Comparing St John to St Croix

Linward · Post by **Linward** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:41 pm

We started a couple of threads on the St Croix forum asking forumites to compare/contrast the islands of St John to St Croix. It appears that whilst the members of the St John forum are active, the members following the St Croix forum seem not to be. So, I present my inquiries on this forum to see if we can receive responses. Has anyone(s) been to both islands, and how would you compare them? Are the two Virgin Island's even comparable? How do they differ? What is it that pulls you to one island over the other? Experiences or essence?

CBama · Post by **CBama** » Sat May 25, 2013 10:57 pm

I am interested also..have posted inquiries but not much response either...

BUT I have a trip planned to St Croix for August so I will post a compare and contrast post when I get back along with a trip report on the St Croix forum.

Linward · Post by **Linward** » Sat May 25, 2013 11:19 pm

CBama, So what drew you to visit St Croix rather than St John? Or another carribean island for that matter?

ms411 · Post by **ms411** » Sun May 26, 2013 6:40 am

Sorry to hear you didn't get responses, so I'll give you my perspective from someone who lives on St Thomson and has visited all 3 islands.

What many people like about St Croix over the other Virgins is the variety of accommodations on the beaches. Many of them are very affordable during the off season.

Both St Croix and St John have lots of hiking trails, but St Croix has a hiking association so you can hike with locals and get history and plant knowledge with your hike.

St John has better views and prettier beaches, IMO. St Croix is considered a world class dive destination because you can dive a wall, a reef, and something else from the island.

St Croix has a more historic feel and the National Park there protects at least one of the forts.

More farms on St Croix. No island hopping from St Croix.

Hope this helps!

equineannie · Post by **equineannie** » Sun May 26, 2013 10:57 am

St Croix is less crowded, even in high season, as it has some much more land mass than the other islands. It has a more econ tourism feel, and less tourist shopping, etc. feel. You can take a seaplane, from St Thomas, to check it out, if you want to do some time there and do some time in St John. As a diving pro, I love it because of the diversity of the diving spots. Of the 3 islands, St John is the most limited.

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Sun May 26, 2013 1:38 pm

I have been to both and liked both but totally different experiences. Stayed at Carambola which is right on the beach in an isolated area. Hard to even swim there due to rough water and rocks. So, spent most of the time at the pool to cool off. Much bigger island so longer to get to different area. Not a drive around a corner and stop at whatever beach you see. More like STT but prettier? Never snorkeled there. The trip was free so did not regrett not being on STJ but if I am paying, it would be STJ

PL3 · Post by **PL3** » Sun May 26, 2013 5:33 pm

St Thomas is the big city
St John is the rich suburb
St Croix is the country

CBama · Post by **CBama** » Sun May 26, 2013 6:57 pm

Linward. It's my sons high school graduation trip and he wanted to learn to kiteboard. We hope the winds are still favorable when we go. We looked at several islands. St John doesn't have the kiteboarding.
Bill from Kite St Croix was helpful
It's also nice that the condos are much cheaper. We booked at Pelican Cove.

Hoping to find nice beaches, good snorkeling and some nice hiking places.

Linward · Post by **Linward** » Sun May 26, 2013 9:39 pm

Thank you responders for your input. I especially appreciated yours, PL3 ,for its concisement.
It makes me think of comparing Oahu to Kauhai and Maui. (We have not been to the "big" island). Does St Croix offer similar shore snorkeling to St John? Or must one take a boat to get access to the reef? Is Buck island still the cat's meow?

piscesgirl0314 · Post by **piscesgirl0314** » Tue May 28, 2013 12:25 pm

PL3 wrote:St Thomas is the big city
St John is the rich suburb
St Croix is the country

PERFECT way to describe the three islands. St john is where my husband and I were married...its my favorite of the three...that said, I found the locals on STX extremely warm. EVERYONE I had dealings with was just super nice. Thats not to say STT and STJ don't have friendly locals...STX just seemed more friendly.

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Tue May 28, 2013 2:07 pm

piscesgirl0314 wrote:
PL3 wrote:St Thomas is the big city
St John is the rich suburb
St Croix is the country

PERFECT way to describe the three islands. St john is where my husband and I were married...its my favorite of the three...that said, I found the locals on STX extremely warm. EVERYONE I had dealings with was just super nice. Thats not to say STT and STJ don't have friendly locals...STX just seemed more friendly.

So glad to hear this. Had heard STX has considerably more crime than STJ...What is your experience/knowledge about that? Glad to hear everyone is so friendly~

PL3 · Post by **PL3** » Tue May 28, 2013 5:49 pm

Linward wrote:Thank you responders for your input. I especially appreciated yours, PL3 ,for its concisement.
It makes me think of comparing Oahu to Kauhai and Maui. (We have not been to the "big" island). Does St Croix offer similar shore snorkeling to St John? Or must one take a boat to get access to the reef? Is Buck island still the cat's meow?

Very good shore snorkeling, although some will prefer STJ. The east side of Cane bay is good, the pier at Fredrickstead (without cruise ships) and the reef at Tamerind are often overlooked spots. Buck was a slight disappointment from years ago due to continued deterioration but is still amazing. Your best ride: http://llewellynwesterman.com/

From TA:

We just returned from our third stay at Tamarind Reef. We were there 10 years ago, returned last summer and again just last month. We keep coming back because this is the most comfortable and affordable place we’ve found in the Caribbean that includes what we love best about a beach vacation – great cabanas and easy, high-quality snorkeling. The house reef, literally feet from shore, is consistently amazing. It’s the rare snorkel that we don’t see at least one Hawksbill turtle. We’ve also seen Spotted Eagle Rays, Blue Tang, Trumpetfish, a variety of parrotfish, damselfish, and wrasse, the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Fourspot Butterflyfish, Porcupinefish, Smooth Trunkfish, and Scrawled Filefish among others, many on every snorkel. There are a variety of hard and soft corals, anemone, and urchins, as well as a healthy bed of sea fans. The beach attendants (Mimi, Jerry, Brenda and others) are fantastically helpful and should be credited with making Tamarind Reef such a good experience. This includes maintaining the beach area, having rinse buckets, advising on water conditions and a smooth reef entry and exit, having a good assortment of equipment available, etc.

cmw5682 · Post by **cmw5682** » Tue May 28, 2013 8:00 pm

I'm heading to St. Croix in June for the first time and can't wait!! Staying at Pelican Cove... looks wonderful!!

jess116000 · Post by **jess116000** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 10:42 am

My husband and I were in STX during a cat 3 hurricane (Omar). Despite the hurricane we did enjoy STX. We like to do a lot of exploring & hiking, and on a few occasions we felt a little uneasy with the homeless who live in the abandoned homes destroyed by hurricanes. I won't go into details, but I felt very uneasy at one point when we were hiking to a beach. The rainforest is very nice & I do recommend visiting thr domino club. Great place! Everyone at our resort (the Divi) were very friendly and helpful during the storm. Overall we did like STX. It's beautiful and the beaches great. We unfortunately did not get to snorkel due to the hurricane. Oh well, we made the best of it!

STJ is also beautiful, has great snorkeling, gorgeous beaches and so far ive always felt very safe & comfortable there. I absolutely love this island and visit as often as possible. I don't think you could go wrong with either island, but if I had to choose I would pick STJ!

toni · Post by **toni** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 1:55 pm

I wondered what the topography is like? Is STX like STJ and hilly or flat. I like St. John for its hills and views. Islands which are flat I don't think as pretty. Thank you.

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