On my trip last month, I went over to STJ from homebase in CA on STT to do the Reef Bay Trail. I went with my brother and his friend, both islanders. After catching a ride in the back of a friend's pick-up to Red Hook, we rode the ferry over to STJ, enjoying the A/C. We stopped first and loaded up on water, Gatorade, and Powerbars. A taxi took us from Cruz Bay to the Reef Bay Trailhead, stopping once at scenic look out. The taxi driver dropped us off, and we decended the first stone stairs and were off! The trail is steep and rocky, and it crossed dry streambeds. Wear sneakers or trail runners. There are interesting crumbling work walls and foundations from an abandoned settlement there. The trail is well-marked with signs describing area plant life. The length of the trail is 2.6 miles, but even to someone in reasonable shape, it seemed much longer, especially on the return trip , which is almost entirely uphill.

We took a short sidetrail to see the petroglyphs, and they were definitely worth it, clearly visible and beautifully reflected in the pool beneath. We stopped for a few minutes for pictures. The solitude was stunning, as we were the only people there so late in the afternoon. If I should ever decide to adorn my body with a tattoo, it would definitely be of the STJ petroglyph. I felt like I was one of a chosen few.

We rejoined the Reef Bay Trail, and continued on. I noticed the trail turning to sand. We saw a few mongooses and a few of the small white-tailed deer on island. We passed an abandoned sugar mill, which we explored and found to be the home of a large colony of large bats. Harmless things, really. . . we didn't let them keep us from exploring the ruins.

We rejoined the trail and a few yards later, were on the beach, the Reef Bay. We were again the only people in the beach, and there were no boats in the bay. We took in the moment, then headed back to the shade of the sugarcane refinery for a nap. We threw our backpacks down and took a brief nap, until the ants began biting us merciless. Then, concerned about the late hour, we began out ascent.

We made it back up in a little over an hour, because we began to lose light. We really hustled and only stopped for a 5 minute break. As I sucked down water and gatorade, I actually watched the sweat bead on my thighs. When we again saw the stone steps leading to the road, the boys let out a couple celebratory whoops and ran up the stairs. As the oldest of the three, I contented myself with just climbing them, but I think we all had a real adrenaline rush.

Now, the next part of the story is not one I would recommend, but I recount it simply for accuracy's sake. When we got to the road, I asked my brother how long it would take to flag down a taxi, by this time after 6pm. He replied that we were going to hitchhike back to town. He stuck his finger out, and within 3 minutes, a woman in a jeep pulled over and gave us a ride to within a mile of Cruz Bay.

We grabbed some street barbecue and a beer, scarfed down our food, and made the 8 pm ferry back to Redhook. Al three of us fell asleep on the ferry ride back under the stars.

This trip was on the strenuous side, but well worth it. I would recommend it to those in good physical condition. As I said before, wear good shoes, and take lots of water, Gatorade. etc. I would also recommend renting a car, to avoid the hitchhiking part of this trip.

Good luck, Heather

There are 2 wonderful books that will give you so much information. They are St John Off the Beaten Path and Feet Fins and 4WD. They out line every beach and every hike.

You can also check out the VI national park service, They have a trip that allows you to hike the Reef Bay Trail and have a boat pick you up so you don't have to hike back up.

1,500 a week is a bit on the low side but if you do not need a pool and AC there are plenty of places out there. There are so many places to look, just do a google search on st john villa rental and you will get a ton of hits.
I also have a good resource, I will send you a private message.

Don't forget to reserve you jeep well in advance, there are only a certain number of cars on island and when they go, they are gone.

Congratulations on your engagement!

hmgrindle....that sounds like quite an adventure. Enjoyed reading about it!

jmg-
We'll be on island the last week of October, if you'd like to meet up for some rum! My favorite beaches are Maho, Hawksnest, and Francis. I'm looking forward to checking out Hansen Bay this fall, as we're staying in Coral Bay.
Never hiked there, too busy "limin' "on the beaches, or snoozin' by the pool at the villa. I would, however, love to see the petroglyphs on the Reef Bay trail some day.
I've used www.motoryachtcinnamonbay.com for the last two years, and find them to be absolutely dynamite. Very gracious hosts, and gorgeous vessel. We haven't planned anything for this fall yet, but maybe we could share a charter.
We found our villa, Island Horizons, for our next trip on www.vrbo.com ,and we can't wait. Like BVI charter choices, there are loads of villas to choose from. Good luck! You're gonna' love it.
Heather,- great adventure! I loved reading about it.
Smiles-
MJ

Hi Heather,
Thanks so much for posting such a great story.
We are going down to the islands in October for the first time (5 days on STT & 9 days on STJ) & are so looking forward to all the cool & unusual things we can see & do all because of wonderful people like you sharing your experiences.
Except for the hitchhicking part, we are all for this trip! We have sought out petroglyphs in the Southwest (Utah, New Mexico & Arizona) & are so intriuged & astounded by them. I'm not one to tatoo myself either, but a cool looking petroglyph could eaisly change my mind as well.
Any other valuable info you are willing to share would be so greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
Cheryl from Michigan

jmg378s:

Congratulations on your engagement! My husband and I were married and honeymooned in STJ in October 2005. We loved our time there. As a matter of fact, we just returned from another trip back there just last month. We fall more and more in love with the island on each visit (this was our 3rd).

For our last two trips we have stayed at Villa Cielomar which walking distance into Cruz Bay. It is just beyond Gallows Point by Frank Bay. It is a private villa, full kitchen (we typically get groceries for breakfast and lunch meals - then eat out for dinner), pool, washer/dryer, A/C in master bedroom (second bedroom in loft area). And it is very affordable. Here is the website to check availability and rates. It is extremely affordable compared to a number of others we have looked at online.

www.villacielomar.com

We don't do a lot of hiking, but there is plenty for you to take advantage of on STJ. I would also recommend the book St. John Off the Beaten Path (as Xislandgirl did as well). We ordered the book in December and we thumbed through for the next couple of months picking some new places to check out on our recent trip there. It was well worth the $17.

