SAINT JOHN, USVI
St John
St John Island is a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. 60 percent of the land is a part of the national park. Unlike St Thomas, there are no big cruise ships landing at St John so it is not as crowded. Some people do catch the ferry over to St John but you do not get the big crowd that St Thomas does. There are a lot of white sand beaches with great snorkeling in blue waters. This is a very quiet and relaxing island that is great to visit and unwind.
We rented a house name Villa Nona located in St Peters Bay. This house is amazing! It sleeps 10 people in the 5 bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms. The house has great views of the ocean and is located to some great beaches. Every room has on ocean view! We rented a car in St Thomas and took the ferry over but there are also taxis on the island. The house has a great set up to hang out and relax. There is a pool table next to the pool and hot tub on the patio that wraps around the house. The living room and kitchen open up on all sides to the patio which offers great views all day. I would highly recommend this house for a large group. There are also plenty of other houses and resorts to stay in for different sizes of groups. The house comes with daily housekeeping and wifi.
Local Beaches
Maho Bay calm shallow waters and white sands make for great swimming and snorkeling. The shallow waters also make it a great place for children to swim and wade. There are public restrooms that are not plumbed. Across the street from the beach, there is a great area for eating. There is a food truck made out of a vintage VW Bus and a full bar that also offers hamburgers and hotdogs. There is also a souvenir shop and places to sit and relax.
Trunk Bay is the most popular beach on the island. It is a great beach for snorkeling and swimming. There is a self-guided underwater snorkeling trail. Trunk Bay has public plumbed restrooms. This beach also has a food stand with different food and drinks.
Oppenheimer beach is the former home to Robert Oppenheimer, the man who invented Atomic Bomb. The land was later donated to the people of St John. There is limited parking so you need to get to this beach earlier. This beach is smaller and less crowded. The beach is public for the most part but can be reserved for parties. There are no public restrooms and no food or drinks sold at this beach.
Jumbie Bay is a smaller beach with limited parking which makes it less crowded. The waters are not as calm as other beaches so this beach is not the best for snorkeling. There are not any public restrooms located on this beach. There are a few private houses at Jumbie Bay
Mermaid’s Chair Beach is a very small beach that can be reached by boat. It is named this because it resembles a large chair or thrown. This beach is not big enough to have a leisurely afternoon but it is a great place to snap a pic!
There are so many beaches on the island of St John. We were only able to make a few but here is a link to a website that will show you more options.
Activities
The island of St John has a lot of great snorkeling and swimming spots. Some of the best areas to go snorkeling can only be accessed by boat so we chartered a boat. Island Roots was a company that was recommended to us for our snorkeling trip and a sunset cruise. One day our boat captain took us to some of the best snorkeling spots around the island. We had 5 kids with us on this so he also took us to some fun swim spots.
Eating
When traveling with a big group, we have found that cooking is easier and less expensive than going out. We usually have groceries delivered to the house before we arrive or we go to the store after making a list together. Eating at the house can be much easier when you have picky eaters or different diet restrictions.
Da Livio – traditional Italian food made in house. We ate at this restaurant for dinner one night on the island. The food was delicious and they had great options for a kids menu. The wine list was very good but the cocktail list was not as good. This restaurant is not for someone who is on a tight time schedule so go ready to relax. This restaurant is closed on Sundays.
After a long morning of snorkeling, we stopped in town to grab a quick lunch. We found a great place to eat tacos called Greengos Carribean Cantina. This is a more casual spot to eat and drink. This was located in a shopping center with some great souvenir shops located right in the middle of St John on the water.
A day on St Thomas
St Thomas has a great local market to buy local items. There are great souvenirs and jewelry. The shopping stands are run by several local vendors and sell all kinds of items. My dad found some great Tshirt bargains and my mom found a lot of trinkets for her grandkids.
Louis Vuitton is my all time favorite brand so of course, I had to stop in and check it out. I usually google the nearest Louis Vuitton store to my next vacation spot. Sometimes you can really benefit from shopping at their stores in different locations. Different store locations may have items that are unique to their store or state. (example: the photo below shows a unique design to Hawaii locations in 2018) There are also lower rates or different or no tax rates. St Thomas has the same rates but no sales tax. That saved me quite a bit of money!
Fat Turtle located in Yacht Haven. open-air bar. Caribbean roadhouse. seafood, salads, and pizza. frozen drinks. open seven days a week. This is a great place to grab food or drinks by the boats at Yacht Haven. It is an open-air bar that gets really fun when the sun goes down.
