St John Trip Report 6/06 - 6/20 (Warning: EXTREMELY long)
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 12:03 am
As a long-time lurker, I figured I owed the forum a trip report, given how much helpful information I received while planning our trip. I don't know if this will help anyone or not, but I hope something in it will be useful. This describes our 25th Anniversary trip to St John, June 06 - June 20.
Airport, Taxi, & Ferry stuff: We used American Airlines, and had no significant problems. The last leg of our flight from Miami to St Thomas was delayed by an hour, arriving at STT at 3:45. We didn't think we had much of a chance to make it to Red Hook for the 5pm ferry. But our luggage came within 10 minutes, our taxi driver took the faster route through the hills, and we made it with 5 minutes to spare. He asked for $30 for the 2 of us (with 2 bags), which was confusing since based on the posted prices, it should have been $26. I'm sorry to say I paid only what he asked, since I was confused. I really hate this tipping stuff, as I never know what's "right". At Red Hook, there was someone taking luggage and putting in a cart. I knew better, but we were in a hurry, and I wasn't thinking. Instead of saying "no, thank you", I let him grab our luggage. When he then said "tip, please", I remembered what was going on. But what could I do at that point, take our bags back? So I gave him the $5 that should have gone to the taxi driver!
Coming back, the ferry ticket office at Cruz Bay never opened (I had read it usually opens 5-10 minutes before the ferry leaves). Someone at the gate took our money, and no luggage tags were issued. It all seemed to operate on the honor system. This time I knew enough to wheel our luggage to the ship ourselves. The taxi back was uneventful, and the lines for customs & security at Cyril E King were short & relatively quick (about 3 & 15 minutes, respectively). This was on a Wednesday, shortly after Noon. All in all, travel was as painless as 3 plane flights, a taxi ride, and a ferry ride can be (each way).
Accommodations: We stayed at Hillcrest Guest House, a short (though steep!) walk from Cruz Bay. Phyllis Hall is the owner & host, and is honest, gracious, friendly, and helpful (can you tell we liked her?). The unit we stayed in had a very pretty view of Cruz Bay harbor, though a relatively new building in front now blocks a small part of the view. As a "value" accommodation, it was excellent. It isn't appropriate for everyone, but I can definitely recommend it for those looking for a budget place that's super close to town (though the price has since gone up quite a bit since we booked, so perhaps it isn't as great a deal as it once was). Still, since Phyllis stocks the fridge & pantry with lots of food and drink, you get more than you get at many other places. There's also a small DVD & book collection. The unit had a microwave, full size fridge/freezer, hot plate, coffee maker (two, actually), complete kitchenware, A/C, ceiling fan, and a drying rack (indispensable for drying those wet bathing suits overnight - unless it rains, of course!). The one thing to be a bit wary of is noise at night. There's noise from Cruz Bay, noise from an occasional car passing by, and noise from animals (dogs & roosters). It didn't bother us at all (thanks to the fan on the A/C), but some might have issues. The unit isn't terribly modern, but it was relatively clean and comfortable.
Car Rental: We rented a Suzuki Viatra from Conrad Sutton, as that seemed to be the cheapest car available. After making the reservations, I read some of the "horror" stories posted about Conrad Sutton, and had second thoughts. But money is money, and I didn't want to spend an extra $60 just because Conrad yells at some people sometimes. Conrad's wife (some negative stories have also been posted on her) helped us when we picked up the car, and Conrad himself was there when we dropped it off. We also dealt with their daughter when the car slipped into 4WD and I couldn't get it out. (Turned out to be due to my not understanding where I had been on the selector, and where I was. Stupid tourists!
All 3 were pleasant to deal with. Carmen (the daughter) in particular was extremely kind & helpful. She was also the one who responded to our emails (which were always answered within a day or so, professionally and courteously). I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, even though I know some people haven't been as fortunate. The car, by the way, operated perfectly the entire 2 weeks.
