Avoid saying St. John's, as that is in Antigua or Newfoundland. Other than that all is well.

Use the same judgement as you would in ANY place that you're not familiar with.

I consider St. John a sleepy kind of place, meaning that most of your activity will be during the day and it can defnietly knock you out for night time fun.

Where are you staying?

notahippie: love that handle, for a start! Have no worries. If your druthers are for: (a) late-night carousing and drinking too much so that you're stumbling all around Cruz Bay totally plastered; (b) delving into back alleys half or full-cocked looking for drugs; (c) getting so inebriated that you pick a fight with a local who happens to be in the same bar as you are late at night and happens to have a darker skin than yours - well, then trouble might just come your way.

We're of course in hurricane season now and although we haven't been hit to any major degree since Marilyn in September 1995, many visitors do take out trip insurance during hurricane season just to be on the safe side. I gather the cost is minimal.

Apart from that, come and enjoy a totally relaxing experience on a beautiful island which, courtesy of the Rockefeller Foundation, remains a pristine environment. Cheers!

notahippie: love that handle, for a start! Have no worries. If your druthers are for: (a) late-night carousing and drinking too much so that you're stumbling all around Cruz Bay totally plastered; (b) delving into back alleys half or full-cocked looking for drugs; (c) getting so inebriated that you pick a fight with a local who happens to be in the same bar as you are late at night and happens to have a darker skin than yours - well, then trouble might just come your way.

We're of course in hurricane season now and although we haven't been hit to any major degree since Marilyn in September 1995, many visitors do take out trip insurance during hurricane season just to be on the safe side. I gather the cost is minimal.

Apart from that, come and enjoy a totally relaxing experience on a beautiful island which, courtesy of the Rockefeller Foundation, remains a pristine environment. Cheers!

Jeez STT, that first paragraph about being in a bar and picking a late night fight sounds awful familiar. You're also assuming that the question came from somebody that is white...yep...sounds awful familiar. Fightin is one thing, and remember the "other" person in the bar is there drinking too, AND carrying a knife?

I've no idea what you mean, Connie, am quite confused. It was a general dissertation and observation as in simply, "be aware of your surroundings wherever you may be." If you read it as anything else then you're reading something that's not there. Cheers!

We live in the Atlanta area. People whose "darker skin" than mine is an everyday regular occurrence (shhh, I even share office space and frequently go out to lunch with some of them!).

Connie, I'm sure you didn't mean it as it sounded, and I didn't take it as such.

As for where we're staying, Serendip is currently #1 on our list. It matches our budget and our vacation style best. We'll spend most of our time drawing and painting (my wife) and taking photographs (me). We'll be at galleries, in the park, on the beaches, and, hopefully, underwater. Not to mention enjoying the food, drink, and music.

Watch for the sand fleas but that is mainly a night time issue same with the hermit crabs.... good luck and have a blast

Avoid any sunny beach if you are not wearing sunscreen - at least15 SPF and no oil based products.

Make sure your wife reads -- www.stjohnarts.org -- This is NOT a place to avoid -- RE: the thread name.

An awful shame with all of the building going on..not the same...too much everything now!

Make sure your wife reads -- www.stjohnarts.org -- This is NOT a place to avoid -- RE: the thread name.

It would be great if their website was up to date :S

I just went on it to check --it seemed fine. www.stjohnarts.org

re: "Shhhh I frequently go to lunch with some of them". Is this supposed to be funny? It's not. No only white people read this board folks.

re: "Shhhh I frequently go to lunch with some of them". Is this supposed to be funny? It's not. No only white people read this board folks.

Yes, it was supposed to be funny - it was supposed to be stupid - it was SUPPOSED to illustrate the fact that in the 21st century black and white people frequently, happily, and nicely interact. It was supposed to illustrate that holding on to the bigotries and prejudices of the mid-20th century are ridiculous. I guess the impersonal nature of the internet blocked the satirical humor. Sorry.

