I've been to St. John during August a couple times...in my experience, the weather has been great...if it rains, it's usually at night or for less than a half hour at a time during the day (this is what I have experienced in August anyway). The bugs are nasty, as they are everywhere in the Caribbean...bug spray is key. No-see-ums are small enough to fit through the holes in screens, so be careful about that. I also don't wear anything scented (including shampoo, deodorant, etc) while I'm there, which seems to help with the bug problem. And if you're at the beach past 3 or 4 pm, you'll need bug spray.

You should still have time to rent a car, especially if you're renting on St. Thomas and taking the car ferry to St. John (that is what my husband and I do...we rent from the airport and load up with groceries before taking the ferry to STJ...but other people prefer to rent on St. John, it's really up to you).

We've never bothered with hurricane insurance, but again, it's up to you...knock on wood, we've never had a problem with a hurricane.

If you're looking for beautiful water and beaches, I'd definitely recommend that you stray from the Westin's beach. The very first time my husband and I went to STJ, on our honeymoon, we went to the beach at the Westin and were very disappointed..the water was quite murky. We soon discovered the north shore beaches (Solomon, Honeymoon, Hawksnest, Cinnamon, Maho), and those beaches are what keep us coming back to St. John every year.

Yup, don't even waste your time with Westin's beach. It's a great resort and all, but the beach is man made and nowhere near as beautiful as St. John's other beaches. The water in August is awesome...it's calm and warm. As far as getting out on the water...I love Limnos. They go to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, and stop at the Indians, a small collection of islands with excellent snorkeling. The cost of the day trip includes breakfast, lunch and open bar.

With teenagers that are good swimmers I think you may like to rent a dingy and go exploring and snorkeling. If you stay at the Westin you can rent a dingy from Noah's Little Arcs in Cruz Bay. Here is link to their web page:

http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm

We went out on a daysail snorkeling trip with Captain Phil on the Wayward Sailor in April. He is spoken highly of by everyone and you should not miss out on spending a day with him. He will teach you all about the creatures in the ocean and jumps in the water to snorkel with the group and points things out. He tells wonderful stories and a has a true love for St. John. I would recommend making reservations with him soon because he does book up. He only takes out 6 passengers. Here is the link to his web page:

http://www.waywardsailor.net/snorkeling_sailing/index.htm

For travel insurance we used Travel Guard International. Here is a link for them:

http://www.travelguard.com/travelinsurance/

Have a nice trip.

I would recomend the Breath out of coral bay or Rusty and the tri sail out of the westin both were great. You might think about a fishing charter it's not cheap 1/2 day is about 400.00 we went with the double header and had a great time both times out. I second the getting a car this time of the year you shouldn't have a problem getting one so many places to explore and do. How old are your teenagers we had a 14, 17 and 18 year olds with us in Dec. They all had a great time their faviorite thing was parasailing there is a stand at mongoose junction that can book any thing you want to do and he gets payed buy the supplier you can just go and talk to him and get ideas on what is out there.

The August weather can be hot and humid. Chance of rain is no more then the other summer months. If it does rain it usually doesnt last long. Just beware that the bugs really come out right after it rains. Bug spray is the only way to go.
The Westin is a nice place to stay but definitely rent a car so you can hit all the North Shore beaches. Try to rent a car on St. John if you can. This keeps the money "on island" and the locals appreciate it more.
Great charters are NoShooz for a comfortable day or sunset sail. Captain Rusty has a fast sailboat but not the best for moving around and lounging. Renting a dinghy for the day is great for the kids.

We're planning to try renting a car on St. Thomas, as TheresaRae and other posters have kindly suggested, and loading up on groceries before heading over to St. John. Any suggestions on where to shop? Will the prices be that much better than Starfish -- or just the selection?

Hi Winnie-

My husband and I stop at a grocery store that is on the north side of the road near the ferry dock. You'll pass it on your way from the airport to Red Hook shortly before reaching the dock. I just found an old receipt from there in a purse, but of course I can't remember the name of it now :(. I'll post again if I remember the name...but you can't miss it...if I remember correctly it's a white building.

It's a larger grocery store, and when you're headed toward Red Hook, it will be just before a gas station (Domino's I think), which is also on the north side of the road.

The grocery store in STT is larger and proably has a slightly better selection than Star Fish (which is where we go for items we need once we're on STJ), but the prices are what draws us there...I'd guess groceries are around 25% cheaper on STT than STJ.

Hi TheresaRae,

Is that Marina Market? I'd heard they have a better selection of produce & meat than we can get at the store on STJ. But I didn't know it was much bigger -- with better prices.

That sounds terrific -- thanks so much for the advice! There will be 7 of us this time, and we like to cook (especially the guys -- fortunately for us women on vacation!). So having a better selection than we're used to from previous trips will be great.

Is the car barge dock near the passenger ferry? Are you going back this summer?

Marina Market is the store across from the ferry dock (both passenger and car.) The store down the road (across from Independent Boat Yard) is the Food Center- larger but not as good for meats and produce.

The Food Center is where we go then 🙂

Thank you both - we might just stop at both!!!