Groceries: Prices really are as expensive as we read! We shopped at all 3 Cruz Bay markets (Pine Peace, Dolphin, and Starfish). We found that Starfish had the widest selection, and Dolphin had some good deals on produce (as well as having some items that neither Pine Peace nor Starfish stocked). Generally speaking, Starfish was the most expensive, but there were exceptions. In the end, we bought most of our groceries from Dolphin, because they were within walking distance of Hillcrest, but we also bought from the others, too (for example, only Starfish seemed to stock nonfat milk). In order to lower our food bill, we decided to eat in for dinner most of our meals. We accomplished that with frozen foods (ugh), as well as canned goods. We just didn't feel like doing real cooking on our vacation. A few of the frozen food we bought, though, were so ridiculously priced that we would have done better to just go out to eat, even if it meant spending a little more. Live & learn. We filled up our drinking water bottles twice at the Lumber Yard place (I don't remember the name). $0.50 per gallon is quite a good deal, and it tasted just like water.
Restaurants: We are not the kind of people who easily spend $25 (or more!) for a small piece of fish, so we didn't try the popular, pricey places. We tended to look for value eateries. And we did find some. At the top of our list has got to be Uncle Joe's BBQ. The first time we ate there (dinner), we ordered a chicken dish (for me) and a rib dish (for her). BIG mistake. Well, the mistake was actually eating it all! The chicken dish consisted of an entire half chicken (along with 2 sides, as all dishes include). That might not be too much for some people, but it was way too much for me. I was still full at lunch the next day. We ate there (well, got takeout there) 2 more times, but after that, we ordered one chicken & ribs combo dish. That was perfectly sized for the 2 of us, and only $11 at lunch. That's a bargain anywhere for lunch for two people, but an almost illegally low price for St John. By the way, if you go early, the wait is not bad at all. Two times it was 10 minutes, and one time about 25 minutes (that wait was longer because they hadn't quite opened yet ... even though it was 30 minutes after opening time).
Next on our bargain list would be She Las Pot (aka Sheila's Pot or Shela's Pot). This isn't to everyone's taste ("local" food), but we liked it a lot. Unfortunately we ate there only once, as the other times we tried to go, she was closed. The time we did get food from her (actually, her place, but Sheila herself was not there), we had a Salt Fish platter for $12 (with sweet potato, bread fruit, dumpling, and veggie side dishes), and a Pea Soup for $6. (The Pea Soup is not what most of us would think of when we hear that term. It was a sweet and delicious soup made with red beans and a meat of some kind - probably a bull's foot, as I think it was actually Bull Foot Soup with a more pleasant sounding name.) It was a very filling meal for the two of us for only $18. (I'm not mentioning tips in the price, but we almost always tipped a few dollars even for takeout.)
We made frequent use of Deli Grotto (Mongoose Junction), especially for their salads (e.g., broccoli salad, which was our favorite, or black bean salad). They have a good selection of sandwiches, too. And their desserts - yummy!
Another bargain spot we found was Sogo's, a West Indian restaurant. We ate dinner there the night we arrived, and the night before we left. Both times the place was practically empty (I think there was one other party each time). What a shame! The service was super (fast and genuinely friendly). The food was excellent, and the prices very reasonable. In addition to their regular menu items, they also had specials listed on the black board inside the restaurant. These can be a great deal, especially for dinner (e.g., $14 for Steamed King Fish with seven side dishes).
In the Coral Bay area, we ate at Fire Foods, a seafood & vegan eatery in a trailer parked near the intersection of Coral Bay Rd and 10. (At least, I think that's what those roads are called; whatever, you can't miss it if you're driving from Cruz Bay To Coral Bay!) This was a real bargain. For $14 we got 2 entrees (it's $12 for one entree, but we couldn't decide which to get, so he said we could get both for $2 more), and 4 side dishes. The entrees were Stewed Tofu and Stewed Veggie Burger, and the sides were brown rice, plantains, red beans, and mixed veggies. Super delicious, and healthful. They're open every day but Sunday, starting at about 8am, until the food runs out (generally by mid-afternoon).
