TampaGuy:

Wow! One lucky lady!

Don't forget the bug spray--deet--bugs at beaches worst dawn/dusk

Coral Bay has some nice places to eat. Our favorites are Island Blues, Shipwreck, Miss Lucy's. Vie's Snack Shack is out on the east end, and if open, has great food. Local fare in Coral Bay includes Jewel's Kitchen (old bread truck--if she's open, get a pate) & Sputniks (Julettia was serving lunch Wed & Friday last time we were on island). Donkey Diner is also good for breakfast & has a pizza night. Sputniks & Donkey are across the road from Skinny's.

Think about renting a small villa on the far east end. Several are within your price range. Just scope some out under St. John accommodations (see above). Viva's Round House is perfect for outdoorsy wilderness types--I think you'd really like it.

Have a great trip!

Liz

Hi TampaGuy-

Congrats to you. Couple of suggestions:

- If Estate Lindholm falls through check out, it gets excellent ratings

http://www.gardenbythesea.com/bb.html

- Your plan sounds great, just had one suggestion since I am a newlywed and was also proposed to on an awesome vacation. I think proposing middle of your trip so you can guys can celebrate more down there might be a nice thought....

-Try Zozos for dinner on St John.

- Freds is a good spot for music- see if Innervisions is playing- great reggae band.

- Cell phones work its just expensive!

First of all congratulations 🙂

I would axe the night hike to Honeymoon - I hike almost daily and no way would I hike at night even on the trail I know inside out - the trails are narrow, steep, rough footing, pitch black - I would not thank you for leading me on a hike at night - you wouldn't want her (or you) to slip and break/twist her ankle on the first day.

Pia

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement!! St. John is amazing for a proposal. My brother will actually be proposing in May on St. John. You will have a wonderful trip. I second the recommendation to look for a small villa to rent for your stay. There are some in your price range.

Depending on where you stay....In Cruz Bay La Tapa is a wonderful dinner spot. The food is superb and so is the service. Waterfront Bistro is also getting good reviews, but it just opened so I haven't been yet. We also really enjoy Italian at Cafe Roma where the food is very good and one order can almost always be split between two people. Very affordable too. The ambience isn't anything special, but we like to do carryout with a bottle of wine and eat on our villa deck at sunset.

We also really enjoyed Jost Van Dyke and the Soggy Dollar Bar. Just a fun beach bar with a gorgeous beach. It gets crowded in the afternoons so mornings are my favorite time to be there. We had no problems going to the BVI with just a birth cert. with raised seal.

Check out the Beach Bar on Sunday evenings for music and a relaxed hangout for some drinks.

The biggest thing in my opinion is to NOT over plan. St. John is unlike anywhere I've ever been and most everyone you talk to has a basic plan, but has tons of flexibility to it and just goes with the flow. My advice, when you arrive on island, take a long drive around and see all the beaches, look at some menus and get into the vibe that is St. John. Also, you may want to have the ring accessible any time you can because the perfect moment to propose may just happen. St. John is just magic like that! You may totally see a hike or a beach during your drive that you want to checkout and you may not want to follow your plan. Personally, I wouldn't do two day trips in such a short time. I'd pick one and then enjoy the gorgeous beaches of St. John and all the snorkeling that can be done there. If this is your first trip, I'd save the BVi for another day and maybe take a sunset sail that evening. That way you have the whole day to plan on St. John and you still get out on the water again. Just an idea! I'm sure you'll have a perfect trip! Enjoy!

I agree with Pia, not only could it be a bit difficult, but that's when the bugs will be heavy, as well. I proposed on Captain Dans' Motoryacht Cinnamon Bay last year, and it was perfect. Going to BVI's with him again this year. Zozo's and Chateau Bordeaux are also quite lovely. Good luck-
MJ

Great advice everyone, I am going to take a lot of it. I'll check out those villas soon, I thought all the villas were $800+ a night. Maybe I will tenatively think about doing the proposal on bordeaux mountain with the view. Perhaps you are right about the two day trips.. I just wish I had a whole week. Oh well, gotta save those vacation days for ireland later this year.

I'll post my updated plan later on, THANKS!

O.K. There must be someone out there with connections that could get this guy a GREAT deal on a place. Happens everyday on TV-right. He has this all planned out to the minute all he needs is a wonderful-cheap place to make it all memorable. Just my thought.
Mricco

Sounds like a well run plan -- just wondering how top- secret plans work out once they are posted on an internet forum ?? Is STJ the right venue for a pre-planned to the minute vacation or might island time intrude on the details? And perhaps proposing on a dark night on the beach has its advantages?

I'm not going to pre-plan to the minute. The two day trips, probably reduced to one and a half are the only inflexible part. I will be checking m ore for villas tomorrow when she's not around. 🙂 And she doesn't randomly google virgin island much so.. I think it's safe here.

~TampaGuy

Congratulations Tampaguy. I agree with someone who said to propose before the last night. Maybe when you get down to STJ, there will be a very special moment to propose. I don't even know how you could wait that long!!

