St John, USVI - Have you ever been there?

[Poohlove]

This August we are taking a family trip (Me, DS18 and DD16) to St John for 8 days. Not that we will never vacation together as a family again but my son will be working full time through the summer and starting his electrician program in September which will make vacationing together much more difficult. I had been wanting to go to St John for years and was finally able to convince my mom and sister to travel with me for a long weekend this past December. I instantly fell in love with the island and the atmosphere but we were only there Thursday to Monday so we didn't get to do too much exploring.

My question to all of you - have you been to St John before? If so what are some places/activities that you are sure not to miss? What is your favorite place to eat?

 

[JaxDad]

I spent some time there many years ago. It was beautiful. I did a lot of sailing, snorkeling, and drinking. I don't remember any specific restaurants, and my info would be dated, but you might try TripAdvisor or Yelp...

 

[Poohlove]

Thank you for the suggestions @JaxDad!

 

[mickeyboat]

We went there for our honeymoon almost 24 years ago, and stopped by again on a cruise with the kids 12 years ago. It is a beautiful place. My recommendation would be to rent a jeep and spend a lot of time exploring all of the beaches all around the island. Bring your own snorkel gear and bug spray - and when you think you have packed enough bug spray, pack another bottle.

We enjoyed the restaurant in Mongoose Junction, and there are some fun shops there.

I think if I was going to be there with my family for an entire week, I would make sure to plan a day or two to take the ferry to St. Thomas for some shopping and night life.

Have a great time. I am jealous! Where are you going to stay?

 

[mom2grace]

Do the Reef Bay Hike. http://www.friendsvinp.org/news-a-events/event-calender/reef-bay-hike

Explore a different beach every day. Make sure to rent a jeep so you can get to where you want to go! We like renting from Amalie at the airport and then taking the car ferry. http://www.amaliecar.com

We like Sam & Jack's Deli. My favorite pricy restaurant is La Tapa.

I would do some type of boat excursion, just to be out on the water. We deep sea fish so I don't have any recommendations.

I would not go to St. Thomas, there is plenty of shopping on St. John.

After you pack, take out 1/2 of the clothes you packed!

 

[Poohlove]

@mickeyboat and @mom2grace thank you so much for the suggestions! It really is a beautiful place and when we were there in December the only place that we ate out at was Skinny Legs. The rest of our cooking we did at the house we rented. This time around we are staying in a condo in Cruz Bay that I found online. It is a standalone in a complex and there is a community pool. We are definitely renting a jeep if for no other reason than to have the wind in our hair Paddleboarding looks like a ton of fun, I was thinking of taking a day trip to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Bringing our own snorkel gear is a great suggestion as is the bug spray, I don't want any of us to get one of those mosquito spread diseases!

The Reef Bay Hike looks like it would be awesome! I also came across Blackbeard's Castle on St Thomas which looks like it would be neat to see.

I am so looking forward to this trip and spending some quality time with my kiddos before they are too cool to hang out with momma

 

[mom2grace]

We eat mostly in the rental place and then pack a picnic for the beach. As you know, food is very expensive. I prefer Starfish market, it has a good selection. It's probably not the least though. If you rent your car on St. Thomas, you can stop there for groceries, much cheaper and a wider selection.

This is a great website and forum as well. http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com

 

[Poohlove]

I was really shocked to see just how expensive food is. I am definitely renting a jeep from St Thomas, St John's only rental place with soft top jeeps is so much pricier than anything from St Thomas. We are going to hit one of the stores before we get on the ferry and load up on groceries and then will restock at Starfish as needed. The condo that we are renting has all that we will need to pack a lunch for our outings, she has Rubbermaid containers to Ziploc bags. I usually travel with Ziploc bags anyway because I am strange like that. I spoke to the lady we are renting from on the phone and it sounds like we will just need to pack clothes, she is very well stocked.

 

[MickeySP]

While not on ST Johns, we did this in ST Thomas(short ride away) it was so much fun.

https://www.coolboatsusvi.com/

 

[lynn_s]

We've been several times, and the last just this past Xmas.
Most days we got sandwiches at the deli in mongoose junction, then picked a beach for the day. Def take or rent snorkel stuff.
If you want to do a day trip to the BVI, the Bad Kitty does a great tour - the Baths, a snorkel stop, lunch, and then jost van dyke (the famous soggy dollar bar is there, and the whitest sand beach you have ever seen....)

If you want a smaller/private tour, we went on a sailing catamaran with sail safaris and had a blast - 4 snorkel spots, and lunch at the
"pizza pi", a food Boat (yes, pizza made on a boat. very good pizza too.....).

 

[IndyRnRfan]

Wife did it a couple of years ago and loved it. Very beautiful and did the island tour. Driver got out of truck and cut down some mango fruit and then stopped at one of the beaches. She'd go back in a heartbeat.

 

[Poohlove]

While not on ST Johns, we did this in ST Thomas(short ride away) it was so much fun.

https://www.coolboatsusvi.com/

That looks awesome! Did you do anything else in St Thomas? I was thinking about spending a day there as well.

 

[Poohlove]

We've been several times, and the last just this past Xmas.
Most days we got sandwiches at the deli in mongoose junction, then picked a beach for the day. Def take or rent snorkel stuff.
If you want to do a day trip to the BVI, the Bad Kitty does a great tour - the Baths, a snorkel stop, lunch, and then jost van dyke (the famous soggy dollar bar is there, and the whitest sand beach you have ever seen....)

If you want a smaller/private tour, we went on a sailing catamaran with sail safaris and had a blast - 4 snorkel spots, and lunch at the
"pizza pi", a food Boat (yes, pizza made on a boat. very good pizza too.....).

