USVI-On-Line

jp, I totally understand your feelings as to Cruz Bay. We get our car and get the hell out of Dodge asap. I also have only been to Trunk once in all of the trips down there, and it was last fall! It's a beautiful place at 7:00 in the morning. We rarely come back to town on our trips. Different strokes and all that, I guess. Two years ago we took our 21 year old son and his girlfriend with us for 3 weeks, two days after their graduation. I was worried that after 4 years of college life that they'd get bored in Coral Bay. After about 10 days they wanted to see Cruz Bay's offerings for themselves. They spent a day and evening there, got back to Shipwreck and said that they had no interest in wasting another day of their vacation there. When I said at the bar at Shipwreck that I thought that was weird because they are pretty social kids and there really aren't that many young folks in Coral Bay, one of the longtime locals said, " It's nothing to do with how old you are, it's a matter of attitude. They "get" Coral Bay."
So what is it that draws some of us to Coral Bay and makes us dislike Cruz Bay? Slower pace. Less pretentious. More Bohemian. Less cologne,perfumes and make-up. Parking. Wakes up early, parties hard, goes to sleep early. You almost never hear Kenny on the sound systems.

jp - OK to see things without the rose colored glasses on.
Big difference between places that have "charm" and those that are "charming".

I think that STJ is a get it or not place. I think "sort of" doesn't apply, in my opinion.

I am partial, as a former island resident, I truly have a deep love for the island. Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, millionaires and college kids, Kenny Chesney and Lindy. It is the entire vibe of the island.

Cruz Bay has everything I need; shopping, dining, and a bit of nightlife. Coral Bay offers me the quiet, laid back respite from the hustle and bustle of STT. I seem to be getting a bit Zen in my description but I think of them as the Yin and Yang of the complete island.

I hope that you do return and soak in all that the island has to offer. Every trip will bring you closer to getting it and you will be hooked.

I "got STJ" after my first visit.
We didn't go to the Coral Bay side of the island until our 2nd trip (last week). We spent an afternoon there and I have to say I really like it too. I'd like to spend more time there and maybe stay there. My kids liked Skinny Legs and my teenage daughter liked the shops there and would have liked to have gone back. Unfortunatley the day we were over there I accidentally set my camera to take smaller pictures so they won't be good for enlarging.
I still like Cruz Bay too and I think I need 2 weeks there so I can do everyting that I want to.

Seems like a touched a nerve on my Cruz Bay rants. During our visit in early June the place was just packed. The parking was crazy; is it always that way? There were some interesting restaurants that I would like to have tried, but no way with kids in tow.

Again, if it were just the wife and I and we were within walking distance to CB then that could be a part of my STJ vacation. For a few days, maybe. But then I'd have to decompress where the pace is more on "island time". I guess that is why we prefer Zihua to Ixtapa, Akumal to Playa del Carmen, or Grayton Beach to Seaside.

A final note on Capt. Phil: Before we set sail, he asked if any of us smoked. No one did. He started talking about how tobacco took many of his friends which morphed into a discussion of at sea burials which morphed into a discussion of booze cruise burials at sea (ashes and coffins). He went into some riff about the renaming of his boat which I really had little interest in. But, I noticed my 14 year old son was locked into every word he said which impressed me.

I wasn't looking for a booze cruise but a comfortable snorkeling experience for a relative novice. Capt. Phil delivered on that. I thought first mate Tarn (rhymes with barn) was cool. Professional, but friendly and had some family affordable dining suggestions in CB. The light Caribbean lunch was a problem for the 14 year old and she immediately whipped up a PB&J for him.
jp

The Cruz Bay confusion impacts people in different ways.

My mom’s boyfriend, a retired Marine/Fed employee who traveled extensively for his job, said “Boy, I am glad I don’t have to drive in this mess.” The congestion and traffic really bothered him so we did all the driving.

This man's retirement job is a as a courier for a luxury car company. He delivers vehicles up and down the east coast – NYC, DC, Philly, etc. - and he was turned off by Cruz Bay.

We are just back from our first trip last week. The first time I drove around Cruz Bay, I could not wait to get out of the place - way too stressful. By the end of the week I fell in love with the town. We spent at least some time in Cruz Bay every day, so we got to know the town pretty well.

Other than parking, which is managable (you always have Slimmin's paid lot as a fallback), it is a great town. Not on first impression, though, at least not for me.

We also liked Coral Bay. I liked the yin and yan analogy. The two towns complement each other very well.

Joe

This topic is so fascinating to me. When I get on the ferry I can't wait to see the colorful shops that line the shore of Cruz Bay. I love the hectic vibe (except when all those d*#m cruise ship tourists come ashore), the cute little park, seeing the sign for J.J.'s as a reminder of Texas, all the guys with their hair in those hot wooly caps, and even to some extent the chaos of it all. There are so many great little shops and restaurants you might never go in if you didn't know better.

But now after reading all these comments, I am beginning to wonder if I've talked it up a bit too much to my friends who have never been. No one takes photos of the overflowing dumpsters and broken down old cars. I can see why it's not for everyone, thank God. But those eye sores don't bother me for some reason.

As for driving in Cruz Bay, I just go slowly and kind of follow every one else. I'm still not sure what is one way or not. All the streets are narrow and look one way. Sometimes the signs are confusing and I'm not even sure which way they are pointing. I figure as long as I know which direction to the beach and which way is home, I'll get there eventually.

Now that I think about it, I think it's much more fun to go with people who "get it". Less stressful!!

Xislandgirl - I think you described STJ perfectly! I could really relate to everything you said!

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Jorge wrote:Coral Bay side is pretty cool. I heard that Salt Pond is now the topless beach. So you might want to stay away from those places.

Stop it! Yer killin' me!

Howdy neighbor!

We were on STJ June 1-11, and you were right next door to us! I was familiar with Le Lapin from seeing it online, and when I saw that little rabbit on the post, I knew which villa it was.

We were at the last driveway on the left, just before the entrance to Le Lapin.

That road was crazy...this was our 5th trip to STJ and we've never been on one that bumpy before.

It was good to hear your view point. We were a group of six adults that had our first real trip to St. John in May. We had stopped for a day off of a cruise and needed to go back.

We absolutely all, get St. John. When someone mentioned trash dumpsters and broken down cars, I don't even think of them being there, but I know they were. We loved Cruz Bay with the hectic parking and everything. Liked the Coral Bay side too.

That being said, when I'm encouraging people to travel with us to St. John, I'm careful who I encourage. We are going back in August with another family and I tried to stress exactly what St. John is like. I still know they won't understand until they arrive, but I think they'll love it. We have other family and friends that love my pictures, but I don't encourage them to go because once they arrived I know things would irritate them!

Wanted to chime in too that I love Akumal and Playa del Carmen both and they were our usual travel spots until this year!

Hope we didn't have the stereo up too loud!

I kept waiting to have a tire blow on that drive. Not exactly sure what we would have done in that situation.

jp