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I want to thank this board for all the help you gave me in planning our first trip to the Caribbean and St. John. There is a lot of valuable information both in the current postings as well as the archived posts. I did many searches on this board to find the answers to my questions. So, thanks again! Your input helped to make a very enjoyable and memorable trip to St. John!
Here’s just a “short” recap of our trip:
Day One: Arrived in St. John on the 5:00 ferry. Meet rep. from our villa company, Destination St. John, and were taken to our jeep rental. Then we followed her to our villa, Coral Rays, in Coral Bay. I held my breath going up the “road” to the villa, but once we got there we had a gorgeous view of Coral Bay, East End, and Tortola. After learning the ins and outs of the villa it was back down the hill to Love City Market for a few staples. Prices weren’t too bad, but I had some sticker shock from the milk, OJ, and bread, but other items seem reasonable. Love City’s electricity was out when we were there, so we were shopping in the dark with flashlights - made for an interesting time.
Day Two: This was our “explore St. John day.” We headed into Cruz Bay first thing to sign up for the Reef Bay Trail Hike. They were full for the day we wanted, but we were told we could be put on a stand-by list for the following day’s hike. We put our names on the list and prayed that someone wouldn’t show up. (I should have followed my gut and called weeks before we left to secure spots on a hike.) After looking at the exhibits in the VINP Visitor Center we headed for the North Shore Road. Stopped at all the obligatory overlooks for photos along the way with swim stops at Hawksnest, Cinnamon, and Maho. Stopped at Francis to “scope it out” since this is where a lot of people on the board suggested to try to see turtles. We then headed out the road to the East End, but turned around after a while. And finally headed down to Salt Pond for a short hike. Back up to our villa for dinner and a nice evening marveling at the beauty surrounding us.
Day Three: Got up early and headed back to Cruz Bay to try to get on the Reef Bay Trail Hike. Yea! Someone didn’t show up and we were allowed to board the shuttle. What a great time! We learned so much on the hike and our guide, Denise, was a blast! We got to try some “Old Man’s stinky toe,” sweet limes, kenips, and fresh mangos from the tree. I would definitely recommend this guided hike to everyone who visits the island! At the end of the hike we took a refreshing swim in Reef Bay and rode “Sadie Sea” back to Cruz Bay. Spent the rest of the day shopping in Cruz Bay and dined at Morgan’s Mango.
Day Four: Headed back to Cruz Bay for the ferry to Charlotte Amalie. We ended up only spending 3 hours there – enough to do a little shopping and eat lunch at Café Amici. (I had a delicious “Mango Tango” there and would love the recipe if anyone knows it). Truth be told, we didn’t like how pushy the jewelry sales people were. We were just walking down the sidewalk and some were harassing us to come into their stores. It was also very warm this day and decided we’d much rather spend some time at St. John’s beaches. So, we caught the ferry back to Cruz Bay and spent the rest of the day swimming at Hawksnest and Cinnamon.
Day Five: Spent the whole day at Cinnamon. First completed the Cinnamon Bay self-guided trail across the street then picked a nice shady spot on the beach and spent the afternoon in the beautiful, warm Cinnamon water. Headed to Skinny Legs for dinner.
Day Six: Got up early to go to Francis with the hopes of seeing a turtle. Followed what was suggested and went out in the center – didn’t see anything. Not even fish. We eventually gave up and headed back to the parking lot. An older couple stopped us to ask how the snorkeling was. I told them of my disappointment in not seeing a turtle and they suggested we try the East side of the bay. We thought, “What the heck.” So, we headed back to where they suggested and tried again. This ended up being the best snorkeling on our trip (never did make it to Leinster or Waterlemon) and yes, we did end up seeing a turtle! We thanked the couple for their suggestion on our way back to the parking lot and headed to Cinnamon once again and spent the rest of the afternoon there. (Cinnamon was probably our favorite.)
Day Seven: Our last full day on St. John. We headed back into Cruz Bay for some more shopping then went to Hawksnest for a couple hours and then back to Cinnamon. My husband had a hard time getting me out of the water since it was the last time I’d be in it until we come back. After much coaxing, I got out and we headed to Island Blues for dinner. Back up at our villa we enjoyed watching the lights come on Tortola for the last time.
Day Eight: We took the North Shore Road to Cruz Bay so we could say good bye to all of the beaches. Turned in our jeep and started our journey home on the 12:00 ferry to Red Hook. The only thing that made leaving that day easy was the dark,
overcast skies and rain. I like to keep telling myself that it’s still that way. 😉
Now we sit here in the rain from left over Tropical Storm Cindy dreaming of our next trip to St. John (and wishing we had brought more Cruzan rum home)!
Happy travels to all!
Sounds like most of my trips to STJ.........PERFECT!!!!
Tell me more about Coral Rays villa. We use Destination St. John often but have never stayed in Coral Bay. How long is the drive to Cruz Bay if you want to go there for dinner?
