Villa Living in the Hills of St. John

With pristine, undeveloped beaches, St. John is the ultimate island getaway for those who rate a vacation by the quality of the sand, not the number of nightclubs or resorts.

One of three islands (the others being St. Thomas and St. Croix) that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is by far the least developed. We have the Rockefeller family to thank for that. Recognizing the Islands spectacular beauty, financier Laurence Rockefeller donated his land to the U.S. National Park with the stipulation that it not be developed.

Lucky us. The island features several world-class beaches, the most renown being beautiful Trunk Bay. Though it's certainly worth a look, you'll be wise to leave Trunk, to the day visitors from the cruise ships dock in St. Thomas. There are so many great beaches on this island that it's insane to fight for beach towel space at Trunk Bay, when the equally white and equally soft sand of many other beaches is devoid of people (well, at least during the summer months). We've visited St. John twice and both times were in August (low tourist season), so keep in mind that in the winter months the St. John beaches will most likely be more crowded than indicated in this journal.

Rent a Jeep for a week and you can experience a different five-star beach each morning and afternoon. And if you visit in the summer months like we did, you'll find yourself sharing the beaches with four or five other people. Or maybe you'll pass the time with only the sun, and a crab or two as company.

Quick Tips:

Rent a villa and look up at the stars while you soak in a hot tub.

Make the effort to hike past the sugar mill, to snorkel out to Waterlemon Cay. The snorkeling here is the best on the island. We found ourselves among a huge school of silvery blue fish... and then we were startled by five 6 foot tarpon, that hovered at the edges of the school and snacked on the unfortunate smaller fish.

Do a different beach every morning and every afternoon, and marvel at how lucky the island is to have this many wonderful beaches.

Hike the rugged trail to the rocky Ram's Head Beach, where you're guaranteed to be the the only ones there to enjoy the snorkeling.

Visit the small shops in Cruz Bay and at least admire the artwork, even if it is outside of your price range.

Schedule a day trip to the British Virgin Islands to get another stamp in your passport, and experience the boulder-strewn beach known as The Baths.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're a day-tripper from St. Thomas, or a cruise ship, you can get by with the taxis that are abundant in Cruz Bay. But if you're staying on St. John, you'll have to rent a vehicle if you want to enjoy the beaches (well, unless you're staying at one of the few resorts here). And given how steep and windy the roads are (especially on the east end), you have to go with a four-wheel drive vehicle.

What makes St. John paradise also makes it pricey—the lack of sprawling resorts that cram as many tourists in as possible. Aside from budget campground accommodations (which have a good reputation), travellers may think their only options are the few luxury resorts on the island. There's another choice, and, depending on the size of your group, a villa rental can be a very affordable experience.

We went that route for our visit in August 2005. After checking out several properties online, we settled on Coconuts, a pretty villa that features two buildings, a decent-sized pool, an outdoor dining area, a very nice outdoor grill, and a hot tub for two. One building features two air-conditioned bedrooms (not connecting; they have separate door and private bathrooms); the other features a tall, airy living area with a TV, stereo, dining area, board games, books, and tasteful tropical decor. This second building features a loft bedroom. There's no A/C, but in August 2005, this room didn't get hot; I'm sure the ceiling fan could do the job. Two couples can vacation in air-conditioned comfort; three couples can do it if one doesn't demand A/C.

We chose the bedroom the owners stay in when they are here. In the pictures, it is the door near the pool and the outdoor dining area. This room featured cable TV, a very comfortable bed, and tasteful bedroom furnishings. A small room safe (large enough for a laptop or an average camera bag for a 35mm camera) is in the adjoining bathroom.

Outdoors, the villa is in tropical pink and white, with a white deck nicely contrasting the turquoise pool that sits between the two buildings. Small lizards scamper all over the place, especially around the light outside the main bedroom door; these will quickly become your friends. The hot tub isn't under a shelter, so you can look up at the stars at night.

The villa overlooks the sea and St. Thomas. It has a beautiful view that features many boats during the day and the lights of St. Thomas at night.

A tall wooden fence and wall ensure your privacy. Entries in the guestbook allude to au natural living, and I don't doubt that you can catch an all-over tan (or whatever you prefer to do in the buff) discreetly. You enter through a door by the gravel driveway, and the kitchen area is in a sheltered area to the right. It has a microwave, oven, fridge, and everything you could need. We were impressed by the kitchen options.

In a villa, you will have to rent a vehicle to visit beaches. That'll cost an extra $400 to $600 a week.

As for the price range, for my wife and I, the price was moderate/expensive. In 2005, we paid $1,650 for a week in August. It now lists online for $1,820 off season. In season, it's $3,650. See www.caribbeanvilla.com/coconuts/default.html. For three couples during the off season, $600 per couple is definitely worth it.

Not all beaches on St. John feature powdery soft white sand. As its name implies, Blue Cobblestone Beach—along Ram's Head Trail on the far east end of the island—is a cobblestone beach with lots of rounded bluish/black and white stones. This isn't a beach for laying out and working on your tan (well, not unless you bring an inflatable air mattress), it is for those who enjoy off-the-beaten-path treks.

