Good morning, and thank you for choosing the Virgin Islands for your honeymoon! Congratulations.

St Croix is usually too expensive to get to for just a day trip. Most people who visit St John take day sails to the British Virgin Islands at least once during their stay. There are also plenty of hiking trails for you to explore. You can also go on Kayaking tours. Hopefully you snorkel, because St John is known for good snorkeling from the beach.

La Tapas in Cruz Bay is one of my favorite restaurants.

Good Morning and Congrats on your upcoming wedding. You have picked an amazing island to honeymoon on. We got married on Cinnamon Bay and have been going to STJ 8 years consecutive, we just can't get enough. Are you renting a vehicle? If not I highly recommend doing so. We rent from Courtesy Car and they are amazing. Secondly I'd buy a copy of "St John Off the Beaten Track" by Gerald Singer, it is like a bible to the island. It gives you every detailed hiking trail, snorkeling spots, beaches, historic sites etc. We've used ours so often that last year I had to buy a new one because the original one was falling apart. I believe if you go to the home page her and go under VI Traders they sell the book.

There are tons of great places to eat on the island, just depends on whether you want upscale dining or casual. Some of our favorites are ZoZo's for an elegant meal (definitely need reservations), Skinny Leg's is a must for a burger after a long hike, Shipwreck Landing is probably our most frequented place as we have made so many friends there and the food is awesome. Island Blues is great for mid-day happy appetizers and cocktails. We always stop at the Fish Trap and get fresh fish and the Beach Bar is a must for lunch and island cocktails.

I hope some of this info is helpful.

Enjoy your trip.

Yup, rent a Jeep for the entire week and explore at your will

Check out the various activities happening at the National Park.
There's tons to do. You won't be bored unless you want to be!
Definately, rent a jeep to come and go as you please. It's worth it!
Have a great honeymoon!

After finding STJ via a friend's wedding, we spent half our honeymoon on STJ and have been coming back every since. We now come with our two kids - our oldest (5.5) will be coming down for his third visit. You didn't just make a decision for your honeymoon. You made a decision for the rest of your life. Few people come to STJ and never return.

We stayed at the Westin as well on our Honeymoon, and its great - you'll love it. BUT, be sure not to spend all your time there. Of course, that doesn't mean don't enjoy the facilities, the pool, the pool bar and even their beach, but make sure you take advantage and see the entire island and experience STJ otherwise you might as well be in Cancun (nothing wrong with that if that's what you're looking for). And that means, as everyone suggests, rent a car for the week. O'Connor rents cars on the Westin premise. It may not be the most popular car rental place on these forums, but I've rented from them on several occasions with no problems - might as well take advantage of the convenience. And if you have any inclination to snorkle (and you should, even if you are a novice or a virgin), you also might as well rent snorkle gear for the week. Just leave it in the back of the Jeep and you'll have it wherever you go.

Have a loose plan of what you want to do, generally, that doesn't necessarily needs to be followed to the T, but lays out the big things you want to do but also allows time for limin'. I would definitely plan a trip to Jost Van Dyke, either on the public ferry, a private boat trip (if its in your budget) or a shared trip if you can swing it.

Also, make it a point to drive to the other side of the island at your earliest opportunity. When you're in a new place, its always good to get a lay of the land. St John is not a big island. You'll take the North Shore Road once, you'll pass by all the North Shore beaches, get a feel for which one is where, and after you get over your panic attack of descending into Coral Bay (its a bit steep the first time), you'll feel like you know the place like the back of your hand. Go have lunch at Shipwreck Landing or Skinny's, drive out past Miss Vies (stop for a bite if she's open) all the way out to Sloop Jones and by the time you get back, you'll feel like you're right at home.

Our personal favorites, as far as restaurants/bars are La Tapa, Zozos on the more expensive side and Skinny Legs and Beach Bar for the casual bars. Check out Candi's BBQ for some good grub to bring back to your place.

Have a great time! Congrats on the wedding.

congrats! second on that car. exploring the island is really one of the best parts about coming here.

as for activities, be sure not to overload your trip, but you will likely also get some great suggestions from the place where you are booking your lodging.

Check out www.starvillas.com for a place to stay.

I have spent time on St John's but recently my mainstay is St Thomas. Frequently we take guests there for a day trip - Woodys is a nice little corner bar in the town, usually we head out to Skinny Legs with a stop at Bordeaux for some guest pictures with Coral Bay in the background. Then to Skinny Legs for lunch - have to punch that grease dripping off the elbows burger - hold the fries - in fact - they have no fries just chips.
Return via the northshore road - and take a self guided tour at the Annaberg Sugar plantation - why not? get a little historical background with great views of British Virgin Islands. the stop at on of the four or five beaches for a dip - Hawksnest might be my favorite - usually not very crowded. Then back into town for some jewelry souvenir shopping at Mongoose Junction. Starfish Market off of Route 104 is a great place to foodshop - relatively new and kind of a boutique gourmet food store.

My favorites:

Caneel Bay - great ruins, beautifully manicured grounds, nice beach. Ask about Turtle Cove for Sunday Brunch.
Cinnamon Bay - great hiking trail across from entrance and just a gorgeous beach.
Francis Bay - another wonderful long stretch of beach just past Annaberg and Leinster - not so much a snorkel beach, just long stretches of smooth white sand.
Annaberg Ruins and Leinster Bay - wonderful views from Annaberg of the Narrows and Tortola/BVI across the way, beautiful old windmill and sugar plantation ruins. They have demonstrations during season so check the Park schedule. There is great snorkeling at the end of Leinster Bay - wear good shoes as rocky beach.

Trunk Bay has a very nice snorkel trail but I always find it too crowded, especially in season.
When you pay to get in Trunk, you can visit Annaberg, on same day for free and the same is true in reverse.
It's a $4.00 fee which is minimal.

Off to the the east end on the north shore road after Annaberg.
I always enjoy Shipwreck Landing for lunch and the shops there.
My favorite bay has to be Lameshur. You need a good car, sometimes 4WD if its been raining. It is the farthest point you can drive on STJ.
Be sure to keep and eye out for our small local deer as you drive along the road to Lameshure. Wonderful snorkeling.
You can also hike to the petroglyphs and the ruins at Reef Bay from this location.
Bug spray, sunscreen, water and good shoes to do the trail!

Check out the Visitors Center at the National Park Building - they have hiking maps and a list of scheduled events and tours that might interest you.

Don't forget to check out Lime Inn when you get back to town for lunch or dinner. They have wonderful Hot Fudge Sundays!

There's lots to do! Day Sails, fishing, SCUBA diving, kayaking, horseback riding, hiking and checking out a couple different beaches everyday.
Don't forget Honeymoon Beach!
Enjoy!