We just got back from a week trip (13-20) on St John, we stayed at Maho Bay Campgrounds!! AWESOME place... highly recommended!!! Great for the outdoorsy people! Staff is WONDERFUL, it's safe, quiet, CLEAN, and relaxing!! A great place to really enjoy PARADISE!!!!!! No busy cruise ship peoples, no phones, no TV's, just the basics!! Great time to bond and share quality time with the person you love!! We got married on Trunk Bay on the Fri. 14, and we stayed at Maho until the following Wed 19.. We then stayed at Emerald Beach resort on STT. (due to our early flight & the ferry schedule) Go to Maho.org to check out their website!

If you want more info or pictures I have TONS!!!

Bluwater,
Very well put, we've spent two weeks a year for the past 8 years on STT at the Elysian. When your at the resort or at a beach your a thousand miles away from the "hussel and bussel", there plenty of areas of aSTT to explore away from the crowds.

Lora,

STT does have the best of both worlds IMHO, either you can go 500mph with your hair on fire or, you can just kick back and relax....it's up to you.

Green Monkeys? I've seen Pink Elephants on the East End after a night in Red Hook but never Green Monkeys....Blu, when you've seen the Green Monkeys what were you drinking (LOL) 🙂 I gotta try it in Oct. while on island.

Even if you get away for a few days on a chartered boat and get out to the nearby islands, its worth it! Try www.bestdaycharters.com

ha ha - no, the Caribbean Green Monkeys aren't a symptom of too many painkillers 😉 (Pink elephants, however, are another story my friend) . They are real, believed to be the same species found on St Kitts and have been reported on the West End in the Botany Bay area. Sightings in the late 80s were confirmed by biologists who study that area - and more recently, the sightings have continued. I haven't seen them. Last winter I wanted to trek down into that area, but was on my mission to find Neltjberg beach, so the Botany trekking was postponned.

There is also a herd of at least 20 white tailed deer in that same area, as well as red bats, which are endangered.

There are two archaeological sites at Botany Bay: a Petroglyph site and an Amerindian Village from 700 A.D.

There is also a site of ruins of a sugar mill factory complex, slave quarters and other buildings, which are all on the National Register of Historic Places.

The bad news is that just two nights ago, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources approved a development project for this area, which is following the sale of the 400 acre area which was owned by the Corning family (Corning kitchen wear). Unlike visionaries like Rockefeller, who donated land to the government for us, the Corning family sold out to the highest bidder. The Cornings are claiming that they were defrauded and wouldn't have sold the land if they had known it would have been developed in this way - a boutique resort and luxury residental 4 bedroom (surely to turn to rental villas) home sites called "The Preserve". Whatever Corning! There were no clauses to prohibit the development, so what did they think the new owners would do with it? Maybe they thought the new owners would build a Green Monkey park. Is Corning that naive? I think not.

Here's the link to what is being planned.... http://www.thepreserveatbotanybay.com/

I plan to try to get into the area next month. It may be my last chance to find the monkeys and visit the ruins and the Amerindian Village. If any locals want to join me, you may be able to better guide us down.

I believe Barbados has green monkeys too. 😉

Those that say Tortola, can I ask where to stay? We have been considering Tortola but don't know much about it and I've just begun to research stuff on the Internet, any suggestions would be great. We aren't into the touristy thing so a resort/all inclusive is out of the question, we don't mind spending money for a villa or the likes there of. We like, local, layed back type of atmosphere, camping is pretty much out as we don't want to lug tents etc. but if you know of something let me know. We just want to extend the vacation and although we are madly in love with St. John, thought we'd check out some other spots seeings we are already there (almost). I'd appreciate any input.
Thanks Jill

Bluie: I am gonna call you on that one. In all my time here, I have never heard of monkeys out on the west end... And in St Kitts they are evidently flourishing as the young people don't EAT them like the old timers do/did.

If you stay on Tortolla, I would recommend staying around Cane Garden Bay. It's close to alot of restaurants and bars. We stayed at Johnny Hill Villas www.johnnyhillvillas.com and loved it. The owner also owns a car rental car company-Denzil Clyne. He is super! What we really liked about Tortolla is that you can jump on a ferry and go to so many other islands for the day. White Bay on Jost Van Dyke is one of the best beaches we have ever been to. You can also take the ferry to St. John, St. Thomas, Virgin Gorda, Anageda and I think Copper Island.

A really good travel forum with alot of good information about the BVI's is www.traveltalkonline.com

Have fun wherever you decide.

Denise

Hi EE,

I know, sounds crazy. Actually, they are only green when they are babies - after that they look like baboons.

