Thinking about St. John and how to go

[augie]

Could you tell me how you found the lovely house you stayed at , and how you learned about the beaches that you went to. What was your favorite snorkel site? Thanks.

 

We had been invited over to Allesandra before by people that were staying there, so that's how we knew about it, but there are a number of villa management companies on island, and last time I heard, over 600 rental properties there. If you decide to visit, I'd be glad (as would Host Anne I'm sure, since she's also been there a number of times) to help you get started in your search fore the right place for you.

 

On our first trip to St. John we were advised to buy a copy of the paperback book "Feet, Fins, and Four Wheel Drive". It's a great resource to have on island, and we still always take our copy with us when we go - it helps to identify, locate, and describe most of the beaches on island.

 

We also got a lot of pointers from seasoned STJ travelers from reading travel forums. The three that I find to be most useful are the ones at tripadvisor, virgin-islands-on-line, and vinow.

 

Favorite snorkeling site? That's a tough call, because they all have their unique features. If the conditions are favorable, I find Haulover North hard to beat for beautiful coral formations. We have been lucky spotting excellent sea life at Francis Bay lately, and Leinster Bay/waterlemon Cay is an icon for a reason. In addition to visiting our favorites, we try to add at least one new snorkel site every trip - this past one, we ventured into both Klein Bay and Frank Bay for the first time, and enjoyed both!

[kstrickman]

Are there any hotels on St. John that offer a day rate? Thanks in advnace for the info. karen

[augie]

Are there any hotels on St. John that offer a day rate? Thanks in advnace for the info. karen

 

If you're asking if there are any hotels that offer a rate for visitors to use during the day (say, for instance the period of time when cruise passengers would be on the island), then there are none that I'm aware of.

 

Most of the places to stay on St. John aren't really close to the areas where one would find typical tourist activities - the Westin being a possible exception - it's on a man made beach and is the closest thing the island has to a "typical" resort. I've never heard of them offering day rates, but don't know for a fact that they don't, as I've never been on the property there.

[Ms411]

Absolutely stunning photos, augie! Thanks for sharing.

 

Do you mind posting the link on TripAdvisor for those people who are asking about which island? There's another post on cruisecritic where the person is looking for Caribbean/Hawaii comparison. I think they'd also love to see your photos.

 

That leopard flatworm is beautiful in your photos. I think I would have freaked had I seen it!

[augie]

Absolutely stunning photos, augie! Thanks for sharing.

 

Thank you - we enjoyed being there to take them!

 

Do you mind posting the link on TripAdvisor for those people who are asking about which island? There's another post on cruisecritic where the person is looking for Caribbean/Hawaii comparison. I think they'd also love to see your photos.

 

I posted the link on the Trip Advisor St. John Forum, the thread title is "Pictures from October 2011 Trip..."

 

That leopard flatworm is beautiful in your photos. I think I would have freaked had I seen it!

 

We had never seen anything quite like that, and it took several days before we finally figured out what it was. We also have a short video clip of it, where you can see how it moves through the water - really cool! I'll post the link to the videos once they've been uploaded.

[augie]

I can't believe that it took me this long to get them done, but...here they are! Hope you enjoy looking at them.

 

 

 

...and here are some videos from the same trip:

 

[narnia1]

Hi! You have taken some awesome photos and videos. What kind of camera were you using? We have a beautiful home in Kauai and I am going to look to trade our home for one on St. John! The cruise ship seems to send everyone to Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay. How do those compare to Haulover North? Also, do you know what month has the best snorkel conditions?:o Thanks.

[Host Anne]

Augie ~ unreal!!!!! Thanks so much for sharing. What kind of underwater camera are you using?

[augie]

Hi! You have taken some awesome photos and videos. What kind of camera were you using?

 

We had two this time, a CanonD10 and an Olympus G8010

 

The cruise ship seems to send everyone to Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay. How do those compare to Haulover North?

