Preparing for our trip to St. John

[mindy35]

As owners at WKORV-N, we have put together a list of "must-do's", restaurant and other area recommendations that we give to renters.

Does anyone have such a list of advice prior to our visit to a Hillside 2 BD unit in early May?

Our initial plan is to rent the car in STT and take the car ferry. On the way, we plan on stopping at Cost-U-less for some basics. We will be bringing our own snorkel equipment, chairs and umbrellas for exploring the Island.

The slate is clean from there.

Must do's, should do's and don't do's?? Is there a best place on the Island for fresh produce, fish and meats? Restaurants not to miss? Secret hideaway beaches?

Any I put would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[Tfleming675]

Thoughts

I am not a fan of renting a car but that works for many people. I like the little store right outside the Westin -walking distance.

Go to ZoZo's for a drink at the bar!
Don't take the white truck with gold painting on it for the island tour.
Honeymoon beach is a great place.
Get out on a boat. We did Magic Moments for honeymoon in November.

 

[DeniseM]

There is a lot of good info. in the old threads -
https://www.google.com/search?client=gmail&rls=gm&q="westin st. john"site:tugbbs.com

 

[mindy35]

I do always do a search on TUG before starting a new thread but I found most of the posts regarding WSJ to mostly address questions and concerns of owners rather than guests.

I think we have the Westin timeshare stay procedure down pretty well, I was looking for specifics applying directly to St. John and surrounds. I guess i was looking to see if there are any "insiders hints" to be had.

Maybe it's too much to hope that there is a Andrew Doughty "Revealed" book for The Carribean like the ones he has published for Hawaii?????

We are 2 intrepid, active, adult couples that plan on covering a lot of ground exploring the island rather than spending most of the time at the resort. We considered a car to be a must for our purposes?

Here's a question, for example....we plan on taking the car ferry but want to know if the Westin Ferry will transport only our luggage from STT to the resort (so that we can make room for the groceries we get in STT)?

 

[jerseygirl]

Here's a question, for example....we plan on taking the car ferry but want to know if the Westin Ferry will transport only our luggage from STT to the resort (so that we can make room for the groceries we get in STT)?

I doubt it, but perhaps for a price ....

As far as restaurants are concerned, you can search within the big WSJ thread for the word restaurant(s) and a ton of information will be found.

Our favorite nice restaurant is Zozo's. Our favorite bar is Beach Bar.

Every beach is great ... Just explore!

A must do for us every year is a trip to the BVIs. A private charter is best as you can control the itinerary. But, the large group trips are fun as well. Many leave right from the Westin dock ... Lots of info at Cruz Bay Water Sports on sight at the Westin. Always a fun day on Jost Van Dyke.

And, we always hit Coral Bay at least once ... Skinny Legs for burgers.

 

[LisaRex]

Here's a question, for example....we plan on taking the car ferry but want to know if the Westin Ferry will transport only our luggage from STT to the resort (so that we can make room for the groceries we get in STT)?

That's something you should contact the concierge about. Email address: Concierge.01098@Westin.com

I've been there twice. Here is my short list of Must Dos:

1) Snorkel at a different beach every day
2) Relax

Here's my list of things you might want to do:

1) Take the Reef Bay Hike (reservations required)
http://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/events.htm

2) Take a trip to the British Virgin Islands to see The Baths (requires a passport). "Bad Kitty" is recommended here. I wasn't overly impressed, but the price was right.

3) Do a dinghy day -- pack a lunch, rent a dinghy, and explore cays and beaches that you can't get easily via foot

4) Charter a boat and captain to drive you around

5) Visit St. Thomas

6) Take a day trip to Coral Bay. Visit Salt Pond Bond, then hit Skinny Legs for dinner and drinks.

7) Have lunch or dinner around the pool and don't forget to order sweet potato fries.

8) Fishing charter - we really enjoyed the no-frills "Swashbucklin' Tours" on St. Thomas. Caught more fish than we could eat.

9) Scuba dive off one of the boat wrecks

10) Visit ZoZos for dinner

 

[Transit]

We will be bringing our own snorkel equipment, chairs and umbrellas for exploring the Island.
!

I thought about bringing chairs also but havn't found any suitable for air travel what type are you bringing?

 

[DavidnRobin]

Various Trip Reports

Pay attn. to dates

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90911

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74510

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100331

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99223

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123157

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168315

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1160867&postcount=852

 

[Bubbasgonefishin]

Maybe it's too much to hope that there is a Andrew Doughty "Revealed" book for The Carribean like the ones he has published for Hawaii?????


There is a book published about St. John called "Fins, feet and 4WD" or something like that. Never bought it but some on one of the other websites swear by it.

Hope this helps.

 

[mindy35]

Wow!! Gotta love Tuggers!

Lisa, your trip report of 09 rocks!

Haven't gotten to them all yet. Thanks David!

Guess I should have entered WSJ in my search instead of just St. John

Thanks!

