Dinghy Rental - Experience?

Travel discussion for St. John
2FarNorth
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Dinghy Rental - Experience?

Post by 2FarNorth »

Hey All,

We are palnning our next trip to STJ and renting a dinghy from Noah's is on the list. We have never done this before. We have a couple of "first-timers" with us and thought that a day of beach hopping by boat would be a good way to break them in.

Looking for some feedback from those who have. I have a little boating experience but no one else in our group does.

Thanks!
b-as-u-r
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Post by b-as-u-r »

My husband and I did this in December and we loved it. Be prepared though, the water through the channel on the way to Leinster can be a bit rough. Don't be discouraged, it's worth the trip and a memorable day. We are definitely planning to do this again on our next visit. Happy travels. Ali~
STJ - I "get it"
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VaGirl
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Post by VaGirl »

Glad to see this thread; I've been thinking about us doing this one day. I'm not a great swimmer, but am willing to try this. Just the chance to get to some beaches we probably otherwise wouldn't see. With our lack of experience, would it be better to stay away from north shore beaches? This just seems like such a great way to see the island more.
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flip-flop
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Post by flip-flop »

I loved the dinghy trip we took on our last trip to STJ. We rented from Crabby's on the East End and explored Hurricane hole. It was a lot of fun.

For details on the day you can check my trip report from back in the old forum days at http://www.caribbean-on-line.com/cgi-bi ... 2005+18168

Let me know if you have any questions!
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VaGirl
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Post by VaGirl »

Flip-flop, I read your post...what a great day you had, and Little FF is adorable! Taking a trip from this part of the island might be a better option for us, as we are "newbies" at this. Salt Pond is a favorite, and a burger at Skinny's before heading back to CB is always on my list. I had read about Crabby's before, sounds like this just might work for us. Thanks so much...
tonyadams
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crabby

Post by tonyadams »

flip-flop - can you take crabby's dinghys to the south shore beaches, or do you have to stay in the east?

Bob
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flip-flop
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Post by flip-flop »

They give you a detailed map, but you are asked to stay pretty much in hurricane hole. There is plenty to explore though. We had a great time and there was more to see when it was time to go back in to Crabby's.
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VaGirl
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Post by VaGirl »

I was reading more about Crabby's and found where they do ask you to stay in that area. But it sounds like, as you say, there's plenty enough to see!
tonyadams
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Post by tonyadams »

Thanks flip-flop - we plan on doing a couple dinghy trips, one with noah and the other with crabbys. my wife and i loved noahs and the north shore last time on st. john and can't wait to explore the east end. we are staying in coral bay and hope to cover most of the snorkel spots on that side of the island.

Bob
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flip-flop
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Post by flip-flop »

You are most welcome. Where are you staying in Coral Bay? We are staying on that end of the island for the first time in November and are interested in others experiences. I am sure we'll love it.

We have spent way more time out that way the last 2 trips. I love Francis and Maho and its about the same difference to get there from Chocolate Hole as it is from Coral Bay so we figured what the heck.

We may do the opposite and explore the North Shore by dinghy this time. You'll love Crabby's too. Very low key and pleasant to deal with.
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AquaGirl
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Post by AquaGirl »

Flip-Flop - thanks for the pointer to your report. We were thinking about renting a dinghy from Crabby's this trip, but I wasn't sure if there was much to see in the Hurricane Hole area. Your report convinced me that we would definitely enjoy it.

We rented chairs from Mr Crabby (the male one) last year and he was great to chat with.

Can I ask what villa you stayed in on that trip? Loved the picture of the pool area. We are staying in Bayview this trip, but always keep an eye out for other villas we might enjoy.
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flip-flop
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Post by flip-flop »

Last trip we stayed at Ambiance on Chocolate Hole hillside. GREAT villa. Affordable (I guess) with 3 couples, not so much with 1 couple, 2 kids and gramma ;) I would stay there again in a heartbeat!

The pool was phenomenal and renting it is like getting two houses. The main house w/ one king bedroom and then the separate pod with the other two king bedrooms. VERY nice.

I think you will enjoy the Coral Bay dinghy rental. I loved just seeing the mangroves. Lots of sealife there and very pretty.
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tonyadams
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Post by tonyadams »

As to where we are staying, hmm, the name of the place is Spyglass Hill, but I don't know exactly where it is in Coral Bay. A friend of mine recommended it as a very moderately priced house (for 2) in the Coral Bay area. It will be our first time staying out that way too. I'm sure we'll love being on that side, and while i'm not the best writer, I will try to let everyone here read about our adventures.
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chrisn
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Post by chrisn »

We loved renting a dinghy from Noah's. It's probably one of the funnest/unfun days of exploring we've ever had. Speaking from experience though, don't get so caught up gawking at the huts on Peter Bay that you lose track of the where the "no boat zone" is in relation to where you've driven your dinghy. Good times though!
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augie
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Post by augie »

chrisn,

What was "unfun" about that day?
Come see us!
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