Trunk and Cinnamon are gorgeous beaches, and easily accesible from Cruz Bay via North Shore Road, that's why they are so popular with the cruise ship visitors. Haulover is a long way (by St. John standards) from the ferry dock and is a fairly unprotected and rocky beach with little to no shade and you have to walk through the woods for a few minutes to get to it, BUT...I think the health and beauty of the coral there is the best I've seen in the waters surrounding St. John. The first two times I tried to snorkel there, the waves were too big for an easy entry and comfortable snorkeling, but it's worth the walk to find out!

 

Also, do you know what month has the best snorkel conditions?

I think the conditions can be good any time of year. Winter brings large swells from the north periodically and the water is a bit cooler (I've noticed that in March it can be pretty chilly), late summer and fall the water is warm, but there's an increased chance of tropical weather. Any time the wind isn't blowing hard and there haven't been torrential rains you can find good snorkeling. When we're on island we'll often not decide where we'll snorkel on a given day until we've had a chance to see from which direction the wind is blowing, etc.

[squaw]

Hi , I am going to be going to St Thomas on Celebrity Summit in a few weeks. We have booked an excursion for a private ferry from the ship to tour the coastline of St John and then drop us off in Cruz Bay for 3 1/2 hours to explore on our own. Could you tell me how long it takes to get to Trunks Bay from there by taxi. I want to go snorkeling and was wondering if I have enough time to go and get back to cruz bay for the ferry ride back.

[Lily429]

my time clock says 12 days....until we will be on Carnival Valor! We are in port from 7-6 with 2 other ships (I think), thanks to all of the posts here (especially augie and wannabatsea) I am not very confidant now about doing this on our own. Our plan is to get off the ship early and taxi to RH to catch the first ferry to St John. Then grab a taxi over to Trunk Bay for some beach time then taxi back to Cruz Bay for some lunch and cocktails before catching the 3:00 ferry back to St Thomas. My two questions, being as everyone is on island time how much time do I set aside to ENJOY a bite and a drink at the beach bar before catching the 3:00 ferry? Also, on the ferry over to St John can we purchase round trip tickets so we don't have to wait in line for our return to St Thomas?:confused:

[Lily429]

sorry that was supposed to be I AM very confidant now...

[augie]

My two questions, being as everyone is on island time how much time do I set aside to ENJOY a bite and a drink at the beach bar before catching the 3:00 ferry? Also, on the ferry over to St John can we purchase round trip tickets so we don't have to wait in line for our return to St Thomas?

 

I'd try to be at the Beach Bar by 2:00 at least. That way you'll likely have time for "another one" if the mood strikes you...

 

Yes, you can buy your return ticket in Red Hook so that you won't have to wait on line to buy it for the ride back.

 

Have fun!

[augie]

Hi , I am going to be going to St Thomas on Celebrity Summit in a few weeks. We have booked an excursion for a private ferry from the ship to tour the coastline of St John and then drop us off in Cruz Bay for 3 1/2 hours to explore on our own. Could you tell me how long it takes to get to Trunks Bay from there by taxi. I want to go snorkeling and was wondering if I have enough time to go and get back to cruz bay for the ferry ride back.

 

Probably about 15-20 minutes by taxi, which may include a stop or two to take pictures at the overlooks. Since the cruiselines have added this excursion I believe that a number of folks that don't want to do it completely on their own "abandon" the tour on St. John to do their own thing for the 3 1/2 hours, and many of them go to the beach, and a lot of them specifically to Trunk Bay.

[Lily429]

I'd try to be at the Beach Bar by 2:00 at least. That way you'll likely have time for "another one" if the mood strikes you...

 

Yes, you can buy your return ticket in Red Hook so that you won't have to wait on line to buy it for the ride back.

 

Have fun!

 

just noticed your location...we are in Stuart! Thanks so much for all the info, looking forward to the whole experience :)

[BrianB1964]

I'll second the previous opinion (which was really well thought out and written, in my opinion).

