Travel tips for your stay on St. Thomas & St. John: Lookout points + more
A beautiful Caribbean group of Islands which are not an integral part, but under sovereign of the United States. Having visited many French and American overseas territories in the world, we were very keen to explore this one as well.
“In September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage, particularly to St. John and St. Thomas.”
Many places on the US Virgin Islands (as well as in the British Virgin Islands) still show the scars of the recent hurricanes. In September 2017, Category 5 Hurricane Irma caused catastrophic damage, particularly to St. John and St. Thomas. Beautiful nature, however, is very present and makes your stay a memorable one.
Accommodation
We stayed on the main island of St. Thomas where accommodation prices were much more affordable than on beautiful St. John. We figured we could easily do a day trip to St. John. It appears that due to the huge amount of tourists coming from the US, accommodation prices are extremely high, even comparable to Hawaii - at least for a European holiday budget.
Area: The north and north-east side of St. Thomas offer the most beautiful landscapes and should therefore be your preferred spot to stay. Staying in the north towards the centre would be ideal as you are in proximity to the beautiful capital of Charlotte Amalie and in a good location to explore other spots of the island as well.
Type: Our experience showed that private accommodation like AirBnB had better price-value than staying in hotels or resorts.
Our accommodation:
We stayed at an AirBnB called "The Nautilus" located at the north side of St. Thomas, conveniently located about 20 min drive from the airport and the main town of Charlotte Amalie. The place was basic, but cute. At roughly USD 80 for 2 persons per night, the price was unbeatable for the US Virgin Islands.
Car rental
Need for car: We highly recommend to book a car and do so well in advance. Upon arrival at St. Thomas airport in high season mid January, it was almost impossible for us to rent a car. We were extremely lucky to find one online after a few hours sitting at the airport and using priceline.com. Like on most Caribbean Islands, you could also do hitchhiking, but as a tourist with limited time, you may not want to bother.
Driving distance: All places on the island can be reached within less than 40 min.
Road conditions: Roads have many potholes. The roads are very steep, one of the steepest we have ever experienced!
Getting around by ship
There is no website I recommend more than"Best of BVI". Don't get confused with the name. That website does not only show ferry schedules of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), but also covers the ferry schedules from/to and within the US Virgin Islands (USVI).
Supermarkets
Our recommendation: Moe’s Fresh Market at Red Hook offers a good selection whereas Plaza Extra is probably the biggest supermarket on the island. Both are in the east of St. Thomas. It is recommended to buy an intial stock of goods in one of those two, other needs can be covered in smaller stores which can be found in various locations around the island.
Availability: Rather small stores a bit everywhere around the island. Only a few bigger store (see above) exist.
Price level: On the expensive side
Favourite Beaches
On St. Thomas:
Magens Bay Beach: The largest and most popular beach on the island
Lindquist Beach: Our most favourite beach for its natural setting behind lush green bushes and beautiful, clear, turquoise waters
We also passed by Sapphire Beach and Secret Harbour Beach, but do not like them much due to their accommodation/hotel complexes built right on the beach property. They are open to the public, but not really pretty. Also Hull Bay Beach is by far not as nice as our two favourite beaches above.
On St. John:
Trunk Beach
Cinnamon Bay Beach
Hawksnest Beach
highlights & best lookout points
Day trip to St. John (if staying on St. Thomas)
If your accommodation is on St. Thomas, we highly recommend you to do a day trip to St. John - take your car on the ferry! If you skip St. John, you miss the best of US Virgin Islands. We suggest to leave around sunrise and be back around sunset in order to avoid driving the steep and curvy roads at night. We took the Big Red Barge departing Red Hook (St. Thomas) at 8.30 am and took the departure back from Cruz Bay at 5:30 pm. That way we were able to maximise our day - probably one of the most beautiful we have had in the Caribbean. Also it was our first time on a car ferry - a great experience!
The "US Virgin Islands National Park" (on St. John)
Beaches in the "US Virgin Islands National Park" on St. John are among the most beautiful I have seen in the Caribbean. My favourite ones are mentioned above. The hills are very green, full of thick forests, and look gorgeous next to the fine white sand beaches with their crystal clear turquoise waters. Tip: Hike up to the ruins on "America Hill". The hike won't take you longer than 40 min (one-way) and it's definitely worth it for the view, but also for the hike itself through the tropical forest. Here is a more detailed hike description. I am also marking the entrance to the path on the map below. There is space for 2 or 3 cars to park.
Sunset at SkyRide to Paradise Point (on St. Thomas)
When staying overnight on St. Thomas, do not miss out on enjoying a sunset at SkyRide to Paradise Point. There is a cable car bringing you from the street at the bottom to the view point at the top, but it was closed when we were there. It seemed like it would only operate on cruise ship days. Never mind, take your car and drive up! The road is open to everyone as there are two restaurants and a bar at the top. I suggest to visit the place not only for sunset, but also during the day. The view is just so pretty during both times of the day.
The capital town of Charlotte Amalie (on St. Thomas)
Most Caribbean towns are indeed not very pretty - unlike Charlotte Amalie which is an exception, a real jewel I would say. The town is super cute and offers quite some beautiful colonial style houses, a shopping street (for the rich) and a fort to visit. Definitely worth to spend an evening or two strolling through the streets and enjoying a sunset cocktail at a harbourfront bar. Don't miss out on climbing the "Spanish Steps" - a truly pretty location.
Map with all recommendations
Red: Airport
Blue: Supermarkets
Yellow: Favorite beaches
Green: Supermarkets
Brown: Restaurants
Personalized map created with Google Maps
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