After many trips to the BVI we've decided to try something different. So after our BVI charter in May we plan to spend a week on St John.

I plan on staying on the south side (Cruz Bay area) and am looking for suggestions on what area to rent in. We love to snorkel and I would like to rent a house near a beach but worry that conditions might be to rough for beach snorkeling on the south side in May. Anyone out there that can tell me what "typical" conditions would be like.

Also any recommendations of a rental house for two that doesn't break the bank. Alternately any recommendations of a house away from the water with a pool and view.

Thanks
Steve

We have been going to STJ once, and sometimes twice, a year since 1995 and rented all over the island.

I think areas around Cruz Bay are great for a first stay, especially if you like to go out to eat/drink at night. Cruz Bay has lots of options for both and is a great village to stroll around.

In general, water conditions should be good in May. But rentals close to the water (let alone a beach, see next paragraph) are few and far between.

Do your research for any rental that advertises beach/water access, many of them are referring to very rock, no sand access to the bays like Chocolate Hole and Hart Bay (which can be rough).

We stayed in Chocolate Hole and my adventurous mother had no problem rock scrambling to snorkel but in spots, it could be more work then some people would want.

STJ has great from the beach snorkeling at all the North Shore beaches and from areas of Coral Bay as well.

What is your budget? Our group is larger but I do have some smaller houses bookmarked. There are lots of rental options that have pools and great views.

If you are a reader, the Feet, Fins and 4WD book is a great reference for describing all things STJ and the beach and snorkeling descriptions are very good. Even after nearly 20 years, I still refer to it.

Steve - Cleobeach is exactly right in her recommendations. When you say "we" does that just mean 2 or is it more people looking for a place to stay.

Do not forget to put a rent-a-car or jeep in your plans.

The Cruz Bay side will offer you some amazing sunsets over STT and easier access to more restaurants and entertainment.

Cleobeach: Thanks for the reply. In the research I've done I realized that there aren't sandy beaches in the area but was looking for an access that we 2 "old folks" can walk to fairly easily and have a reasonable chance of having calm and clear water. Also I don't want to be "in" Cruz Bay, want something quieter.

There will be the two of us and a one bedroom with kitchen is all we really need, would like a pool too if we can't have access to the beach.
My budget is $2K/week and right now I'm leaning towards a house called Kia Ora in the Chocolate hole area. Is anyone familiar with this house?
I've seen a house near Francis Bay that is a "5 minute" walk to the beach but it doesn't say how long the walk back to the house is, plus I think it's too far from Cruz Bay.

What about Klein and Fish Bays? Is there good snorkeling there?

SailorSteve,
Francis Bay is about a 15-20 minute drive to Cruz Bay. We recently stayed in Fish Bay and loved it. About 10 minutes to Cruz Bay. We were well up the hill on eastern side of Fish Bay as a point of reference at Sea Turtle Villa.

We have stayed all over St. John from Coral Bay to Bordeaux Mt. to Fish Bay and found Fish Bay to be the best for us. Close enough to Cruz Bay for dining out, yet very quiet.

Chocolate Hole seems a bit more built out than Fish Bay but I would suspect it is fairly quiet though. St. John is a great place, enjoy your trip.

Chip

The Francis Bay house, if it is the one I am thinking of, the walk to the beach isn't bad at all. Is it Honeymoon Cottage? That is a great location. The drive to Cruz Bay would be via North Shore Road, which is all paved.

I found this rental agency to be very helpful. Tell them what you are looking for and they'll give you a list of options, they live on STJ - http://www.villafish.com/

I stayed above the house you mentioned, it is a good location for access to town.

We stayed here last trip. I didn't love the location or the way the pool was behind the house with no view (from the pool) but the house itself was very nice - http://www.caneeltrailside.com/inside.html

We almost rented this house and I still have it on the list for a future trip. It is above your budget but it couldn't hurt to ask the agency for a discount - http://www.cateredto.com/ebb-tide/#.UrMSeXIo7cs

Check out Beit Hawa on this list - http://www.cateredto.com/villas/#.UrMTa3Io7cv

Terrahawk is also on that list. Above your price range but I have seen some nice discounts offered on that one and the property next door, Kallaloo, which is my absolute favorite location on the island.

I'll post more as I think of them.

I would change your expectations on walking to a beach. With a few exceptions, STJ villas are on the hill and not in the national park. The picture postcard beaches are in the national park a short drive away.

Picking a villa in your price range with a great view and a pool is going to work for the best. For convenience, I would recommend Hart Bay, Devers Bay, Chocolate Hole, Great Cruz Bay and the hills overlooking.

Cheers, RickG

Thanks again Cleobeach for your input, there are places that you linked me to that I hadn't seen before. And yes it's Honeymoon Cottage at Francis Bay that I've been looking at.

And RickG thank you for your advise also.

We have decided to rent Kia Ora for our stay on St John, seems it's the best place for us on our budget. Now all I have to do is wait 6 months to get there javascript:void(0)

We just returned from St. John and stayed at a property that matched your requirements almost exactly. Check out http://www.vrbo.com/398012 Called Harborview, it is located just above the Lumberyard complex and just around the corner from the Dolphin market. We walked into town in about 5 minutes, easy walk downhill but a little more effort back, although we found it quite manageable and we are just south of 60. We stayed in the 2 bedroom upstairs and the property is not luxurious but is very comfortable and super convenient. You have a pool to relax in and fantastic views over the harbor and over to St. Thomas to watch the lights. Great sunset views as well. Beaches will be either a half hour hike to Salomon and Honeymoon or a cab ride to any of the others. Snorkeling between Salomon and Honeymoon can be good, we found Maho had tons of turtles, rays, and even a couple of 2 foot reef sharks.

Glad to hear you found what you are looking for.

It is not too soon to book you rental vehicle, I think "low" season is becoming more and more popular.

Any recommendations for car rentals places? (I will be renting a 4 wheel drive for sure)

Kanuk, thanks for recommendation but that property is already book for our week. I'll check out the snorkeling spots,,thanks

We have used a couple over the years and have had consistantly good service from Penns and St John Car rental. Prices are pretty comparable across the board. The are small savings to be had but our friends got a real junker because they were dazzled by the $40 dollar savings. They turned it in after a day and went to a different agency.