We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at Miss Lucy's. This may not rate as a bargain, but given the fabulous, waterfront location, and the delicious food, it was an excellent value. (My wife wasn't as thrilled with the food as I was, thinking it was fairly ordinary.) The service was superb. I'd definitely go back.
Mosquito Bites, a bakery in Coral Bay, was very impressive the two times we tried it. Once for Key Lime pie, which was incredibly good ($5 for a large slice, compared to $8 for Miss Lucy's) and Tabuli, also excellent ($8 for a large container). And the second time for just a couple of brownies ($2 each), that were perfect. I'm sorry we didn't try more of what they had to offer.
Back to the Cruz Bay area, We were a bit disappointed by Satyamuna. On paper, this was exactly the kind of place we'd absolutely love. The food wasn't cheap, but by St John standards, it's a pretty good deal. But we found the two curry dishes we tried had very little flavor. A Falafel Wrap was much better, as was a Tofu Fajita Wrap. So, fifty-fifty, but as always YMMV. (As an example, I thought the Baklava was the worst I'd ever had, and my wife thought it was the best she'd ever had! Yes, we really have been married for 25 years!)
Just 3 more to mention. The Columbo Smoothie stand at the intersection of North Shore & Centerline Roads. We'd never had a smoothie before, and $7 seemed a bit much. But we were so hot, it was actually worth it, as it really cooled us down! (Not to mention, it was delicious.) We happened to run into Mark ("Even a bad day on St John doesn't suck") at Gibney's a few days later, and talked with him for about 30 minutes. He's quite an interesting character, (so unpretentious and genuine) and his dog (a girl named Fred), is so cute.
We tried two buffets. Maho Bay Campground's buffet dinner, which I can highly recommend for the view, if nothing else. The food was quite good, too, though a bit expensive for what you get (not by St John standards, admittedly). But watching the sunset over the ocean from your table while swatting mosquitoes just can't be beat. The salad bar (one trip with dinner) made the price acceptable. We found the $20 Grouper not worth it (except with the inclusion of that salad bar trip), but $18 for the large Chicken Curry Roti (plus the salad bar) was a decent deal. The second buffet was even more expensive, but actually seemed to be the better deal. We had the buffet lunch at Caneel ($29 per person). I could list everything we ate, but since it changes daily, there's not much sense in that. Just suffice it to say that if you're thinking about eating there, do it, you probably won't be disappointed.
Snorkeling: In no particular order, we snorkeled Jumbie, Maho, Salt Pond, Blue Cobblestone, Waterlemon Cay, Leinster, Francis, Peter, Pelican Rock, Trunk Cay, Saloman - Honeymoon, and Gibney - Denis. For you shark worriers out there, in all that snorkeling, we saw only 3 sharks (2 at Pelican Rock, and 1 at Blue Cobblestone). All 3 were Nurse Sharks just lying motionless (more or less) on the bottom. (One of the two at Pelican Rock was in less than 10 feet of water, but the other two we saw were in water 20 feet deep or more.) But I should mention that another Hillcrest guest that we were talking with saw a large Lemon Shark in very shallow water at Leinster. Personally, I was thrilled to have seen these Nurse Sharks, and just as thrilled to not have seen any other kind!
We had planned to not go to Trunk, but then decided to anyway. We were glad we did. Not surprisingly, the fish seemed much more accustomed to snorkelers than anywhere else. They were not the least bit shy or afraid. We saw a turtle and a Ray, and the coral was in much better shape than I'd expected. Having low expectations probably helped, but we ended up enjoying Trunk much more than we thought we would.
Another favorite was Blue Cobblestone, with its deep canyons, which was unlike any other spot we tried. However, also like any other spot, it was much wavier than we like. Especially during our second time, which after about 5 minutes we decided was simply too rough to enjoy. I'd love to snorkel Blue Cobblestone on a calm day (if there ever is one there). It would be awesome. But viz really takes a hit when it's rough (though it didn't prevent us from seeing that Nurse Shark in about 25 feet of water, so it couldn't have been that bad).
