Trip report-First time to St John January 2013

[shoosh]

This was our first time to St John. We had heard many good things about St John from various people and we wanted to check it out for ourselves. Were a working married couple in our mid fifties looking for some down time and a break from the cold northeast weather. We followed this forum on a regular basis for information. We also used trip advisor to check out the reviews on the places we stayed. Just a note, we did not rent a villa, nor did we rent a car.

We arrived in STT on a US Airways nonstop from Philly. We pre arranged to have Rachel's taxi service take us to the Red Hook ferry. Caught the ferry and checked into the Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel. Travel went very easily, just a bit of a long day since we started at 3:30 am. But hey we made it in time for happy hour, no worries!

Day 1 Trunk Bay - very nice beach! It got a little crowded as the day went on. Honestly, I found the water to have a slight chill. Maybe it was just this day and the partly cloudy sky i don't know. I regularly go in the water at the jersey shore, I can usually take the chill. Maybe I need more rum.

Day 2 Reef Bay Trail Hike with NPS - made a reservation for this several months in advance. Enjoyed it very much and the park ranger was very knowledgeable and pointed out a lot of things we probably would have missed if we did it on our own. Two thumbs up for this hike!

Day 3 Cinnamon Bay - another very nice beach! A little bit of beach erosion going on but still a very nice beach. Water felt warmer, perhaps the rum is kicking in. Dinner at ZoZo's was very good.

Day 4 Lind Point Trail / Honeymoon Beach/ Caneel
Started the hike from behind the NPS building. It was a nice hike, a little longer than expected but so worth it when you get to Honeymoon beach. It just looked and felt so unspoiled here. The water here was crystal clear. (There's a picture we took posted on the side bar of the forum) There is a hut with some provisions and bathrooms also.

Checked into Caneel Bay and spent the later part of the day and sunset on there beach. Watched a Stingray swim around near the shore line.

Day 5 breakfast buffet at Caneel (very good) spent time at Scott beach and Caneel beach. Took Caneel's sunset cruise (very nice).

Day 6 & Day 7 checked out early to catch the ferry to Jost van Dyke. Spent two nights at Sandcastle Hotel (Soggy Dollar) Enjoyed Foxy's Friday night barbeque very much.
Day 8 & Day 9 returned to St John via ferry spent one last night hanging out. Departed Cruz Bay using the Charlotte Amalie ferry. Had a nice lunch at Gladys Cafe in St Thomas. Got to airport 2 1/2 hours before flight. Good thing because it was a little chaotic there.

A couple of things I would have liked to do but didn't:
Rams head trail
Rent a jeep and drive to Coral Bay
Day charter to other BVI islands

Final thoughts: We really enjoyed our first trip to St John. All of the people we came in contact with were so nice and friendly. We also loved the casual, laid back vibe. The weather was also very good, some spotty rain but no big deal. It seemed a little cloudy most mornings and then it would break up and become sunny and hot in the afternoon. St John has a very natural beauty to it. We would definitely return!

Sorry no pictures in this post as I am new to this.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who provides information on this forum, it was very helpful to us for planning our trip.

[MadCityMom]

Wow, you did do your homework! Sounds like a great trip! How were the cottages at Soggy? Always wondered. Hope you enjoyed shoosh!

[shoosh]

The cottages at sandcastle (Soggy) were better than we expected. We found our room (called an AC room on the website) to be clean and comfortable. Staff was very nice also.
Just one thing, I think there's only six rooms, so it gets booked up. When I was trying to secure a reservation I had to juggle my dates but it was worth it for sure!! Especially now since we were originally gonna go tomorrow,and its a snow blizzard right now. Lucky us!
When the day crowd faded away, it was bliss and you feel a little like your off the grid there.

[hoosierdaddy]

It sounds like you did a great job on your trip planning. Thanks for the report.

we are planning on doing the Reef Bay hike in about 48 days (but whos counting). What time did you get back to the NPS? We were wondering if we would have time to hit a beach in the afternoon.

[News of St. John]

Such a nice report. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip.

[loverotties]

Where do you sign up for the Reef Bay Trail Hike with NPS ? I would like to do that in May .

[shoosh]

For the Reef Bay Trail hike, there is a lot of information on the NPS website. There should be the phone number. We called made the reservation. You need to pay in full to make the reservation. I think the reservation runs through the NPS store at mongoose junction. You can pick up the hike voucher here also.

At the end of the hike there is a restroom, if you wanted to change into a bathing suit. Then there is a path over to a beach where everyone meets. A boat is waiting out in the bay there. You have the option, you can swim out to the boat or they'll take you in the dinghy. The boat ride takes you back to NPS dock in Cruz Bay. I think we got back there around 3:30 or 4:00. That's pretty much how it worked for us.
Good luck!

[ms411]

So glad to hear you had a good trip! There's a page on the NPS site where you can post comments, and I posted a compliment for our guide. I saw her a few months after the hike/review, and she was thrilled that I posted a compliment that went to her boss, who sent it out to all park employees.

I prefer guided tours, too, because you learn so much about the destination. Plus, you get the opportunity to meet the locals who love sharing the history, culture, and attractions of the destination.

Thanks for posting!

[toni]

Glad you liked your first trip, you sure packed a lot in.
Thanks for posting a report, hope its the first of many for you

[mindehankins]

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing!
This reminds me to call now, to make our reservation for the Reef Bay hike. I wanted to do it with my daughter in January, but there were no spaces left. We were put on a waiting list, but I guess no spots opened up. On island, you can sign up for the hike (or get on the waiting list) at the Friends of the National Park store, in Mongoose Junction. Note: the girl who took our information appeared to be deaf. Our communication improved significantly when I figured this out and enunciated more clearly.

[EagleRayLover]

I love first time trip reports! I can feel the excitement of someone who gets it! Welcome to the the club!