you can go for dinner wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops and you would not feel out of place. You would probably feel out of place if you were “dressed up”.
Snorkel: This was the main reason for staying on St John. Throughout our 10 days on the island, we snorkelled in order, Little Lameshur, Yawzi Point, Trunk Bay, Francis Beach, Honeymoon Beach, Salomon Beach, Jumbie Beach, Great Lameshur, Tektite, Maho Beach, Hansen Bay(Pelican Rock), Haulover South, Salt Pond, Blue Cobblestone Beach, Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay. In general the snorkelling was good to excellent (except for Little Lameshur which was poor) and there was a good variety of fish and corals of all kinds. The water always a little murky sometimes very murky, but it did not prevent looking spectacular “shows”. At Jumbie, Francis and Maho, which we all did in the afternoon, it was quite impressive as you got in the water and millions of silversides (fry) come close to shore and brings on the pelicans diving 15 feet from you for a meal as the bar jacks, mackerels and big tarpons go by for their part of that meal. Of all these snorkel spots, our favourite was Francis Bay (along the shore to Mary’s Point) and Hansen Bay (going around the Pelican rock). Note for anyone planning to snorkel St John for their first time, at times you need to do a hike to reach the snorkel spots. Not difficult, but sometimes, if you do that hike at midday in the sun, you need to bring lots of water...
Palm Tree Charter: We went for a full day charter with Captain John of Palm Tree Charters to the BVI’S. We started out of Cruz Bay and went along Tortola, got through BVI customs, and then we hit the Baths in Virgin Gorda. We got off the boat and swam to the beach and did the Baths trail, back and forth, in the big boulders. Impressive and it makes for nice picture ops. Back on the boat with Capt. John, we hit various snorkelling spots, namely Alice’s Backyard or Backdoor(near Ginger island), Cistern Point, the wreck of the HMS Rhone, the Indians, then a stop at Willy T for lunch and then another snorkel stop at the Caves (Norman Island). On our way back to St John we went around the southern part of the island just in time for the customs. We chose Palm Tree Charters after reviewing both Trip Advisor and VIOL(Virgin Islands On Line) forums, and it was just great. The day is $525 plus the cost of gas ($164) and the fee for the BVI customs ($30). Initially we found this to be a little out of our budget, but I had postings done on both forums for anyone interested in sharing this charter and we hooked up with a couple from LA also in their early fifties also interested in doing the Baths and the snorkel spots. Although we did not know each other before we actually got on the boat, the boat outing was just a very nice day with very nice snorkelling. Great thanks for Bill and Pam for sharing, as being 4 adults on a boat that can accommodate 6, brought back the cost to $162(including tip to Capt John). What makes this a fabulous day is the fact that Captain John lets you decide where you want to go. Also, Sue (Captain John’s wife) was very good at getting this boat outing through as we got cancelled because of Ana and we had to struggle a bit to find a nice day to get to the BVI’S.
Afterthoughts: We really enjoyed our stay on St John. Driving around the scenic routes of the island, snorkelling and stopping whenever we were hungry or thirsty and staying in the right villa made for a nice way to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We expected St John to be very expensive, although it is not cheap, we found out St John to be less expensive than Grand Cayman. Would we go back? Yes, without any hesitations, but we like to experiment different islands and snorkelling spots so it may not be in the near future. If you go to St John as a first timer, you need to do your “homework” and that means read the books, get on the forums (VIOL and TA) so you get an idea of the island and the villa that you will rent. A good mention to the VIOL (Virgin Islands Online) forum. In the past years , I always searched the forums of our destination for gathering information and the VIOL forum was the best one so far. The variety and reliability of the various posts and hence their members were our best source for infos regarding the Virgin Islands. Long live VIOL.
[url]http://picasaweb.google.ca/Cochise86/St ... directlink
We stayed for 10 days from August 11th to the 21st. We are a couple in their late forties and since 1992 we have done one or two Caribbean holiday a year as we have done quite a few all-inclusive resorts, but in the last 5 years, we are focusing mostly on snorkelling so we now do our own trip and rent condos and rent a car so we can go explore the various snorkel spots. Our last destinations included Grand Cayman, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
Flight: We took Delta from Montreal with a one hour stopover for the connection in Atlanta. Everything was just great.
Car Rental: After getting our luggage, we immediately called Discount on St-Thomas and within 5 minutes they picked us to drive to the agency. After getting the paperwork in order, we were off to Red Hook in an almost new Jeep Liberty. The vehicle was very clean with no wear at all (4K on the odometer) and was very comfortable. The return of the vehicle was also very simple and straightforward. Strongly recommend Discount as we paid $564US for the 10 day rental. Driving from the airport to Red Hook was relatively easy as we stopped in a food market just before we reached Red Hook to stock up on groceries and beverages. I can’t recall the name of that food market, but it has everything you could want (except the mint leaves for the mojitos...) so we had everything when we reached the villa. The barge was also easy to deal with.