 

If you're a laid back type person, then taking the time to go to St. John will likely be worth it to you. If you do go, make an effort to enjoy the whole thing - you know - make the journey, not just the destination, enjoyable.

 

If you or someone in your party are prone to being frustrated and impatient when things aren't moving at the speed that you think they should be, then it may not be for you.

 

Not everyone likes St. John (though few don't find it to be beautiful), and the pace and way things are done there isn't for everyone. The decision that my wife and I made to take a fellow passenger's advice to check out St. John has been a life changer for us. From the moment we stepped off of the ferry in Cruz Bay, we just felt a vibe that we both loved, and promised to come back for a longer stay.

 

It took about 10 years to fulfill that promise, with two or three cruise ship visits in the intervening years, but now we've made three trips to St. John, with two more booked for this year!

I agree. We took the trip to St. John and fell in love with that Island. Trunk Bay was amazing. So quiet and serene with some good snorkeling too. The trip to and from St.Thomas was a breeze also. We enjoyed the people on St. John. So many people that moved from the states live there now. I plan to make a trip just to St. John to spend a solid week soaking up what that Island has to offer. I think it worth the taxi/ferry rides!!!

[BrianB1964]

I can't believe that it took me this long to get them done, but...here they are! Hope you enjoy looking at them.

 

Wow those pictures were awesome!! That is some good underwater camera. What camera is that? Now I have the bug to get back to St. John. We are doing a cruise out of New Orleans this year to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Costa Maya. Next year may be a house on St. John!!!

[ibcnusoon]

I agree. We took the trip to St. John and fell in love with that Island. Trunk Bay was amazing. So quiet and serene with some good snorkeling too. The trip to and from St.Thomas was a breeze also. We enjoyed the people on St. John. So many people that moved from the states live there now. I plan to make a trip just to St. John to spend a solid week soaking up what that Island has to offer. I think it worth the taxi/ferry rides!!!

 

We did a land vacation on St. John about 20 years ago and fell in love with it too. We've always wanted to return, but ended up raising kids and money was tight. We are looking foward to returning to St. John, however briefly, on our upcoming cruise. We want to take the kids to Cinammon Bay and show them where we stayed, then stop at Trunk Bay and the Cruz Bay for shopping. We loved everything!

[chirpy12345]

All of the encouragement and concise directions from this thread makes me certain we could get to Trunk Bay on our own, but I would like to stop and take some of the typical tourist photos of the Bay. It looks like the taxis are multi-person safari type vehicles. I'm thinking they won't stop for photo ops, and I wouldn't expect them to just for me to take pictures.

 

I'm not looking for an island tour--I just want a few minutes to take a couple of pictures. The ship's excursion offers that. Is there some way I can still get to Trunk Bay on my own but also stop at the photo opportunities along the way?

[audcc77]

I'm not looking for an island tour--I just want a few minutes to take a couple of pictures. The ship's excursion offers that. Is there some way I can still get to Trunk Bay on my own but also stop at the photo opportunities along the way?

 

Chirpy - Do NOT do what we did and you should be fine. We got off the ferry in St. John and decided to stop for a bite to eat first. Bad idea. About an hour later, we went over to the taxi area and tracked down a safari taxi guy to bring us to Trunk Bay. He drove like an absolute crazy person b/c we were the only 2 people in his taxi. I guess he wanted to just get to Trunk Bay & get back. He did not stop at all and there was no way to tell him to stop.

 

In other words, if you go with everyone else, they actually DO stop on the side of the road on the way to Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, etc. In fact, we past by a couple of "full" taxi's pulled off on the side of the road, waiting for people taking quick pictures.

 

I hope you get some great pictures. It is well worth the trip.

Edited March 25, 2012 by audcc77

[chirpy12345]

Thank you for the response audcc77--you've eased my mind. We'll make sure we head over to the taxis with the group.

[Host Anne]

Hi Chirpy ~ before you get in a safari taxi, confirm with your driver that they will stop at the Trunk Bay overlook for photos. It shouldn't matter how many people are in your taxi. They should be willing to stop there. Every safari taxi I've ever been in stops there. Audcc must have gotten someone who was in a hurry for some reason. Just confirm first and you should be good to go.

