St. John Information
   Our Island
   Our Culture
   Wining and Dining
   Favorite Beaches
   Other Activities
   How to Pack
   What to Bring
   Staying Connected
   St. John Photos
   St. John Weather
   St. John Links
   
Contact Us!

Return to Home

The island of St. John is the smallest of the three major U.S. Virgin Islands. Surrounded by coral reefs and seagrass beds, our 19 square mile island is an environmentalist’s dream and a snorkeler’s and diver’s paradise. Over two-thirds of the island is protected by the National Park Service and features some of the world’s finest beaches.

The highest elevation on the island is Bordeaux Mountain at 1277’ above sea level. The island’s northern slopes are covered by a moist subtropical forest. The southern and eastern slopes are covered in dry forest.

The hub of commercial activity on St. John is the town of Cruz Bay. Cruz Bay is home to the island’s main port for passenger ferries, car ferries, and barges. With two major duty-free shopping areas in the town, visitors can expect to find a wide selection of watches, jewelry, perfumes, clothing, and other retail items at prices significantly under stateside prices. Most of the island’s restaurants and nightlife are found in, or near, Cruz Bay, St. John’s quieter, more "laid-back" community is the village of Coral Bay on the eastern side of the island. Home to only 600 of the island’s 4500 residents, Coral Bay has some wonderful little restaurants, shops, and as of 1996, its own gas station. Coral Bay Harbor is the anchoring area of choice for many sailboats, which are homes to many of the village residents.

The East End of St. John just may be the island’s best kept secret. With views of the Atlantic Ocean and the British Virgin Islands to the North and the beautiful Caribbean Sea to the south, the scenery just can’t get any better than this anywhere in the world!

Our Culture

St. John is a very friendly island. We greet each other on the street with "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" and smiles. You’ll find that using these greetings, as visitors, will go a long way in making your visit even more enjoyable. A friendly attitude, whether in our shops, restaurants, or anywhere else on the island, will likely elicit a friendly response from us.

One of the things that new visitors to our island find most difficult, and yet most enjoyable, is adjusting to our "pace of life". Few of us on St. John are in a hurry. Expect to spend a little more time in our restaurants and shops than you would in similar stateside establishments. Take your time, relax, and stop looking at your watches!

Approximately 78% of the local residents of St. John are West Indian. They are friendly and proud people and will welcome you to the island with open arms. Many West Indians speak a dialect of English called Creole or Calypso which , to many visitors, can be somewhat difficult to understand. After a few days, you will become accustomed to the melodic tones of the dialect and probably be able to understand most of what you hear.

Driving on St. John can be a real exciting experience for visitors and "locals" alike. We drive on the LEFT! After a few days, you’ll become comfortable with the change from driving in the states. Just like our "pace of life", we don’t drive very fast either. The speed limit on St. John is a maximum of 20 mph with a limit of 10 mph in the town of Cruz Bay. Our roads are very winding and have severe slopes, so it’s important that you keep your vehicle on your own side of the centerline! In addition, be prepared to stop for our wildlife (cows, pigs, donkeys, goats, and chickens) which freely roam about the island. Another important item to remember when driving on St. John: Seat belts are required by the driver and front seat passengers whenever the engine is running. The issuance of $25 fines for seat belt violations to tourists seems to be one of the favorite activities for the local police department.

While crime is relatively rare on St. John, it does exist. Exercise common sense when walking our streets at night. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t leave valuables unattended on the beaches or in your vehicle. Don’t flash large sums of money. Say "no thank you" to requests for money for food from one of the three or four "panhandlers" on the island. Your money probably won’t be used to purchase food.

Some Good Beaches to Visit

St. John has thirty-nine beautiful beaches to enjoy during your stay.
Here are some of our favorites.

Trunk Bay - yes, we know this beach can get busy during the day, but there is generally a nice quiet spot at the end of the beach where you can relax, catch some sun and watch the people. This is our favorite "people watching" beach, as there are always some cruise ship passengers around to make you smile! Please note that there is a user fee at this beach: $4 per person, or else you could get an individual ($10) or family pass ($15). Proceeds go to the National Park.
Francis Bay - a great beach, that generally tends to be quiet pretty much year round, one of St. John’s best kept secrets. This beach is found out towards Maho Bay Campgrounds and Annaberg Ruins.
Salt Pond - if you’re out on the Coral Bay side of the world, one day, check out this beach. There is a bit of a hike down to the beach, but it’s worth it once you get down there. At times, this beach does get busy, if there are a lot of cars on the road, skip it and move on to another beach!
Hawksnest - if you are just going to beach for a little while, Hawksnest is the closest and easiest beach to get to from downtown Cruz Bay. Has restrooms and changing facilities.

There are plenty of other beaches to keep you busy throughout your stay, these are just our personal faves! Let us know what your favorites are!

How to Pack

First and foremost, pack lightly!

Packing for your vacation on St. John is a fairly simple task. As we are truly a "Casually Caribbean" island, our normal daily attire consists of a cotton sport or T-shirt , shorts, and walking shoes or sandals. In the evenings, the attire changes very little, although, from December through April, you may want to substitute long pants and dresses for your shorts as evenings tend to be somewhat cooler. There are no restaurants on the island that require jackets for men and dresses for women. So, if you pack a few pair of shorts, swim suits, and shirts, you’ll have everything you need for "laid back" St. John.