Villa: Moments after we got off the barge, we were met by our greeter from Book-it-VI and were brought to “Island Dreams” our villa in Coral Bay. This villa was exactly what we needed. Well located, very well equipped with a pool(no hot tub, we did not want one...) with a wrap around veranda giving stunning views over Coral Bay and the fabulous sunrises over the BVI’s . The outside of the villa is very well designed with lots of flowers and plants as the inside has all the things you could imagine(DVD with lots of movies and concerts,AC, Wireless internet, washer, dryer, cooler, beach chairs etc...) . This villa is located in the middle of a small stretch of 3 villas: below is Pink Horses, where you have a direct view into their pool if you stand along the railing of the veranda or at the edge of the pool. The above villa is St John Livin’, which has a view on the Island Dreams pool if the occupants stand on their deck around the pool. We could still have privacy as there was a nice area with lounge chairs that was hidden from any other villa. Just a note to let you know that this area of the island is relatively windy. About half the days we were there, we could not sit on the front veranda as the wind was too much. We only had to move either to the pool area or the lounge chair area to get cover from the wind. We knew when we booked this trip on St John that it was hurricane season and the internet access came in handy as we monitored Ana and Bill, the two hurricanes that went by the island. Only Ana gave us a half day of wind and rain, that forced us to throw the lounge chairs into the pool and move the outside furniture inside the villa for the night.
The island: I had read about the roads on St John and it was even worse than I expected...but that being said, driving around the island is relatively easy. Yes , the slopes are at times steep(it always depends on what you are used to at home...)and the numerous switchbacks are tight, but after half a day, you get used to drive around quite easily. I only got on the wrong side (remember you drive on the left) once and I got a gentle reminder from the lady at the gate of Caneel! The landscape of the island is just bucolic and has stunning lookouts on multiple bays and beaches with luscious vegetation and the occasional ruins just located roadside. I had ordered on the web two books and maps of St John: Foot, Fins and 4WD and “St John Off the Beaten Path”. Both were excellent references and proved valuables in choosing and getting to the various snorkelling sites. I also bought two maps of St John (one of them the National Park one...) and they were all we needed to drive around the island. We really enjoyed staying in the Coral Bay area as it’s quiet although the choice of restaurant is limited compared to Cruz Bay. The advantage is proximity to the beaches of the east end and south part of the island. There is two little grocery store, but the choice in fresh products is limited compared with Starfish and Dolphin markets in Cruz Bay. I had read on the various forums that people on St John could be somewhat rude but everybody we met along our travelling on the island and St Thomas were very nice people always helpful and polite. We did go for a day in Cruz Bay when Ana(tropical depression) hit the island. Going around Cruz Bay is a little bit more of a challenge, mostly because of the rare parking spots which makes parking your vehicle an adventure where you end up doing each downtown street a few times...
We did not do any trails or hiking other than the necessary trails we needed to hike to get the snorkel spots we desired. We did visited the Cinnamon Ruins(roadside) and the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins as we parked there to get to Waterlemon Cay. Nice views and photo ops for both sites.
Eating and restaurants: On vacation, we hate to cook... so we stocked up on breakfast goods and the occasional lunch at the villa. On our typical day, we would wake up early(5:30 – 6:00 am) to have coffee with the sunrise and read , then after breakfast, we would pack the cooler with drinks and snacks and hit the roads to snorkel. We would have a light lunch somewhere on the road and get back to the villa in the afternoon and hit a restaurant in Coral Bay for dinner. Throughout our stay we ate at Skinny Legs(OK), Aqua Bistro(very good), Shipwreck Landing(very good), Tourist Trap(very good), Sweet Plantain(very good but expensive), Deli Grotto(very good), Caneel (beach restaurant)(very good) and Cinnamon Campground(fair). We always ate well, but our favourite places were: Aqua Bistro for dinner and Tourist Trap for lunch. I had read about the “painkiller” cocktail being one of the best, but our favourite was definitely the “Drink Right, Keep Left’’ from The Tourist Trap. This place looks like nothing but we really enjoyed the simple but well prepared food by Larry G. Our least favourite was at Cinnamon Campground. All of the places, except for Caneel, are very laidback, and you can go for dinner wearing shorts, t-shirt and flip flops and you would not feel out of place. You would probably feel out of place if you were “dressed up”.
Snorkel: This was the main reason for staying on St John. Throughout our 10 days on the island, we snorkelled in order, Little Lameshur, Yawzi Point, Trunk Bay, Francis Beach, Honeymoon Beach, Salomon Beach, Jumbie Beach, Great Lameshur, Tektite, Maho Beach, Hansen Bay(Pelican Rock), Haulover South, Salt Pond, Blue Cobblestone Beach, Leinster Bay and Waterlemon Cay. In general the snorkelling was good to excellent (except for Little Lameshur which was poor) and there was a good variety of fish and corals of all kinds. The water always a little murky sometimes very murky, but it did not prevent looking spectacular “shows”. At Jumbie, Francis and Maho, which we all did in the afternoon, it was quite impressive as you got in the water and millions of silversides (fry) come close to shore and brings on the pelicans diving 15 feet from you for a meal as the bar jacks, mackerels and big tarpons go by for their part of that meal. Of all these snorkel spots, our favourite was Francis Bay (along the shore to Mary’s Point) and Hansen Bay (going around the Pelican rock). Note for anyone planning to snorkel St John for their first time, at times you need to do a hike to reach the snorkel spots. Not difficult, but sometimes, if you do that hike at midday in the sun, you need to bring lots of water...