 

Have a fantastic time!

[skydog802]

I'll begin by saying I LOVE St. John. We have been heading there for years (and taking fellow passengers with us) each time our ship docks in St. Thomas. I even love the adventure and anticipation of getting there (grabbing a taxi, arriving at the Red Hook ferry, watching St. John grow closer as we cross the channel). It does take a little bit to get there but for us, it's worth it.

 

There are several reasons I'd recommend going on your own (or with a small group from your ship): You can go and return on your own schedule; you can go early and beat the crowds (we always get off the ship as early as possible and catch the first available ferry); you'll save money. While a sailboat excursion will give you a sense of the beauty of St. John, I think the experience is better if you take the ferry to the island, explore and enjoy the wonderful views and beaches from on land.

 

To get there, regardless of where you dock, hop in a taxi and head to the Red Hook Ferry dock. The ferry to Cruz Bay St. John leaves every hour on the hour. If you make the 9:00 AM ferry, you'll beat the crowds and have more time on the island. It's only about a 20 minute ferry ride. When you get off the ferry there are bunches of taxis waiting to take you to the beach or on an island tour or both. It's about $6 per person from the dock to Trunk Bay with a couple of wonderful scenic overlooks on the way (my avatar is taken from the Trunk Bay overlook). It is a spectacular island.

 

If you want to rent a car, they run about $70 - $75 for the day and are typically small jeep-type vehicles. The drive on the other side of the road here so be prepared for that. If you just want to relax and enjoy, I'd suggest taking the taxi to the beach.

 

Trunk Bay is by far the most popular beach. It has the marked underwawter snorkeling trail and it is a beautiful beach (you can see it in my avatar). There is a $4 admission fee for Trunk Bay. If snorkeling isn't key, I'd suggest going to Cinnamon Bay, the next major beach down from Trunk. It, too, is very pretty, snorkeling not as good but no admission fee.

 

Trunk Bay and Cinnamon both have a decent beach snack bar (burgers, chix fingers, etc) and a place you can rent beach chairs (not the best shape) and snorkel gear (OK stuff).

 

There are many other gorgeous beaches along the north shore of the island. Hawksnest (has restroom facilities but not food/chair renta) and Maho (no facilities) are two of my favorites. Taxis will take you to any of them. Taxis are readily available at Trunk and Cinnamon all day long.

 

If you prefer a nicer lunch, there are also lots of nice restaurants back in Cruz Bay within walking distance of the ferry dock. www.stjohnguidebook.com gives you plenty of suggestions and they are all pretty good.

 

Heading back, I'd recommend you take a ferry that leaves Cruz Bay no later than 3 hours prior to your ships departuer. If your ship leaves at 6:00, I'd take the 3:00 PM ferry back to Red Hook at the latest. That will get you back on St. Thomas by 3:20 with plenty of time for a cab ride back to your ship. There are always plenty of cabs at Red Hook waiting to take passengers back to ships, too.

 

I should add that we, too, have vacationed on the island. We've been there three times for a week vacation in the past ten years. It continues to be my favorite island. Here's a link to photos from our trip to St. John last summer: http://stjohntrip2009.shutterfly.com/26?size=All&startIndex=0

 

Enjoy whatever you do.

What a great post. Thank you very much.

[skydog802]

Hi Steve,

 

If you don't mind hiking a little first, you could walk to Honeymoon Beach, which will be less crowded than the others I just mentioned.

 

Steve (also)

 

Hiking from where, Steve? Thanks.

[augie]

Hiking from where, Steve? Thanks.

 

From Cruz Bay, which is where the ferry terminal is. The trail (Lind Point Trail) starts up the hill just past Mongoose Junction (which is across the street from the National Park visitor center) and leads to Saloman, Honeymoon, and eventually, the other beaches at Caneel Bay Resort.