Beaches....OOOOHHHH! We love them all really! My recommendations would be (especially if this is your first trip there): Trunk Bay (do the snorkel trail - it's pretty unique), Gibney (our personal favorite), Cinnamon (look for the sea turtles swimming with you) and Maho.

Day trips to some of the other islands have been some of our fondest memories of our trips. You can either rent a private boat through a company or there are various ferries you can take as well. See the ferry schedule at the top of the website here to see times/prices. We have really enjoyed snorkeling at Norman Island, painkillers at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, and lunch at the Willy T. Many options to choose from really.

Definitely rent a Jeep for a day or two. Many of the rental company's don't take RSVP unless you reserve for at least 3 days. We simply rented for one day at the beginning of the week and again for one day towards the end of our week. - we didn't need RSVP for this. But it is worth it for sure to check out other areas of the island that you wouldn't otherwise have easy access to for your trip.

While you didn't mention it, there are a number of wonderful restaurants in Cruz Bay that I would recommend as well:

Casual: Uncle Joe's BBQ, Woody's (for food and great drinks), Deli Grotto
Nicer meals: De Livio, Zozo's, Rumblines, Margarita Phil's, Paradiso

I am sure there are many, many others too that would come highly recommended as well. A week simply is not enough time to taste test them all! 🙂

Enjoy your trip! You have MUCH to look forward to in STJ.

A few tips...
Stay away from Maho Beach after the weekends - too many boats dumping before heading back out to sea.

Reef Bay Trail - if you are not into walking back up the hill, look into an excursions or private boat that picks you up on Reef Bay beach (Genti Bay). Even better, then have the boat taking you for some snorkeling at the Mangroves around Hurricane Hole. The sea fan forest in-between Reef Bay and Fish Bay is really cook also, but can be rocky as it’s more in the open waters, not in a bay.

If you don't want to rent a car, look into the ViTran ($1 bus) . It goes to all of the major spots on the island, including Salt Pond which is a great day trip. Pack lots of water and some TP - there is nothing there but nature. (Also a note about hitching a ride - I would NEVER do it in the states, but on STJ it is very common and normal. I've picked up several over the years)

Stay away from Hawksnest (and Trunk Bay in my opinion) this is where 1000 taxi's drop off all of the day tourists coming from STT (mainly off the cruise ships) Cinnamon Bay is a good stop - beautiful sand, rental shack, snack shack, showers, etc.

For a little culture be sure to stop by Annaburg, the old plantation ruins and Maho campgrounds to see the glass blowing / art center.

If you do rent a car, drive out to the east end for some amazing views of the BVI's and for some really big hills. Almost at the end of the road you can park off the road and visit Hansen Bay. Great place to find sea glass. About 100 yards off the beach there is a group of rocks / coral that is a neat place to swim out to. Not a guarantee, but every time I've been there the man that lives across the street comes out and starts playing his steel drums. It's like your own private island get away. When you are driving there be sure to go before noon and stop at Vi's snack shack for some chicken or conch fritters. You have to go early, cause when she's out of food, she's done for the day.

As mentioned in another post - be sure to stop at Uncle Joes BBQ. Don't be afraid to eat out of a roadside shack. You will not be disappointed. Also Hercules is a great place for a very unique breakfast item. On the east side of the island in Coral Bay be sure to try Shipwreck, Island Blues or Skinnies. It's real island living over there. Good food, very laid back and good music.

MJ,

If everyone has a passport and staying 10-14 days, also consider checking out the British VI. We have Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and Virgina Gorda to name a few. Great islands with a British flavor. Just a ferry ride away.

gcgem: No passport needed to enter the BVI by boat. You need the same documentation as you need to reenter the US mainland from the USVI. In lieu of a passport you need raised seal birth certificate AND government-issued photo id (i.e. state driver's license.) Cheers!

Hi. Cruising in Dec. to STT. Been there, done that and have snorkeled most of the beaches. We plan to catch a ferry to STJ for the day. Ship docks at 9AM and leaves at 8Pm. We would like a couple hours on the tailend for shopping. I see that the first ferry doesn't leave Amalie until 11AM and the last at 3:45 from Cruz. Keeping the cost in mind, has anyone gone from the cruise docks in Charlotte Amalie to Red Hook to catch a ferry? The ferry gets there in half the time then has a better return schedule. Also, anybody rented a dingy to go from beach to beach?

Hi-
I just got back from STJ trip and would recommend the following:

Dining - Lime Inn, ZoZo's, Woody's (drinks and bar food)
Beaches - Maho and Leinster Bay (awesome snorkeling)
Trip to Jost Van Dyke - Soggy Dollar is a must for a pain killer

I also recommend renting a jeep, this will allow you to check out the entire island.....

Have a great time!

Check out the trail map at trailbandit.org. Get some snorkeling gear and make sure to do the ram's head/salt pond combo.

gcgem-
I'm not sure if you read previous posts or not, but I too have been to The Baths, Norman, and Jost.- Thus the recommendation for www.motoryachtcinnamonbay.com . I still have plenty to see, though. I'd like to check out Willy T's at some point, and also The Bomba Shack! One of these trips I'll get around to both!
Smiles-
MJ

Brenda - we cruised in dec. 05 and got off the boat, taxied to Red Hook and ferried to St. John. I would recommend that. Not hard at all.
We didn't rent a dinghy, so I can't say anything about that except that it look fun
Good luck!
Traveldukes