Maho on the right, into Francis Bay, was another favorite, as was Waterlemon, of course. The former was practically like snorkeling in a swimming pool it was so calm, while the latter had the much discussed current. When we went, the current wasn't too bad, but it was certainly noticeable, especially along the short sides of the Cay. Snorkeling counterclockwise meant we had to fight it to get to and around the first corner, but then it was fine until we turned the next corner and flew past that side quickly. The coral along the back side of the Cay was the best we saw anywhere (to the best of our recollection, having done it only once early on). It was gorgeous. The fish life wasn't as impressive, but it was still a fun snorkel.
Pelican Rock, between Vie's Beach and Hanson Beach, was definitely another favorite, if for no other reason than having seen those 2 Nurse Sharks. But there were other reasons, too. It was more calm than Waterlemon, didn't require a 20-minute hike, and there were several spots that had some nice coral.
We snorkeled Francis three times, so perhaps that could be called our favorite (though I really hate to apply that label to any one spot). This was the right side, going out to Mary's Point. We never made it all the way to the end of the Point, but did go out about 1/4 mile or more. One of the 3 times there was a noticeable current going out, so we didn't make it more than 200 yards that time. The 3rd time we made it the furthest (so far we could just barely see the beach), and the coral seemed to continue to get better the further we went. (Though there were some bare spots in places.) There was a nice variety of fish at Francis, and when we were through with our coral snorkel, we swam back to the beach and waited for a turtle to pop up. We then would swim to it and watch it for a while. On one snorkel we saw 3 different turtles, and 2 different rays (though all we saw were Hawksbill and Southern Sting Ray, respectively). The last turtle we saw had a Remora attached to it, something we'd never seen before. That was amazing to see and watch.
Last (but not least) among our favorite snorkels was Peter, which I won't bother describing much since land access is private. A few spots near the beginning (we went to the left, almost all the way to Trunk one time) were dazzling. The water was clear, the coral formations were wonderful, and the fish plentiful. But in other spots, it was quite depressing, with all the dead coral. Peter must have been simply amazing before the development (or whatever it was) killed off a lot of the reef. By the way, does anyone know, is net fishing legal? One of the times we were there, two guys in a small power boat went right up to the reef and threw in their net. They did the same thing again near the shore.
In the past, we've snorkeled Aruba, Bonaire, St Thomas, Maui, Tahiti (Moorea & Huahine), and Fiji (Navini, Naigani, and Viti Levu). St John is definitely among the best. Warm, usually calm water, and a nice variety of coral (especially soft coral) and fish in water that's mostly not too shallow, not too deep, and right off the beach, make it a snorkeler's paradise. It definitely ranks among the top snorkel destinations we've been to (so far!).
Miscellaneous: We know how to use DEET. Really, we do. The problem seemed to be that the mosquitoes didn't know they are supposed to be repelled by it. We both got seriously eaten up during our two weeks. Some of our mosquito bites had mosquito bites. Oh, well.
The weather was cloudier than we expected. Which was a good thing as far as the heat was concerned, since all the clouds tended to keep the heat down. But as far as snorkeling, it was slightly disappointing, since some of the fish look so much prettier in brilliant sunshine. We had one or two days which could be categorized as mostly sunny, and about two times as many that we'd call mostly cloudy. The majority of the days were a mixture, where the sun would shine for 10 or 20 minutes, and be in the clouds for a similar time. It rained very hard a couple of nights, and also a few times during the day. But there wasn't a single day that was "ruined" by rain.
The speed limit is 20 MPH outside of Cruz Bay? Someone needs to inform the locals. The only time I ever saw a local going that slow was when I was behind him (and it was a big, smelly, truck that couldn't make it up the hill going any faster). I was tailgated going 30 numerous times. For a culture that believes in "island time", they certainly don't drive like it. I think the speed limit is for tourists, who are probably dangerous going over 20 (except for me, of course). Actually, I found that when the roads are wet, 20 is the fastest sane speed to even consider. There are 2 turns on North Shore Rd after Trunk Bay that are simply ridiculous. Driving was quite an experience. Driving on the left was nothing compared to driving some of those inclines.
