spent 3 wonderful nights after tortola and jvd during the poor weather week before last. the ferry between jvd and st. john did not come as anticipated so we caught one to tortola. the wait from there to st. john was several hours so we took one to st. thomas and then a taxi to red hook as we had just missed the ferry from ca and FINALLY reached our destination after 6 hours!!! stayed at coconut coast. the apts. were very nice,new,and had everything we needed. at $145 a night we thought it was a bargain. the big drawback is getting there from anywhere. you take "heartbreak hill" or a VERY bumpy, but not hilly, dirt road. that would make me think twice next time as it felt like we spent so much time traveling such a short distance. the owners are a very nice young couple really working hard at making a stay there a pleasant exp. they sent someone for us to follow from our car pickup and it was a good thing! cruz bay has really grown since our first day trip there a few years ago and is confusing and congested until you get the hang of it. we were FINALLY at hawksnest beach around 4 pm and it was gorgeous but still plagued with the rough water from the 5 days of wind and rain. we enjoyed swimming but had come to st. john to snorkel! had a wonderful meal at SOGOS just around the corner from the fishtrap. has a couple of parking spaces in front and very good local food. overall,the local food was cheaper in the usvis than the bvis. found a good selection of groceries at the starfish market-gotta love that st. thomas dairies ice cream. they also sell main dishes by the container. for $5 we had enough stew chicken and rice to make a dinner for both of us. the next day we headed for coral bay and had a wonderful lunch at MISS LUCY'S-don't miss this beautiful place. the burgers looked as good as the local food and the setting is gorgeous. it was a wonderful ride-much less exhilarating than tortola so you have some adrenaline left for when you need it! snorkeled at maho bay on the way back-still waiting for those swells to settle and the water to clear but is was getting better. what a beautiful place.....picked up a couple who recommended joe's bbq in the heart of cruz bay across from the noisy bar right near the ferry terminal bordering the public parking lot. sound confusing? we are still lost in cruz bay and have passed this place 3 or 4 times before spotting the grill on the sidewalk. now that the sun is finally out all day we are dazed and confused. the bbq was very good and provided enough for a second meal. delicious and economical. did a little shopping at mongoose junction.our quest for joe's seems to have finally allowed cruz bay to be absorbed by our sunstricken brains and we are zipping around like locals. enthralled with the stonework and now noticing it is everywhere and very fetching. the third day is all snorkel-cinammon,maho and trunk. am motion sick,can't hear,exhausted and SO HAPPY!!! this is just how i imagined it. it was a spectacular day. i said to my husband the weather was so perfect we would call it a "weather breeder" here in n.e. we both laughed figuring this area had had enough bad weather for this and maybe the next season! our last night we find morgans mango as it was easy to park across the street. it was just o.k.and the most expensive of our choices so far. we are pretty ready to go home but wishing for that perennial"one more day". the last day dawns completely cloudy and rainy. am so shocked! there are peacocks on our porch and allow their pic. to be taken. we head for trunk bay and stick to the left where we are familiar as the seas are picking up. it was so awesome as it was only 8am and no one was on the beach. there were SO MANY fish as we were the first of the day and from the way it was raining maybe the last. leave enough time to visit coconut coast studios where we buy a couple of framed tiles. a lovely spot across the pond from where we are staying. take the ferry to ca,have lunch at CUZZINS-another great,reasonably priced meal and go through the airport business with ease. we had the pleasure of being bumped into 1st class on the way down and on the way back there were so few pass. we each had a row of seats to ourselves. all in all st. john was a fabulous destination and we can't wait ot return next year. will combine it with a few days on virigin gorda. feel free to mail me for questions. regards,searose[img]/images/icons2/love.gif[/img][img]/images/icons2/umbrella.gif[/img][img]/images/icons2/umbrella.gif[/img] p.s. thanks to the posters for the info on local food. a great help.