Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

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AquaGirl
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Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by AquaGirl »

Hello,
We are happily preparing for our 5th trip to STJ. We are going to stay at Caneel for 4 nights, then move to Hummingbird Hill villa, where we will be joined by our good friends and snorkel buddies. This will be our first stay at Caneel and I am so excited. I have always wanted to stay there to enjoy walking to their many beautiful beaches and being able to snorkel without packing up the Jeep and driving. I have a few questions for those who have stayed there.

Is there any kind of drink service at the beaches (other than Honeymoon)? Just wondering if we would have to trek back to the bar to get a cold drink after snorkeling?

Do any of the beaches have shade most of the day? I need lots of shade!

It sounds like there is good snorkeling from all the beaches. Any favs or specific places we should experience?

Do they provide ice in your room, or is there an ice machine close to the rooms so we can fill an ice bucket? I like to take a big jug of ice water to the beach.

It sounds like there is now a coffee and gelato shop on the grounds that has sandwiches. At least one of the days, we would like to take a lunch and drinks to the beach and spend the whole day, rather than coming back to the restaurant for lunch. We will have a soft sided cooler with us, but wasn't sure if we can buy a lunch and sodas/beer to-go at the coffee shop.

Has anyone tried ordering lunch while at Honeymoon Beach? Wondering how that works out - is there a long wait so we should plan well ahead? Can you charge it to your room, or do you need cash because its a different concession? Do Caneel guests have use of beach chairs at Honeymoon, or do we have to pay for them?

Thank you very much for any info!
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liamsaunt
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by liamsaunt »

Is there any kind of drink service at the beaches (other than Honeymoon)? Just wondering if we would have to trek back to the bar to get a cold drink after snorkeling?


Yes, there is a bar at Scott Beach. It is open from about 11AM-5PM. There is very occasional, random beach service on Scott, but if you decide you want a drink while there it is best to just go up there and get one yourself. Caneel's main beach also has a bar and beach service. There is a bar off Turtle Bay but it is only open sometimes. The one time we were asked if we wanted a drink on this beach it was around 10:30 AM, too early even for me! :lol:

Do any of the beaches have shade most of the day? I need lots of shade!

Scott has awesome shade. Turtle Bay also has good shade. Caneel Hawsknest has a decent amount of shade, but not as much as the other two, and Caneel's main beach has very little shade. I have never hung out on Paradise or Little Caneel so can't comment on those.

It sounds like there is good snorkeling from all the beaches. Any favs or specific places we should experience?

Scott, definitely. Go across the bay to look for turtles. Head along the right side and out to the beautiful reef that is on Turtle Point. IMPORTANT: there is a current out here, so only do this of you are a confident snorkeler, and some type of flotation device would not be a bad idea. You can let the current take you all the way around the point to Turtle Bay beach and then walk back to Scott. This is much easier than fighting back against the current.

There is also good snorkeling on the right side of Caneel's main beach and around Cottage Point.

Do they provide ice in your room, or is there an ice machine close to the rooms so we can fill an ice bucket? I like to take a big jug of ice water to the beach.

There are coolers in your room. Put them outside the door in the evening and someone will fill it with ice in the morning. They also fill the ice bucket in your room during turn down.

It sounds like there is now a coffee and gelato shop on the grounds that has sandwiches. At least one of the days, we would like to take a lunch and drinks to the beach and spend the whole day, rather than coming back to the restaurant for lunch. We will have a soft sided cooler with us, but wasn't sure if we can buy a lunch and sodas/beer to-go at the coffee shop.

Yes, you can do this. You can also order room service from the Beach Terrace menu, or, the evening before you want to bring lunch to the beach, you can arrange for a packed picnic luncheon to be prepared for you to pick up when you go to breakfast. There will be a hang tag in your room that you fill out to order the picnic lunches (you can also order picnic breakfasts, which are included if you are on the B+B plan)

Has anyone tried ordering lunch while at Honeymoon Beach? Wondering how that works out - is there a long wait so we should plan well ahead? Can you charge it to your room, or do you need cash because its a different concession? Do Caneel guests have use of beach chairs at Honeymoon, or do we have to pay for them?

