St. John: A Travel Guide

Ah St. John, where do I begin. The love is real and the island is my happy place. As you all know, I’m not a travel blogger, but I received an overwhelming amount requests for my tips, so here goes nothing. I’ll share what’s worked/not worked for us the past few times in hopes that it can help you plan your ideal visit to the island.

Why St. John?

First things first, many of you asked what’s so special about St. John compared to other Caribbean islands. And to that I reply with it’s merely personal preference. I’ve visited many islands, Bahamas, Dominican Rebulic, Puerto Rico, Aruba, St. Thomas, Tortola, Saint Barts, Bermuda, but St. John is special to me. 60% of the land is preserved national park making it a more untouched and peaceful destination than many built up islands. You won’t find any of those mega all-inclusive hotels, but primarily secluded villas with breathtaking views.

My family likes to place our trips to St. John in the “adventure” category. I should note that we have a 7 and a 5 year old, so basically all trips can fall in the “adventure” category. But particularly this island, because you can really escape and create a home away from home with your own villa and rental car to explore as little or as much as you want. Look some people love to go on vacation and be completely pampered, I get it because you’re on vacation. If this sounds like you, perhaps you can stay at the Westin or a larger resort at a neighboring island and take day trip to St. John.

Covid-19-

Let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we? Traveling during covid. It’s actually quite simple and I applaud the USVI for precautions they're taking. Here are the facts before you can board that plane or boat. Anyone 5 years of age or older must use the usvitravelportal.com to receive certification prior to travel to the USVI. You will have to submit either a NEGATIVE PCR or rapid test taken within 5 days prior to arriving on the islands. You can also provide a POSITIVE antibody test within four months prior to arriving. More information here.

How to get there-

It’s almost too easy! We just hop a plane from frigid JFK and touch down roughly 3 and a half hours later in paradise. There is not an airport on St. John, so you’ll most likely fly directly to St. Thomas and then take a gorgeous ferry ride over to St. John. There are 2 options, to depart from St. Thomas which is either out of Crown Bay or Red Hook and they both arrive in Cruz Bay, St. John.
Crown Bay is much closer to the STT airport, but will result in the longer ferry, while Red Hook is a longer taxi ride and shorter ferry. We’ve done both and there isn’t a huge difference, but the longer time on the water is certainly more scenic. More information here. Note you can also take a car ferry out of Red Hook, so if you decide to rent a car on St. Thomas you can then ferry it over to St. John.

Where to stay-

Now to the good stuff- where should you stay? There are SO many fabulous villas on the island its honestly hard to go wrong. We’ve haven’t had a bad experience yet. We always rent via VRBO and I'm sure there are a ton on AirBNB as well. I’ll list some top contenders below. It really depends on the amount of space you need for your crew and location. We’ve never needed more than a 2/3 bedroom and ideally like to be closer to the North Shore beaches. The Coral Bay Area is lovely, but a bit more of drive.

Some options we’ve used or considered:

If you are more of an avid hotel stayer, the Westin is currently your best bet! I have never stayed there so I can’t vouch for it, but it’s right in town and looks beautiful with all the necessary amenities. Caneel Bay Resort was an excellent option, but sadly has not been able to reopen post Irma. Hopefully that changes in the future to bring back more jobs and tourism to the island.

Beaches-

The best beaches are hands down on the North Shore. Some front runners are Trunk Bay, Maho Bay, Cinnamon, Francis Bay, Honeymoon, and Hawks Nest. St. John has some of the most beautiful snorkeling spots. Many of these popular beaches offer gear rentals, but we found it easier and more affordable to bring our own. Check them out here (both kid and adult sizes).

We’re a park at the beach all day kind of family, but there are also many great hiking trails on the island. Check out St. John Off the Beaten Track for more. An easy family friendly walk/hike we’ve done is parking at Annaberg and taking the trail to Waterlemon Cay, some of island’s best snorkeling. We also chartered a boat with friends one afternoon. Highly recommend Sail Helios, if you’re looking to get out on the water. They are flexible in terms of where you want to go, full/half day, etc. Very kind family operated and good activity for kids as well.

Food-

There are a good amount of grocery stores and markets around the island that carry most of the food we have here in the US. If you will be renting a villa, I highly recommend having your groceries delivered via Starfish Market. It’s super convenient and there is nothing like arriving to your vacation with an already fully stocked fridge. This is crucial if you’re arriving late or traveling with kiddos. Just hop online and order roughly 3 days before you arrive.

Here is a list of great restaurants as well! Skinny legs, Long Board, Beach Bar, Greengos, Extra Virgin, North Shore Deli , The Tap Room

Almost all of them will offer take out, so you can have a picnic on the beach or just bring back to your villa if you aren’t up for eating out.

One last thing! Don’t forget your rental car- a lifetime for this island. Yes, they are many taxis but if you are spending a week or more there at a villa you will 100% need a car (preferably a Jeep) to get around. Word to the wise, stay away from C&C rental, we had an awful experience this past year with a bunch of broken down vehicles and poor customer service. Most other rental companies are good, just make sure to book well in advance especially if you’re traveling in peak season.

And that’s all she wrote! Hopefully this addressed some of your questions and has you scrolling VRBO to book your next trip. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions.