St. John, just the facts
Some helpful hints to other travelers:
How to get there:
To get to the U.S. Virgin Islands you fly into St. Thomas Amalie airport.
To get to St. John you take a shuttle bus from the airport (about half an hour ride) to the ferry (about 15 minute ride) to St. John. When you book your hotel see if they send someone to drive you to the bus and from the ferry to the hotel. That was covered by my hotel, the ferry was not, but with my bag it was around $9.50
Where to stay:
I stayed at the Gallows Point Resort. It was ok. A lot of people around, not as intimate as some of the other hotels. If I were to go again, I would stay at Estate Lindholm, where L&K stayed. It was nice, clean, had a lovely view, more secluded, good amenities and the owner Lauren was very cool.
How to get around:
Check with the hotel as to whether or not they recommend a car. My hotel was only a 5 minute uphill walk from town, L&K's hotel was in the opposite direction, up a much larger hill, much farther away. Also a car is helpful if you plan on traveling around the island to hit the different beaches. Many hotels will shuttle you back and forth but it does cost money, around $15 round-trip depending on your hotel or taxi. If your hotel doesn't have a taxi service of their own, ask them to call and get one for you.
Where to eat:
Ocean Grill: The besties and I ate here for dinner my first night in town. SO GOOD! It is a little expensive (about $50/person), but worth it. The yellow fin tuna steak with wasabi dressing was AMAZING! So glad this was my first introduction to the island!
da Livio's: fresh homemade pasta, seafood options. Service was a little slow. Food was good not great. They were able to accommodate a group of 20 people for the Rehearsal dinner.
Deli Grotto : Got a quick sandwich to go the day of the wedding after my hair appointment. Good.
Caneel Bay: College K and Jesse were staying here, so the reception was also here. The food at the reception was great. The lobster/crab cakes were amazing.
Morgan's Mango: For an appetizer get the steak wrapped in bacon--SO GOOD! Really good burgers--try one with brie cheese and bacon. Mmm.
Where to drink:
It's an island that loves to party, so the answer is anywhere.
Where to go:
Trunk Bay: the most popular place to enjoy the ocean and snorkeling (can rent equipment here), be careful Carnival Cruise ships are known to drop their passengers nearby. The day we were there was very quiet/not a lot of people.
Cinnamon Bay:
I didn't make it there, but all my housemates did and they said it was good, but the water was choppier than Trunk Bay.
Hawksnest Bay:
As I mentioned before go at night to see the bio-luminescent night life in the water.
Otherwise, I just did a lot of relaxing and wedding stuff.
What to drink:
RUM! Cruzan Rum is local--made in St. Croix--so it's dirt cheap at $9/fifth (in the U.S. it's somewhere upwards of $20/fifth.
Some great local drinks you can also ask for are Painkillers and a Bushwakers. In fact I want one now...it might help ease the headache from last nights' bonfire.
How to get there:
To get to the U.S. Virgin Islands you fly into St. Thomas Amalie airport.
To get to St. John you take a shuttle bus from the airport (about half an hour ride) to the ferry (about 15 minute ride) to St. John. When you book your hotel see if they send someone to drive you to the bus and from the ferry to the hotel. That was covered by my hotel, the ferry was not, but with my bag it was around $9.50
Where to stay:
I stayed at the Gallows Point Resort. It was ok. A lot of people around, not as intimate as some of the other hotels. If I were to go again, I would stay at Estate Lindholm, where L&K stayed. It was nice, clean, had a lovely view, more secluded, good amenities and the owner Lauren was very cool.
How to get around:
Check with the hotel as to whether or not they recommend a car. My hotel was only a 5 minute uphill walk from town, L&K's hotel was in the opposite direction, up a much larger hill, much farther away. Also a car is helpful if you plan on traveling around the island to hit the different beaches. Many hotels will shuttle you back and forth but it does cost money, around $15 round-trip depending on your hotel or taxi. If your hotel doesn't have a taxi service of their own, ask them to call and get one for you.
Where to eat:
Ocean Grill: The besties and I ate here for dinner my first night in town. SO GOOD! It is a little expensive (about $50/person), but worth it. The yellow fin tuna steak with wasabi dressing was AMAZING! So glad this was my first introduction to the island!
da Livio's: fresh homemade pasta, seafood options. Service was a little slow. Food was good not great. They were able to accommodate a group of 20 people for the Rehearsal dinner.
Deli Grotto : Got a quick sandwich to go the day of the wedding after my hair appointment. Good.
Caneel Bay: College K and Jesse were staying here, so the reception was also here. The food at the reception was great. The lobster/crab cakes were amazing.
Morgan's Mango: For an appetizer get the steak wrapped in bacon--SO GOOD! Really good burgers--try one with brie cheese and bacon. Mmm.
Where to drink:
It's an island that loves to party, so the answer is anywhere.
Where to go:
Trunk Bay: the most popular place to enjoy the ocean and snorkeling (can rent equipment here), be careful Carnival Cruise ships are known to drop their passengers nearby. The day we were there was very quiet/not a lot of people.
Cinnamon Bay:
I didn't make it there, but all my housemates did and they said it was good, but the water was choppier than Trunk Bay.
Hawksnest Bay:
As I mentioned before go at night to see the bio-luminescent night life in the water.
Otherwise, I just did a lot of relaxing and wedding stuff.
What to drink:
RUM! Cruzan Rum is local--made in St. Croix--so it's dirt cheap at $9/fifth (in the U.S. it's somewhere upwards of $20/fifth.
Some great local drinks you can also ask for are Painkillers and a Bushwakers. In fact I want one now...it might help ease the headache from last nights' bonfire.
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