This eight mile-long stretch of land in the Caribbean Sea has completely captured my heart. My family has made the trek to the little island nearly every year since I was 7-years-old. Having been to St. John so many times, I’ve been able to explore many of the island’s beaches and restaurants, and even the surrounding islands. There is so much packed into this one little island, that each year I find that one week is just not enough (mostly because I’d take white sand beach days over a day in the office any day).
Beaches
St. John is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world – ask anyone who has seen them for themselves. No matter what part of the island you’re on, you’ll find a beach surrounded by crystal clear waters and views of the neighboring islands.
Solomon Beach
Solomon is one of the beaches that we frequent the most during our vacation. It is accessible only by hiking or by taking a dinghy from the main town. Since it is not affiliated with any resort, it’s a quiet and serene place to spend the day. They recently opened a little hut where you can buy sandwiches and sodas, but I recommend packing a lunch from the deli inside Mongoose Junction. The trail to the beach starts behind the Virgin Islands National Park center in the main town, which is right across from Mongoose Junction.
Honeymoon Beach
If you keep going further down the trail that leads to Solomon, you’ll reach Honeymoon about three minutes later. Being right down the island from Solomon, it has the same breathtaking views of St. Thomas on the left, Jost Van Dyke and the BVIs to the right. We used to access this beach by taking a taxi to Caneel Bay – a resort on the island, and then eat lunch at the hotel restaurant. But the resort is still under construction post-hurricanes Irma and Maria, so hiking/packing a lunch for the time being is the way to go.
Hawksnest Beach
This is for the people who want to lay on a beach with a drink in their hand without having to do any physical labor to get there. Just hail a cab and it’ll take you straight to the parking lot outside of this stunning beach. Since the property isn’t affiliated with any resort, you’ll want to bring your own towels, chairs, umbrellas, etc. Oh, and definitely sunscreen.
Maho/Cinnamon Bay
I’m literally working my way up the coast of St. John, so each beach is farther from the main town than the one before. Maho and Cinnamon are again, two gorgeous beaches. You really can’t go wrong with any beach on St. John. They all offer amazing views of the surrounding islands, white, soft sand and bright blue waters. These two bays are adjacent to one another. If it weren’t for a little piece of land jutting in between the two, they’d make one long beach. With plenty of coastline to swim along, this is definitely a snorkel hotspot. It’s also one of the more common places sea turtle sightings. However, I would recommend bringing snorkel gear to every beach. The thing about sea life is – THEY SWIM! On our last trip, everyone was saying how they’d seen turtles at Maho. But when we went there, we didn’t see anything, not even fish, really. Then on our last day, we saw a mama and a baby sea turtle just chilling and eating algae at Solomon! I’ve never seen my sister grab her fins and snorkel and take off faster in my life.
Restaurants
Morgan’s Mango
If this isn’t a Saint John staple, I don’t know what is. We come here every year. Appropriately, they define themselves as Caribbean food. Everything is so good here I feel like I can’t recommend just one thing. The citrus chicken is great, or get the Chimi Churri if you’re feeling steak. Last time I went I ordered the ginger & sugarcane rub pork tenderloin and it was delicious. I’m not a huge seafood person, but my dad swears by their fish. Definitely make a reservation because this place is always packed. Even if you do make a reservation, expect to wait a little, because island time.
Ocean 362
Come for the views, stay for the food. This place undoubtedly has some of the best views of the sunset on the island. I know it’s hard to leave the beach early, but try to get there around 6:00 when the sun starts to set – make sure to reserve a table on the third story for the best views. Whenever I see duck on the menu my decision is made. Also, whenever I see lamb on the menu my decision is made. So I was really at a crossroads here. After some soul searching, I went with the lamb and was not disappointed. I guess I’ll just have to go back for the duck.
Extra Virgin
This past year was actually the first time I had ever been to this restaurant. After Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 ruined businesses either physically or financially (RIP Ocean Grill, I’ll miss your desserts the most), we had to find some new dinner spots. I would definitely recommend Extra Virgin Bistro. Because tequila is always the answer, I started the night off with the grapefruit margarita. Served with a giant slice of grapefruit, it’s tangy and refreshing. Their appetizers are definitely big enough to share. Not knowing this, I could barely finish my Shrimp & Jumbo Lump Crab Parpadelle (which I devoured for lunch the next day).
The Terrace
Located on the outskirts of the main part of town, The Terrace offers spectacular views of Cruz Bay. A French-inspired restaurant, their dishes include Baked Escargots, Seared Yellowfin Tuna Nicçoise and Filet Mignon au Poivre. As someone who is no stranger to French cuisine, this restaurant is top-notch and will not disappoint any French foodies.
