Getting to US Virgin Islands (USVI) from the West coast is quite the ride. In July 2023, from a short stop in Virginia, we flew to St Thomas on the west side of the island. Took a van ride to Red Hook on the east side, where we boarded a ferry to Cruz Bay on St John island, where most of the island is part of the USVI National Park (#61 for us).
The first couple of days we stayed at an Airbnb in Fish Bay. The view was amazing, but the location was a bit inconvenient, the house lacked insulation, and it was getting uncomfortably warm.
For the last couple of nights, we stayed at the Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground run by the national park service. Cinnamon Bay beach is considered one of the best beaches on the island and we stayed in a cottage right on the beach. The location could not have been any more magical. The amenities were very basic, but we knew that when we booked. No running water in the cottage and the showers and toilets were shared by all the cottages and a good 10 min walk away. It was still worth it.
The roads were steep and narrow on the island, but we had to explore so we rented a car. Most of the beaches in the park had amazing turquoise calm water.
One day, we drove to Coral Bay and took a dingy to a restaurant on the water – Lime Out. They had floating pontoons where people sat with their feet in the water and the food was served on a floatie. Quite a unique experience. They served yummy tacos at $12 apiece. At that time, I thought that was insanely expensive, but it only took about a year for those prices to reach CA, now that doesn’t seem so bad, haha.
Stefan got his junior ranger badge at the local ranger station.
One evening, we went to the Windmill Bar. It was built around one of the old windmills on the island and had a beautiful view overlooking the island.
We did a few hikes, saw some wild donkeys, but mostly enjoyed the beaches.
