Caribbean Getaway: St. John, USVI
No passport? No problem
The US Virgin Islands are a beautiful tropical paradise and only a 3 hour flight from NYC! This makes it an ideal location for a quick weekend getaway or a long week of exploring. My family and I opted to forgo Christmas gifts this year and instead go on an 8 day trip to St. John, USVI. The National Park was our biggest draw and it was one of the most unique US National Parks I’ve been to. Below is an outline of what we did while in St. John and what I recommend for anyone looking to travel there!
Day One: Arrival in St. Thomas
After a short flight, we landed in St. Thomas and picked up our rental car through Paradise Car Rental. Renting from them was seamless and I would definitely use their company again.
We stopped at Cost U Less and got groceries for the week before heading over to St. John on the ferry. The ferry from St. Thomas to St. John leaves every 2 hours and consistently leaves early or as soon as it’s full. We took the Big Red Barge and paid $65 for a round trip ticket. We were told to make sure to take the same ferry when leaving because there are 3 different companies.
Since we were traveling as a group of 5, we booked this lovely Airbnb in Coral Bay on St. John. We made dinner at home and called it an early night to get ready for a long day on the beach the following day.
Day Two: Salt Pond Beach
Salt Pond Beach is about a 15 minute hike to get to and a must-do. We spent a lot of time snorkeling, swimming and hanging out on the beach before my mom and I ventured off to the Salt Pond behind the beach to dig for mud that is supposedly has healing properties for your skin. We joined the people walking around slathered in mud and hiked to Drunk Bay while we waited for it to dry. After washing it off, our skin actually felt a lot smoother!
We then hiked the 2 miles round trip trail to Ram Head with a magnificent view of the islands from the top. Salt Pond Beach was overall one of our favorite spots of the trip!
Our day ended with dinner and drinks at the Salty Mongoose. They have good pizza, a view of the water and live music so it was a lot of fun.
Day Three: Francis Bay Beach/Hansen Bay Beach
After a busy day in the sun the day prior, we had a relaxing beach day starting at Francis Bay Beach. Finding a good snorkeling spot became our mission, so next we went to Haulover Bay and hopped over sea urchins in search of cool fish.
Our next stop was Hansen Bay Beach. It is privately owned and we were personally greeted by one of the owners who told us how it was run. They have beach chairs and umbrellas available for use by donation and kayaks and stand up paddle board rentals available for an additional donation.
Day Four: Deep Sea Fishing
As requested by the males on the trip, we went deep sea fishing for a good portion of the day. After some research, we chose Just Fish St. John. They had the best reviews and decent prices. We were out on the water for over 5 hours and had a lot of fun. We caught plenty of fish and were able to take some home for dinner that night.
Day Five: Scuba Diving/Cinnamon Bay Beach
It wouldn’t be a trip to a tropical destination if I didn’t get at least 30 ft underwater. Paul and I went scuba diving with Low Key Diving in Cruz Bay. We completed two dives in two different locations and saw a variety of marine life. Diving is always a highlight of the trip for me so I was happy we got the opportunity to go.
The rest of the day was spent at Cinnamon Bay Beach. It’s the largest beach on St. John and features some good sand and nice shady spots to lounge under.
Day Six: Trunk Bay
Trunk bay is normally a $5/person entrance fee, but since we were up early and wanted to get a parking spot in the tiny parking lot and beat the crowds, we got there before they opened and got access to the beach for free.
This is always listed on the top ten beaches in St. John, and for good reason. The shoreline is picturesque, has great snorkeling and large palm trees lining the beach, providing natural shady areas. There is also a popular underwater snorkel trail near Trunk Cay that is marked off by buoys. They even have signs with information about the area on the ocean floor for snorkelers to read.
For dinner, we decided on Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. They are known for their key lime pie, Mahi Mahi sandwich, burgers and painkiller drinks, which is a spin-off of a pina colada.
Day Seven: Maho Bay Beach
Another day, another gorgeous beach. Maho Bay was some of the best snorkeling we did - we saw multiple sea turtles, sting rays, barracudas and even a flounder. Maho has some of the calmest, most crystal clear waters on St. John and it was worth it to arrive early.
We spent the remainder of our last day in paradise hopping around happy hour spots in Cruz Bay. They have numerous bars with happy hour specials and we ended up loving Greengos so much we stayed for dinner.
Day Eight: Flights home
The Big Red Barge took us back to St. Thomas, where we arrived at the airport early to go through customs and TSA on the busiest travel day of the week in the USVI. Passport holders go in one line at customs and those with another form of ID go in another, so it can take awhile to get through all the screenings.
Overall, we had such a great trip and I would love to go back. The locals are kind, the beaches are diverse and there is so much to see and do on the island. I highly recommend St. John to anyone looking for a little change of scenery, especially since it’s around 75 and sunny all year round!
