Travelling during the low season (June/July -October) will give you less crowds, cheaper airfare and cheaper accomodations. But, (there is always a 'but') it is hurricane season. Shhhh.... don't tell the wife. We have been going for over 10 years now during low season and only once experienced a tropical storm. No big deal. So a hurricane is hit or miss.

A few stores and restaurants may be closed or have shortened hours. Note I said a few, not all.

As for places to stay, you can go from camping to hotels to renting a villa. The choice will be yours to make. If you post what you are looking for and ballpark you are willing to spend per night, others here on the board will be able to steer you in the right direction.

St.John is a beautiful island to have a vacation. Lots of things to do. Read through the forum and just post questions as you go along. Someone here will be more than willing to answer your questions.

Of course you will also come across the occassional smart a$$ so just ignore them. They do bring color and humor to this place though. Every forum has one or two.

Stupid question Grinder, but how did you convince your wife that flying over water was somehow different/better/okay, vs just flying over land? A parachute instead of a life vest?

St. John is where I vacationed 15 years ago this very week. Got my scuba diving certification from Cruz Bay water sports two days after my 50 something birthday. I was so enamored of the islands that I have now retired here..........not yet on St.John, but I'm within a mile and 1/4 of the ferry from Red Hook which gets me over to St. John in 15-20 minutes....so I'm a whole lot closer than living in California.

Please come - you will not regret it.

Were looking into the Weston on St. John for perhaps NEXT year (always good to get started early LOL) .

Or any other resort type place.

We have friends that road out Hugo in their boat off of St Thomas (exciting stories).

The funny thing is Dianes dad is/was a flight instructor (and a living survivor of the USS Indy) but she does get stressed over flying BUT she knows it's silly.

Are their casinos in the Islands??

How long is the typical stay - for instance - every body says you HAVe to stay in Hawaii for 2 weeks to see every thing, and I kknow 5 days in Las vegas is just right. We're a laid back couple (very young 50s) and like beach time and relaxing. Is one week to short?

Thanks
Rod

Thank God, no casinos on STT or STJ. That would be all we need!

There is a casino on STX.

One man's opinion (in my very late 40's).....

If you like beach time and are laid back, I wonder why you are thinking "resort" type place. The beach at the Westin is not all that hot. We stayed at the Westin a couple days at the end of trip #1 (stranded by an airlines strike - oh the agony). We just returned from trip #5 and can offer that the environment at the Westin (in our opinion) does not "feel" like the rest of the island and we never did return. SO unless a really big pool and food you can walk to without leaving your accomodations is really important, consider renting a villa for AT LEAST a week - there are LOTS of options there for all price ranges.

Grinder -

I agree with Bill that staying in a villa is a great option - my personal preference too. With a villa you get many more options: full kitchens, living areas, etc. that you won't in a room at the Westin.

But, overall the Westin isn't a bad option...as a place to stay. If you stay there, definitely don't hang around at their beach or eat most of your meals at their restuarants. It's not all bad having a coffee shop/bakery available in the am to get you started, a fitness center if you want to sneak in an early workout while your better half is sleeping in, the beach/poolside bar for an island drink or two while you're chilling before heading out to dinner, not too mention the maid service every day.

I think you'd want to stay a week minimum...rent a Jeep/SUV so you have your own transportation (villa or Westin) around the island. Low season will give you lower rates and less crowds. But, we were on St. John previously over spring break/Easter during high season and even then it was not crowded at all...especially compared to other warm weather venues such as Hawaii, south Florida, or Mexico during the same timeframe.

Hi: Have you considered St. Croix - it is much less expensive than St. John and also has wonderful beaches - one of the nicest ones being Tamarind and also the Bucannear. If you like snorkelling, nearby Buck Island is a short boat ride.
St. Croix is the largest of the islands, all 21 miles of it, with many attractions to see.
Good luck. Audreyrose