Palm Tree Charter: We went for a full day charter with Captain John of Palm Tree Charters to the BVI’S. We started out of Cruz Bay and went along Tortola, got through BVI customs, and then we hit the Baths in Virgin Gorda. We got off the boat and swam to the beach and did the Baths trail, back and forth, in the big boulders. Impressive and it makes for nice picture ops. Back on the boat with Capt. John, we hit various snorkelling spots, namely Alice’s Backyard or Backdoor(near Ginger island), Cistern Point, the wreck of the HMS Rhone, the Indians, then a stop at Willy T for lunch and then another snorkel stop at the Caves (Norman Island). On our way back to St John we went around the southern part of the island just in time for the customs. We chose Palm Tree Charters after reviewing both Trip Advisor and VIOL(Virgin Islands On Line) forums, and it was just great. The day is $525 plus the cost of gas ($164) and the fee for the BVI customs ($30). Initially we found this to be a little out of our budget, but I had postings done on both forums for anyone interested in sharing this charter and we hooked up with a couple from LA also in their early fifties also interested in doing the Baths and the snorkel spots. Although we did not know each other before we actually got on the boat, the boat outing was just a very nice day with very nice snorkelling. Great thanks for Bill and Pam for sharing, as being 4 adults on a boat that can accommodate 6, brought back the cost to $162(including tip to Capt John). What makes this a fabulous day is the fact that Captain John lets you decide where you want to go. Also, Sue (Captain John’s wife) was very good at getting this boat outing through as we got cancelled because of Ana and we had to struggle a bit to find a nice day to get to the BVI’S.
Afterthoughts: We really enjoyed our stay on St John. Driving around the scenic routes of the island, snorkelling and stopping whenever we were hungry or thirsty and staying in the right villa made for a nice way to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We expected St John to be very expensive, although it is not cheap, we found out St John to be less expensive than Grand Cayman. Would we go back? Yes, without any hesitations, but we like to experiment different islands and snorkelling spots so it may not be in the near future. If you go to St John as a first timer, you need to do your “homework” and that means read the books, get on the forums (VIOL and TA) so you get an idea of the island and the villa that you will rent. A good mention to the VIOL (Virgin Islands Online) forum. In the past years , I always searched the forums of our destination for gathering information and the VIOL forum was the best one so far. The variety and reliability of the various posts and hence their members were our best source for infos regarding the Virgin Islands. Long live VIOL.
[url]http://picasaweb.google.ca/Cochise86/St ... directlink
What a great trip report!! I think you hit all the right notes. I totally agree that to get the most out of your vacation to STJ you really benefit from doing your homework ahead of time. And this forum is such a wonderful resorce for first timers and long timers alike. Thanks again for your thorough report.
That is a great report. It is good to hear a new point of view. We talk to each other so much that we've heard most of our own war stories.
The photos were great also.
I'm sitting here listening to Gene Kelly singing "Dancing in the Rain" on XM Radio and wondering if that is what you felt like.
Thanks
JIM
The photos were great also.
I'm sitting here listening to Gene Kelly singing "Dancing in the Rain" on XM Radio and wondering if that is what you felt like.
Thanks
JIM
Man it's like some dream we live down here....
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mindehankins
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bubblybrenda
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msgcolleen
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Great report! Sounds like you did more in 10 days than most people do after years of vacations on St John! (like me!)
I tried to get to your picture link but no luck. Did you have underwater pics from all that snorkeling?
Thanks for sharing~
I tried to get to your picture link but no luck. Did you have underwater pics from all that snorkeling?
Thanks for sharing~
I've got 2 tickets to paradise~Pack your bags we'll leave tonight!
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Great report. Glad you enjoyed your trip. I bet you'll be back sooner than you think.
Help me Make Strides
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janet
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lpowmacback
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agreed- great trip report and great pictures as well!
Q: what kind of camera did you use for those underwater pics?? i've been researching underwater cameras for the past couple of weeks but haven't decided on one yet...
Q: what kind of camera did you use for those underwater pics?? i've been researching underwater cameras for the past couple of weeks but haven't decided on one yet...
"Take it easy, walk with a light step" - Ween
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It is fun to read a report thru new eyes to the island.
Your comment on the roads and what one is used to at home made me smile.
Just last week our drive to Sunday lunch was 20 minute (each way) drive up over a mountain and down the other side, all on dirt roads. We commented how similar it was to driving on STJ. (this is the very reason extremely secluded villas with long dirt roads hold no appeal to me.)
Your comment on the roads and what one is used to at home made me smile.
Just last week our drive to Sunday lunch was 20 minute (each way) drive up over a mountain and down the other side, all on dirt roads. We commented how similar it was to driving on STJ. (this is the very reason extremely secluded villas with long dirt roads hold no appeal to me.)