USVI-On-Line

Might go without saying...but I think some people associate overrated with bad and underrated with good. And I just want to be clear that I think all the places mentioned below are wonderful and that the Overrated ones maybe get a little more love than they deserve and the underrated ones, not as much.

BEACH

O: Francis - Love the snorkel out the right side to Mary Point and I think Francis is beautiful, but I don't get why so many people wax poetic about it as a superior Limin beach...it's not bad, but I think other North Shore beaches have softer sand, better shade, etc. and if your reason to love Francis is because you think it caters to a more chill clientele, I'd say you're splitting coconut hairs. You're pretty chill to begin with if you've chosen STJ over a cruise ship or an all-inclusive resort.

U: Denis - Maybe not underrated, but under appreciated...it's got great sand, great shade, ruins, a neat reef to snorkel and the fact that you'll probably be one of maybe five or six people on the beach at the most at any given time makes the 5 minute hike down and back up worth it. And the trailhead off the short path up to Peace Hill has become very obvious now. You can't miss it. I'd like to see Denis get the same kind of love as Gibney.

BAR

O: Woody's Bar - The fact that it's usually hot and crowded and you're constantly playing "what's that smell" there doesn't bother me, that's par for the course at a STJ bar, but it does seem to be a popular spot for new STJ residents to get their first on-island job and I don't get the feeling a lot of the staff are hired for their exceptional bar tending skills if you know what I mean. Frozen drinks can be hit or miss with newbs behind the wheel at the blender and at $6 a pop, you want the person puttin' the lime n' the coconut knowing the ratios.

U: Woody's Food - Decent blackened Mahi sandwich and conch fritters...on par with a lot of the other Cruz Bay restaurants near by and much cheaper. If you can get one of the few tables inside or out, not a bad dinner option, especially after the Happy Hour crowd disperses.

RESTAURANT

O: High Tide - Good food, like the deck and the flat screen TVs, but not sure I can justify the price when you can get similar entree items for cheaper at other places...my wife and I had the blackened Mahi and Ahi Tuna at High Tide and turned around and had roughly the same thing at the Beach Bar (Blackened Mahi Sandwich and Tuna Down) the next night for half the price. High Tide fans will disagree, but just sayin'

U: The Wharfside pizza place across from Joe's Rum Hut - Darn good pizza for the money, especially when you're tired, don't want to cook and don't want another $100 dinner.

SNORKEL

O: North Shore Beach Snorkeling (not counting Francis or Waterlemon) - The water is beautiful, the beaches are great, but I think compared to the other snorkel spots on the island (east end, south end), the snorkeling from Salomon on down to Cinnamon is good but not great (and that's relatively speaking because I think STJ snorkeling is better than most other places period.)

U: Haulover North - It gets its props from time to time and can be difficult if the water is choppy, but when conditions are right, that snorkel out the left side is incredible. Waterlemon is typically given the designation as best snorkel spot, but I think Haulover North offers the same type of underwater vistas and much more of it.

VILLAS

O: A/C Throughout the Villa - Can be a deal breaker for a lot of people, but I liked opening the doors throughout the villa and getting that cross breeze better than having a fully A/C'd place. Plus going inside and out to the deck and pool so often, it was probably better that we didn't

U: A/C In Villa Bedrooms - It's so nice to have at least one room where you know the Mosquitos can't play and you can cool off. After a day in the sun sweating and running around, I never sleep so well as I do on STJ in a bedroom with decent a/c.

BVIs

O: Sandy Spit
U: Sandy Cay

Kidding on the last one. BTW, this just may be me, but for those who overrate White Bay on Jost, I hear what you're saying, but I wouldn't want to go there when it's not 4-deep at Soggy's Bar. I go there for the party. I expect the crowd to be rockin' and half in the bag. That's what gives it the energy. If you're hoping to find a nice quiet bar and some solitude on White Bay, I think you read the wrong brochure and might want to try Smuggler's Cove.

jmq wrote:

greyhoundmom wrote:I should edit before I send. The disappointing dinner was at Shipwreck, not TouristT!

There is an "edit" option that can be used after you post - when logged in, the "edit" box is in the upper right corner next to the "quote" box of your original post, so, you can hit that, and change it if you were so inclined.

Cool thing about the edit box!!

Over rated: Beach Bar- Crowded, uncomfortable, “happy hour” prices aren’t so happy, drinks aren’t that great, they only took our order when we went to the bar, and never took our food order at the table… we went some where else to eat!

Over rated: Lobster Rolls at the Tourist Trap. Maybe it was a bad day for lobster, but it was bland and pricy.(Yes, I know it's lobster, but I liked the Tenn. Taco much better and it was much less...Personal preference... maybe)

Under rated: Deli Grotto for breakfast. It is quick, comfortable, tasty, and a good value. I love getting there early for hot muffins too!!!!

Under rated: Passion fruit ice cream at the Tourist Trap. It is extra creamy and extra tasty!!!( I generally loved the TT. Nice folks and mostly great food)

As far as beaches go, I have discovered, what might be our favorite choice one trip might be our least favorite the next trip. Soooo if you have a bad beach day one time , don't rule that beach out forever.

Over:

Maho- I know this is a travesty and I might get flamed cause everyone is ALL about it. It just doesn't do it for me. Give me Hawksnest or Honeymoon anyday!

