This year we took a trip to St John, USVI as part of our “Year of the B” travel theme. In this post I’ll share our favorite beaches and activities from our time on St John. We rented a car from St Thomas to drive around St John and visit our favorite beaches. On another day we took a day trip over to the Baths on Virgin Gorda.
Trip Report
- Trip From St Thomas To Westin St John Resort & Villas
- Favorite St John Beaches
- Ritz Carlton San Juan Puerto Rico
St John Day Trips
During our four days on the island we spent time at our favorite beaches. We would go to the grocery store in the morning to get picnic supplies and pack a cooler. Our first stop was usually Honeymoon Beach, one of our favorite beaches. This beach requires a hike from Cruz Bay that takes about 20 minutes. The first day we went to Honeymoon beach and the weather was bad. We left that day but returned on another when the water was more calm.
We visited two beaches that require an entrance fee (about $10 USD), Trunk Bay (the most famous beach on St John) and Cinnamon Bay. Our second favorite beach is in Francis Bay. This bay is rather large and was pretty calm during our stay on the island.
Honeymoon Beach
Trunk Bay
Cinnamon Bay
Solomon Beach
Francis Bay
One day we drove to the other side of the island. The drive across the center of the island provides some great views.
Lookout
On our last day we visited the Ritz Carlton St Thomas for a lunch and an afternoon by the beach. Overall we thought the Ritz Carlton St Thomas looked like a good use of Marriott points. The hotel is only a 5 minute drive to the ferry that goes over to St John. After staying for a little while we headed over to the STT Airport to catch our flight to San Juan.
Ritz Carlton St Thomas Beach
Virgin Gorda Baths
We took the public ferry from St John to visit the Baths National Park on Virgin Gorda. The ferry transportation approach was a mistake because it took up almost half the day. To get to Virgin Gorda where the Baths are located, the ferry ride takes you from Cruz Bay to West End Tortola. From West End you need to take a taxi to Road Town Tortola then catch another ferry to Virgin Gorda. Then finally a taxi from the Virgin Gorda ferry docks to the Baths. I think this trip took about 2-3 hours each way and in my opinion it would have been better to take one of the catamarans directly to the Baths (with a stop in Tortola to clear customs).
Visiting the Baths themselves was a fun experience. There are a few restaurants near the baths and two or three beaches. We took the route which weaves through the rocks and ended at a great snorkeling spot. The route takes you over, under and around giant granite rocks. The beach is small and the water is crystal clear. After a while we started the long journey back to St John via the public ferry. On our last ferry stop in West End we enjoyed several beers waiting for the final ferry back to St John.
Entrance
Final Stop Before Heading Back To St John
Asolare Restaurant
Our favorite restaurant on St John is Asolare. Reservations at this restaurant are a must. I can highly recommend this restaurant based on several visits. Each time we have had a great experience. The restaurant overlooks Cruz Bay. They usually take the guest to the bar before seating. If you go to the bar, try the “Saba Baby”. To get the best view, make sure you get there in time for the early seating. The tables with the view fill up quickly.
Walk Way To Entrance
View From Table
Bottom Line
We really enjoyed our four days on the island. While we had a bad experience with the Westin St John, its hard not to enjoy the island experience with the high quality of beaches in the Virgin Islands.
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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Wow what beautiful, crystal clear water! Sounds like you had a great trip
@Angela – The water was clear on calm days. When the sea was rough it was difficult to go in the water.
Angelina – fyi your name in the comments above links to your old (pre-BoardingArea) blog URL…you may want to update it to provide the current URL.
Just a word of warning. The 20 minute hike (I think it’s longer) from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon Beach is not only exhausting, but dangerous due to constant walking over large and loose rocks. This is not a well paved nature trail. Proper hiking footwear and only people in fantastic shape wanting an exhausting workout should consider this. If you want an easier way to get to Honeymoon Beach, I suggest taking a taxi to the Caleen Beach resort and taking the walking trail from there. At least that is a walk and most of the trail is cleared of rocks that can hurt ankles if stepped in the wrong way.