Remember to pack a cover-up for your bathing suit when walking in town. It’s actually against the law to walk our streets in just a bathing suit!

A suggestion about jewelry: Either keep it to a minimum of leave it at home!

Electricity on St. John is the same as stateside (110 volt) so you don’t need adapters for any of your shavers or hair dryers. Most villas (but not all) have hair dryers in the bathrooms.

What to Bring 

There are some items that should be considered on your list of "things to bring"…
1)  Suntan Lotion - The sun is very direct here. Bring at least SPF 25 for early in your stay.
2) Prescription Medicine - There’s only one pharmacy on St. John and supplies aren’t plentiful.
3)  Sunglasses - Protect your eyes from UV rays and glare from the water.
4) Camera and Film - This is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. You’ll take countless photographs of the scenery and the wildlife. Prices on film are higher here than stateside, so bring it with you.
5) Passports or Birth Certificates - You need a photo ID at the airport. In addition, if you want to make a side trip to the nearby British Virgin Islands, you’ll need a PASSPORT as proof of citizenship.
6) Snorkel Gear - If you didn’t like the water, you wouldn’t be coming to St. John. If you have your own gear, you may want to bring it with you. Renting snorkel gear runs about $7 per day on the island. If you are planning on snorkeling many days while your here, bring it along. You can also purchase snorkel gear at one of the local dive shops at prices equal to those in the states.
7) Dive Gear - If you are a diver and have your own gear, bring it along. You won’t need tanks and weights as they will be provided by the dive shop that you tour with or rent them for diving on your own. Also, don’t forget your certification cards!
8) Cash, Traveler’s Cheques, and Credit Cards - While many of the restaurants and shops on St. John accept credit cards, some do not. Few of the excursion and charter companies accept credit cards, preferring cash or Traveler’s Cheques. Limit the amount of cash that you carry around by using Traveler’s Cheques. There are two banks on the island and one ATM, if you require cash advances on your credit cards. As a special note, the official currency of the U.S. and British Virgin Islands is the U.S. Dollar.

Some other Quick Facts

HISTORY
The US Government purchased St. John from Denmark in 1917. A Naval governor ruled until 1931 when the Department of the Interior assumed control. We are an unincorporated territory. Residents of the Virgin Islands vote for a local governor. We cannot vote in US presidential elections. We do, however, receive all other benefits awarded the mainland United States .

NATIONAL PARK
In 1950, Lawrence Rockefeller purchased more than half of St. John from the Dutch West Indies Company. He then developed Caneel Bay Resort and donated the remaining acreage to the United States Government as public parkland. Over the years, the Park Service has purchased additional land. Today, the National Park on St. John is composed of over 7200 acres of land and 5650 acres of offshore waters and reefs.

LOCATION
The island is 1075 miles East South East of Miami, 50 miles East of Puerto Rico, 3 miles East of St. Thomas. To the North is the Atlantic Ocean , To the South the Caribbean Sea .
St. John is 19 square miles, 9 miles long and 2 miles wide. The highest elevation is Bordeaux Mountain at 1277 ft.

POPULATION
The 1990 census was 3,504. Now there are probably more than 5,000. The St. Thomas census was 48,166. That number is probably up to 55,000.

CLIMATE
The average rainfall is 43 inches, this coming mostly through September/October and May/June. The winter daytime temperature range is 77°F to 84°F and the summer daytime temperature range is 82°F to 93°F.

SCHOOLS
The private schools are the same tuitions as on the main land. Parochial schools are less.

Schools on St. John :
Coral Bay – to 6^th grade (public)
Cruz Bay - to 9^th grade (public) 
St. John Christian Academy –  Pre-K to 4^th grade (private)
St. John School on Gifft Hill – 1st -12^th (private)
St. John School of Arts (opened 1970) 350 students
Beacon Night School

MAIL
Service provided through the US Postal Service as well as UPS, Fed Ex, DHL and American Airlines.

INTERNET
Connections can be made through AOL, ATT, WorldNet, and CompuServe/AOL. Virgin Islands Paradise Freenet - free on line service. Western Union , World Communications and AT&T provide international telex and telegraphic services.

MEDICAL
Myrah Keating Smith Clinic on St. John (with helicopter pad) Roy L. Schneider Hospital on St. Thomas (via ambulance boat)

NEWSPAPERS
“The Daily News”, "St. John Sun Times", “The Tradewinds”, and “St. Croix Avis” are the local papers. “USA Today”, “The Wall Street Journal” and several US metropolitan and Puerto Rico newspapers are flown in daily.

MISCELLANEOUS
Grocery prices are about 25% higher than in the Washington , DC area and 20% higher than in Puerto Rico .

Stay Connected

There are now several Cyber Cafe's  on the island. You can stay in touch by e-mail, receive document attachments, or "just surf the Net."  Many homes also offer wi-fi - check with us to see if your home is connected.