Zozo’s
Sadly, Zozo’s is still close post-hurricanes, as it is a part of the Caneel Bay resort (read the Caneel Bay paragraph below). However, if Caneel Bay does return to its grandeur, Zozo’s will definitely be a part of it. Zozo’s is an amazing steakhouse that overlooks the Caribbean Sea with views of St. Thomas.
Rhumb Lines
Rhumb Lines is hands down my favorite restaurant on the island. It was open within months of the hurricane. Albeit with a limited menu, but the options were still amazing. I’m a huge fan of Asian food of any kind, which is why I love this place so much. I always alternate between the Pad Thai and the poo poo plater (yes, haha) and get a melange of dumplings, spring rolls, noodles, etc. Even though it reopened so quickly after the hurricanes of 2017, it is no longer in Cruz Bay. Now it is on the other side of the island, which is somewhat difficult to get to. If anyone at Rhumb Lines is reading this, please come back to Cruz Bay.
Where to Stay
The Westin
The Westin holds a special place in my heart. My family has been staying at this resort since I was 7-years-old. It is very family friendly with a pool, beach access and a restaurant on-site. The rooms are large and comfortable, all with great views of the water. It’s also about a five-minute taxi ride from Cruz Bay.
Gallows Point
We had never stayed anywhere other than the Westin until 2018, when the resort was still under construction after the storms from the previous fall. There weren’t many options, but we found Gallows Point. The rooms are more like townhouses, with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen and balcony. Stepping out onto the balcony, you’ll find some of the most breathtaking views on the island. All of the individual homes face the water and offer spectacular sunsets – the views during the rest of the day aren’t too shabby either. There is also a pool and jacuzzi on-site. It doesn’t have a beach, but it does have chaise lounge chairs and a miniature dock with a ladder that juts out into the water for those who prefer saltwater over the pool. I would recommend this for either smaller families or couples. Each room has just one bedroom with a couch that pulls out into a bed. But if you have more than three people, you’ll want to get more than one room.
Caneel Bay
Caneel Bay is probably both the largest and oldest resorts on the island, having opening back in 1956. It used to be exclusive to adults, but now I believe families are allowed to stay there as well. Sadly, it is still under construction. The resort didn’t even begin to be rebuilt until this year because the property is a lease from the National Parks and they weren’t sure if the lease would be renewed. The resort didn’t want to spend a ton of money rebuilding if by the time they finished, the property would have to be turned back over to the parks. Driving past the resort by boat back in 2018 was pretty surreal. The property was essentially untouched and looked as if the storms happened just the previous week. Trees were uprooted, debris was everywhere. There were no walls or roofs on the rooms. Fortunately for the resort and guests, construction on the property is well underway. However, they have not released a completion date. Stay tuned.
Day Excursions
Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke
It’s been a tradition in my family to leave the island on a day charter every trip. It would either be snorkeling trips or excursions to the surrounding islands. Once we all got older, we started taking the annual trip to Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke. We snorkel at a few places in the morning and then head over to the British Virgin Islands for the rest of the day. Soggy Dollar Bar is appropriately named because most people access it by boat and swim up to the beach (get it?) They have a full kitchen and offer a great lunch menu of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, corn, anything barbecue related, really. Most importantly, they have painkillers, and this was actually the bar where the painkiller originated.
The Baths, Virgin Gorda
The Baths was a trip that we had tried to do many times before the weather and the seas were calm enough to allow us to go. My parents had vacationed on Virgin Gorda once and wanted us to see what The Baths were all about, the most well-known attraction on the island. They’re basically giant boulder formations that you can explore. It’s a day trip unlike any other.
Pirate’s Penny
Pirate’s Penny is the boat we chartered to get us to Virgin Gorda. It’s a pretty long ride to Virgin Gorda, and you’ll be out in open water, so you’ll want a boat that’s big enough to get you there safely. The captain of Pirate’s Penny also completely enhance our experience at The Baths. He was basically an expert leading us through the rock formations, telling us where to watch our heads and showing us how to crab walk through narrow tunnels. Eventually we ended up at the water’s edge and jumped off the large rock before swimming back to the boat.
As you can see, there’s no shortage of things to do on just an eight-mile long island. For me, it’s a tiny island sanctuary where each day consists of nothing but relaxing, eating and drinking. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that a place like this really exists. No matter which beach you go to, where you snorkel, or where you stay, St. John will not disappoint.
Coffee and Countries 