I tried to post this earlier today but it seems as though the post didn't work. My apologies if this gets posted twice.

My girlfriend and I just got back from a week in St. John and all we have to say is what a fantastic island it is. We would recommend it to anyone looking for a less commercial vacation.

We stayed at the Maho Bay camps which were great. We had a tent with a view of the sea. They were pretty private, and had lots of space. Since there are very few lights there, it's a great place to star gaze at night. Listening to the sound of the waves is a nice way to fall asleep. To save money cooked most of our own meals and didn't find that to be
a burden. We both like to cook so it was a nice way to wind down the day. We got by on about $35-$40/day for food. We bought some of our food on St. Thomas on our way in because it's cheaper there. On St. John we shopped at Starfish as well as the store at Maho Bay.

We did manage to get out to some of the local establishments for the odd cocktail and snack. Our favourites: Caneel Bay Resort for Pina Coladas, JJ's for Strawberry Daquiries, Bar beside the Chateau Bordeaux for the view, Island Blues for Blackened Shrimp. The only full meals we had were at J.J's for dinner and Miss Lucy's for lunch. Both had great food, friendly staff and reasonable prices.

As for activities, we hiked and/or snorkeled every day. We found that with the exception of the beaches and trails near Cruz Bay (Honeymoon Beach, Salomon Beach, Trunk Beach, Caneel Trail, and Lind Point Trail), the beaches and trails on St. John were pretty empty. We loved that. Our favourite snorkeling was Salt Pond Bay (although we only snorkeled Trunk Bay, Little and Big Maho Bay, and Salt Pond Bay). We didn't really have a favourite trail, we liked them all. I would recommend a book by Pam Giffin titled, "St. John, Feet, Fins, & Four Wheel Drive. She gives a really good and detailed description of all the beaches, trails, and snorkeling spots on the island.

For getting around the island, we rented a car on St. Thomas and got a great deal from Budget. It was $138 for the whole week inclusive of taxes and aiport surcharges. This was much better than anything I could find on St. John. The return fare for the ferry out of Redhook was $27. We did not find that not having a 4WD was a barrier. Our Ford Escort Sport was equal to all of the roads including the Maho Bay Camp Road and Bordeaux Mountain Road. We would concede that some of the roads, especially down around Chocolate Hole, may be impassible without a 4WD in heavy rain. Whatever kind of vehicle you choose, we would highly recommend to anyone that they get a car. It is not necessary but It is really nice to be able to pick up and go to any beach or trail, on our own schedule.

The people of the island were friendly and helpful. About the only thing I disliked about St. John is the No-See-Um's. I have bites from head to toe and they took the better part of two weeks to stop itching. Next time I will wear more insect repellent and cover up at night when they're out. A small price to pay for a week in paradise.

I hope that this information may help someone and if anyone has questions, I'd be happy to try and answer them.

Wishing I were there instead of here,

Gino