Pros and Cons of varying locations on the island

[alw1977]

We're planning our second trip to St. John for this coming October. Our first trip was in July and we stayed at the Westin. We stuck mostly to the North Shore beaches and Cruz Bay on our first visit, though we did make it over to Skinny Legs at one point.

For our second trip, we're renting a villa or condo (we may have others coming along with) and I'm trying to narrow down the various areas of the island. As far as I can figure, here are how some of the various areas break down:
1. Great Cruz Bay is convenient, with great views across the sound to St. Thomas, but kind of crowded;
2. Gifft Hill/South Shore offers great views and warmer pools (?) but are a tad far from the North Shore beaches;
3. Coral Bay is more quiet, offers stunning views and is quickly becoming a favorite part of the island for many folks;
4. Bordeaux Mountain is really high up there and the pools are cold.

So here is my question - is Coral Bay closer to the North Shore beaches and hiking than somewhere like Gifft Hill or the South Shore? In October, given that rain is a (very) real possibility during part of our trip, should we stay closer to Cruz Bay and the nightlife? Will most things in Coral Bay be closed during the early Oct time? My interests on this trip are relaxing, hiking and snorkeling. I want to go to Salt Pond and hike Ram Head. Oh, and rent a dinghy, weather and seas permitting.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm trying to narrow down areas and this is harder than I thought.

[RickG]

Or decisions come down to:

- Sunset - West side, closer to Cruz Bay, warmer in the afternoon, warmer pool

- Sunrise - East Side, closer to Coral Bay, bright sun in the morning, shaded by 4PM (except Reef Madness)

- South - Strong cooling breezes, view to St. Croix

- North Upper - Higher elevation, generally cooler

- Northshore - Close to beach

With groups the Sunset focus seems to work best for us.

Cheers, RickG

[alw1977]

Thanks Rick. In looking at the map, it appears that certain parts of Coral Bay are much closer to Maho Bay (my fav beach), Leinster and some of the hiking than Great Cruz Bay/Chocolate Hole. Can anyone tell me approximately drive times if you're staying in a villa that's not crazy high on the hillside in Coral Bay?

I think it's a decision between Great Cruz Bay and Coral Bay. I know those areas are very different, but both appeal for different reasons.

[RickG]

Ajax Peak villas are essentially 10 minutes from Francis and Maho Bays.

Don't get quite so obsessed with beach travel times. If you REALLY need to be close to the beach then look at one of the Francis Bay villas. Villa Serenity (no pool) has been on my list for a good while. Our last three stays we only used the pool a small amount due to cold pool water. Villa Serenity is looking pretty good for 2009 (for me).

That being said, villas near Ixora (up from the Colombo truck) are going to place you at the top of the hills to Coral Bay and North Shore and positioned for a 15-20 minute drive to Cruz Bay.

Cheers, RickG

[alw1977]

Beach travel times aren't my concern so much as peace and quiet. The Westin was just too hectic for me. I know that by traveling in October, we're going to minimize the amount of people around, but I just don't want to have a villa with houses all around. However, I hate to be too far from The Beach Bar, as it's my favorite watering hole in the world (so far). Are the "sunset" areas basically Great Cruz Bay, Rendevous Point and Chocolate Hole?

I took a look at the 2007 restaurant closings. It looks like a lot in Coral Bay is closed in early October, if last year is a good indicator. Staying near Cruz Bay again may be best...

[Maryanne]

We like to be sort of in the middle of the island, although Bordeaux is too damp for us.

Last trip, we stayed in a couple of houses that weren't too bad for getting to various places. One was in Catherineberg and we got to town in 15 minutes. Great views of the North Shore. The other house was on Francis Bay. I liked the proximity to the beach and it was a fairly quick (20-25 minute) drive to town on the North Shore Road (which I prefer to Centerline... )

[cptnkirk]

We thought Orions Hill on Ajax peak was a great central location. 2 min to Columbo's smoothy stand, less than ten to Maho or Skinnys, East and South end not too far. Great sunsets no direct sunrise but by seven it was over the trees. I'd guess 20 to 25 min back to Cruz Bay via north shore road little quiker on centerline but I like to take north shore way better.

[alw1977]

Thanks Cap'n. Once we've got our group set in stone (a few are still fence-sitting), I'll take an inventory and see what's most important to people, being close to the beaches and privacy, or sunset/location close to Cruz Bay. Also, we're probably not booking until later in June, so I'm hoping the fall 2008 closures will be somewhat compiled by then. We shall see.

Did you drive to Cruz Bay at night? Did you find the drive challenging at all in the dark?

[Pia]

Don't forget they have installed street lights on Centerline road (depends on how you feel about this) They are not all the way but (I think) they are from Cruz Bay to about the Chateau Bordeaux overlook.

Pia

[augie]

We stayed on Gifft Hill Rd. last October. Loved the sunsets, loved the view, loved the breezes, came to love the drive!

We thought it was pretty convenient to either Cruz Bay or the north shore beaches, and we even enjoyed the drive across Centerline to Coral Bay.

Since you live in Atlanta, you can circumnavigate the whole island in a shorter time than most people in your city can drive to work!

[alw1977]

"Since you live in Atlanta, you can circumnavigate the whole island in a shorter time than most people in your city can drive to work!"

Amen to that.

[meleemel]

We stayed in the Constant Point area and the view was great...here are some pics on an old post:

http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=

BTW- We were there in October and swam in the pool every night!