I got it.

notahippie, I think most took your comment as you intended. I sure did. Some folks need to lighten up a bit. I do wonder if your post was more of a request for places to stay away from, as in they are not what they are cracked up to be. Not a general safety question. Kind of like a not so good Restaurant or day excursion. Your post indicates that you have garnered much info from this and maybe other similar boards so I did not jump to the conclusion that you were concerned with your safety. There is little in the way of negativity in posts in reference to STJ, so I understand your question. That being said, I do not stay on STJ but spend considerable time there. Have not had a bad experience anywhere or with anyone so can't help you there. Maybe someone else can.

Even to a direct question of "places to avoid," some posters will always tell you that STJ is clearly safer, cleaner, and better than Nirvana. It is in the nature of the people who want their memories and remembrances of STJ to be perfect-unfortunately it is not very helpful particularly in response to an inquiry to a forum.

STJ is a remarkably safe place for most people and most behaviors-that was STT Resident's real point. I will add a couple other warnings. As in most places in the world, wandering aimlessly around after closing time is never a good idea. In particular the area around Pine Peace Market (my favorite store) and the basketball court should be avoided after the store closes; most of Cruz Bay for that matter gets sketchy after the restaurants and bars close.

Not all locals in STJ are black. Race aside, do not let any confrontation with a local escalate to an altercation!

Do not think that because you are near the police station late at night that you are safer-it is an area to avoid late at night.

There are a few street people in Cruz Bay who may come up to you. Even though they are usually harmless, as a first time visitor you would be best to avoid them.

Guidebooks and villa manuals are all pretty good about informing guests of precautions to take to minimize burglaries. Read them and believe them.

Since many posters will never say anything negative about STJ; reading the forums may give you a sense that STJ is all good. While that is mostly true, it is not totally true. Be prudent and it is very unlikely that you will have any problems.

My family and I have been going to STJ for 12 years, and have never had anything happen to us, meaning our immediate family. That is not to say that STJ is the safest place in the world and you can let down your guard when you are there either. Just use the same common sense you would use at home. We had a family friend with us one time that laid her wallet down to look at T-shirts out at Jolly Dog by Skinny Legs, and it got stolen. There was a rash of stolen wallets out there that day, and hindsight being 20/20, we later remember a couple that were acting suspiciously that day....they looked like American tourists...of course, we never found out, but if we were at home, she probably would have never just laid her wallet down either!!!

It does get dark earlier (at least earlier than where I a from) but as long as you stay around restaurants and shopping areas while those places are still open, it is usually safe. Parking is HARD to find at times, so sometimes people will park in out of the way places. I don't recommend doing this. The rental car company you use will most likely let you use their lot when you are in town. We take advantage of that day or night. Unless you drive in front of Warfside or Lime Inn and there is a parking space...if there is...GRAB IT, just to say that you got a parking place there once!!! 😉

Also, make sure you lock up your valuables when you are in the villa, day or night! We also make sure we leave a couple of outside lights on at the villa if we know we will be coming back after dark.

I could go on and on about STJ, but you get the general idea.

Have fun!!!

To answer your original question, STTRes is right. Most trouble on STJ is found late night at or after leaving drinking establishments in the wee hours. That's Tip#1.

(sidenote- I've never been able to keep my head up and my eyes open past 9pm (10 is a really late night) on STJ cuz I'm out and about snorkeling, sunworshipping, drinking, eating and shopping all day. I reccomend the lunchtime buzz+nap+dinner+sleep-&-prepare-for-more-of same-combo.)

The following tips are universal but need to be brought up due to paradise goggles- thinking nothing bad happens in paradise.

Tip #2- do not leave valuables in your jeep/rental vehicle when beaching or snorkeling. Isolated beaches are heaven for the visitor as well as for the car-breaker-in-er. Not many people around to witness and usually wallets, cameras etc left behind in vehicle.

Tip#3- don't go around flashing your wealth if you got it. Again, great opportunity for the bad apple to take advantage while you are away from the car-villa-purse etc.

STJ is very small- there aren't any neighborhoods or areas to avoid. The island is mostly National Park.

It's freakin' heaven- enjoy!