A World Away: Spotlight on St. John, USVI

The Nitty-Gritty

The U.S. Virgin Islands are surprisingly accessible for a number of reasons. First of all, U.S. residents don't need a passport to enter or exit the islands (see Five Exotic Places You Can Go Without a U.S. Passport for the other four). East Coast flyers will find relatively inexpensive service from American, Delta, and JetBlue. Flights land at Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas; travelers continuing on to St. John will need to book ferry or seaplane service, which makes St. John less convenient—and also less crowded.

As far as housing goes, accommodations on the island are moderately expensive (think more than Jamaica, less than St. Lucia). Caneel Bay and the Westin St. John are the island's two major properties, while villa rentals are a popular, albeit costly, option. You'll spend a fair amount to stay here, but saving money elsewhere is simple.

And once you've arrived by ferry (or chartered seaplane or helicopter, you dog, you), getting around St. John isn't particularly difficult, either. Open-air cabs shuttle guests from Cruz Bay to various points around the island. Rental cars are available, but the USVI confusingly drives on the left side of the road—in right-side vehicles. The roads can be treacherously steep and winding; for the timid driver, taxi service may be the way to go.

Caneel Bay

I've long been particularly opposed to resorts (they can feel artificial, overcrowded, overpriced, and removed from local culture). However, Caneel Bay in St. John is the antithesis of all of the above. Buildings and cottages are peppered throughout 170-some acres, with seven (seven!) beaches, six of which are private for Caneel Bay guests. Because accommodations sprawl across the whole property, the resort never feels full of tourists; rather, the whole vibe is like staying at the estate of a wealthy friend with plenty of social graces (indeed, the property was once owned by the Rockefellers).

The rooms themselves well-decorated but not luxurious, and this isn't the place to stay if you want marble baths or obsequious butler service. It is your place in the sun if you want to feel completely integrated into nature and disconnected (phone- and TV-less) from the outside world. Iguanas, mongooses, deer, and donkeys roam the property; I awoke one morning to a doe standing outside my window.

Service is as breezy and relaxed as the island itself, and nothing about Caneel Bay feels like a canned Caribbean experience. I'm a convert.

(Note: The resort is closed for a period, typically the end of August through the end of October, each year for maintenance.)

Beaches at Caneel Bay

Caneel Bay's beaches are among the loveliest in the Caribbean, with the added bonus of generally being free from crowds. My room was on Turtle Bay Beach, a tiny swath of shoreline that faces out to the British Virgin Islands in the distance. (The water was also chock-full of sea turtles while I was there.) Adults-only Scott's Beach and Paradise Beach are quiet escapes from this already-restful resort, while Honeymoon Beach (open to the public and a jumping-off point for VI Ecotours' kayak excursions) tends to be more congested. Truthfully, I could have sat at Turtle Bay with a rum cocktail and a book for hours. While the resort offers the usual amenities (tennis courts, a swimming pool, yoga classes), you might find it hard to do anything but flop lazily on the sand or float in the water, searching for tropical fish in a rainbow of hues.

Beaches on St. John

Some travelers may want to stay stationary during their St. John getaway, but exploring beaches beyond the resort is well worth your time. Aside from famous Trunk Bay (I'll get to that one in a minute), St. John is brimming with postcard-worthy beaches: all with turquoise water, white sands, and, compared to St. Thomas, relatively few crowds. Small but friendly Hawksnest Beach is convenient to nearby Cruz Bay, while Cinnamon Bay beckons with some of the calmest waters I've encountered in the Caribbean. Maho Bay, a must-see for hawksbill and green sea turtles, may have limited accessibility during nesting season, but if you time it right, you may get to see the endangered creatures up close. (Note that the Maho Bay Campground shut its doors—er, tent flaps—in May, but the economical Concordia Eco-Tents is an option.)

All public beaches on St. John (minus Trunk Bay) are free of charge, so while accommodations may be pricey, you won't spend a fortune on beach-access fees.

Trunk Bay

Trunk Bay is one of the most popular draws on this tiny island. (Both TripAdvisor, our sister site, and Condé Nast Traveler rank it among the top 10 beaches in the world.) Its underwater trail, the first of its kind, rings the coral reef below. But a word of warning: Like many other reefs, it has been somewhat depleted by constant human presence. The beach itself is still lovely, and Trunk Bay is still a top snorkeling spot even apart from the reef. Visit on cruise-ship-free days or during summer's low season, when the beach is less mobbed. It was, without question, one of the most picturesque beaches I've ever been on.

Other Things To Do

See the Annaberg Sugar Plantation. The ruins of this former sugar factory offer a sobering glimpse into St. John's past. The windmill, kettles, slave quarters, and other remains (all built around 1810–1830) can be reached by taxi or tour; placards will orient you around the site.

Sail St. John. Take a spin around St. John and the nearby British Virgin Islands during a sailing day trip. (Half- and full-day sails come with stops for snorkeling.) Proprietor Captain Greg is also a Justice of the Peace, so if you're planning on eloping, he'll help you take the plunge—literally and figuratively—from his 51-foot Spitfire.

Visit Cruz Bay. St. John's "town center" is this quaint, colorful village on the western side of the island. Find restaurants, shops, and smaller inns as well as the ferry terminal to St. Thomas. Expat-owned Sam & Jack's Deli will keep you fed with superb sandwiches between long, lazy beach naps.
Hike. The somewhat-slippery Reef Bay Trail threads through Virgin Islands National Park, which makes up two-thirds of the island's total land area. Overgrown sugar-plantation ruins and fascinating flora and fauna mark the mostly downhill three-mile hike; it was an easy hike even for a sedentary writer like me.

Some Pitfalls

Food Costs: Travelers used to the abundant produce on other Caribbean isles may be surprised by the lack of agriculture on St. John. Because of its protected national parklands, there isn't much farming. This means food costs can be astronomical, and resorts charge a premium for certain comestibles, especially beef and dairy, which must be imported. Even seafood (minus conch) wasn't exactly cheap during my visit.

Travelers renting vacation villas will find a handful of grocery stores, the largest being Starfish Market. Even so, dining in won't save you much money; an island resident told me that $10 for a gallon of milk isn't unusual. This is one of the few times where I'd recommend taking full advantage of your resort's all-inclusive meal plan. If one isn't available, rely on continental breakfast and a Painkiller to fill your stomach.

Bugs: You think you've been bug-bitten before? Ha. You know nothing. Despite liberal applications of Smart Shield, even my bug bites had bug bites. Use as much insect repellant as you can and just learn to deal; the natural beauty more than makes up for the creepy-crawlies and ensuing itchies.

Planning: Again, St. John requires some smart planning in regard to transportation. The addition of another leg of travel means consulting schedules and wrestling with your rolling suitcase—but it's worth it. Some resorts, like Caneel Bay, offer use of their ferry services to and from St. Thomas; this is generally included in a resort fee. Other travelers will need to hop the public ferry at Cruz Bay. But the little details shouldn't prevent you from venturing off the more populated Caribbean islands.