new to forum St. john questions

dreamin · Post by **dreamin** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:56 pm

After years of reading trip reports and forums about STJ on another major forum I am finally considering St John. I know there are several north shore beaches. Can someone tell us how much walking we will have to do to get to each beach by north shore beach which I know are all different? Walking to in the morning is not that big of a deal but walking back after a day on the beach is. Also carrying beach chairs.
Also many many people have mentioned about the driving not for the faint of heart. Do you think staying at Grande Bay in Cruz Bay is good for a first trip for 2 or 4 people? We waould get to the beaches VERY early to beat the crowds and heat. Should we rent a car. or Can we get a taxi at 730 in the mornings and when we want to go back?

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:06 pm

Rent a jeep the only way to go each beach they are all different distances from the road maho is right next to it trunk and hawksnest are maybe a 100 yds to salomon which is a 20 min walk and the others are in between. You could rent a digny and go by boat to the harder ones one day. I haven't stayed at Grand bay so I can't help there but I do like vilas higher up with a great view.

Chicken · Post by **Chicken** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:42 pm

You will definitely want to rent a Jeep. Paying for taxis to take you to beaches every day will be just as expensive and far less convenient in the end. Besides, there are lots of other places you will want to explore like Coral Bay and Salt Pond.

If you let folks know your price range and what amenities you are looking for (a/c, pool, near Cruz Bay or not, etc.) people on the forum can offer accommodations suggestions. Most people rent villas. Other options are campgrounds, like Maho, Cinnamon or Concordia, or resorts like The Westin or Caneel.

Chicken · Post by **Chicken** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:42 pm

PS. Driving down there isn't so bad. It's actually rather fun!

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:51 pm

oh yeah, rent a jeep, the hills are steep, its hot, and you'll be thankful you did.....

dreamin · Post by **dreamin** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 10:14 pm

thanks for replies. How far of a walk to Frances, Cinnamon, and Peter Bays, How is the parking availability at the n shore beaches.
Am looking to spend appx 250 a night for small place. want to be not too far or rough drive to n shore beaches. Cruz Bay sounds crowded but easy.

msgcolleen · Post by **msgcolleen** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 12:28 am

Hi dreamin!
You will want to rent a car for at least a day or 2 and drive the beautiful North Shore road to all the great beaches at your own pace!It's an easy scenic drive with overlooks to pull over and take incredible pictures.

Or, you can easily take an open air taxi at anytime to Hawksnest, Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay with taxi's available to take you back to Cruz Bay when you are ready.

They can drop you off at other beaches but it will be hard to find them available on the return.

Peter Bay is private and gated but you could rent a dinghy and check it out from the water.

I think Grande Bay would be a great choice for 1st timers, easy walk to restaurants and shops, hike to Solomon Beach and Honeymoon Beach and great sunset harbor views.

No worrries~ you're gonna fall in love with the island just like the rest of us!!

dreamin · Post by **dreamin** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:27 am

Will not be walking to Saloman or Hawksnest. too far for us folks getting old. Still anyone how far of a walk to Frances and Cinnamon bays. How is the parking at those 2. How far of a walk to the south shore or east end beaches?

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:39 am

Welcome to the forum! You're sure to find all of your answers here.
Salomon/Honeymoon beaches are the closest Northshore beaches to Cruz Bay, and the only ones walkable for many people. Cinnamon and Francis are MUCH further and not walkable by most folks. The East end is out of the question.
To reach the Northshore beaches, you'll need a taxi at minimum, but best to just rent a Jeep. The speed limits are LOW, so although it's very hilly, driving is the way to go.

ihochman · Post by **ihochman** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:01 am

I think you'll definitely need a car/jeep. Distances to the beaches vary. As someone said earlier, Maho is right on the road where Salt Pond is a bit of a walk down an unpaved walk (and then it's up again at the end of the day). None of the walks are too long (except Salomon I think). Hawksnest has a parking lot right near the beach as does Cinnamon and Trunk. Francis is at the end of dirt road so if you get there early you can get a spot right up front. A car is necessary to get to all these beaches. Salt Pond and all the east end beaches are virtually impossible to get to without a car. If you're staying near Cruz Bay you'll want to explore the other side of the island and for that a car is necessary.

Pia · Post by **Pia** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 8:11 am

Welcome to the forum

Are you asking how far is it to walk from town (Cruz Bay) to Cinnamon/Francis? If so Francis will probably take about 3 hours +/- and is approx 6 miles and Cinnamon probably 2 hours +/- You can walk to Soloman and Honeymoon and it will take, depending on speed, between 20 and 40 mins each way.

You really need to rent a car or plan on taking a taxi - Francis (good luck getting one to take you - they will but you need to make arrangements for them to pick you up at a set time as there are no taxi's there) probably $10.00 pp each way and Cinnamon (taxi's always available to come back to town) probably $9.00 pp each way.

Pia

stjdeb · Post by **stjdeb** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:14 am

After 5 trips, I drove for the first time on our last trip in February. I have to say, it was not the frightening and horrifying experience I imagined. It actually was fun and went well, I never strayed from my side of the road at all. I've wasted so much time being afraid - duh - won't do that again (I hope). Try it - you'll like it!

Muhaha · Post by **Muhaha** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 1:50 pm

Just to echo - Jeeps are the way to go. Don't worry about the drive. It is a bit on the intimidating side for the first 20 minutes or so, but quickly becomes fun after that.

Taxi's on the other hand are pretty scary on their own, in my view. They tend to be quite noisy, hot, and the drivers whip around turns pretty fast. I much prefer to be in control myself on the roads.

Nancie-Pa · Post by **Nancie-Pa** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:27 pm

My second trip to the Island was last May. Rented a jeep for a day from Varlack (I was staying just up the hill at Hillcrest Guest House) and had a great time driving all around (and I'm 58!)Went out to Coral Bay, over to the Westin and had no trouble. Could be different if the roads are wet, though.

dreamin · Post by **dreamin** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:09 pm

How do the different roads compare such as N shore road, S shore road, Centerline Rd. 107, Cenetline out to the east end. Which are the more scary ones. Again I have read many trip reports and if that many people mention ''not for the fainthearted'' no guardrails, scary, etc. and other comments it must be a factor. thanks

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