whattosee Archives - Page 2 of 2 - St. John Escape at Grande Bay

Day 7 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John 03/22/201804/22/2018beaches, Caribbean, CruzBay, hikers, HolidayOnStJohn, ramhead, saltpond, StJohn, USVI, VacationOnStJohn, VacationSoup, whattodo, whattosee

End your vacation with a finale so amazing it will bring you back to St. John—over and over again. Make sure to bring plenty of water and sun protection because the southeast end of St. John is hot!

Drive nearly four miles south of Coral Bay to Salt Pond, or you can even take the public bus which runs on a fairly reliable schedule between the Cruz Bay ferry dock and the parking lot of Salt Pond for only $1 per person each way. From the parking lot you walk on a wide, rocky trail through arid, scrub land to Salt Pond beach where there is excellent snorkeling and another great chance to swim with sea turtles.

Neighboring Ram Head point can be reached by a mile long trail beginning at the southern end of of the Salt Pond beach. The red rock strewn path, a favorite for full moon hikes, leads to a blue cobblestone beach before switch-backing up to the the 360 degree viewpoint.

As you stand 200 feet above the Caribbean Sea, with views of the sparkling waters below and the endless ocean stretching as far as the eye can see, you will be left humbled and awestruck–no matter how many times you take in the amazing sight.

Another quarter-mile trail from Saltpond beach leads to the pond where sea salt accumulates during the summer, hence the beach’s name. The trail continues past the salt pond to Drunk Bay where visitors often arrange the stones of the beach to create a reminder of their adventures on St. John.

Day 4 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John 02/11/2018beach, Caribbean, CruzBay, HolidayOnStJohn, stillbeautiful, StJohn, StJohnEscape, USVI, VacationOnStJohn, VacationSoup, whattodo, whattosee 1 Comment

You could spend the entire fourth day of your week exploring just the north shore . The north shore provides access to numerous white sand beaches that have calm waters perfect for swimming in the sea and relaxing in the sand.

The first beach accessible by road will be Hawksnest, which is perfect for a long swim and a great snorkel among the elk horn coral right from the beach. Right past Hawksnest you can stop at Gibney/Oppenheimer beach which was formerly home to the famous tire swing. The beach area is still beautiful, but the palm trees here have taken a hit from Hurricane Irma. There are still some palms left and I have seen new ones sprouting up from the fallen coconuts.

If you want a short hike to a great view point, stop at Peace Hill and you will get a terrific panoramic view of the area. Continuing on North Shore Road, you will get to the small parking lot at Jumbie Bay, an intimate beach on the west end of Trunk Bay with views of the British Virgin Islands and the north shore cays. There is a reef that extends out from each end of the beach at Jumbie and is close enough to shore to make novice snorkelers feel more at ease, but it also opens to the more challenging deep-water reefs between Jumbie and Trunk Bay for the more adventuresome.

Now you could revisit Trunk and Cinnamon Bays or keep going until you reach Maho, a favorite of both locals and visitors. Maho is a great place to snorkel with turtles in the seagrass beds about 50 yards off shore. The landscape around Maho has seen considerable change since Hurricane Irma and will take some time to get back to what previous visitors might remember. By following the road a couple of miles past Maho you will end your day at the sweeping beach of beautiful Francis Bay.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Honeymoon Beach Update

Peter Langer St. John 02/09/2018beach, Caribbean, CruzBay, HolidayOnStJohn, stillbeautiful, StJohn, StJohnEscape, USVI, VacationOnStJohn, VacationSoup, whattodo, whattosee 0 Comment

Like most every beach on St. John, most people are struck with just how much Honeymoon captures the whole “paradise on earth” theme. There is no doubt that this perception of Honeymoon will not change for people who visit after Irma. This beach is still gorgeous, and is in fact, wider than before the storm. Honeymoon contains the magnificent qualities common to all of St. John’s north shore beaches, sugar white sand and clear, turquoise water.

Currently, there are only two ways to get to Honeymoon. You can go by boat or dinghy, but nowadays since Caneel is closed, almost everyone arrives by Lind Point trail. We’ll cover this trail in another update, but walking along this forest path trail gives you the chance to really enjoy the peace and beauty of the unspoiled interior of St. John.

