USVI-On-Line

will be there 7 days. obviously can't do it all but would be interested in everybody's can't miss list of places/stuff to do for a 1st timer, ( or things that are maybe over-hyped to take a pass on...? ) certainly, major amounts of snorkeling time will be logged, any other advice from you STJ veterans ?

I would order a copy of Feet, Fins, and 4WD. It really is a great base for a first trip.

Things we never miss:
Drinks at High Tide then Joe's Rum Hut, then Beach Bar!
All Day beach day at Maho with sandwiches from Deli Grotto
Burgers at Skinny Legs

We pass on Trunk Bay but always make a point to go Salt Pond. Our must go to place to eat/drink is the Tourist Trap. We try to stay away from big crowds

A trip for us is never complete without a stop at St. John Spice, drinks at Beach Bar, limin' at Skinny's, a "Big G" at Joe's Rum hut, some time at one of the "hidden" beaches- (Jumbie, Salomon, Dennis, etc) and a sunset at Cinnamon.

Of course there are so many other great places. We never get it all done in one week. Make sure to start planning your next trip now Enjoy!

The trouble with St John is there are too many must-do's; can never get them all done in a week! We have started extending our week by a day at a time, coming in on a Friday and/or leaving on a Moncay just so we can fit everything in. Must snorkel Waterlemon, must have painkiller and grilled shrimp at Shipwrck, must do rocks at Salt Pond, must spend day on boat so can snorkel Indians and get to Jost, must sit at Beach Bar, dinner at Zozos...the list goes on and on....

Oh yes! How could I forget? A day on a boat over to Jot is a MUST! So many....

We never miss Banana Deck (garlic ribeye!), Rhumblines, or Cafe Roma for dinner...and often go twice to each of them. I love Caravan Gallery at Mongoose Junction for inexpensive jewelry.

I'll be the naysayer on the BVI trip. We've been to STJ nine times and never been to the BVIs. There is so much to do on STJ, especially on a first trip, you won't run out of things to do. We often talk about going to the BVIs but then we get to STJ and realize doing so would mean giving up a day on our beloved STJ and never go through with it.

Check the cruise ship schedule before going to Trunk Bay.

Teresa_Rae wrote:I'll be the naysayer on the BVI trip. We've been to STJ nine times and never been to the BVIs. There is so much to do on STJ, especially on a first trip, you won't run out of things to do. We often talk about going to the BVIs but then we get to STJ and realize doing so would mean giving up a day on our beloved STJ and never go through with it.

Oh sorry Teresa, have to agree to disagree re BVI. It's become the highlight of our yearly trip. The snorkeling at Indians can't be matched directly on island in our opinion. Nor is there anything quite like swimming onto Sandy Spit, or pulling up to the dock at Foxy's Taboo. We do this day trip halfway through the vacation, splits things up nicely.

Be that as it may, I would never recommend a BVI charter to a first time visitor. I'd recommend easy stuff to catch the flavor......work your way through the north shore beaches west to east, ending at Francis. Make sure you hit Trunk either very early or very late to avoid the crowds. Try a few restaurants in Cruz if you're staying near there, and hit Skinny Legs. Try Salt Pond for 1st time south side adventure.

You'll return to STJ and can get more adventurous 2nd time there with even better snorkels at Waterlemon and Yawzi.

Hubby and I agreed on several as we have a newbie going on our next trip. We defInately feel like Maho is a must- great beach for snorkeling, wading, view and gives an overall nice picture of St John. We also felt that Waterlemon is a great snorkel with an easy hike. We like the idea of driving all the way out to the East End of the island to see the view- it's amazing! we like many hikes but don't know if you are into that! If so, the petroglyphs were cool. We love having some dinners in at the villa and just enjoying the bananaquits and the views!
We didn't go to the BVIs for many trips and really feel that can wait for a later trip. Seven days just isn't much to fit in everything. Save it for a layer trip. We do lOve going out with captain John though!
Our take is make the list but remember part of the allure of STJ is to just go and do it. So use the list if you need it because you can't decide but just see where the day takes you!! Have an amazing time!!!

Trunk Bay and Bushwackers at the Beach Bar were the first things we did 20 years ago and we continue to do every trip.

Since then we've added Maho and Honeymoon to our must-do list.

Whatever you think you might miss this time, will be there next time.

Just relax and enjoy - it's all good!

Definitely Maho is a place to go, along with Francis Bay just down the road. Waterlemon Cay is also a must. If you want a really nice, different, and somewhat private beach then Jumbie would be good. BTW, we're practically neighbors as we are in Valpo. We'll also be on STJ at the same time

Xislandgirl...got the book. looks like it will be very helpful. cmw...sorry about the no ticker. lisa will take lots of pics to show you when we get back. to those who suggested maho, waterlemon and salt pond those are definitely on the list. not sure about the jost thing? will have to be a game time decision i guess. i'm intrigued by the dinghy rental idea, anybody done (do ) this? Muhaha...always good to hear from a fellow Hoosier. let's meet up at the Beach Bar and i'll buy you a drink ( or 2...? ) and you can fill me in further. thanks to all who responded with their 2 cents...

I agree with Jayseadee. Trunk Bay in the morning and a Bushwacker at the Beach Bar. Maho and Waterlemon are up there for me too.

If you are at all interested in hiking, look at the maps done by the Trail Bandit. A great way to identify all the different bays. http://www.trailbandit.org/
I liked the maps so much that I did versions that I can save to my smart phone http://testbed.cis.drexel.edu/stj/
We wouldn't miss the mangrove snorkel in Princess Bay (the north end of Hurricane Hole)

cdrott wrote:If you are at all interested in hiking, look at the maps done by the Trail Bandit. A great way to identify all the different bays. http://www.trailbandit.org/
I liked the maps so much that I did versions that I can save to my smart phone http://testbed.cis.drexel.edu/stj/
We wouldn't miss the mangrove snorkel in Princess Bay (the north end of Hurricane Hole)

good link! thanks.