I know how you feel. It can be quite depressing to come home!
Deb,
Coral Rays was a wonderful villa. It sat high on top a Mt. with beautiful views of the East End and Tortola. You definitly need a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get there. The road up to the villa and even the lane in front of the villa gave us a heart attack the first several times, but by the end of our trip we were used to it and decided we'd stay there again. The villa also had a nice sized pool and a hot tub which we took advantage of almost every night.
I think it took us about 25 to 30 minutes to get back to Cruz Bay on Centerline Road. We loved staying near Coral Bay and couldn't imagine staying near Cruz Bay with "all of the people!" It was so quiet come evening with just the sounds of nature. Occasionally we could hear music coming up from Island Blues, but you had to listen closley for it.
I'd be happy to answer any other questions about Coral Rays that you may have.
Sincerely,
LMarie
Glad to hear you spotted turtles. Many go out into the 'center' of Francis but I always consider that Maho by the time you get there. Head for Fungi Passage along Francis Bnay beach (East Side) in the sea grass and they are always there.
Did you find you needed the AC in that location? I would think the East view and higher location provided plenty of breeze.
LMarie,
Thanks for such an informative report, glad you had a great trip.
We just booked Coral Rays for a trip with a group of friends this fall, so I've got a couple of questions about the villa.
- Do all rooms have views? Can't really tell from the website.
- What is the bathroom situation with the upper rooms(shared bath)? Is there a full bath on the main living level?
- Is there a barbecue grill?
- Is it well stocked with towels, beach chairs, coolers, etc.
- What did you like the most/least?
Thanks......JMc
JMc
Coral Rays was a great villa! We really enjoyed ourselves there. I would definitly recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle to get there though!
Do all of the rooms have views - yes, but not all are of Coral Bay and beyond. Two rooms are on the pool level and have a view of the pool deck and beyond to Tortola. The bottom two bedrooms are below tree level and have a view of the "lanscaped yard."
The main living area has a full bath with wonderful outdoor shower. The two rooms on the pool level share a bath, and the bottom two rooms each have their own bathroom - one with an outdoor shower.
Yes, there is a grill.
The villa was well stocked with bath & beach towels and coolers. We only saw two beach chairs and they were both broken. Took them along on the first day (before we knew they didn't work right) and were very disappointed. Left them behind the remainder of the trip.
What did I like the most?! The views! Absolutely beautiful views of Coral Bay, East End, and Tortola. We also enjoyed the pool and hot tub each evening!
What I didn't like - that's easy! The road up to the villa and the parking! The road is cement 1/2 way up then changes to loose gravel. Luckily my husband has 4-wheel driving experience from driving old Army jeeps around a buddy's property. Some parts of the road are pretty steep and the lane which runs down in front of the villa was VERY steep! I think I held my breath the whole way up the first time! Our only two scary instances of the whole trip also took place on the way down from the villa. After the villa rep showed us around and left, we decided to run back down to get some groceries at Love City Market. Since we were thrown off by the steepness of things, we didn't quite know how to park in the parking area when we first got there. We now had to back out and head back up this "hill" - but our angle made it hard. We almost hit the cement wall that runs down this lane by the villa. Even though my husband was pushing the break, the tires just kept sliding! The tires finally stopped, but it was a close call (about an 1" or 2" away)! After that we weren't sure if I had picked the right villa for us. Then two days later, we were heading down the Mt. and once we got close to the bottom there was an 18-wheeler backing up around this curve up the Mt taking up both lanes!! We layed on our horn, but the 18-wheeler just kept coming - and pretty fast for an 18-wheeler backing up a mountain. When you're flustered, reverse can be very hard to find! With the 18-wheeler about 1 foot from our jeep he finally stopped and we were able to back up. Good grief! What is an 18-wheeler doing driving on those roads?! And to back up that road without someone ahead of it to warn people was very dangerous! But, by the end of the trip we said we'd stay there again if it was just the two of us. We were told that the owners are possibly working on a second parking area, but it wasn't finished when we were there. I don't know how many people are in your party or how many cars you'll have, but you may want to check how many they'd recommend parking there since there isn't much room or to see if they'd mind you parking down on the "grass" where I think the other parking area might go. (We were going to park down there, but where it joins the lane was a little steep and we were concerned about the small loose gravel and not being able to get traction - you also can't block the bottom of the lane because the neighbor uses it to get down into his driveway.)
Hope I helped. Since Coral Rays is pretty new there wasn't much info on it when I was first looking. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I could even send you some of our digital photos that we took of the villa if you'd like. Just offers a different view from the ones on the villa management's web sites. Who are you renting with?
LMarie
LMarie, thanks for the report. My name is a give away that I'm one of the Coral Ray owners.
We've been working on the parking situation -- we thought it was better resolved than you described so we'll be checking that out.
Didn't know about the bad chairs -- we'll get on that too.