Evidence is in the Sept 1993 "Botany Bay Area of Particular Concern (APC) and Area for Preservation and Restoration (APR) - Comprehensive Analytic Study developed by the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Section 2.4.1 Terrestrial Vegetation (Page 10). Specifically, the Green Monkeys are addressed.

😉

Kicking myself for not owning one spec of land on the West End....or East End...or anywhere on STT. But, especially the West End. I furiously searched the land opportunities this past week, and it looks like things have already begun to rise out there.

Don't want to take over Jill's thread......glad to PM about the monkeys.

Jill, there's an interesting new rental property on Tortola. Used to be a post office. Lots of historic significance and looks well remodeled into a rental home. It sits across the road from Cane Garden Bay. For 2, it is $200 nt in low season and $315 nt in high. I caution you to check for updates about the bay water bacterial levels around Tortola. Things were pretty scary last year. Locals wouldn't swim in the bays.

Shans Bungalow - http://www.islandhideaways.com/villa.php?villa_id=10393#

If you want to economize and stay on Tortola for under $100/nt, I personally recommend Rhymers Beach Hotel. It isn't luxurious, but it is clean and comfortable and sits right on the beach at Cane Garden Bay. It is a very small hotel - just a few rooms. The best room has a really large balcony that overlooks the beach. You would be close the live music and dancing at night. The people at Rhymers are very nice and attentive to their guests.

The only monkeys I know of around here might be descendants of some that escaped from a vendor in the late 60s. I remember him selling them on the waterfront in a big cage. I thought they were squirrel monkeys. Having googled both, I see they look alike. I could be wrong if they were green monkeys. I saw him chasing them atop the roofs of the stores on the waterfront. I watched from my porch with a telescope as he got bit by one of them and saw the blood. He never recovered them. Several years later when I was on back street, behind the old Daily News building, I heard a bunch of them playing in the big genip tree there in the parking lot. That's the last I have seen or heard of any monkeys around here. Now if these guys made it to Botany Bay, it could be them.
As far as petroglyphs in Botany Bay. I don't believe they are real. They were carved out by one of the previous owners' sons. Long before Corning!

RL

PS Bet when you read about the 'only monkeys I know around here' I was going to mention some names! Too many to mention!LOL

Hi Ronnie,

Tooooo funny about the vendor with the monkeys. To whom was he seeling them and why? Were people in desire of monkeys as pets?

It was suspected that these monkeys were descendants of the monkeys that were listed as property in the land transfer papers from earlier days. Who knows. What's your feeling about The Preserve going up? Good, bad, indifferent?

Did you get my email last week? 🙂

Thanks for the info. You're a great source of all sorts of info. Do you know if this vendor was selling these monkeys for pets? Or do they have some other use or function?

I believe he was selling them as pets. At the same time there was a pet store across for Catholic School selling the squirrel monkeys as well. I really wasn't concerned about them at all. I know he was trying to sell them to tourists. I have also seen a guy selling parakeets(budgies) as island birds before he was stopped and iguanas as well! All these 'vendors' were statesiders. Not like when my Mom and her sisters and friends would sell cockroaches in match boxes telling the tourists they were mahogany birds!

What is happening in Botany Bay was bound to happen. I trust they will stay within the confines handed down to them by the various government agencies.It should complement the island. After all, if they don't build the hotel , they are entitled to subdivide the land and sell it as home-sites based on their zoning. That they don't need any permission for!
Many groups fight against these things and sooner or later the developers will win out.
I understand that Larry's Hull Bay Hideaway was sold recently and half of Inner Brass as well. They plan to put up a hotel on Inner Brass! Will be hearing about that one soon I'm sure.

RL

I know this is a USVI board but........we had the same situation a few weeks ago and so we spent the extra time on Tortola. There are lots of things to do there. Stay on he north shore like long bay, cane garden bay or brewers bay. It is even slower pace there than it is on STJ. I'm not a big fan of STT. Way too crowded. On Tortola Road Town is the only real shopping there. At all cost avoid Friday afternoons in Road Town. Everyone on the isalnd goes there then to cash their check. Do a villa search for one of the bays I mentioned. You will love it.

Hey Jill,

Have you been over to the baths?
I think Virgin Gorda would be fun for you all, but i dont know about nightlife.

We have always had more fun with the local bars than in a commercialized bar

Bluewater is right about STT, we just got back from staying on the north end and found it very tranquil, but still not to far from anything. (Hull bay 1/3 mile away) We stayed at stone cottage and just loved it!! www.mclaughlinanderson.com
Neltjberg beach was really close to where stone cottage is and Sherri the property manager of stone cottage can point out the road to get their.
If you really want an adventure, try going down their at night with a cooler( Nobody Around) but you absolutely have to have a 4wheel drive.
If you read my trip report thats where i got the skinned knees from.
I'm not saying i was proud of that, but we had a great adventure!

GO BUCS