MY OPINION

St. John is paradise. If you can leave your hectic, crazy, cosmo, electronic, rat race life behind and just go with the flow on "Island Time" you'll fall in love with St. John. It is absolutely gorgeous, the beaches amazing, the snorkeling fantastic and the people are out of this world (they are like long lost friends). You can shop, eat, drink, swim, snorkel, take trips to the BVI or just hang out and do nothing. There are no traffic lights, you drive on the left hand side of the road, nobody wears a watch and the speed limit is 10 in town(s) and 20 on the outside of town. You for the most part wear shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops. If you can be adventerous (for hikes and snorkeling) if you don't have to be anywhere at a definate time, and if you can handle a slow paced lifestyle for the time being than you'll love it.

You mentioned expensive.....yes...it's definately more expensive in St. John than it is on the mainland however you have to remember you're on an island and they have to get all the stuff you wish to purchase, consume, ingest, etc., there. Sure a lb. of butter cost $5.99 but you're on vacation and I can guarantee it'll be the best butter you ever tasted as you consume it while overlooking/sitting on the most amazing beaches.

I have absolutely not a single complaint or negative thing to say about St. John.

That's just my OPINION

Hi Beachgirl:

Since you have never been to St. John, I can see how you are receiving mixed signals about this island paradise. I can't speak for anyone but myself but I personally believe St. John is just that..... Paradise!

Often times, veterans of the USVI may vent over local political issues such as crime, development, price increases, etc. Basically, just venting over unwanted changes. Guess what..... vent they will..... while planning their next trip down.

The USVI is not exactly the most economical destination, but once you are familiar with it you learn how to get the most from your money. In that regard, I can give you some advice from my personal experiences.

1) You don't have to eat at a fancy restaurant every day. There are some real values for excellent food. For example, Uncle Joe's Barbeque is delicious and very reasonable.

2) You don't have to spend a fortune on breakfast either. Chilly Billy's offers many good breakfast choices for a reasonable price.

3) Don't be afraid to buy some groceries for breakfast foods, lunch foods, snacks and beverages. Yes you will pay more than in the states but you still save LOTS by not eating every meal out.

4) If you plan on exploring the island, rent a vehicle and split the cost with your party. Taxi fares really add up! (major understatement).

5) There is crime no matter where you go. Do as you would in your own town. Stay together with your party, be aware of your surroundings, and don't venture out to unpopulated areas at night.

6) Happy Hour at Woody's! (3:00pm - 6:00pm) $1 beers and other drink specials. Its a little place where the party spills out into the street. Rub elbows with locals and tourists alike in a fun, festive atmosphere.

7) When in Rome, do as the Romans do! Greet islanders with Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Night! Saying Hi or Hello is not the same thing. Its considered warmer and friendlier.

8) Miserable people exist everywhere and the USVI is not excluded. Not everyone is a dose of sunshine. So if you run into one of those types, move on.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict you are going to have a wonderful time. Tell us how you liked it when you get back.

tmax

imo..st. john is not any more pricy than other caribbean islands. it is an island and all things need to be imported. restaurants run from high end to cheap..ish. asolares,zozos,tage,balcony are pricy/good food but there's the beach bar, skinny legs,joes bbq,vi's that are afforable places ....VERY casual to say the least and all VERY popular.as tmax said , hopefully you're renting a car...exploring this island is part of the adventure and doing so by taxi just doesn't cut it !! are you renting a villa ? plan breakfast at home/saves on eating out tab..we also some days pack a lunch/coolers are provided at villas and hop in the car and spend the afternoon at a beach !! i'd rather save $$ for dinner/drinks on the town !! st. john is a safe island/safe but not perfect. just use your common sense and all will be fine. all the yrs going there i've NEVER felt unsafe. love the people..be friendly,polite..don't wear bathing suits into town..men must wear shirts.it's rude to not do so. my 25 yr old son just returned from his 1st trip and he LOVED st. john..he learned to dive/hiked the island/spent many a night at some of the fun bars..woodys/beach bar/skinny legs...he's already planning his return..his quote was "I didn't know places like this existed"..he did feel like he was in paradise...sure you will too.!!

Beachgirl

Your question has brought some excellent responses. "Paradise" is more a mental than physical destination. Almost everything depends upon your expectations.

My wife and I use to spend our winter getaways on St John. We loved it, it was (is) the epitome of a perfect Caribbean island. Our experience only goes back 20 years so it is limited.

But...Things change. We changed;..St John changed; ..the world changed.

None of us can have your expectations.

