SC Family wants to share some info after getting so much from this board on both of our St John trips.

We rented Blue Tang Villa above Great Cruz Bay through Catered To. This is a great villa if you are looking for comfort, convenience and view but not too plush or expensive. Really well cared for and clean and all the doors slide open for a wide open feel. There is a covered veranda the entire length of the villa. Perfect for 2 couples or a family of 4. The couple who own it take great care of it. They also host a really informative web news page: www.newsofstjohn.com. The Great Dammit driveway is a real adventure!
Christopher taxi service met us at the airport. $75 private service and $25 tip (round trip promised) for family of 4 to Red Hook. Our last trip we took pot luck on a taxi and had to drop every newlywed at every all inclusive on the way and missed the ferry. Our flight this trip landed at 3:00 and we made the 4:00 Red Hook!

Monday 4/9. Have you ever been on the beach at 7:30 AM? I promise you will have Trunk Bay to yourself and can be long gone before the thrashing orange vest wearing crowd gets there. We saw an octopus and followed a turtle for a while at Trunk. Francis is one of our favorites and we spent the morning there. Great snorkel with lots of Barricuda. We saw the whole underwater food chain at Francis. The Pelicans are not bashful. They will scare the pants off of you when they dive right beside you!
We forgot Miss Lucy's was closed on Monday's so we went to Skinny Legs. We keep trying to see what the big deal is about this place, but the food has been forgetful on both of our visits and there is no atmosphere and no view. My kids had better burgers 2 other places during the week including Miss Lucy's.
Paradiso for dinner was excellent. Kind of odd that they acted as if they couldn't seat us but the place was just half full. We arranged for takeout for the next night also.

Tuesday 4/10. We were at Ocean Runner by 8:00 Am with our customs paperwork already filled out. (We had picked it up the day before). We chartered ther 25 foot Mako with twin 200 E Tech engines. Really nice boat and motors. I really wish I liked doing business with these guys. I don't know why they are such jerks, but it seems to permeate down from the owner. We checked into BVI customs at Sopers Hole and visited the marina market for ice and provisions before heading down the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Norman Island. Great snorkel at The Indians. We pulled up to the Willie T at 11:45. I had not been to the Willie T since 1999 and have heard it calmed down enough to take my 15 year old son and 12 year old daughter. When we pulled up to the dinghy dock we were the only boat there. By the time we tied up and ordered a drink the place was full. I'll bet there were 100 people there by 12:15. Luckily for my son and I all the boats rafted up next to us so we could not leave for the next hour. There was plenty of scenery from the spring break coeds. Only 2 earned their t shirts on that fine day in Norman Bite.
On to Jost Van Dyke. Sandy Cay is a great place to anchor and snorkel and explore. This was probably our consensus family favorite of our entire trip. In fact we chartered a boat a second day just to hang out there. And of course the painkillers at the Soggy Dollar might have had someting to do with it too! White Bay is the most picturesque beach (from the water with a painkiller) I have ever seen. It is a must see. Especially for the party crowd.
Wednesday 4/11. Our first experience with Gifft Hill Road. One of the few places you may need 4 wheel drive even when it is completely dry! Great snorkel and hike to Waterlemon. I would rank it up there with the Indians and you can get there by foot. After snorkeling and hiking Waterlemon we hung out at Jumbie for a couple of hours. Then on to Miss Lucy's for the best meal we had on our trip. That place is awesome. It has the cleanest bathrooms I have ever seen in public. Compare that to Skinny's! Her local vegetables and sides are a must and her crispy fresh catch is awesome. Her Ahi Tuna is great too. My son even liked the seaweed salad.
On to the beach at the Westin so the kids could hang out on the water trampolines before calling it a day.

Thursday 4/12. Stopped by Estate Lindholm to visit our old friend Lauren. That place is incredible. she does not accept children anymore because she(doesn't have to) and has lots of newlyweds and quiet couples. She stays booked a year in advance with repeat clients and word of mouth advertising. Estate Lindholm is one of the best kept secrets on St John!
We hiked down to Honeymoon and hung out there. I don't recommend it because it was over run with day boats from St Thomas. The Park Service leases the day boats moorings. We were highly entertained though by the orange vested thrashers.
On to Salt Pond and my son and I snorkeled out to the rocks in the middle. We had seen a nurse shark here 3 years ago and saw another on this snorkel. Otherwise this beach is not as pretty as others and the snorkel was just average. The lady selling drinks at the parking has been doing that for the past 12 years. God bless her patient soul.
Another visit to Miss Lucy's for dinner at Sunset. It just doesn't get much better than this! Under the tree with a breeze and overlooking the bay eating the best local food on St John!

Friday 4/13. On the boat again from Ocean Runner. 28 foot Mako this time with twin 200 E techs. Those E techs are impressive engines. I am a Honda guy myself for longevity- but those 2 strokes were as quiet and fuel efficient as a 4 stroke. No 2 stroke stinking oil smell and lots of power. Sorry for the digression. The guys at Ocean Runner were even bigger jerks than before- but they are so convenient and have nice boats.
Back to Sopers Hole for customs and straight to Jost to hang out at Sandy Cay. I told you we would return. Foxy's Taboo for appetizers- nothing special- I would not go back and it took over an hour to get a snack. Then on to White Bay and the Soggy Dollar. We hung out here the rest of the afternoon just socializing with other boaters and seeing how many pain killers it takes to "get feeling better when you're feeling no pain"!

Saturday 4/14. Our travel day, but we have time to visit friends from SC that had just arrived for their week in paradise. We hung out at Maho for a couple hours since we could park right next to the beach and had all of our belongings in the Jeep Liberty. I think we will hang out at Maho on our next trip too. It was not crowded and no day boats and you can literally drive right to it. Ducked in to Woody's for a final Painkiller before the 1:00 ferry. Christopher Taxi was there as promised to take us to the airport.

Other must do's not included in report. Drive the entire island- Especially the Coral Bay side with the goats and chickens, donkeys etc. Great island feel! Visit all of the local markets and restaurants you can. Drive the hills and ridges on the West End. Visit some of the Danish Ruins. Go on some of the hikes. Ram Head is awesome!
Meet the locals and be generous with tips and Good Mornings etc. Snorkle somewhere- Even if you just float and put your head in the water at the beach. Order Feet, Fins and 4 wheel Drive book and St John Off The Beaten Track. Get up with the sun rise and go to bed soon after sunset. That's when the island is beautiful- You can sit in a bar or restaurant at night at home.. Use the daylight while on St John!
Thanks to everyone for all the useful info on this board.