usvi-on-line
Catherineburg villas - how long a drive 2 Northshre beaches?
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martini girl
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:29 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania
Catherineburg villas - how long a drive 2 Northshre beaches?
okay - now we're looking at Great Escape in the Catherineburg area. Upon looking at maps, searching the forum and coming up with the rather scary reviews of John Head Rd as a shortcut to Cinnamon...which way do we get to the Northshore beaches? Continue out Centerline and approaching Francis first, followed by Maho etc? Or is it less distance to go thru town on Centerline and pick up Northshore Rd and back-track to Cinnamon etc?
I am map-challenged and need some help please!
I am map-challenged and need some help please!
We stayed Cinnamon Bay Estate in Catherineburg area for two years straight. We took both routes to the North Shore. Through Cruz Bay and then towards Maho. It was half dozen or the other time wise. If you want to avoid the traffic then I would go toward Coral Bay. Like I said in a previous post, the short cut down to Cinnamon Bay is really not much of a road, more of a donkey trail. If your experienced with using Four wheel drive and like a challenge then that is an alternative. We got too stressed by it. I had white nuckles and I wasn't the one driving! It is a nice area, I really enjoyed the views of the North shore. I have a photo that I took from our Vila, I can e-mail it to you if you like. PM me with your e-mail. Sorry I don't have photobucket yet. I keep all my photos on a hard drive.
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nothintolose
- Posts: 1960
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:36 pm
- Location: New Orleans, LA
Martini Girl - we stayed at Hakuna Matata our first trip to STJ. We are from total flat land down here so the road was stressful at first, but we just got used to being bumped around alot.
Where Hakuna Matata is located, we pretty much had to use that road either up or down. We didn't use 4WD as much as lower gears - same thing we do on those crazy turns between Trunk and Cinnamon.
The views there are THE BEST on the island if you ask me so I would not let the road deter you. It's so easy just to go down that road and be right at Cinnamon.
nothintolose
p.s. my knuckles were white the entire trip too
Where Hakuna Matata is located, we pretty much had to use that road either up or down. We didn't use 4WD as much as lower gears - same thing we do on those crazy turns between Trunk and Cinnamon.
The views there are THE BEST on the island if you ask me so I would not let the road deter you. It's so easy just to go down that road and be right at Cinnamon.
nothintolose
p.s. my knuckles were white the entire trip too
The incredible views from the vilas in Catherineberg far outweigh the bumpy, narrow John Head Rd., plus you can take a different route. I'm a scaredy cat 
and we are staying in Catherineberg again in September....so it can't be that bad 
....mia
and we are staying in Catherineberg again in September....so it can't be that bad ....miaIt takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow. --Unknown
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martini girl
- Posts: 329
- Joined: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:29 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania
You have to understand where I'm coming from with these questions. I strongly wish to stay somewhere with views overlooking the northshore beaches in addition to having a closer drive to those beaches.
My husband, on the other hand, would rather have a shorter, possibly easier, drive to Cruz Bay as he thoroughly enjoys going out to eat every night, which is why he's high on renting Croix Vista villa in Fish Bay, not to mention Croix Vista is $2,000 cheaper than Great Escape...need I say more?
So my plan of staying in Catherineburg, thus being closer to the northshore beaches, has to be justified by easier access to the beaches, however, it's not appearing to be the case. If it's six of one, half dozen of another in terms of taking the "shortcut" on John Head Rd. versus going back into Cruz Bay and picking up Northshore Rd, then my theory fizzles, and we stay at Croix Vista. Which, in all fairness, appears to be quite a lovely villa.
That's where I'm coming from. He's looking at it like "we're paying $2k more just for the views??" I'm saying, the views are worth it. We'll see.
My husband, on the other hand, would rather have a shorter, possibly easier, drive to Cruz Bay as he thoroughly enjoys going out to eat every night, which is why he's high on renting Croix Vista villa in Fish Bay, not to mention Croix Vista is $2,000 cheaper than Great Escape...need I say more?
So my plan of staying in Catherineburg, thus being closer to the northshore beaches, has to be justified by easier access to the beaches, however, it's not appearing to be the case. If it's six of one, half dozen of another in terms of taking the "shortcut" on John Head Rd. versus going back into Cruz Bay and picking up Northshore Rd, then my theory fizzles, and we stay at Croix Vista. Which, in all fairness, appears to be quite a lovely villa.
That's where I'm coming from. He's looking at it like "we're paying $2k more just for the views??" I'm saying, the views are worth it. We'll see.
martini girl,
I don't think that you have to go into Cruz Bay to catch the North Shore Rd. If I remember correctly, we would go to Centerline and then turn left.
Have you tried this tactic....."The North Shore beaches may not actually be closer, but they will feel so much closer in my mind." Just kidding....shameless, huh?
Guess I'm feeling a little bit like Dr. Laura since I just got my husband to agree to 4 nights at Caneel because we saved soooo much money by using our FF miles. ....mia
I don't think that you have to go into Cruz Bay to catch the North Shore Rd. If I remember correctly, we would go to Centerline and then turn left.
Have you tried this tactic....."The North Shore beaches may not actually be closer, but they will feel so much closer in my mind." Just kidding....shameless, huh?
Guess I'm feeling a little bit like Dr. Laura since I just got my husband to agree to 4 nights at Caneel because we saved soooo much money by using our FF miles.
....miaIt takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow. --Unknown
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wontongirl
- Posts: 518
- Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:19 pm
John's Head road is not that bad. I was freaking out also. It definitely saves you oodles of time. Jumbie girl gave me a great description of it so I decided to let hubby try out the road. We did it several times while we were staying in the catherineberg area. The only time we didnt use it was when we went to beach bar after the beach or to the grocery store. Yall will be fine.