I have read about pizza pie and how delicious the pizza is. Seeing the baths is on my list it looks gorgeous in the pictures I have seen.

 

[Poohlove]

Wife did it a couple of years ago and loved it. Very beautiful and did the island tour. Driver got out of truck and cut down some mango fruit and then stopped at one of the beaches. She'd go back in a heartbeat.

That sounds awesome, seeing mangos growing on the side of the road would be so cool.

 

[MickeySP]

The only other thing was a day at Emerald beach. There is Best Western with a little patio restaurant. We spent all day on the beach snorkeling & jet skiing.

 

[Kerrio929]

St. John is our happy place. I adore the island and dream of living there some day.
trunk Bay is a beautiful beach but a lot of cruise ships will take excursions there and it's a bit touristy. That said, you can rent water sports stuff and have a great day there.
If you snorkel, go to Cruz Bay water sports and rent gear for the week. Pick a different beach each day and snorkel. Ask them at the shop for recommendations of best places bc it changes depending on winds, weather. Some of our favorites are Waterlemon Cat, Leinster Bay, Maho, Lameshur and Grootpan.
The reef trail hike is awesome. Wear good shoes for it. The petroglyphs are so amazing.
If you can, consider renting a charter sail to the BVI's. Hands down one of my favorite things we did. We had a sailboat take us to The Indians, where we snorkels around. Then we went to the shore of Norman Island and snorkels in some caves there. We had lunch at Willy T's which is a floating boat restaurant. Food was basic but the painkillers (island drink) were so good! There are a ton of different type sails you can do but going to BVI's is worth the trip.
Go to the Star Market once you've dropped your stuff off. They have the best selection as far as groceries go. But be prepared for very high prices. It's super expensive to shop on the island.
Go to The Tap Room in Mongoose junction. It should be reopene by August I think. It burned down a year ago but they were rebuilding. Get a mango pale ale. Best beer ever. Mongoose junction is fun to shop around in also.
Restaurants tend to come and go in St. John but I think Shipwreck Landing is still over in Coral Bay. It's a great lunch spot. The deli in mongoose junction is really really good! Skinny legs is overhyped in my opinion. But ymmv. On the way to coral bay there is a smoothie place called Colombo's. It's at the intersection of King and Center,one red. It's literally a little trailer looking shack. But the smoothies are amazing. You can get with or without rum. My favorite is the lime and coconut. (With rum!)
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add it.

 

[Poohlove]

St. John is our happy place. I adore the island and dream of living there some day.
trunk Bay is a beautiful beach but a lot of cruise ships will take excursions there and it's a bit touristy. That said, you can rent water sports stuff and have a great day there.
If you snorkel, go to Cruz Bay water sports and rent gear for the week. Pick a different beach each day and snorkel. Ask them at the shop for recommendations of best places bc it changes depending on winds, weather. Some of our favorites are Waterlemon Cat, Leinster Bay, Maho, Lameshur and Grootpan.
The reef trail hike is awesome. Wear good shoes for it. The petroglyphs are so amazing.
If you can, consider renting a charter sail to the BVI's. Hands down one of my favorite things we did. We had a sailboat take us to The Indians, where we snorkels around. Then we went to the shore of Norman Island and snorkels in some caves there. We had lunch at Willy T's which is a floating boat restaurant. Food was basic but the painkillers (island drink) were so good! There are a ton of different type sails you can do but going to BVI's is worth the trip.
Go to the Star Market once you've dropped your stuff off. They have the best selection as far as groceries go. But be prepared for very high prices. It's super expensive to shop on the island.
Go to The Tap Room in Mongoose junction. It should be reopene by August I think. It burned down a year ago but they were rebuilding. Get a mango pale ale. Best beer ever. Mongoose junction is fun to shop around in also.
Restaurants tend to come and go in St. John but I think Shipwreck Landing is still over in Coral Bay. It's a great lunch spot. The deli in mongoose junction is really really good! Skinny legs is overhyped in my opinion. But ymmv. On the way to coral bay there is a smoothie place called Colombo's. It's at the intersection of King and Center,one red. It's literally a little trailer looking shack. But the smoothies are amazing. You can get with or without rum. My favorite is the lime and coconut. (With rum!)
If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add it.

Wow, that is a lot of fantastic information - thank you so much!!! I am taking notes

 

[Poohlove]

Here I go reviving yet another one of my "zombie" threads. We leave in about a week and a half and was wondering if there were any new suggestions?

 

[lynn_s]

If you plan on renting a car in St Thomas and taking the car barge beware, they have only had 2 of the 3 running for a long time (and for a while only 1 was running)

newsofstjohn has lists of whats closing for a while for the off season.

Can you pack me in your suitcase please?

Reef bay hike that the park service does fills up way ahead of time (but is way worth it) http://www.friendsvinp.org/news-a-events/event-calender/reef-bay-hike

Everything there is Island time, so relax & enjoy.

 

[Poohlove]

If you plan on renting a car in St Thomas and taking the car barge beware, they have only had 2 of the 3 running for a long time (and for a while only 1 was running)

newsofstjohn has lists of whats closing for a while for the off season.

Can you pack me in your suitcase please?

Reef bay hike that the park service does fills up way ahead of time (but is way worth it) http://www.friendsvinp.org/news-a-events/event-calender/reef-bay-hike

Everything there is Island time, so relax & enjoy.

I love newsofstjohn. I opted to rent on St John this time around because of the barge situation. The rental itself is slightly lower than on St Thomas but the added taxi fare to and from the ferry terminal makes up for that.