First time bringing Newbies to the island...HELP!

[northerngal]

This is our first time we are bringing Newbies to the Island....what should I make sure they see? We have all our own favorite spots but we tend to bypass all the regular things for places like North Haulover.
Any travel suggestions are welcome as we have NEVER traveled with anyone that was not family before!!!

[BillVT]

I am not sure this addresses your current question exactly but it might be something to consider. We’d been traveling to STJ for almost twenty years when we brought along one of our adult children, her spouse and their friends. Their friends kept asking about Trunk Bay and we’d say, “no, no it is way overrated and overcrowded.” So we never took them there. We just showed it to them from the overlook. They got a picture at least.

The following week after they’d left we had gotten up early and took off without a specific beach in mind. When we passed Trunk, the parking lot was almost empty. We pulled in, found a shady spot, put our snorkel gear on and had a great snorkel around the Cay. I felt so guilty about discouraging our daughter’s friends that I called them and apologized when we returned home.

I guess the lesson is not to discount anything. There is always the right time and place. You just have to figure it out when or where that is. As far as Trunk is concerned, I would recommend it early in the AM or for an evening cocktail at sunset. Just bring bug dope.

[SamanthaL]

IMHO, it would be a sin for anyone to travel to St John and not see Trunk Bay. Stop at the overlook first and then go down to the beach.

Agree with BillVT, so early before it gets crowded.

Maho is a must as well, being able to pull right onto the beach and park so close is special.

[AquaGirl]

I like BillVts recommendation about Trunk Bay. It is such a beautiful spot when its not overrun with people. We've also had some fantastic snorkeling there over the years. Our newbies loved Trunk Bay. We love to spend the day at Maho too.

Here are a couple of other things our newbies enjoyed (and us too!):

- the drive down Northshore Rd, stopping at overlooks

- the drive out to East End is very scenic

- day trip (sail and snorkel) on Long Distance; so beautiful to see the islands from the sea and great snorkel spots off shore; first time snorkel in the mangroves with Robin as a guide and it was fantastic; Rick and Robin are very nice people

- hike up to Peace Hill; very short easy walk, on a moderate grade; the views are fabulous

- walk through Mongoose Junction if they enjoy the stone/coral building materials; its a lovely shopping center with some interesting architectural features

- pack a lunch and head to Little Lameshur for the day; we love getting a picnic table under the trees and hanging out there; had a great snorkel on the left side

- Eat great West Indian food at Sogos or Coal Pot.

Happy trip planning!

[david@va.beach]

I agree with Bill and Aqua girl...Concordia for brunch,sunrise trip to Vies,Pickles for picnic food, Haulover south and north.,burgers at skinny's...Early to bed -early to rise, avoid the beaches in the late afternoons(bugs), support the Locals (buy something made there and listen to their stories) slow down,don't yack on your cell phone..We've always tried to share st. john with our friends

[NJsurfsup]

We will be bringing my parents for the first time in June and I have been thinking about what they would like to do. I know my Dad loves to sail so a day at Cinnamon is in order. My stepmom likes educational things so we will do Anneberg ruins after Waterlemon one day. I wanted to do something new for this trip as well so we are thinking about signing up for the reef bay hike. The rest we will play by ear.
I do think it is important to get their input and remember to be flexible and open minded. Hope you all have a blast.

[AquaGirl]

Can I add a few more?? David's post reminded me about some things.

- Shop at St John spice - lots of great stuff.

- Stop by Coconut Coast Studios - lovely art work, and Elaine had some small items too (if you're not in the market for a larger piece of artwork.

- Visit Freebird if they are interested in jewelery or watches. They have a lot of beautiful laramar pieces.

- Sit and watch the pelicans and birds feeding at the beach.

[BillVT]

BTW.

Even though I’m old and retired, I keep going to school hoping to get it right. Part of my current course’s requirement was to open a blog about anything.

I am on the board of our homeowners association at Sunset Ridge Villas (http://sunsetridgevillas.com/index.shtml) and have started a blog for new visitors to St. John. Maybe you’ll find it useful. It is written for new unescorted visitors. I did put a bunch of links on the site including some to Rick Garvin’s outstanding recommendations for island travel in general and traveling with groups that your guests might find interesting. I am posting once a week per course requirements and have started with getting on a plane. So far we have chosen a ferry. Next week’s post begins the discussion about car rental and after that a discussion about accommodations from camping to Caneel. Now there’s a good title. We will see how long I can keep this up.

I hope someone finds it useful.

http://stjnewbie.wordpress.com/

[GratefulDad]

Trunk Bay is one of the best beaches on St John in my opinion. If you don't like crowds, get there at 7:00 am and stay until it gets too crowded for you. It would be a shame not to go there.

[vi lover]

We've brought "newbies" with us several times - both family and friends. One thing that I've found in common is that they WANT to see different beaches and sites. While we might be happy going only to our personal favorite beaches during the week, we've always been sure to take our first-timers to as many beaches as possible - even if it's only for a walk-through. They have all been very thankful that we allowed them to see all the different sites.

And - if they have passports - we've always one a one-day trip over to Jost. While we love our STJ, going over to Jost does break-up the routine and gives our first-timers one more story to tell when they get home.

[inuny]

I understand how billvt felt about Trunk. I used to begrudgingly bring newbies there while complaining about the crowds. We were just on island in September and we went 3 times. What a beautiful beach (without the crowds). I could have gone there every day

[kklay]

I will try to relate to your question from my first visit several years ago. I really enjoyed our friend who had been on island several times before acting somewhat like a Tour Guide. We stopped at the overlooks, did the Oohs and Aahs, took pictures and visited several beaches. He basically had a "loose" plan for what we should do. It does depend somewhat on what your friends are like. Do they enjoy snorking or would this be their first time? Some people (like myself), enjoy some snorkeling, but enjoy the beach scene, lounging in the water, etc. Are they active people and would they enjoy hikes or some beaches where they could hike, etc. if you prefer to say snorkel or enjoy the beach? We also enjoyed stopping at several establishments for a cold drink or a bite to eat. I'm sure they will enjoy whatever you decide to do! Have fun planning.

[northerngal]

I'm not planning much but am thinking about the NP Hike and maybe a boat trip to another island. We have not done either and would like to try them. What do you think? Would this be too much?

[lorijo068]

We are bringing newbies in December! Cant wait!! I was going to add Tourist Trap for nachos, Smoothie stand on the way to Coral Bay, the Tap Room, and Woodys for sure...We are also going to try Solomon Beach as we have never been there before. So excited!!