To get to Ram's Head Trail, you have to get to Salt Pond beach. Salt Pond is a about a quarter mile hike downhill (along a relatively gradual dirt road) from the parking area. Salt pond is nice if not spectacular white sand beach. It doesn't attract many people, so it could be a good option during the high tourism season if you prefer a less crowded beach experience. Given its location at the opposite end of the island as Cruz Bay, no daytrippers come here, and few who stay on St. John make it this far east. Salt pond features a few picnic tables, and the water is shallow with considerable plant life, and little to no coral.

Blue Cobblestone Beach is an additional 0.7 of a mile hike from Salt Pond. The hike is along a trail that may be difficult to follow at first (while still on the level with Salt Pond Beach), because you have to weave around a lot of scrub and the path looks like it can go in a few directions. But if you stick close to the shoreline, you'll soon come to a well-worn path that takes you into the hills. This part of the trek is enjoyable and features several beautiful barrel cacti, and some pretty dramatic views of the Caribbean along this rocky coast. There were half a dozen scenic sports that made this hike worthwhile as a photographer—and the snorkeling makes the hike worthwhile for those who prefer underwater sights.

The beach is cobblestone with several large rock formations that you can sit on to relax, or break open a cooler and enjoy lunch. If you've come to snorkel (and really, the only other reason is because you enjoy hikes, because this isn't a beach to relax on), you'll want to enter the water on the north end of the beach—take your time and head northward arond the point, and enjoy the beautiful corals and the abundant sea life. Among the sealife we saw here was a turtle and, of course, a lot of brightly colored fish.

Ram's Head takes you past a bird sanctuary, so birders will find added incentive to do this hike.

To find this and other out-of-the-way spots on St. John, see Gerald Singer's guidebook, "St. John Off the Beaten Track. The book lists for $19.95 (definitely worth it) but you might be able to find a used copy on Amazon. See http://stjohnbeachguide.com/St.%20John%20Off%20The%20Beaten%20Track.htm

Comprised of three beaches, Cinnamon Bay offers visitors a lot of elbow room. If you arrive via Cinnamon Bay campground (which is run by U.S. National Parks... http://www.virgin.islands.national-park.com/camping.htm#fac), the first beach you'll hit is Cinnamon Bay Beach. To your left (while facing the sea) is Little Cinnamon Bay; beyond Little Cinnamon is Peter Bay, an enclave of very expensive villas and homes. Peter Bay is a public beach, but word is that the rich people who live/vacation there like to pretend otherwise. As I understand it, Peter Bay beach access is only from sea, since none of the landowners grant land access.

Snorkelers might want to bring their mask and fins to check out a submerged Cessna airplane that is in the easternmost section of Little Cinnamon. We didn't snorkel here, so I can't say if it's worthwhile, but it sounds cool.

We stuck to Cinnamon Bay Beach, which is a large golden white beach that offers scenic views of several islands (then again, what beach in St. John doesn't?). Despite visiting here on a slightly overcast day, the view was beautiful.

The uniqueness of St. John carries over into its retail community. The Mongoose Junction complex is a beautiful shopping area in Cruz Bay that features many shops that sell the work of local (and not-so-local) artisans. If you're on the island for an extended period, be sure to stop by on a rainy day, or when you're recovering from a little bit too much sun.

Here are some of our favorites:

CARAVAN GALLERY: By far our favorite, this eclectic shop features several items from around the world, from African masks to ornate mirrored boxes from Asia, to beautiful gourd containers to really neat jewelry from around the world to... well, pretty much anything you could imagine. You could easily spend an hour marvelling at the pieces in this tiny store. We always end up buying something from here—we have one of the aforementioned mirrored boxes, a neat bronze pot from India, a carved bracelet made of bone (um, no... we didn't ask what kind of bone), and added to our collection of Kenyan soapstone pieces here as well. Way cool, way friendly—be sure to stop in if only to see all the neat stuff they have. The store usually has some items in the $10-$30 range, with many fo the cooler pieces ranging from $70-$250 or so.

GECKO GAZEBO: Nothing says island vacation like a frozen drink that involves either strawberries or banana—or maybe both. Located in the center area of Mongoose Junction, the gazebo is a small bar (it has only six or eight stools) that serves up nice drinks and tasty food. The food is cooked at the nearby Sun Dog Cafe. We've ordered the daily specials each time we've visited, and found them to be consistently delicious. Drink prices are moderate for the island. Not a destination unto itself, but a good place to grab lunch and a drink while shopping. Named for the island's ubiquitous lizards, you're sure to see a few scampering up and down the nearby walls.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: A neat gallery next to Gecko Gazebo with lots of stuff to tempt you to part with your cash. The day we visited, the owner was in a wonderful mood because that morning she got to watch dolphins in the sea. Boy, these St. Johnians sure have a tough life, don't they? Anyway, she was very friendly and we had a nice chat before checking out all of the stuff in the store. We were particularly tempted by beautiful brushed stainless steel/copper wall clocks, that would go perfectly with our living room furniture... one of these days I'm gonna get around to ordering it and having it shipped up here.