I no longer go to St John in the winter. It was always pricey. It was always somewhat congested....compared to some other places...I would still go back St John, but I have discovered places more to my liking.

Yes the places (Caribbean islands) I go are small, rural,not touristy. That is my paradise. I don't want to shop a lot. I don't want to look for a parking place. I don't want to share my beach place with a lot of others. I don't want to stay in a resort. I don't mind some island inconvenience. I don't mind if the locals don't speak english.

Define your paradise and you will know if you want to go to St John.

I'm just curious, what places do you now go to? I just want to add some places to my list of sites to see.

There's a store in NY, SYMS, that has an excellent motto, and I think it should apply to tourism - "An Educated Consumer is Our Best Customer."

It would be easier for people to better respond to your post if you had expressed what YOUR expectations of paradise are. You have to know yourself in order to find what you're looking for.

If you're looking for an inexpensive vacation, that's extremely difficult to do in the Caribbean - Mexico may be a more affordable option. But, I've found that regardless of where you are, you get what you pay for. I went to Costa Rica two years ago (supposedly a more affordable destination), and our hotel in San Juan was an absolute dive! You could probably find a similarly priced dive here in St Thomas, but nobody on this board would recommend it to you. We want to make sure your visit is as comfortable and safe as it can possibly be.

So, now that you've made your arrangements to visit, please tell us what YOUR idea of paradise is, and hopefully we can help you find it in St John.

St. John is not for everybody. St. John may not be your cup of tea if you really like or prefer the cruise ship or higher end resort & concierge experience or "just let my travel agent handle all the details" type of vacationer.

To really like and prefer the St. John experience, you have to be more of a get up and go/lets explore/ or do-it-yourself-at-the-villa vacation type.

We are very careful who we recommend St. John to after folks sense our excitement about it or see our photos and they start considering it. Some could be very disappointed by the experience, as you sometimes see posted on these kinds of forums and on tripadvisor.

I could not agree more with jmg, we quit recommending this island along time ago to our friends.

It is not for everyone, nor should it be.

You have to have a certain mind set to spend much time here, and not everyone has or wants that. If this is your first trip, make sure you find a place to stay near Cruz Bay, I think you will like having the option of walking to the town area, versus staying in one of the more remote areas.

Then while you are here, explore the island, and take a moment to maybe visit some of the many villas that are for rent. That way you will get a feel if you want some thing a little more remote.

I have found that most people will really go out of their way to help you if you ask, and don't come off as the ugly american, which by the way, always remember that the US Virgins are part of us, if you take time to get to know the locals they have the same concerns as we all do.

STJ is not a party island as such, so if that is what you are looking for you may be disappointed, having said that a wed. night at Fred's with Inner Vision playing is, well at least in my mind close to perfect.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

RM

It depends on what your'e looking for. There is no great nightlife on STJ. There is no gambling, no really fancy restaurants, no stuck up snobs. But if you want beautiful beaches, some nice shopping, decent restaurants, scenery that is incredible, you will enjoy STJ. A few things of note; yes, STJ has changed over the last 10 years or so. Much busier, a bit more crowded, Coral Bay has grown quite a bit. But once you get past the hustle of Cruz Bay, and to your rental cottage or hotel, and let island time steal over you, you'll enjoy. You will not know until you visit, so give it a try, if you hate it, don't go back. TIPS; get a rental jeep, 4WD. You can't really enjoy STJ unless you get to visit the beaches, drink painkillers, or drink of your choice, daily. Stop and enjoy the view. Walk in the sand with your hunny, kiss him/her at sunset on the beach. Take LOTS of pictures. Try snorkeling, the water is very bouyant. (sp?) Relax, and get on island time the minute you step off the plane. Try to ignore some of the 'tude you might get. It happens. Smile, and say good morning/afternoon/evening. Wear coverups in town. Follow the rules. It's their home not yours. Stuff is more expensive, but it does have to be hauled to the island. If you get a rental cottage, cook some of your meals at the cottage. Make your lunch there and drag it with you. Go on a hike, short or long. Bring bug spray, and lots of sunscreen, and wear a hat so you don't burn your scalp like I have! Whatever happens, don't bring any expectations with you. Wait until you are there, and see the island and its' pace, people and views. And let us know what you think!

Beachgirl,

St. John is my idea of Paradise. But it seems that everyone has a different idea of Paradise.

For instance, a lot of people love Las Vegas. Myself, I HATED Las Vegas. Las Vegas is great for gambling, drinking and strip clubs - none of which interests me. So when I went to Las Vegas, instead of feeling like Paradise, I felt more like I'd gone to Hades. It just wasn't for me.

