Camping in St. John

by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

Plush robes, imported shampoos, and well-stocked mini-bars have always been popular hotel amenities, but on one Caribbean island the demand calls for propane stoves, insulated coolers, and clotheslines.

St. John, the smallest of the US Virgin Islands, is a giant in the world of eco-tourism. Along with lavish hotels such as the Westin St. John and Caneel Bay, formerly owned by Laurance Rockefeller, the millionaire who dedicated two-thirds of the island to the national park service, St. John also offers camping designed to allow vacationers to bring down the walls that separate hotel guests from nature.

Four campgrounds invite visitors who are ready to rough it in varying degrees. At Cinnamon Bay Campgrounds, located in the national park, campers select from bare sites, canvas tents, and screened shelters. At Maho Bay Camps, guests enjoy screened tent cottages, connected by a network of raised boardwalks. Nearby, Harmony Resort offers camping luxury with kitchens, balconies, and ceiling fans. A closer inspection reveals, however, that this is no ordinary resort. Running on solar energy, the cabins are built entirely of recycled materials. Sawdust and trash bags assume a new life as sturdy deck materials; recycled cardboard now serves as siding.

But Stanley Selengut, founder of both Maho and Harmony, has gone a step further in offering an ecological choice for St. John guests. Concordia eco-tents feature high-tech reflective materials that keep the interior cool beneath the Caribbean sun, solar energy that powers appliances and heats showers, and compost toilets that minimize waste. And, in keeping with the Rockefeller connection with eco-tourism, Laurance's niece, Abby, heads the work on waste management at the resort.

"Eco-tourism should be on our shoulders because we're on some of the most beautiful land in the world," explains Selengut.