Not sure on this one. Honestly, I would not bother to spend time at Honeymoon during your Caneel days. You can go there and access their amenities anytime. Take advantage of your access to the private beaches. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you very much for any info![/quote]

You are welcome :D
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Jumbiegirl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by Jumbiegirl »

I really enjoyed the snorkeling at Caneel's Main beach to the left of the ferry dock and out to the point. I actually thought Scott Beach was about the worst snorkeling I'd ever done on St John.
Trip #14 comes June 11, 2015!!
jmq
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by jmq »

JG - - Re Scott, if by "the worst" you mean not much variety in the underwater topography and critters if don't go all the way out to the reef as described, because otherwise, if you like turtles, then they show up just about every afternoon right off the beach to munch on the sea grass.

It's like Maho in that regard, where you also see the turtles in the sea grass off the beach and don't see the variety unless you go out to the edges of the bay.
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liamsaunt
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by liamsaunt »

Following up on what jmq said and to be completely clear, the reefy area that you can see on the right from the shore at Scott is not where you want to go. I see people snorkeling over that spot all of the time, and in fact that is where VI Ecotours takes their guests. That part is no good. The coral there is is almost all dead. You have to go all the way out, as far out as the mooring balls, and then to the right and around Turtle Point to see the good stuff. It is absolutely gorgeous and densely packed with all different types of large and beautiful corals. Just remember that there is a current and plan accordingly.
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AquaGirl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by AquaGirl »

Thanks for the detailed info and clarification about the snorkeling from Scott's beach. This is so helpful for us as Caneel newbies. Thanks also for the note about currents and such. We wear inflatable vests as a "just-in-case" safety thing.

I didn't realize there was a bar at Scott Beach. I was thinking we would need to walk back to the main bar at Caneel Beach, so I am happy to hear there is one closer. I wasn't expecting on-the-beach service, although we have been to 2 other resorts that had someone walking down the beach offering/serving drinks. While it was fun to have this kind of service, we are fine with walking to the nearby bar ourselves.

So glad to hear we get a cooler of ice and can order a picnic lunch. We like to maximize our in-water time :) and go to restaurants in the evening. Also great thought about enjoying the Caneel beaches, rather than going to Honeymoon, since its accessible to the public. We will definitely do that. The only time we went to Honeymoon years ago, it was very crowded in the middle of the day with day trip boats.
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jayseadee
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by jayseadee »

One addition re: lunch.

You can also order lunch from the bar at Scott beach. It may take awhile so don't wait until you're starving.

We stayed 5 nights in February and loved it.
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AquaGirl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by AquaGirl »

Thanks for the info on options to order lunch. On the days we want to hang out on the beach all day, we will definitely take advantage of these. 7 days until wheels up. Can't wait!
PA Girl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by PA Girl »

Based on our experience two February's ago, I wouldn't count on Caneel lunch service at honeymoon. They weren't servicing it the two days we were there. We had a very long wait for room service lunch during our last (summer) trip. I seem to remember the new Caneel website addresses that there isn't room service in the true sense, which is a good disclosure. Maybe orders from Scott are the exception.

During past Caneel trips, we liked the picnic lunches well enough to order them a couple of times each trip. We also do the breakfast baskets for our last mornings.

The sandwiches at the gelato place look really good. We loved the gelato.

Enjoy your trip! Be careful, it is addictive. We are planning a summer 2015 trip for our 20th anniversary. We honeymooned there and have split STJ trips between Caneel and villas ever since.
AquaGirl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by AquaGirl »

Thanks for the update. It sounds like a sandwich from the cafe or the picnic is the best option. Caneel looks *very* addicting :) The thought of several days of being able to wander down to several beaches with good snorkeling, rather than packing up a Jeep and driving is very appealing.

Can you tell me whether there is a fresh water shower at Scott or any of the other beaches? We like to rinse off our camera gear and masks right after our snorkel. We normally carry a gallon jug of fresh water for this purpose. Not sure if that will be necessary if they have showers at the beach.

thanks!
PA Girl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by PA Girl »

I haven't ever seen showers but I think there might be a restroom at Scott and Hawksnest tucked away. I saw the the door open the last time we stayed at Hawksnest. Ask about it when you check in.
Xislandgirl
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Re: Questions about Caneel and Waterlemon

Post by Xislandgirl »

There is a fresh water out in the open "shower" at the main beach but not on any others
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