We prefer walking to Honeymoon on the Lind Point trail, right from St. John Escape. It is a little over a mile from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon. The trail starts at the steps just beyond the National Park visitor center. Since the option of parking at Caneel and then walking over is not possible at the moment, you can actually catch a dinghy ride offered by Virgin Islands Ecotours roundtrip to Honeymoon right from the beach in front of Grande Bay.

Here’s a short video clip to give you a sense of how Honeymoon is #stillbeautiful. If this doesn’t make you want to visit, I don’t know what will 🙂

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Day 2 of Your Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John 01/24/201802/07/2018beach, Caribbean, CinnamonBay, CruzBay, GrandeBay, HolidayOnStJohn, StJohn, USVI, VacationOnStJohn, VacationSoup, whattosee, wheretogo 1 Comment

If you’re the active type, why not start the day by working up a sweat on the Cinnamon Bay trail, followed by cooling off and relaxing at Cinnamon Bay beach. Head a few minutes past Trunk Bay down the North Shore road until you reach Cinnamon Bay, either in your own jeep or take one of St. John’s open air taxis.

Cinnamon beach is the National Park’s longest beach. It’s almost a mile long and is perfect for walking, snorkeling, water sports, and of course, lounging. Right now Cinnamon is still recovering from Hurricane Irma, so the water sports concession is closed as is the campground. The beach however, is open and still beautiful.

Ah, now for the working up a sweat part. Before you head to the beach you can take an uphill hike that begins right after the Cinnamon Bay Campground entrance off of the North Shore Road. The moderately strenuous trail follows an old Danish plantation road and provides breathtaking views down onto Cinnamon Bay and the British Virgins Islands in the distance. Those that make it to the top will see the ruins of an old plantation that happens to be one of my favorite photo ops.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

The Perfect Week on St. John

Peter Langer St. John 01/18/201802/07/2018beach, Caribbean, CruzBay, GrandeBay, HolidayOnStJohn, StJohn, USVI, VacationOnStJohn, VacationSoup, whattodo, whattosee 2 Comments

As your plane begins to land and you look out the window, your reasons for visiting St. John–no matter how many times or for however long –become as clear as the turquoise Caribbean waters surrounding the island. As we prepare to visit the island this week, we are just as excited as we were when we visited 16 years ago.

With about two thirds of the island preserved as a national park, lush green vegetation covers the mountainous terrain ( even after the hurricanes) and colorful reefs surround the beautiful beaches.

St. John is the smallest and least developed of the three US Virgin Islands, but what it lacks in size it easily makes up for with its natural beauty. The abundant beaches on St. John are as diverse and beautiful as the marine life under the water. The island is home to many hiking trails that please all skill levels of hikers. The only problem in this paradise for you, is the limited amount of time you have to spend here.

As owners of a second home on St. John, our guests frequently ask us what they should see and do during a typical one week stay. Our blog posts for the next two weeks will be devoted to what we believe is the best one week itinerary to follow. During our upcoming stay on island, we will get a first hand view as to how far St. John has recovered from Hurricane Irma and we will share our impressions with you upon our return.

Travel Tip created by Leslie and Peter in association with Vacation Soup

Unique Benefits of Our Property

We couldn't find a better location on St. John that would give us both spectacular views and the convenience of being so close to town. Being able to walk everywhere means a lot to us. We don't always feel like we need to rent a jeep which is a plus. It is also nice not to have to worry about driving if you happen to have maybe one too many Painkillers:) Having a reserved parking space in the covered garage is a great benefit. No more parking hassles driving into Cruz Bay. We love that we have a view of the water from every living area. We have sweeping views that we never tire of from the terrace. The terrace is furnished for outdoor dining and it is the perfect spot for sipping morning coffee and checking out all that is going on in the harbor. Cocktails while watching the unbelievable St. John sunsets are always a highlight of the day. We can't get over how easy it is to do everything we want on St. John starting right from our condo. It is so easy to get to all the shops, restaurants and bars. There are also hikes into the National Park we can take starting right from our place.