Caribbean - St. John or St. Thomas (or both)

Hello!

My fiance and I have booked a flight to St. Thomas for our honeymoon in mid May. We will be out there for a total of 10 days.

We have yet to decide if we want to spend our time on St. Thomas or head straight over on the ferry to St. John. We would really like to do some scuba diving (we are both certified) and most likely will do a couple days hiking. In addition I assume we will probably spend most the other days lying around on the beach.

I was curious for other people's opinions on the two islands. Is 10 days enough time to split days between the two islands? If not what would you suggest would be a better place to spend a honeymoon? We are very active so any suggestions of other activities to check out would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to Flyertalk! And congratulations on your upcoming marriage.

My husband and I go to St Thomas/St Johns a few times a year to unwind (we have a fractional ownership at the RCC in Red Hook on STT). I actually love the view and location of our condo (On the Great Bay and St Johns), but we spend time at St Johns on every visit.

I would say you have time to do both if you want to explore STT. But if it was me, thinking Honeymoon, I would spend most of my time in St Johns. It is mostly national park, so there is hiking/walking trails in addition to many wonderful gorgeous beaches.

I would also bring my passport and go on a BVI jaunt while I was down in STT.

Also, note there is a lot of great snorkeling in St Johns and STT, so you don't have to spend all your money on dives. :)

PM me if you have additional questions, or would like additional details.

I wish you a lovely, un-stressful wedding and joyful honeymoon!

CBH

We just came back from a week in St. John. I would budget at least 5 days there if you appreciate tranquility, nature and can do without an active nightlife or shopping. Rent a jeep, spend at least a couple of days lazing and snorkeling on the north shore beaches (Trunk, Cinnamon, Hawksnest) and at least another couple of days on the quieter east side (Lameshur or Fish Pond). Hike the Reef Bay trail with a park ranger another day. And make time to sample local cuisine at roadside stands like the conch fritters and garlic chicken at Vie's on the east side and the pates at Hercules on Cruz Bay.

Just to give you a perspective, St. John has a population of around 6000 people and it's 70% national park. St. Thomas has a population that's 10 times bigger, and it swells by 5000 to 10000 when the cruise ships dock almost daily. Yes, it's got fab beaches like Magen's, and great shopping, but I personally wouldn't spend more than a day or two there. If I had ten days, I would plan a couple of trips to BVI (Baths, Caves) and sailing trips to smaller uninhibited cays from my base in St. John.

Enjoy your trip, I wish I could go back!

Thanks for all the great feedback! Neither of us are really big into nightlife or shopping so it does sound like St. Johns will be the better choice for us. We do enjoy going out to restaurants but Im sure the local food will be good on either island. We love trying fresh local foods (especially fish and fruit). Is there local fruit to the islands?

Unfortunately we wont be able to head to BVI due to immigration requirements (I am a US/UK passport holder, but my fiance is not a US citizen currently).

Any thoughts on a honeymoon in September of 2012? I have about 250K SPG points and 220K Marriott points and about 400K Delta miles, and would like to stay at great hotels that are not an extremely long flight. If the islands offered fun activities that would also be a plus.

Suggestions are very much appreciated!

September is not a great time to travel to the Caribbean (hurricane season).

In September, I'd head to Aruba since it's below the hurricane belt.

If you go to St. John, here are some ideas for making it special, aside from "snorkel a different beach every day," which is the biggest draw IMO:

1) Hire a boat captain for a day to take you to little known beaches.
2) Pack a picnic lunch (some restaurants in Cruz Bay will do this for you), then rent out a dinghy for the day. Boat to a beach that you can only access via the water.
3) Take the guided hike offered by National Park Service.
4) Hire a chef to come and cook a meal for you.
5) Hire a masseuse to come and give a couples massage. (Or go to a spa.)
6) Visit the Baths (BVI) and the Soggy Dollar.
7) Snorkel at one of the more remote areas, such as Waterlemon.
8) Dinner at sunset at ZuZus.
9) Visit Salt Pond Bay, then head to Coral Bay for lunch.
10) Take a scuba trip to one of the ship wrecks.

September is not a great time to travel to the Caribbean (hurricane season).

There is chance of hurricanes in September but my wife & I and friends have been 12 times in September with no problems. St. John all the way no question. We've been 18 times and PM if you have other questions.

Mike

Does one really need a 4x4 to get around St John? The prices are significantly higher than for an intermediate. We're going in a few weeks (December) and while we're looking forward to exploring the island, I need to understand how limiting a front-wheel drive sedan might be before I plunk down so much cash.

We're planning to stay at the Westin.

Does one really need a 4x4 to get around St John? The prices are significantly higher than for an intermediate. We're going in a few weeks (December) and while we're looking forward to exploring the island, I need to understand how limiting a front-wheel drive sedan might be before I plunk down so much cash.

We're planning to stay at the Westin.

IME, no, but opinions here are split. See: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/caribbean/1201305-5-days-st-john-should-i-rent-car.html

Does one really need a 4x4 to get around St John? The prices are significantly higher than for an intermediate. We're going in a few weeks (December) and while we're looking forward to exploring the island, I need to understand how limiting a front-wheel drive sedan might be before I plunk down so much cash.

We're planning to stay at the Westin.

Are you planning on rent on STT? If so, make sure you are allowed to take the car to STJ, not all agencies allow this.

If you stick to the main, paved roads, you should be fine. Just take the speed bumps very slow. The one thing SUVs provide is higher clearance. I would take it very slow with a regular car.