Thanks to all the helpful people on this forum for their contributions that helped make our trip such a great success!
Airport, Taxi, & Ferry stuff: We used American Airlines, and had no significant problems. The last leg of our flight from Miami to St Thomas was delayed by an hour, arriving at STT at 3:45. We didn't think we had much of a chance to make it to Red Hook for the 5pm ferry. But our luggage came within 10 minutes, our taxi driver took the faster route through the hills, and we made it with 5 minutes to spare. He asked for $30 for the 2 of us (with 2 bags), which was confusing since based on the posted prices, it should have been $26. I'm sorry to say I paid only what he asked, since I was confused. I really hate this tipping stuff, as I never know what's "right". At Red Hook, there was someone taking luggage and putting in a cart. I knew better, but we were in a hurry, and I wasn't thinking. Instead of saying "no, thank you", I let him grab our luggage. When he then said "tip, please", I remembered what was going on. But what could I do at that point, take our bags back? So I gave him the $5 that should have gone to the taxi driver!
Coming back, the ferry ticket office at Cruz Bay never opened (I had read it usually opens 5-10 minutes before the ferry leaves). Someone at the gate took our money, and no luggage tags were issued. It all seemed to operate on the honor system. This time I knew enough to wheel our luggage to the ship ourselves. The taxi back was uneventful, and the lines for customs & security at Cyril E King were short & relatively quick (about 3 & 15 minutes, respectively). This was on a Wednesday, shortly after Noon. All in all, travel was as painless as 3 plane flights, a taxi ride, and a ferry ride can be (each way).
Accommodations: We stayed at Hillcrest Guest House, a short (though steep!) walk from Cruz Bay. Phyllis Hall is the owner & host, and is honest, gracious, friendly, and helpful (can you tell we liked her?). The unit we stayed in had a very pretty view of Cruz Bay harbor, though a relatively new building in front now blocks a small part of the view. As a "value" accommodation, it was excellent. It isn't appropriate for everyone, but I can definitely recommend it for those looking for a budget place that's super close to town (though the price has since gone up quite a bit since we booked, so perhaps it isn't as great a deal as it once was). Still, since Phyllis stocks the fridge & pantry with lots of food and drink, you get more than you get at many other places. There's also a small DVD & book collection. The unit had a microwave, full size fridge/freezer, hot plate, coffee maker (two, actually), complete kitchenware, A/C, ceiling fan, and a drying rack (indispensable for drying those wet bathing suits overnight - unless it rains, of course!). The one thing to be a bit wary of is noise at night. There's noise from Cruz Bay, noise from an occasional car passing by, and noise from animals (dogs & roosters). It didn't bother us at all (thanks to the fan on the A/C), but some might have issues. The unit isn't terribly modern, but it was relatively clean and comfortable.
Car Rental: We rented a Suzuki Viatra from Conrad Sutton, as that seemed to be the cheapest car available. After making the reservations, I read some of the "horror" stories posted about Conrad Sutton, and had second thoughts. But money is money, and I didn't want to spend an extra $60 just because Conrad yells at some people sometimes. Conrad's wife (some negative stories have also been posted on her) helped us when we picked up the car, and Conrad himself was there when we dropped it off. We also dealt with their daughter when the car slipped into 4WD and I couldn't get it out. (Turned out to be due to my not understanding where I had been on the selector, and where I was. Stupid tourists!