Hello,
I purposed to my wife two years ago on St. John. It really is a great idea. The one suggestion I would have is, Propose to her on the first or second day of the trip....I had proposed on the third or fourth day which meant I had to either hide the ring or take it everywhere we went without letting her know. As you can image, I did not feel comfortable hiding it, leaving it unattended, and it was difficult to hide when you walk around in a bathing suite and t-shirt all day.
I had contacted the staff at cinnamon bay and they were happy to help me with my plans...I had mailed a package with all my needed items..champagne, candles,disposable Carma, and a blanket.....The staff set everything up for me on the beach as the sun was setting and cued me with a whistle when everything was ready....
You are going to have a great time and you will remember this great experience forever...

Let me know if you have any questions.

Dennis

Oh yeah baby, this plan is really coming together. Nice Villa with a view and a hot tub, I just had to add one extra day on to this vacation, so now it's arriving tuesday and leaving sunday.

Tampa...did you get a villa? Have extra room? 🙂

Yes, most definitely on the villa, I got a wonderful one with a hot tub and everything.

http://www.calabashcottages.com/wwsidegc.htm

That's a negative on the extra room, though, the nature of my engagement (pardon the pun) prevents sharing.
Now that we have four full days on the island plus a couple of partial days, maybe we have time for two day trips.. one kayaking the northern shore and one sailing to BVI. I'm hoping that being up high and on the windward side will cut down on the bugs and keep things cool. a little. I am a florida native, however, so I'll be coming equipped.

We have a 4wd jeep rented also. Next I move on to getting my day trips setup and a few maps printed out and so forth.

Waiting will be the hardest part!

Thanks Everyone!

Just my two cents........excellent villa choice you will love it. We've rented their other villa Astral Ridge and it is absolutely gorgeous. Knowing Susan's taste I'm sure you will love it.

Did you ever consider (now that you have the villa) of proposing at the villa say in the hot tub? What a special, private, absolutely unforgetable moment. No noise except tree frogs and the ocean, nobody else milling about. Nice bottle of wine or champagne. She's one lucky girl.

We were married on St. John while staying at Astral Ridge and I have amazing memories for the rest of my life.

If you are low key people and don't need all the stimulation of shops and souviners you should definately take a day trip to Jost. Grab the early morning ferry (provided you are on STJ Fri, Sat, or Sunday) get to JVD and spend the day seeing one of the most amazing, tranquil, untouched islands in the caribbean. You won't regret it.

The only other thing I can say about STJ is don't plan a thing...............just go with the flow. STJ is so layed back that if you try and plan too much you'll miss the whole idea of the island of being "on island time". Good luck and Congrats regardless of what you do.

Hey there Tampa guy,

She does sound like a lucky girl. My boyfriend and I just got back from a mini vacation on STT. We had a blast. 🙂 As for your question about the phone. I called my carrier and they advised that it would work just fine down there, and that I would not be charged any different.
I would suggest calling your cell phone carrier, they will know exactly where your cell will work and if there are any charges. Other then that sounds like you have it mostly figured out! Congrats and enjoy!!!! Oh ya one more bit of advice, make sure you use a HIGH SPF while snorkling. I know that you live in FL and are used to the sun, however better to be safe then sorry lol 😉

Tiffany

Hawksnest or Jumbie, either of those beaches will be much more accessible at night. Especially Hawksnest, park in the parking lot right in front of the beach, there won't be anyone there. Don't take the poor girl on a night hike, especially after Woody's!

A new question -- best beach on st. john to see some sea turtles? we're staying kid of near salt pond bay, and there was mention of turtles there in another thread. I realize it might be somewhat of a crapshoot, but I found out she really wants to see some.

Thanks!!

Hey tampaguy- Congrats again! I have to agree with Dennis about doing it early on in the vaca. First of all, you don't want to have to hide the ring for too long, let alone lose it. Second of all, this is going to blow her mind, and you'll both be able to share the excitement all week, and it'll also take the nervous load off of your shoulders. I recommended www.motoryachtcinnamonbay for a day sail earlier in this thread, as that's where I proposed last year during our sunset sail.- You'll find us in their photo album on their website. Perhaps do what we did this year, or something thereabouts with Captain Dan; We took a full day sail to Jost van Dyke to The Soggy Dollar Bar, then to Foxy's, and on the way we stopped at Waterlemon Cay on STJ. to snorkle. It was DYNAMITE. Saw stingrays underwater, 3 turtles from the boat, as well as billions of other fish. Waterlemon is the best for snorkling, but a bit of a hike to get to, which,although fun- I did it a few years back- might be a little too time consuming if your time is limited. Just a thought,if you're doing any kind of sailing trip to put both ideas together. I'm sure most boat captains will be more than happy to help you with arrangements. Other than that option, Maho is by far my favorite, but Hawksnest is also great in the mornings.If you don't have passports, you'll be staying local anyway.
Best of luck, and smiles to you and the bride to be!
MJ