St. John US Virgin Islands. Have You Been?

Question

My husband and I are going to St. John in August. I've done some reading, but since i frequent Y!A, I thought I'd try here also.

Here are a few questions I have:

-Does anyone know if August is a good month?

-Is 4 nights enough?

-I would like to rent a jeep, is it worth it?

-Are there any scams to watch out for?

-I love just laying around in the water, should I bring my own raft?

-Is there a "best" calm beach to swim around in?

-This is the only trip we will be taking this year, so I can splurge on the best accommodations I can find. Would it be worth staying at one of the fancy hotels on the beach?

-Which beaches are best for snorkeling?

-Anything else I can't find in a book would be appreciated.

I have the books, but to get personal opinions from real people is always nice.

Thanks so much!

Answer 1

-Summer is considered non-peak travel in the US Virgin Islands.  As a result ticket and hotel prices are cheaper.  It's also the middle of hurricane season which starts in June.  We haven't had a major hurricane here in many years though so I think you'll be ok.

-After you've been here 4 nights you may decide it's not enough. :)

-Even though St. John is a small island you might still want the convenience of being able to travel around as you please.   There are rental agencies on St. John but you may want to rent on St. Thomas and take the rental car over on the barge.  You can rent cars right at the airport.  Here's where you can find the ferry schedule and prices:

http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interi...

-I can't think of any scams you'd have to watch out for.  Probably the biggest opportunity for being scammed is in regard to taxi prices.  As long as you remain familiar with the taxi fare list you'll be ok.

http://www.vinow.com/stjohn/getting_arou...

http://www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_ar...

-You can bring your own raft or use one provided by the hotel.  It's your choice.  There might be a charge for using the hotel's raft.

-Trunk Bay is probably the best beach on St. John in my opinion.  Great for snorkeling because they have an underwater trail there.

-St. John has two major resorts and if you can afford it I'd definitely recommend staying there.

http://www.Westin.com/stjohn

http://www.caneelbay.com/

I recommend you visit http://www.vinow.com and check out their forums for more opinions and advice on what to do and where to go on St. John.

Answer 2

Gallows point resort is adult only next to cruz bay on the beach its only a 3 star out of 6

Caneel Bay 5 star

westin St. John 5 star

I would choose Caneel and get a premium beachfront room there private beachfront rooms that are a single unit with balconies that open to the beach

7 beaches and 4 days is never enough time to stay you wont want to leave. The site below has pics and maps of the hotels and lists nearby attractions and reviews from trip advisor and  other reviews

Answer 3

Sorry, I have not been there, but just Email the tourist information office there. They will be able to inform you on most of your questions.

Answer 4

my sister lives there...and i have visited i would def. recommend going there vs. st thomas august is def a good time to go im going this aug. 4 nights seems like not enough but youll get stuck in paradise ...we didnt rent a jeep bc my sister doesnt have a car so we walked or used a taxi...honestly you will use alot of money with taxis but they know there way...scam wise really just dont buy useless things lol ....there really arent any waves so a raft would be fine a "non-tourist" beach is cinnamon..no one really goes there and its pretty relaxing for snorkeling if you can get the money get a boat cruiser rental with a captain i went with one and it was great! and if you bring your birth certificate you can visit the british v.i. which is also beautiful...in order to get to st john you have to take a ferry from st thomas ..while your there they have a little flea markey area which has knock off replicas of designer things for a recent price...about the hotel situation i wouldnt be able to let you know bc i stayed w my sister but if you have any other questions let me know!

Answer 5

If your going to St. John might I suggest going to Maho Bay Camps, it is only $80 a night. Here is the link,

http://www.maho.org/maho.cfm

You could spend a couple more days on St. John at just $80 a night. It's very beautiful here :).

August is a good time of the year to go but it will be quite hot, which doesn't bother me any.

But if you want to splurge on accommodation's you should try,

http://www.caneelbay.com/rates.cfm

http://www.lavenderhillsuites.com/index....

Best beaches for snorkeling would be,

Trunk Bay

Cinnamon Bay

Saltpond Bay

Waterlemon Cay

Francis Bay

Hansen Bay  

I hope I helped, have fun :).

Answer 6

We just got back from St John two weeks ago.I will try to answer your questions-

Does anyone know if August is a good month?

Any time on St John is a good month but keep in mind it will be hot and humid. Hurricane season is from June 1-Nov 30. Sept is the worst month for hurricanes.

-Is 4 nights enough?

To be honest 4 nights will be a tease, but take what you can get. You will just have to come back

-I would like to rent a jeep, is it worth it?

Yes, it's the best way to get around and explore the island and all the pristine beaches and wonderful restaurants.

-Are there any scams to watch out for?

We have been there numerous times and I have never encountered a scam.

-I love just laying around in the water, should I bring my own raft?

Good idea.

-Is there a "best" calm beach to swim around in?

There are 39 pristine beaches. There are usually very calm except when a storm is approaching and in December with the Christmas winds (I think that's what they call them) Here is a tip, if the North shore beaches have surf or large waves go to the south shore beaches.My new favorite beach is Francis Bay. Very calm beach and wonderful snorkeling with the turtles. We saw 3 turtles and many colorful fish.

Here are some calm beaches on the Coral Bay side.

Vie's Beach (Hansen Bay) East End

Saltpond Bay (south side of Island)

Little Lameshare Bay

Haulover

North beaches

Hawksnest

Trunk Bay

Cinnamon

Maho

Francis Bay

Waterlemon

Get yourself a Virgin Island National Park Map. You can purchase on line. Maybe you have this book already but St John, Feet,Fins & Four Wheel Drive is our bible on St John. Also you can buy on line

-This is the only trip we will be taking this year, so I can splurge on the best accommodations I can find. Would it be worth staying at one of the fancy hotels on the beach?

I would stay at Caneel Bay. They have 7 beaches on property. Westin is nice but their beach is a home made beach and not as nice as Caneel. We did a tour of Gallows Point Resort is also very nice but hardly any beach at all. It's a condo type resort.

-Which beaches are best for snorkeling?

Waterlemon beach  (Leinster Bay Beach)

Francis Bay for turtles

-Anything else I can't find in a book would be appreciated.

You drive on the left in the Virgin islands, speed limit 20 miles a hour, a jeep is the best vehicle because when it rains you need 4 wheel drive to navigate the hills and curves. Gas is expensive $4.40 and up for gas a gallon and sometime they run out. Only 2 gas stations on the island, One in Coral Bay and the other in Cruz Bay (Cruz Bay prices are higher)

Caneel Bay has a private ferry for guests at Caneel. You check in at the airport, they take you to the ferry by taxi and you arrive at their dock. Well worth the money. If you decide to stay at Caneel, just rent a car for a day or two. (to explore)Taxis are expensive but you wil be there less than a week and it will be cheaper than a jeep.The beaches at Caneel are stunning so I don't think you will move around much.

Everyone gave you good links. Be sure to research them.

Have a wonderful trip and enjoy Paradise. Oh and you will be plotting your way back before leaving the island. Good Luck)