St John Download

This past week, Dean and I, along with our friends, headed out on a long awaited trip to St John. St. John in one of the US Virgin Islands so you don't need a passport, they take American money, the only weird thing is that you drive on the left side of the road. It is a little hard to get used to but not too bad. I wanted to give you the scoop on all the things!

TRAVEL~

To get to St. John, we fly to Miami, about 2.5 hours, then to St Thomas, a little over 2 hours. There is no airport in St. John so you take a ferry over. You jump in a taxi at the airport and its a 25 minute drive to the Red Hook ferry. The ferry ride is about 20 minutes and costs about $12 per person which includes 1 bag.

Once arriving in Cruz Bay, you can rent a jeep. There are lots of places to choose from. I recommend reserving one about a month or so before your trip.

We typically stay in an airbnb somewhere on the Cruz Bay side of the island. If you are looking for a more remote spot, Coral Bay is a cool spot to stay too.

FOOD~

There are some great restaurants in St. John. I do recommend getting some groceries also. There are a few small grocery stores but be prepared to pay about double what we pay in the states. Remember, it takes lots of extra effort to get to the island, which cost more money. Think simple easy breakfasts and snacks to take to the beach.

We did eat out during our time. Here is a run down of our favorite spots.

High Tide is the restaurant that you see as soon as you get off the fairy, to the right. It's right on the beach and has great Pain Killers. Pain Killers or PK's are the island drink. It's is orange juice, pineapple juice, and coconut cream with some rum and topped with nutmeg.....SO GOOD! Everyone has them so we tried them at several places and we agreed that High Tide had one of the best. The food is good too. They serve food all day.

Morgan's Mango is our most favorite!!! They open at 4 most days and is located right in the Cruz Bay area.They serve Caribbean, Creole, Cuban, (and other island"y") cuisines. You need to make reservations and they only take emails and calls before 4. If you don't get a reservation, they most likely have seating at the bar but there will probably be a wait. It is really good and it was fun to have a night to get in my cute tropical dress and put on some make up. ha.

Salty Mongoose is another one that we LOVED. It is located in Coral Bay Area. The best pizza and salads. Hand made, from scratch! They also had delicious PK's. It's a spot that locals hang out and there is typically great music playing and baseball on the tv. The salads there are made with Josephine's greens which is a really healthy mixture of micro greens and other types of lettuce. YUM!

There are so many more but these are the top 3.

This is the yummy Josephine's greens that I mentioned. Every restaurant on the island uses her greens for their salads and other fun recipes.

BEACHES~

The beaches in St. John are the most magical in all the land, I have a few that are my absolute favorites! All the beaches are amazing but can get crowded in the middle of the day. Plan on arriving early like around 9 am or later around 3. Ok, here are my most favorite-

Trunk Bay is the sweetest spot to snorkel. There is actually an underwater trail that you can follow. We did see a friendly nurse shark when we were there. It almost feels like you are in the movie Finding Nemo. So beautiful. There is a food and drink truck and bathrooms if you need them. You can rent snorkel gear and chairs, also.

Maho Bay is the next one I really liked! It's the spot where you can see sea turtles and stingrays. The beach area is shallow so you are close to the water. There is a little bit of shade if you find the right spot. The water is super calm because of its location. Across the street there are food trucks, places to rent paddle boards, clear bottom canoe's, and chairs. There is a cute little shop too with gifts and sunscreen.

Cinnamon Bay is the biggest beach we came across. It is actually camp ground as well. You can tent camp, rent eco-tents, and cottages too. There is a cafe, watersport rentals, showers, and across the street is a cool hike. Lots of space to spread out on the beach.

Those are the main ones I wanted to tell you about. There are so many more and if you are adventurous, there are some remote beaches that you can hike to.

What a dream to be able to spend time here on this beautiful island! We can't wait to go back and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I would LOVE to tell you all the things I know.

Cheers to traveling and getting out in nature as much as possible.

Love,

Bee

Bridget

One Happy Poppy