Favorite Beaches:

Maho Bay:  Located on the North side of St John with plenty of parking! Great place to snorkel and see turtles and stingrays! You will see both relatively close to shore. Along the right side of the beach is also a lively reef. Head to Maho Crossroads for some lunch and drinks. Maho Bay does have bathroom facilities!

Salt Pond:  Located on the South Shore and usually protected from any rough currents. Another great spot to see turtles and rays! Great for kids as well as you will see both pretty close to shore. There is also reefs on both sides of the beach! Make sure to check out the active salt bay. You can also access the hike to Rams Head from Salt Pond which offers incredible views of the island! There is a 10-minute hike from the parking lot to Salt Pond that is gravel, so prepare accordingly and Salt Pond does have bathroom facilities! On the way back to Cruz Bay, be sure to stop at Skinny Legs for a wonderful burger!

Trunk Bay: Routinely voted the #1 beach in the world and once you step foot on the beach you understand why! Quintessential Virgin Islands beach with white sand and crystal-clear waters!  Trunk Bay has an underwater snorkel trail around a very active reef. parking is extremely limited at Trunk so plan to get there early or in the afternoon when people start to clear out. Trunk has a cool little bar along with food options and offers showers and bathroom facilities.

Waterlemon Cay:  Waterlemon requires a short .5-mile hike to the beach that is completely flat.  With few visitors and fantastic snorkeling, expect to see some turtles, rays and even some reef sharks! If you hike even further to the cay, there is a very active reef when you immediately get into the water with a bunch of starfish on the ocean floor.  You can snorkel around the Cay but won't see much more than the waters leading up to the Cay. There are no facilities or food options at the beach so plan accordingly.

Cinnamon Bay: Similar to Trunk with majestic white sand and crystal-clear waters! There are facilities with food options and bathrooms. Ample parking but snorkeling isn't the best

Hawksnest Beach:  One of the closest North Shore beaches to Cruz Bay, a great beach to escape for a couple of hours. Decent snorkeling with a couple of active reefs, you can also see the Oppenheimer house from Hawksnest. A very local feel, there are no facilities or food options here.

Caneel Bay:  Lots of recent changes at this beach over the past couple of years but it's now reopened to the public for the first time since 2017.  While St John continues to expand the parts of Caneel that are open post Hurricane destruction, Caneel offers some great snorkeling. While extremely rare, we swam with Dolphins at Caneel, and the reefs are super active! 

Favorite Restaurants:

Beach Bar: Quintessential St John, the Beach Bar is located in Cruz Bay and a short 5-minute walk from the villa. Located on the beach with live music nightly, this bar is usually the busiest on the island. Enjoy all quintessential island drinks and dance the night away! 

Windmill Bar: Located high above the island in the Estate Susannaberg area, Windmill Bar is a great place to watch the Sunset while enjoying live island music!! You will get a great view of St John's North Shore Beaches, Pillsbury Sound and even St Thomas in the distance. Grab some local drinks and get a good spot and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean Sunset.

Morgan's Mango: Located in Mongoose Junction Morgan's Mango is a slightly upscale restaurant with an island inspired menu! Great for a celebratory event with a large group or a date night for romance. Always been satisfied with the food and ambience! Saturday and Tuesday are Lobster night when available

Skinny Legs:  Located in Coral Bay, Skinny Legs is a local favorite for lunch. Known for their homemade burgers and local drinks, this is a great lunch spot when checking out the coral bay beaches

Longboard:  Located in Downtown Cruz Bay, a great happy hour spot that serves food. The frozen painkiller is a must try 

Mooie's Bar:  Located in Downtown Cruz Bay across from the Ferry this is historic bar that has recently reopened. Great unique place to celebrate local history of the Island

Tap Room: Located in Mongoose Junction this is a local brewery that serves pizza and bar food. Great casual atmosphere that serves locally brewed beer!