Yes and yes! Coral Bay is beautiful and quiet. If you want that ends-of-the-earth feeling, but still want to have convenient access to everything the island offers, Coral Bay is for you!

Americans can exist without A/C! Many of them just think they can't! Our constant cooling breezes make all the difference.

Come on down; what a great destination for a business trip!!

(We live on STJ, so send me an email if you want some insider villa recommendations!)

We just returned on May 28th from 12 days in St. John. We are from the NE MA area and do not have A/C at home where I refuse to use it. In my opinion you would DIE withouth A/C in St. John. On May 27th in St.John it was 89 F at 10 AM and on the 28th it was 92 F at 9 AM with humidity to match.

Dear Sunburn, Thanks for the insight!! I may be emailing you soon!!

Dear Curmudgeon,
Your earilier review was very helpful. I live in Oklahoma and am very used to A/C so I appreciate your tips!

My wife and I got back from St. John last week and miss it already. This was our first time, so we were glad to stay closer to Cruz Bay, where the ferry docks. Opinions will vary, but we were glad we weren't out by Coral Bay or Bordeaux Mountain. While the island isn't very large, it will take you 45 minutes to an hour to get from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay. Driving the mountainous roads is also a bit challenging, and I like driving. We did a driving tour of the whole island on our second day, from our villa in Rendezvous Bay to the East End, to Salt Pond and back to Cruz Bay over the Bordeaux Mountain. I would not want to do that drive at night, and though the posted speed limit is 20 mph, there were many, many times the impatient taxi, van, truck, jeep, etc., behind us rode our bumper.

We went through Coral Bay without realizing that it was Coral Bay. There are a few shops and restaurants on either side of a large bay, and that's it. It really is the end of the earth. Some might prefer that isolation, but we were very glad that we were closer to Cruz Bay and more restaurants and shops for when we felt like being in a more bustling area.

Our villa didn't have AC, but we were right on the Bay and had constant ocean breezes and ceiling fans on the entire time. If you are high up, you might catch some nice breezes, but otherwise, I think you would want AC.

If you are in St. John for business, you might not have the time to explore the island if you have to spend a lot of time getting to places. There are some great places near Coral Bay, like Salt Pond Bay, but that's also a fairly long walk down a rocky trail to the beach, and a surprisingly tough hike back up after a day of swimming and snorkeling. We are both in our late 20s, and would describe ourselves as physically fit folks who go to our YMCA three times a week. But with the sun beating down on us, we actually had to stop twice on our hike back up the short trail. Or maybe we are not as physically fit as we think we are.

Anyway, just some thoughts. You can see that our visit has left quite an impression on me, as I'm still reading the message boards and trying to live through others who are planning a visit!

We just returned and stayed at a non air conditioned villa in Coral Bay up on the mountain. I too doubted the idea that air conditioning was not needed. The locals were correct. We did not need air conditioning, the trade winds do cool you off, as do ceiling fans.

Coral Bay is about 45 minute drive to Cruz Bay, there are not that many restaurants to choose from in Coral Bay, nor in my opinion in Cruz Bay, mostly shacks that serve food.

The beauty of the island makes up for lack of good dining, you can cook some meals in your villa. good luck.