I thought about bringing chairs also but havn't found any suitable for air travel what type are you bringing?

http://www.amazon.com/Kelsyus-Mesh-...=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1333322175&sr=1-9


These fold up into and slip into a bag that becomes a backpack that's perfect for hiking to that secluded beach (see photo #2). We build a cardboard box for travel that fits 4 of them. It's about 1/2 the size and lighter than a set of golf clubs (approx 25-30 lbs). We check them all the way to our destination.
We find them to be quite comfortable but they sit low to the ground and might be difficult for some people to get in and out of.

 

[mindy35]

There is a book published about St. John called "Fins, feet and 4WD" or something like that. Never bought it but some on one of the other websites swear by it.

Hope this helps.

And so it does!!

I can get both that and "St John Off the Beaten Track" on my kindle!!

http://www.amazon.com/John-Feet-Fin...6090/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333323053&sr=8-1

or

http://www.amazon.com/St-John-Off-Beaten-Track/dp/0964122073/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Anyone have an idea as to which is better?

 

[ekinggill]

Our last trip report

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1160867&postcount=852

Something I left out: buy your beer and liquor at a grocery, e.g. geared toward locals not toward tourists, on STT. Cheaper than duty free or anything on STJ.

 

[vistana101]

I don't mean to distract from mindy35, but I was wondering if it is worth it to rent a car on St. John. Is there sufficient/relatively close parking near the Bay Vista Villas? Are taxis a better option? Also, where is the best place to rent a car on the island?

 

[LisaRex]

I don't mean to distract from mindy35, but I was wondering if it is worth it to rent a car on St. John. Is there sufficient/relatively close parking near the Bay Vista Villas? Are taxis a better option? Also, where is the best place to rent a car on the island?

Depends on what you want to do. Car rentals are expensive ($85/day if you rent from O'Connors on-site) but worth it if you want to travel to the more remote beaches, or if you want flexibility to just do what you want. And, of course, they make more sense if you're traveling with more than 2 people because taxis charge per person. I'd definitely not rent a car on the first day if I was arriving late nor would I rent one on the last day because you're busy packing.

Taxis are plentiful and the fares are posted so that there aren't any surprises. But I'd only do this for the more popular beaches (Trunk Bay, Hawks Nest, Cinnamon, Maho). I'm not certain how you'd hail a taxi back from more remote places, such as from Salt Pond or Waterlemon, because taxis aren't seen much here. Maybe someone who's done that can help here.

The taxi rates are from Cruz Bay. (Westin charges $5 pp for the trek into Cruz Bay, so I imagine the Westin taxi rates will be +$5pp each way if you start out at the resort.)

http://www.vinow.com/stjohn/getting_around_stj/taxi.php

Oh, and if you're really nervous about driving on the left, and/or screeching tires (you will burn rubber on some of those hairpin turns, even with a 4WD), then leave the driving to the taxi drivers.

(FWIW, we rented a car for the entire week and rather regretted it because it sat three of the six days. (One day we spent at the pool, and twice we went on all-day excursions.) That was a fairly expensive lesson; next time I'll plan better.

Re parking: Parking at the Bay Vista villas is a minor pain because the parking is down a steep hill, but if you are not shy about hailing down an iguana driver, you'll be fine. I think they also installed a phone at the car rental lot so that you could call an iguana driver, but I didn't find that out until after I returned.

Bay Vista villas are Buildings 21-27 on the map. Parking lot is across from the "Conference Center."

http://www.omvillasstjohn.com/images/westin_map.gif

 

[LisaRex]

Anyone have an idea as to which is better?

I have both and used Fins more.

 

[alexadeparis]

I just came back from WSJ and we did not use a car. This was our first trip. Taxis were fine, and there were three of us. There was only one day where we went out using taxis that it cost more than $85/day to get around. Most taxi drivers were willing to pick you back up at a designated time from the beach if asked. I would ask BEFORE getting in to go to the beach, so you don't get stranded.

The best thing to do is plan your day as follows: activities at Westin in the morning (breakfast, resort beach/pool), activities for the day (good beach, trail hike, etc), then to town for lunch/dinner/shopping, then last stop, Westin. Then you only pay 3 taxi fares a day. If you need to go back to the hotel frequently, this will add to the cost significantly.

The market right by the WSJ isn't so pricey considering the convenience of walking right to it, and the concierge will give you a discount card for 15% off purchases over $50(?) or so. So if the main reason for wanting a car is grocery shopping, you won't need it.

The next time we go, I will rent a car, only because we will have 6 people and the car will be cheaper.

 

[islandguy]

I don't mean to distract from mindy35, but I was wondering if it is worth it to rent a car on St. John. Is there sufficient/relatively close parking near the Bay Vista Villas? Are taxis a better option? Also, where is the best place to rent a car on the island?

I've done both rental car and taxi. I perfer the rental car for the ease of travel. I only rent on STT and take the ferry across. It is much cheaper that way and easy. If I plan on staying on the resort I do the taxi.

If I go for a week I feel that rental car is way to go. When I go to STJ for long weekends (4 days) the taxi from the airport to red hook ferry and a taxi to the Westin is way I go (total cost 18+6+6). Plus sometimes I wind up getting in at 9PM and the car ferry is not running at that time.

Just one opinion...

 

[vistana101]

Thanks for the advice!