All 3 were pleasant to deal with. Carmen (the daughter) in particular was extremely kind & helpful. She was also the one who responded to our emails (which were always answered within a day or so, professionally and courteously). I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, even though I know some people haven't been as fortunate. The car, by the way, operated perfectly the entire 2 weeks.Groceries: Prices really are as expensive as we read! We shopped at all 3 Cruz Bay markets (Pine Peace, Dolphin, and Starfish). We found that Starfish had the widest selection, and Dolphin had some good deals on produce (as well as having some items that neither Pine Peace nor Starfish stocked). Generally speaking, Starfish was the most expensive, but there were exceptions. In the end, we bought most of our groceries from Dolphin, because they were within walking distance of Hillcrest, but we also bought from the others, too (for example, only Starfish seemed to stock nonfat milk). In order to lower our food bill, we decided to eat in for dinner most of our meals. We accomplished that with frozen foods (ugh), as well as canned goods. We just didn't feel like doing real cooking on our vacation. A few of the frozen food we bought, though, were so ridiculously priced that we would have done better to just go out to eat, even if it meant spending a little more. Live & learn. We filled up our drinking water bottles twice at the Lumber Yard place (I don't remember the name). $0.50 per gallon is quite a good deal, and it tasted just like water.
Restaurants: We are not the kind of people who easily spend $25 (or more!) for a small piece of fish, so we didn't try the popular, pricey places. We tended to look for value eateries. And we did find some. At the top of our list has got to be Uncle Joe's BBQ. The first time we ate there (dinner), we ordered a chicken dish (for me) and a rib dish (for her). BIG mistake. Well, the mistake was actually eating it all! The chicken dish consisted of an entire half chicken (along with 2 sides, as all dishes include). That might not be too much for some people, but it was way too much for me. I was still full at lunch the next day. We ate there (well, got takeout there) 2 more times, but after that, we ordered one chicken & ribs combo dish. That was perfectly sized for the 2 of us, and only $11 at lunch. That's a bargain anywhere for lunch for two people, but an almost illegally low price for St John. By the way, if you go early, the wait is not bad at all. Two times it was 10 minutes, and one time about 25 minutes (that wait was longer because they hadn't quite opened yet ... even though it was 30 minutes after opening time).
Next on our bargain list would be She Las Pot (aka Sheila's Pot or Shela's Pot). This isn't to everyone's taste ("local" food), but we liked it a lot. Unfortunately we ate there only once, as the other times we tried to go, she was closed. The time we did get food from her (actually, her place, but Sheila herself was not there), we had a Salt Fish platter for $12 (with sweet potato, bread fruit, dumpling, and veggie side dishes), and a Pea Soup for $6. (The Pea Soup is not what most of us would think of when we hear that term. It was a sweet and delicious soup made with red beans and a meat of some kind - probably a bull's foot, as I think it was actually Bull Foot Soup with a more pleasant sounding name.) It was a very filling meal for the two of us for only $18. (I'm not mentioning tips in the price, but we almost always tipped a few dollars even for takeout.)
We made frequent use of Deli Grotto (Mongoose Junction), especially for their salads (e.g., broccoli salad, which was our favorite, or black bean salad). They have a good selection of sandwiches, too. And their desserts - yummy!
Another bargain spot we found was Sogo's, a West Indian restaurant. We ate dinner there the night we arrived, and the night before we left. Both times the place was practically empty (I think there was one other party each time). What a shame! The service was super (fast and genuinely friendly). The food was excellent, and the prices very reasonable. In addition to their regular menu items, they also had specials listed on the black board inside the restaurant. These can be a great deal, especially for dinner (e.g., $14 for Steamed King Fish with seven side dishes).
In the Coral Bay area, we ate at Fire Foods, a seafood & vegan eatery in a trailer parked near the intersection of Coral Bay Rd and 10. (At least, I think that's what those roads are called; whatever, you can't miss it if you're driving from Cruz Bay To Coral Bay!) This was a real bargain. For $14 we got 2 entrees (it's $12 for one entree, but we couldn't decide which to get, so he said we could get both for $2 more), and 4 side dishes. The entrees were Stewed Tofu and Stewed Veggie Burger, and the sides were brown rice, plantains, red beans, and mixed veggies. Super delicious, and healthful. They're open every day but Sunday, starting at about 8am, until the food runs out (generally by mid-afternoon).
We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at Miss Lucy's. This may not rate as a bargain, but given the fabulous, waterfront location, and the delicious food, it was an excellent value. (My wife wasn't as thrilled with the food as I was, thinking it was fairly ordinary.) The service was superb. I'd definitely go back.
