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Hi there. My husband and I are planning our first land-based USVI trip for this October. We'll be on St Thomas for 5 days (timeshare trade at Elysian) and then on St John for 7 days with another couple (Rara Avis villa in Hart Bay). Being the uber-planner of the group, I'm scouring the web for information on snorkeling, restaurants and not-to-be-missed sites while we're there.
Couple questions for those in the know...
1) We LOVE to snorkel. When in Hawaii, we snorkel every day, so I'm looking for great locations on-island and off. I've read that Buck Island has some pretty amazing snorkeling, but I can't see how to get there from St Thomas. I understand most tours leave from St Croix, so is there a way to snorkel that area if you're staying on St Thomas?
2) Are there any restaurants/bars on either STT or STJ that are right on the beavh (dine with your toes in the sand)?
3) So how bad is the drivng, really? We plan to rent a small car on STT and then have a jeep on STJ, but how bad/scary/stressful is the driving on those islands? We live in the Pacific NW, so driving twisty, turny mountain roads is normal (they tend to be wide enough not to be cringe-worthy). So I can set expectations with the drivers in our group, how bad is it really? And what about parking?
Thank you for the help. I'm sure we'll have more questions as we geet closer.
Assuming you are speaking about the Buck Island near STX (there is also one near STT), You really cannot get there for a day of snorkeling. Well, if cost were no object, then yes, you can get the seaplane in Charlotte Amalie and fly to Christiansted in the morning, take a 1/2 day tour out to Buck island, and then return to STT via seaplane in the afternoon. Figure between $500 & $600 per couple, total cost.
There are so many fabulous snorkeling adventures and sites between St Thomas and St John which will keep you very busy and delighted!
At Elysian there are two beach restaurants to choose from, one more upscale and the other casual (they've recently changed hands and I can't recall the new names). There are many restaurants close to the water although not right on the sand - and in varying price ranges. Excellent snorkeling spots right off the beach on STT are Coki, Sapphire and Secret Harbour while on St John there are almost too many to mention. For St John you might want to pick up a copy of."Feet, Fins and Four Wheel Drive" (see VI Traders link top this page) and you should definitely plan a charter sail around St John to take in snorkeling spots accessible only by boat. A charter out to the caves at Norman Island and the Baths (BVI) is also well worth the trip but you will need passports for BVI trips. A trip to Jost (Van Dyke) in the BVI is also on many visitors' "must do" lists and you can either take a charter or the ferry. Ferry schedules are listed top right under "quick links".
Driving is easy to get used to. The speed limit on St Thomas is 35 MPH, most driving is done in the 20-30 range and you can get around easily with a compact car. Staying on St John you need a 4WD but the driving again is pretty easy to get used to and you'll be lucky to hit 30MPH! Parking is pretty easy everywhere except in town (Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas and Cruz Bay on St John) but October is slow season and will (particularly on St John) be much easier than in high season.
That should help get you started. Have fun!
As a visitor, I just wanted to speak to the driving piece of this as well. I was on STT in May and had no problems whatsoever getting around the island in the Toyota Corolla we rented. I adjusted to driving on the opposite side of the road much more quickly than I anticipated. And we stayed way up north on Hull Bay and had to do LOTS of driving to get down to the places we wanted to explore. Have a wonderful trip!!
Go to this website: http://stjohnbeachguide.com/. It will tell you about snorkeling at all the beaches on St. John.
