USVI-On-Line

I've had fun living vicariously through this forum for a couple of years and have never been to St. John. At LAST, I think we may be planning a trip this August! I am wondering if I could get some pointers from those who have been so many times about what part(s) of the island would be better to stay for the following kind of vacation (and I admit up front it will probably sound boring to some! but wonderful to me): 80% of time spent on beaches, snorkeling/lazing, rest of time divided between figuring out where to eat and reading on the porch with the occasional nap. (And I imagine driving around exploring the island.) My main hopes are to find a place to stay that is fairly quiet but don't have to drive an enormous amount of time to get to restaurants. Thanks for any help! Chuck in Illinois

Chuck,

Check out villas in the Rendesvous Bay, Fish Bay area. They are only about a 10 minute drive from Cruz Bay, 20 to beaches and still far enough out to be a little more peaceful than Great Cruz Bay or Chocolate Hole areas.

We spend our vacations in STJ being lazy on the beach and snorkeling. Most days of our trip we spend around 8 hours a day on the beach, going back and forth among reading, sleeping, snorkeling, swimming, and just laying there.

We usually cook dinner in our villa about half the time, and go out for dinner the other half. For that reason, I like to stay somewhat near Cruz Bay because all of our favorite restaurants are there (Lime Inn, Morgan's Mango, Rhumb Lines, etc). If we stayed on the Coral Bay side, it'd be more driving at night than we'd like (navigating the STJ roads is more difficult at night than during the day as you've probably guessed). I also like being close to Cruz Bay because I find Starfish Market to have most everything I'll need...and I always manage to need something on the nights we cook at the villa.

That said, the Coral Bay side is amazingly beautiful (but so is the Cruz Bay side), and we'd stay there in a second if it were closer to the restaurants and grocery store that we like.

We stayed above Rendezvous Bay this past December, and loved it for the peace/quiet. Proximity to town is probably 5-10 minutes (realize that you drive perhaps 20mph in many areas), though northshore and east end beaches are farther away. We actually ended up hanging at the pool more time than the beaches this trip. Good luck in all your planning-you'll have a great time!

Chuck

You just described my typical
St John week and probably alot
more of the forum.

I would suggest, for your first trip, and for what you are looking for, to stay near Cruz Bay, either Gallows Point or Lavendar Hill condos. Can walk to town for restaurants, shopping etc and to taxis to take you to the beaches. Would recommend renting a jeep for a couple days to explore too.
Have fun!!!

I would recommend Chocolate Hole for newbies. Close to town but not too close. You would need a car, but you are close to town - 5 to 10 minutes - for eating, shopping, etc.

I don't know about the recommendation for Fish Bay. Not to be disagreeable but we stayed just past there (in Reef Bay) on our 2nd trip and liked it but it is a bit further out than 10 minutes - more like 20-25 and quite the ride. Plus it may be a little too isolated for you. My husband and I didn't mind, but the gals we were with mentioned they would have been a little creeped out by themselves, just because it is so far out and so quiet.

The views from Gifft Hill are fantastic, Paloma Blanca (at least) is private and quiet and the area is only ten minutes to Cruz Bay.

We have a multiple personality disorder on where to stay. Our party-party group prefers somewhere with a Western exposure for the later morning (the sun rises very early on the south side - Rendezvous Bay area), the sunset villa happy hour action and easy access to the Cruz Bay watering holes. This usually means something on the hill over Chocolate Hole or Great Cruz Bay. We are doing Eaglesnest through VIVA for Halloween 2007. But, this is 15-30 minutes from the beaches.

Comment on Rendezvous Bay - when the wind blows you are going to feel it. I'm talking about deck chairs sliding across the deck at 4AM and getting chilly as soon as you get out of the pool. This is more of an issue in October/November/December. I DO love the view to the East from Hart Bay/Rendezvous Bay in the morning towards Ditleff Point and Rams Head. I get up early on vacation and it is freakin' beautiful. But, after our last stay on the South side one of our party girls asked for a room with blackout curtains for the next trip. I go into this a bit in our 2005 Gang of 10 trip report http://www.garvin.us/STJ/Trip_Reports/2 ... of_10.html.

On the other lobe, when it is just my immediate family we gravitate towards the Coral Bay side of things. Christine (NoTanLines) and I are renting Callaloo Villa for April 27. We are likely going to book for Spring Break 2008 with the kids on this side of the island soon. If you are over by Francis Bay (check out NoWorriesMom trip report - Part 1 at http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... highlight=) or Ajax Mountain you can dip down to Maho/Francis Bay beaches or head to the Coral Bay side in 5-10 minutes. Important for us, when my daughters are along, is the drive time to Carolina Corral - my girls love to ride Peaches and Houdini with Dana at the Corral. They are past Skinny Legs and a good 30+ minute drive down Centerline Road, even if you are not stuck behind a 15mph cement truck. This puts you 20 minutes from Cruz Bay. But, there are some good restaurants in Coral Bay. Shipwreck Landing is no longer the end of the world - new pavement and lights make this an easy night drive. Well, as easy as any night driving on STJ.

So, do you want to be closer to the beaches or to the restaurants in Cruz Bay? For us, it depends on the personality of the group. Both choices work well for me.

For some more hints, check out the web page I built for the newbies in our Gang of 24 trip in November 2006 - http://www.garvin.us/STJ/New_Visitors_G ... Guide.html

Cheers, RickG

Good Morning, Chuck!

Make sure to post your trip dates on the calendar. We'll be on St John late July thru August 12th, and we're newbies too.

Rick,

When in Nov. are you going to be there with your gang?
The girls gons wild bunch might need to join you for happy hour!

cypressgirl wrote:Rick,

When in Nov. are you going to be there with your gang?
The girls gons wild bunch might need to join you for happy hour!

That would be fun! We are there Halloween week, leaving November 3.

Cheers, RickG

So sad! We arrive Nov 3. Maybe next year!!

We'll be there Spring Break 2008 too!

Well....I just got back from spring break and I haven't done that trip report yet because I've been sick and I'm so drugged up I can't put 2 sentences together, but my girls are ready to do it again!!!!

I'll get that report done this week...Promise!!