USVI-On-Line

Purpose of the trip is partially to get away from everything, think, and stare up at the stars. I'll be arriving next Monday, and was curious what beaches qualify as the most empty? If any ...

Are there any issues with safety at night? If not from humans, what about deadly spiders, monster venemous frogs, or the fabled Virgin Island Pirhanna?

-VB-

guess it depends on what you are looking for-white sandy beach,good snorkeling spot, with or without restrooms and if you mind a little hike to get to beach!

For saftey, try Cinnamon Bay at the campground. It is a huge beach, so you will find a decluded spot at night. They may even have a bonfire to keep the bugs away. The trail from the parking lot to the beach is paved and I presume lighted at night. You can get there by taxi and I guess you could find out how to call a cab on you way back.
During the day, Solomom would be your best bet. Very safe, can only get there by dinghy or hike, and a beautiful, tropical paradise once you get there.

Just my opinion, but from having 2 sons that lived in the tropics( Key West, Marco Island, Naples, Destin and Miami) and listening to their stories, I do not go into the Caribbean waters at night. I dont know about St John--perhaps people do use the beaches at Caneel at night, or go into Cinnamon at the campground at night, and they do have guided snorkel tours at night, but I would never go into the water at a secluded beach on St John after dark without geting advice from someone on this forum or from folks at the campground at Cinnamon or Little Maho, or from the folks at the main beach at Caneel.
I have gone in at sunset on St John and White Bay. I have never seen this topic addressed on the forum.

Are bugs a real issue in St John? Here in Miami I haven't seen a bug in months, aside from a stray fly. Am I going to need bug spray?

YES YOU WILL NEED BUG SPRAY!!!! The no-see-ums are the worst, they don't bother me much but last December my brother was eaten alive and had to go to the clinic to get a steroid shot. Don't take chances, get bug spray!!! If your villa is higher up, the breezes should keep them away. Ours last December was lower, therefore bugs, in March we were way up high, no bugs at all. From the National Park Service re: hours at beaches: http://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/hours.htm I think Lameshur is probably the most secluded of the beaches, but I wouldn't go there at night.

Hmmm, well I'm thinking Little Cinnamon at night, as long as you have a headlamp to light the trail on the way back. I've had that little stretch of beach completely to myself during the day so imagine you'd absolutely have it all to yourself in the dark. It's secluded but near enough to civilization.

The bugs on STJ are HORRIBLE but it depends on how much they like you. I can get 50 bites before my husband gets one, so it really depends on how apt you are to getting bitten.

The bugs are the only thing I hate about STJ. I've counted 75ish no-see-um bites on just one of my legs before.

I dont recall this being mentioned for awhile now...but we still take the B6 vitamin and have good results with it..I take it regular so its not a big deal for me..and I just put hubby on it about a month before we are to arrive and the bugs dont seem as bad to me...and I am like a bug magnet..This definetly seems to help me..

I also take B complex vitamins including B6 and it doesn't seem to help me

I'm glad it works for you though.

Last summer on STJ I woke up one morning looking like I slept in a swamp. I had tons of bites (I assume from no-see-ums). They particularily targeted my elbows for some reason. They were all swollen. Itched like heck for about a week. I know some people don't like using deet, but Ive used OFF Active while hiking on STJ and it worked very well. I wonder if there's a way to keep from getting bit up at night (Im not wearing bug spray to bed, gross).

Secluded Beach - North Shore, any with a hike to get to it or most limited parking. Denis, Jumbie, Gibney, Leinster. South Shore - Reef Bay, Little Lamshur, Lamshur.
East end - Haulover, Vies Beach

What kind of issues are you worried about at night? Beach or town or villa or ???. Overall StJ is a relatively safe tourist destination. Just like any other place in the world you must be aware of your surroundings. If your talking about night swimming I will only suggest that you ALWAYS have someone with you when you swim. The buddy system works.

Bugs are an issue on StJ. The severity of pests is directly related to how much rain has been dropped recently. The insect hatch seems to be worst about 7-10 days after a good rain. You will have the most problems near the water in the hour before and after sunrise and sunset or if you are in the shade. I use products with deet. We have almost perfected the sunset swarm avoidance method that allows us to enjoy the water and catch the beautiful sunsets without being completely devoured by no-seeums.

As much as I love a beach at night, I just can't imagine it being pleasant in St. John due to the bugs...

If I were to do it, I guess I'd pick Maho so I could easily run to the car as soon as I realized it was not fun.

I was thinking that with all that standing water across the road, Maho would be the worst place to be at sunset.

JIM

Bryan someone on here recommended Gold Bond powder sprinkled in the sheets. We tried it in February and it worked. The first night we didn't use it and my hubby got bit pretty bad. We sprinkled fresh powder every other day and didn't have a problem at all after the first night.