USVI-On-Line

Hi everyone! After "lurking" on this board for a while, I decided to register. I have been a poster for several months on the "other" board as I am planning our first trip to STT in April. We are staying at Secret Harbour (me, hubby and another couple) I didn't realize until recently how much information there is on this site!

Anyhow, I want to go to STJ for a day to see Trunk or Cinnamin (sp) Bay (haven't decided on car ferry or people ferry - am open to opinions on that!) and also Jost for a day. I think we will do the ferry rather than a sail or power boat excursion.

I have only snorked once before, a long time ago on our honeymoon in the Bahamas, but I have purchased snorkel gear for this trip since its supposed to be decent at Secret Harbour. I'm considering getting a rash guard shirt, but wondering if really necessary unless you're doing HOURS of snorkeling. Comments?

Other than the Bahamas, I've done a Western Caribbean cruise - and that's my extent of traveling the caribbean and am SO looking forward to this trip!

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Welcome!
I have talked to you on the other board (Terri), but now I usually just stick with this forum.

Terese

Jorge,
pretty far from Blacksburg, I'm in WEST Virginia, (not western va.) You're not a Hokie fan are you?

Cal Girl - I have a question about the rash guards. do you wear it OVER your swimsuit, or alone with swimsuit bottoms or board shorts? Is that a stupid question? I looked at some on LLBean's website, and yeah, some were pretty cute. There's a pink one I liked.

thanks for your responses!

Welcome, welcome - you will love it here

Pia (also from the "other" forum )

mountaineer girl wrote:
Cal Girl - I have a question about the rash guards. do you wear it OVER your swimsuit, or alone with swimsuit bottoms or board shorts? Is that a stupid question? I looked at some on LLBean's website, and yeah, some were pretty cute. There's a pink one I liked.

Well, since I'm a novice a this, I'll tell you what I plan to do, and then others with more experience are welcome to chime in. I have a one-piece suit, so I'll be wearing mine over my suit. But I bet if you had a 2-piece and wanted to wear your rash guard all day, or else go "nekkid", you could get away with not wearing your bathing suit top under your rash guard.

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Welcome! We are always happy to have fresh faces and perspectives on this forum!

Hi Mountaineer Girl! Welcome to the forum! You are going to love Secret Harbour! It's so cute. The best snorkeling is on the right as you look out to the water. Make sure you eat at Blue Moon on the property-their food is tasty.

With the rash guard, I think you put it right over your suit, though if you wear a two piece you could use it instead of the top. I don't think you "need:" to get one though. I snorkel for hours at a time and just wear one of John's t-shirts (they come almost to my knees--great coverage, though I look like a dork )

If you are coming over from STT just for the day and want to hit Cinnamon or Trunk, I would just take the people ferry and then take a taxi to the beach. They'll be waiting for you when the ferry arrives, and there are always taxis waiting to bring you back to the ferry at both beaches. Both have toilets, showers, and snacks. As a beginner snorkeler (?) you might like Trunk more. The snorkel trail is easy and there's a lifeguard there. There is some good snorkeling at Cinnamon around the Cay but there is more wave action there, and I think you'd want to be quite comfortable with snorkeling to give it a try. If you just want to swim, though, Cinnamon is the best for playing in the waves, plus it's bigger so feels less crowded.

We bring rash guard shirts but usually don't wear them. We just use sunblock and snorkel for hours without burning. Most women wear their rash guard over their tops, then you can take off the shirt when just lounging on the beach.

Thanks for the great info. I don't think I'll get a rash guard since I doubt that I'll be snorkeling daily, or for long periods of time. One of my tankini tops is pretty high backed, so I'll wear it when snorkeling. I may be the only one of the 4 of us doing it all - the rest will lay around like beached whales on the beach. I'll have a pretty good base tan (from the beds!) before I go and I'll use lots of sun block.

Could I taxi to Trunk, then again to Cinnamon, and then back to Cruz Bay without spending a fortune on taxis? (for 4 of us) or can we walk from Trunk to Cinnamon easily?

Thanks again, I'm glad I "discovered" this forum, both have a great source of information. We are planning a trip out west (either this fall or next year) wonder if there is message board for that!

Hey Mountaineer Girl! (from the other forum too...) this one is much more "upbeat", you're gonna love it! I'm so excited you're finally actually going to the islands... you are seriously going to squeal when you see Trunk Bay and Cinnamon!!! We were on STJ for a week and never rented a car and the taxi fees do add up but for one day it won't be so awful. We loved the freedom of not having to think about all the curves and close calls and we just climbed in and drank and enjoyed the view. Other's seem to LOVE having their own cars so it's really whatever you personally want but I will say that there always seem to be ample taxi service at Trunk and Cinnamon which, by the way, are EXCELLENT choices for your first trip to STJ. I seriously can't wait for your trip report because there is nothing like hearing someone's first time impressions... Oh and I just always took a light weight tee shirt to put on if i felt like my back was getting too much sun but usually serious sunblock did the trick! You are going to love, love, love snorkeling in the warm wonderful waters around these islands!

Welcome! Glad you decided to jump right in.
You will be amazed at how much info you get from these great folks on this board. It makes the "wait" so much more fun. We are staying at Secret Harbour for one night before our May trip. I've only heard great things about the place.
Hurry up- get your list of questions ready and fire away.
Tammy

Trunk and Cinnamon are the two best choices if you’re traveling the island by taxi, as they are the only two beaches that pretty much always have taxis waiting to take you back to Cruz Bay (or somewhere else). You can get to other beaches via taxi, but getting back could be a problem, so Trunk and Cinnamon are good for that reason.

If you’re on a schedule, keep in mind that the taxis are large and drivers like to fill them up before departing…so if you expect to leave at a certain time, pad it a bit because you might have to wait for your taxi to fill up before you’ll be on your way.

As for visiting Cinnamon and Trunk, I’d suggest that you go to Cinnamon first. My husband and I go to STJ every summer, and on the first couple trips, Cinnamon Bay was our absolute favorite beach. We spent at least 5 of 10 days at Cinnamon back then. But Cinnamon has been extremely windy the past couple times we’ve been to STJ, so we haven’t spent much time there lately. Wind is often a good thing, it cools you off, but I’m talking about wind strong enough to blow up sand…and it really hurts when it hits you in the face! We’ve left Cinnamon Bay several times over the past couple years because the wind was just too strong. That's not to say that you should avoid Cinnamon...when the wind isn't too strong, it is still our favorite beach.

If you go to Cinnamon first and it’s too windy, then you can head to Trunk and spend most of your day there. But if you were to go to Trunk first and leave mid-day, just to find a very windy Cinnamon, you’d be disappointed that you left Trunk Bay. Trunk Bay has an admission charge (I haven’t been there since 2003, but it was less than $5/person back then), so make sure to bring some cash.

Also, keep in mind that Trunk Bay is the favored destination for cruise ship traffic from STT, so check the schedules and try not to go on a day when big ships are in STT.