Joes BBQ- Just doesn't blow my dress up.
Beach Bar- Eh

Under:

Meals at Tamarind Inn - Portions, prices, YUM
Food at Deli Grotto - Cheap and tasty
Apps at Woody's - YUM
Gecko Gazebo - Snacks & Drinks
Columbos - BEST $40 COCONUT SMOOTHIE EVER!

Columbo coconut smoothie, did you mean $4 or $40? I love coconut ice cream and there is a place in Daytona that makes a toasted coconut ice cream, yum. Laura

Just my personal opinions:

Overrated: Woodys, Cafe Roma, Joes BBQ, Morgans Mango, Miss Vies chicken, Beach Bar, JJ's Texas Coast, Asolare, Fish Trap restaurant, White Bay, the Baths, Salt Pond.

Underrated: Haulover North, Leinster shore snorkel, mahi sandwiches from Shipwreck Landing, Candies BBQ, Fish Trap seafood market, villa gravity days.

LauraD wrote:Columbo coconut smoothie, did you mean $4 or $40? I love coconut ice cream and there is a place in Daytona that makes a toasted coconut ice cream, yum. Laura

LOL! There are 4 of us including our two kids. Everytime we hit the smoothie stand, it's $40. My husband calls them "you mean those $40 smoothies!?" Nectar of the Gods!

My opinion:
Overrated: Sutton's car rental. I don't care if they have in town parking. I'd rather pay, drive around looking, or go without. Our only St. John disappointment, ever.

Underrated: Sam and Jack's Deli. Amazing. LOVE it!

Everybody should do the Smoothie stand twice. Yep, twice. The second time will certainly reinforce your thought that you paid a lot of money the first time.
Liamsaunt, I agree with most of your overrated except Miss Vie's. Just my opinion, but I think of her food as being one of the most reasonably priced, decent meals on the island. I also used to really love Salt Pond before they improved the road even that far, and hardly anybody went out there. The coral has changed dramatically for the worse along the left side. I still like to go there early in the morning,I seem to always see huge turtles out in the middle of the bay. I love the walks to Drunk Bay, the Blue Cobblestone Beach, and Ram Head.
Mindehankins, at the risk of pissing several regulars off, I share your dislike of Sutton's.
I don't go to STJ for great culinary experiences, nor do I expect them. If one happens, I'm thrilled.

There are lots of other bars on White Bay, why go to the Soggy Dollar if it's a turn-off? How about Gertrude's or One Love, they're super neat places, and usually very uncrowded and definitely underrated!

Margo, I liked Ivan's, and on another day I might have liked the Soggy Dollar. There just seemed to be one boat load of spoiled brats after another the day I was there. Honestly, if I make it back to STJ again I doubt that I would take a day trip to the BVI's unless I was able to pull off either a week over there, or an extended sailing trip. I'd rather spend the time on STJ.

<<Overrated: Woodys, Cafe Roma, Joes BBQ, Morgans Mango, Miss Vies chicken, Beach Bar, JJ's Texas Coast, Asolare, Fish Trap restaurant, White Bay, the Baths, Salt Pond. >>

I feel that I agree with every single one of these, expect White Bay!

54b wrote:Might go without saying...but I think some people associate overrated with bad and underrated with good. And I just want to be clear that I think all the places mentioned below are wonderful and that the Overrated ones maybe get a little more love than they deserve and the underrated ones, not as much.

Well said. Maybe the topic title shoulda been something like "Over-appreciated / Under-appreciated".

I have an "Under" to add: if you have time in STT, having lunch at the always charming and delicious Gladys's Cafe in Charlotte Amalie.

Overrated:

I agree Sutttons is on this list. We had a bad experience with them, and then they tried to make me think it was my fault that it was bad. I wasn't the one who disassembled my Jeep in their parking lot while trying to fix another one. (Let the flaming begin!)

Underrated:

The weightlessness and peace of a 40 foot dive on a VI cay.

JIM

No worries Jim! I started this thread with the stipulation that folks could sound off with no flaming allowed.
So far, so good - thanks to everybody for playing nice!

I think overrated and underrated is often about taste and timing. While I think Maho is overrated I do understand why people think it is perfect. While I feel that Zozos is overrated and Sweet Plantains underrated, I do understand why others find Zozos so appealing.

The Suttons are on our Christmas card list and we've been doing business with them for 15 years. What else can I say?

The above is about taste. Then there is timing. Our daughter and son-in-law brought along a couple with them this year. They were great fun and we had a wonderful time with them. One of them wanted to go to Trunk and see where my daughter and son-in-law where married and to do the snorkel trail. We all discouraged her talking about the crowds and how the snorkel trail was "played out." She took our advice and had a wonderful time.

On our second week after the two couples had left, we set out early one morning imagining we would go to what ever beach struck our fancy as we drove by. Sure enough the Trunk lot was almost empty and we payed our fee. Our neighbor was just leaving with his group as we walked down the beach. He pointed us to his spot up in the foliage with shade. We parked our stuff and went for a snorkel and saw bunches of stuff including lobsters. We left by noon. Perfect. So now. Trunk between noon and five PM is overrated. Trunk between 7AM and noon, underrated. By the way. Trunk is pretty nice for sunset too. Timing.