I believe that your view of St. John as Paradise will correspond with what you're looking for in Paradise. If your idea of Paradise is uncrowded white sand beaches, warm water, terrific snorkling from the shore, eclectic night life in the towns, and some of prettiest scenery you can imagine, then you'll think St. John/St. Thomas are paradise.

On the other hand, if you expect that the USVI will be inexpensive, you might be disappointed. In my opinion, the USVI are not for budget travelers. If you're looking for budget travel, there are better options in Central America. Belize rivals St. John in beauty as is much more affordable, as are most of the Central America contries.

JFP

My 2 cents. All of the above posts touch on things that I agree with. As far as what is paradise to me,it's obvious by my screen name. You can go to a great island and stay at a "bad" hotel or villa and it will ruin the trip. And the same thing in reverse. I stayed at the El Conquistador one time in Puerto Rico. It was the most beautiful hotel/resort that I ever stayed at. The vacation was just O.K. because I wasn't crazy about the island. I guess the term "paradise" implies a place that is more laid back and unspoiled. St. John qualifies for the laid back portion. It's not unspoiled anymore. I do not have the experience on the island that most of the above posters do but my first visit was in'92, the 2nd in '01 and the latest in '05. It has changed quite a bit from my first trip. The beaches are still beautiful but somewhat more crowded. They're not overrun but still not like before. The visitors seem to be more of the young party types than before. Of course that may just that I am no longer a young party type. I've been to lots of islands along with Mexico and South America a bunch of times. St. John would be my 2nd favorite spot next to St.Croix. A big part of the attraction with St.Croix is that we always stay at The Buccaneer and the island is still more affordable for us than St. John. I don't think I can afford staying at the Westin anymore. Never the less, St.John is a really neat place with a lot to offer. The culture of the island is almost becoming like something created by Disney. I know I'll get blasted for this but I'm only trying to express how things have changed in my eyes. Things are a wee bit too organized, too busy ,too congested compared to the St.John of yesteryear. If you have not STAYED on any other islands as opposed to a cruise ship visit than you may be spoiled for any future visits to places like St.Thomas,St.Martin,Cancun etc. They all have blue water ,white sand,good restaurants and so on but not with the same effect of St. John. Don't expect everything to be perfect right from the start. Have a bit of an open mind and places like St.John and St. Croix quickly grow on you. I can not see how anyone can not like these places. Maybe we are all influenced by our first trip to places like this. We love them so much that we don't want them to change at all. Alas that is not the case. Don't worry, just let the place work it's magic.

My 2 cents. All of the above posts touch on things that I agree with. As far as what is paradise to me,it's obvious by my screen name. You can go to a great island and stay at a "bad" hotel or villa and it will ruin the trip. And the same thing in reverse. I stayed at the El Conquistador one time in Puerto Rico. It was the most beautiful hotel/resort that I ever stayed at. The vacation was just O.K. because I wasn't crazy about the island. I guess the term "paradise" implies a place that is more laid back and unspoiled. St. John qualifies for the laid back portion. It's not unspoiled anymore. I do not have the experience on the island that most of the above posters do but my first visit was in'92, the 2nd in '01 and the latest in '05. It has changed quite a bit from my first trip. The beaches are still beautiful but somewhat more crowded. They're not overrun but still not like before. The visitora seem to be more of the young party types than before. Of course that may just that I am no longer a young party type. I've been to lots of islands along with Mexico and South America a bunch of times. St. John would be my 2nd favorite next to St.Croix. A big part of the attraction with St.Croix is that we always stay at The Buccaneer and the island is still more affordable for us than St. John. I don't think I can afford staying at the Westin anymore. Never the less, St.John is a really neat place with a lot to offer. The culture of the island is almost becoming like something created by Disney. I know I'll get blasted for this but I'm only trying to express how things have changed in my eyes. Things are a wee bit too organized, too busy ,too congested compared to the St.John of yesteryear. If you have not STAYED on any other islands as opposed to a cruise ship visit than you may be spoiled for any future visits to places like St.Thomas,St.Martin,Cancun etc. They all have blue water ,white sand,good restaurants and so on but not with the same effect of St. John. Don't expect everything to be perfect right from the start. Have a bit of an open mind and places like St.John or St. Croix quickly grow on you. I can not see how anyone can not like these places. Maybe we are all influenced by our first trip to place like this. We love them so much that we don't want them to change at all. Alas that is not the case. Don't worry, just let the place work it's magic.