Mosquito Bites, a bakery in Coral Bay, was very impressive the two times we tried it. Once for Key Lime pie, which was incredibly good ($5 for a large slice, compared to $8 for Miss Lucy's) and Tabuli, also excellent ($8 for a large container). And the second time for just a couple of brownies ($2 each), that were perfect. I'm sorry we didn't try more of what they had to offer.
Back to the Cruz Bay area, We were a bit disappointed by Satyamuna. On paper, this was exactly the kind of place we'd absolutely love. The food wasn't cheap, but by St John standards, it's a pretty good deal. But we found the two curry dishes we tried had very little flavor. A Falafel Wrap was much better, as was a Tofu Fajita Wrap. So, fifty-fifty, but as always YMMV. (As an example, I thought the Baklava was the worst I'd ever had, and my wife thought it was the best she'd ever had! Yes, we really have been married for 25 years!)
Just 3 more to mention. The Columbo Smoothie stand at the intersection of North Shore & Centerline Roads. We'd never had a smoothie before, and $7 seemed a bit much. But we were so hot, it was actually worth it, as it really cooled us down! (Not to mention, it was delicious.) We happened to run into Mark ("Even a bad day on St John doesn't suck") at Gibney's a few days later, and talked with him for about 30 minutes. He's quite an interesting character, (so unpretentious and genuine) and his dog (a girl named Fred), is so cute.
We tried two buffets. Maho Bay Campground's buffet dinner, which I can highly recommend for the view, if nothing else. The food was quite good, too, though a bit expensive for what you get (not by St John standards, admittedly). But watching the sunset over the ocean from your table while swatting mosquitoes just can't be beat. The salad bar (one trip with dinner) made the price acceptable. We found the $20 Grouper not worth it (except with the inclusion of that salad bar trip), but $18 for the large Chicken Curry Roti (plus the salad bar) was a decent deal. The second buffet was even more expensive, but actually seemed to be the better deal. We had the buffet lunch at Caneel ($29 per person). I could list everything we ate, but since it changes daily, there's not much sense in that. Just suffice it to say that if you're thinking about eating there, do it, you probably won't be disappointed.
Snorkeling: In no particular order, we snorkeled Jumbie, Maho, Salt Pond, Blue Cobblestone, Waterlemon Cay, Leinster, Francis, Peter, Pelican Rock, Trunk Cay, Saloman - Honeymoon, and Gibney - Denis. For you shark worriers out there, in all that snorkeling, we saw only 3 sharks (2 at Pelican Rock, and 1 at Blue Cobblestone). All 3 were Nurse Sharks just lying motionless (more or less) on the bottom. (One of the two at Pelican Rock was in less than 10 feet of water, but the other two we saw were in water 20 feet deep or more.) But I should mention that another Hillcrest guest that we were talking with saw a large Lemon Shark in very shallow water at Leinster. Personally, I was thrilled to have seen these Nurse Sharks, and just as thrilled to not have seen any other kind!
We had planned to not go to Trunk, but then decided to anyway. We were glad we did. Not surprisingly, the fish seemed much more accustomed to snorkelers than anywhere else. They were not the least bit shy or afraid. We saw a turtle and a Ray, and the coral was in much better shape than I'd expected. Having low expectations probably helped, but we ended up enjoying Trunk much more than we thought we would.
Another favorite was Blue Cobblestone, with its deep canyons, which was unlike any other spot we tried. However, also like any other spot, it was much wavier than we like. Especially during our second time, which after about 5 minutes we decided was simply too rough to enjoy. I'd love to snorkel Blue Cobblestone on a calm day (if there ever is one there). It would be awesome. But viz really takes a hit when it's rough (though it didn't prevent us from seeing that Nurse Shark in about 25 feet of water, so it couldn't have been that bad).
