USVI: St. John or St. Croix?

annie6672

Hi everyone, we're looking at USVI but don't know which island would be better for us, St. John or St. Croix?   We are looking at a vacation home rentals on vrbo.com and homeaway.com so we will pool, hot tub, privacy and our own kitchen for quick meals to save money.  We won't be staying at any resort but will be exploring the island we stay at.  Any advice on the differences b/w the two islands and which would be better suited for a honyemoon would be very appreciated!  Thx!

dshrawder

St. John!  It is the largest island and is only a boat ride away to visit St. Thomas... the water is absolutely gorgeous there!!!! :-)  It will definitely take your breath away... make sure you visit Johnson & Johnson's botanical gardens in St. Thomas... the views are unbelievable of Magen's Bay... if it isn't foggy (which usually it is bc it is so high up) you will be able to see about 3 other little islands in the distance. 

Ticosparents

Never been to St. John's but it was on top of my list.  It also has a ferry to get to St. Maarten which is a must-see. 

VESmith25

We just got back from sailing the BVI and we visited St. John at the end of our trip. It is a lovely island. Very laid back with lots of nice beaches and hiking trails since the majority of the island is a national park. We had some great meals while there (Asolare, Rhumb Lines, Shipwreck Landing). We also had some great hamburgers at Skinny Legs which is a total hole-in-wall local place but with good burgers/sandwiches and low prices.
I have never been to St. Croix but I have friends that just visited last week and loved it. We've actually been doing some research to visit there in the future. The obvious differences between the two is that St. Croix is much larger as it is the largest of the USVI and St. John is the smallest. St. Croix is also slightly less expensive compared to St. John.
The one thing that I can think of that might play into your decision is that you can daytrip to the BVI from St. John if you have your passport. You can easily take boat trips to visit the Baths on Virgin Gorda, snorkel at the Indians, visit Norman Island (where the Willy T floating bar is), or hit Foxy's and/or the Soggy Dollar on JVD. St. John also had some fabulous diving if you are into that. We completed our Open Water Cert. while we where there with Low Key Divers and they were fantastic.

Also, just a note that you can ferry to the BVI and St. Thomas but not St. Maarten. SXM is in the French West Indies and not the VI. 

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_usvi-st-john-st-croix?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:6532fe0e-b213-4cb3-acc2-2b98bdb84c45Post:226867a0-2f9d-44be-9cd0-722e457cf86b">Re: USVI: St. John or St. Croix?</a>:
[QUOTE]Never been to St. John's but it was on top of my list.  It also has a ferry to get to St. Maarten which is a must-see. 
Posted by Ticosparents[/QUOTE]


St John'<strong>s</strong> is in Antigua... St John (no S) is in the USVI.

I prefer St John over St Croix.  Mostly because it's more intimate and you have way more options.  The BVI's and St Thomas are all quick boat rides away.

annie6672

Oh I didn't know there was a difference like that.  Thanks for clarifying!

lyndausvi

yep.
.
 Last year I was flying back to St Thomas and I was sitting with a HM couple.  I asked where they were staying and they told me the name of the resort.  I said, I'm sorry, but there is not such resort here.  They thought I was crazy.  I explained I lived in St John USVI for 6 years and have lived in St thomas for another 6 years, I work in the hospitality industry and I would know of that resort. 

The guy pulled out the confirmation and it was for St John's Antigua.   Opps.  Lucky for him I had connections and was able to get him a room before our luggage even came out.

annie6672

Oh my!  What are the chances?  They must have been so grateful to you!!!

ashleym0706

Go to St John! It is beautiful...I took a ferry over from St Thomas, and I would have loved to stay there for a whole week! The beach is the nicest I have ever been to!

lyndausvi

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_usvi-st-john-st-croix?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:6532fe0e-b213-4cb3-acc2-2b98bdb84c45Post:cf8cba64-a6c6-409f-8e9e-39af8e2e0833">Re: USVI: St. John or St. Croix?</a>:
[QUOTE]Oh my!  What are the chances?  They must have been so grateful to you!!!
Posted by annie6672[/QUOTE]

yeah.. I think  it was fate I was sitting next to them.  I saw them get out of their limo with their wedding attire on at the airport hotel the night before.

It would have been sad if they  showed up in St John finding out there was no such hotel. 

Ticosparents

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_usvi-st-john-st-croix?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:6532fe0e-b213-4cb3-acc2-2b98bdb84c45Post:2af06c99-0667-4098-b42d-49a58b37230f">Re: USVI: St. John or St. Croix?</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: USVI: St. John or St. Croix? : St John' s is in Antigua... St John (no S) is in the USVI. I prefer St John over St Croix.  Mostly because it's more intimate and you have way more options.  The BVI's and St Thomas are all quick boat rides away.
Posted by lyndausvi[/QUOTE]

OMG thanks for pointing that out.  I didn't know there were more than 1.   

New MIL

St. John is so much prettier than St. Croix

girlinchicago

St. John is gorgeous!  Gets my pick, hands down.

NOLAbridealmost

St. John!  Although I am biased because I got engaged there.

St. John is the least developed and most natural of the three islands because a large portion of it is National Park, but it has lots of great restaurants and bars in the Bay areas.   It has regular ferries that go to St. Thomas (great for the shopping) and to the BVI. 

annie6672

Thanks so much guys!  You all have me very excited for St. John!