Great report. Its wonderful that the two folks on the beach got you to go back in and try snorkeling in another area and that you saw a turtle. (tu) Thanks for sharing.
--Islander
LMarie,
Thanks for all the great info, you've been a great help. We're using Destination St. John as well and renting 4x4's(we've stayed on St. John a few times and are familiar with the roller coaster roadways). I would love to see your pics, the websites all have the same shots. You can email me at [email protected].
Thanks again........JMc
mplsray,
What a spectacular home! We really enjoyed our stay there and wish it had been for a longer time. The views from up there were absolutely breathtaking! We can't imagine what it took to build up there! You and the rest of your family are very fortunate to be able to spend time on St. John and in Coral Rays when you please. Like I said before, we would like to go back to St. John and Coral Rays again sometime. We talked about going with some of our extended family in a few years, but said we didn't know how the Coral Rays parking area could accommodate more than one jeep. I'm sure it's been done before; we just couldn't figure it out. (We're from PA and need to actually ride a roller coaster to experience the same hills, twists, and turns that are on St. John!) Once we did it a few times, we got a routine down and definitely did not regret staying there. We would drive down the lane, do a 3 or 4-point turn at the bottom and drive back up, pulling diagonally across the parking area. Then when we'd go to leave we would just back out the parking area and down the lane - staying closer to the passenger side and then get a running start up the hill.
As for the chairs, there were two near the laundry room when we first arrived. We took them along to Hawksnest the first day and when we sat on them, they kind of folded up - with us in them. We never did spend time looking for more around the villa - maybe there were more that we could have used.
Thank you for opening your home for others to enjoy! We really enjoyed our stay. It's been a pleasure communicating with you directly!
LMarie
LMarie
Did you find you needed the A/C during your stay? I would think the tradewinds would be enough in that location on the hillside.
Chris,
I thought I had already responded to your 1st post, but looking back I don't see it - but I'm sure I did. Wonder if I hit "preview" instead of "post" and then moved on to another thread.
Anyway, to answer your question about the AC - we did use it every night in the bedroom but kept it at a higher temp to take the humidity out of the air, but also to drown out St. John's "night music." The main living area did not have AC, but we weren't home much during the day. You did get a really nice breeze out on the decks.
In the post I thought I left you I had questioned you as to where Fungi Passage was. We went snorkeling on the right side of Francis (looking at the water) which ended up being the best snorkeling of our trip. (We never made it to Leinster or Waterlemon.) This is where we ended up seeing the turtle. Was this Fungi Passage?
LMarie
Great report LMarie. It sounds like you got to see lots of places and I'm so glad you found a turtle! Like you, I was turned off by the pushy stores on STT. The larger stores were fine (Cardow, Azure, Rise, Little Switzerland)...but the smaller ones were downright aggressive and I had to say "I'm broke!" to get them to back off. One even said "don't you have a credit card?"...sheesh.
We are seriously considering Coral Rays for our Villa in St
John. At least we were until I read about the driving and
parking problem. Im not a 4 wheel experienced driver. Did you
ever figure out what to do and where to park to make it easier?
Just wondered. Would love to see your photos please email
to [email protected]. Cant wait to hear from you.
Thanks...Lynwood
Colie,
I thought I'd drive some of our vacation, but my husband ended up driving the whole time since he is an experienced 4w driver. After several comings and goings from the villa we did figure out where and how to park safely. We would definitly stay there again - but I'd be afraid to do so with more than one vehicle until they finish the second parking area. Read my reply post to mplsray - I think I explained in there what we ended up doing to park. I'll be happy to send you some photos. Look for them in the next few days.
I'd also be happy to try to answer any other questions you may have. We really enjoyed ourselves and have been missing Coral Rays and St. John ever since we got home.
LMarie
LMarie
Thanks for the feedback on the AC.
When you were in Francis Bay, you saw an island just offshore. That is Whistling Cay and the 'channel' between Francis and Whistling is Fungi Passage. The water gets a little deeper and the flows encourage larger marine life to feed in the area making for quite varied snorkeling. If you make it Whistling Cay, there is a very good area on the SW side.
LMarie,
Great review. I am staying at Coral Rays for my Honeymoon (12 days) next June. I would love to see any pictures that you have of the space, lot, views. Thanks again. My email is [email protected]
Thanks
Thanks for the reply. Cant wait to see your pictures.
Send to [email protected]. Thanks..Colie
Hi LMarie, I have rented this villa for next month and if its not too much trouble , can you please send some pictures of the villa and parking area and any other photos you may have taken of coral rays? please send to [email protected] thank you very much, I look forward to seeing them and seeing how beautiful coral rays really is,, hard to tell much from the web pictures provided.
Hi -
My family has rented Coral Rays for the week of Jan 7-14 so I have been checking out the chat sites to learn more. My husband and I will be there with our three grown children and spouses (+ 1 year old granddaughter). We were considering renting two vehicles for our week there but were wondering if parking at Coral Rays could accommodate two cars. Thanks
