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!