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Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 1:20 pm
by George
Hi,

My wife and I with our 2 boys (9,6) are traveling down to St John with another family of 4. We have been a dozen times or so, however the other family has not.

I was able to rent a newer Villa in Peter Bay called the Taylor House, never stayed in Peter bay. Dream come true!!!

Question is, does anyone know the villa?

Also any suggestions on a MUST Do for a family that has never been?

Thanks

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:22 pm
by Chris @ Work
Are they typically active, or more laid back? If not too young, hikes are always a great way to explore, especially if ruins are involved. Those opposite Cinnamon are a great option as the walk is not to strenuous and is mainly in the shade with the beach only a short walk down the road. Annaberg is another good intro for younger ones. Otherwise, beach time is always a winner.
If you can provide some background on the other family, it will help refine answers

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 3:32 pm
by RicksFormula
We stayed right across from it at La Suza when Taylor House was being built in 2014 and it is a gorgeous home on a very nice lot. Don't see how you can go wrong with the house or the location in lower Peter Bay. One of my "have to's" would be to spend a day on Gibney Beach with chairs/coolers/snorkel/toys/etc. Assuming you don't get one of the 3 "parking spots" by the gate, drop off the group at the gate with all their stuff and let them carry it down to the beach and get set up. Take your snorkel gear, a towel to leave in the car for the swim back later, and 2 zip lock bags. Lock the car at Hawksnest parking lot and double bag the car keys, put them in your pocket and snorkel over to Gibney and start doing as little as possible!

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:32 pm
by AquaGirl
I was thinking back to when we took newbies for the first time and the things they enjoyed.

- Drive out to East End and stop to look at the views out to Tortola. Then go back to Coral Bay and go to Shipwreck for lunch. We always enjoy the view out to the water, the ambiance and the food.

- After 6 visits to St John, we finally took the time to visit Annaberg. Wow, what a beautiful spot with fabulous views out to sea and the historic ruins.

- We still love Trunk Bay on a day when there are no cruise ships in port. The shallow water shimmering in the sun has such gorgeous colors. We always have a good snorkel here. We like to get there early and snorkel right away to avoid the crowds.

Happy trip planning!

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:34 am
by iheartsj
Aqua Girl. Unfortunately, the shimmering you mention is the sunscreen. A recent study at Trunk and at a beach in Hawaii indicated high concentration of sunscreens in the water.

It you must you sunscreen, check the ingredient list to be sure it DOES NOT contain oxibenzone which kills the coral and has recently been implicated in causing cancer in humans.

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 1:47 pm
by George
This is great, thank you so much

Re: Peter Bay Next month, suggestions

Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:23 am
by PA Girl
We stayed in Peter Bay a couple of years ago with newbies.

We just love the North Shore location and the easy access to town and the beaches. We go out every night so quick access to town is a plus for us. Our newbies enjoyed strolling around town in the evening, before and after dinner (the wife is a shopper).

Check out activities at Mongoose if you are inclined to go out. I remember we went to a gallery open house, there was music in the courtyard another night and live music at Ocean Grill at least two nights. Ocean Grill is great with kids.

I would definitely take the kids to see all the ruins. Catherineburg is free with easy parking and access.

Warning, petty complaint ahead.....

I was disappointed with the Peter Bay beach access.

We stayed in lower Peter Bay specifically because we could walk to the beach.

Challenge #1 was the very steep walk from the access road to the villa, it was not pleasant to carry anything up and down.

Challenge #2 was the beach path was very rocky, muddy and long. Again, carrying anything was a challenge and it simply an unpleasant experience. There isn't parking at the access point so one must walk.

It wasn't that we planned on only visiting that beach (we love all the North Shore beaches) but the grandparents planned on taking our then 3yo down to the beach a couple of times a day and the adults envisioned popping down early mornings and snorkeling.