Maho on the right, into Francis Bay, was another favorite, as was Waterlemon, of course. The former was practically like snorkeling in a swimming pool it was so calm, while the latter had the much discussed current. When we went, the current wasn't too bad, but it was certainly noticeable, especially along the short sides of the Cay. Snorkeling counterclockwise meant we had to fight it to get to and around the first corner, but then it was fine until we turned the next corner and flew past that side quickly. The coral along the back side of the Cay was the best we saw anywhere (to the best of our recollection, having done it only once early on). It was gorgeous. The fish life wasn't as impressive, but it was still a fun snorkel.
Pelican Rock, between Vie's Beach and Hanson Beach, was definitely another favorite, if for no other reason than having seen those 2 Nurse Sharks. But there were other reasons, too. It was more calm than Waterlemon, didn't require a 20-minute hike, and there were several spots that had some nice coral.
We snorkeled Francis three times, so perhaps that could be called our favorite (though I really hate to apply that label to any one spot). This was the right side, going out to Mary's Point. We never made it all the way to the end of the Point, but did go out about 1/4 mile or more. One of the 3 times there was a noticeable current going out, so we didn't make it more than 200 yards that time. The 3rd time we made it the furthest (so far we could just barely see the beach), and the coral seemed to continue to get better the further we went. (Though there were some bare spots in places.) There was a nice variety of fish at Francis, and when we were through with our coral snorkel, we swam back to the beach and waited for a turtle to pop up. We then would swim to it and watch it for a while. On one snorkel we saw 3 different turtles, and 2 different rays (though all we saw were Hawksbill and Southern Sting Ray, respectively). The last turtle we saw had a Remora attached to it, something we'd never seen before. That was amazing to see and watch.
Last (but not least) among our favorite snorkels was Peter, which I won't bother describing much since land access is private. A few spots near the beginning (we went to the left, almost all the way to Trunk one time) were dazzling. The water was clear, the coral formations were wonderful, and the fish plentiful. But in other spots, it was quite depressing, with all the dead coral. Peter must have been simply amazing before the development (or whatever it was) killed off a lot of the reef. By the way, does anyone know, is net fishing legal? One of the times we were there, two guys in a small power boat went right up to the reef and threw in their net. They did the same thing again near the shore.
In the past, we've snorkeled Aruba, Bonaire, St Thomas, Maui, Tahiti (Moorea & Huahine), and Fiji (Navini, Naigani, and Viti Levu). St John is definitely among the best. Warm, usually calm water, and a nice variety of coral (especially soft coral) and fish in water that's mostly not too shallow, not too deep, and right off the beach, make it a snorkeler's paradise. It definitely ranks among the top snorkel destinations we've been to (so far!).
Miscellaneous: We know how to use DEET. Really, we do. The problem seemed to be that the mosquitoes didn't know they are supposed to be repelled by it. We both got seriously eaten up during our two weeks. Some of our mosquito bites had mosquito bites. Oh, well.
The weather was cloudier than we expected. Which was a good thing as far as the heat was concerned, since all the clouds tended to keep the heat down. But as far as snorkeling, it was slightly disappointing, since some of the fish look so much prettier in brilliant sunshine. We had one or two days which could be categorized as mostly sunny, and about two times as many that we'd call mostly cloudy. The majority of the days were a mixture, where the sun would shine for 10 or 20 minutes, and be in the clouds for a similar time. It rained very hard a couple of nights, and also a few times during the day. But there wasn't a single day that was "ruined" by rain.
The speed limit is 20 MPH outside of Cruz Bay? Someone needs to inform the locals. The only time I ever saw a local going that slow was when I was behind him (and it was a big, smelly, truck that couldn't make it up the hill going any faster). I was tailgated going 30 numerous times. For a culture that believes in "island time", they certainly don't drive like it. I think the speed limit is for tourists, who are probably dangerous going over 20 (except for me, of course). Actually, I found that when the roads are wet, 20 is the fastest sane speed to even consider. There are 2 turns on North Shore Rd after Trunk Bay that are simply ridiculous. Driving was quite an experience. Driving on the left was nothing compared to driving some of those inclines.
Thanks to all the helpful people on this forum for their contributions that helped make our trip such a great success!
