St. John: Where to Stay

You've got several options on St. Thomas: two elegant resorts, many luxury villas, and several campgrounds that make camping a romantic getaway.

Romantic Villas

The two of you will find many villas that can give you a home-away-from-home atmosphere (well, that is if your home includes a pool, a designer look..you get the picture.) Many of these villas are multi-million dollar residences so it's easy to call it yours for a few precious days. You can also book a private chef to come in and prepare a special meal, drop off breakfast, stock the frig, etc. Massages can also be booked so the two of you never need to leave your love nest.

Here are two companies to check with regarding villa rentals:

• McLaughlin Anderson
  
• Wimco
  
  

Romantic Resorts

Caneel Bay
P.O. Box 720
St. John
Reservations: 888-767-3966
340-776-6111, Fax 340-693-8280

Caneel has the air of old-world Caribbean elegance that tells you, without a word, that this resort was a Laurance Rockefeller development. Tucked within the Virgin Islands National Park, Caneel boasts seven beaches and a natural beauty that is surpassed only by the resort's high quality service. Spread out across the lush property, 171 cottages combine "casual elegance" with "St. John camping" to come up with a property where you can feel like you are camping while enjoying plenty of pampering. Cooled by trade winds and a ceiling fan, each cottage has furnishings from the Philippines, screened walls that are open to a pristine view, and cool terrazzo floors as well as an ice chest for daily ice delivery.

Guests check in when they arrive at the airport in St. Thomas and board private ferry service to the resort. (The ferry service is available several times daily so guests can hop to St. Thomas for a little shopping.) Private ferry service is also available three times a week to the resort's sister property, Little Dix Bay, on Virgin Gorda. (Bring along your passport or proof of citizenship to take this jaunt to the British Virgin Islands.)

Along with plenty of complimentary diversions (including the Peter Burwash International tennis program), introductory scuba diving clinic, windsurfing, Sunfish and kayaks, and movie presentations, other activities are available at additional charge: half- and full-day sails, beach barbecue, sunset cocktail cruise, guided snorkel trips, fishing charters, massages, and boat charters.

But the focal point of Caneel Bay are its beaches: seven pristine stretches of sand. The two of you can hop aboard the resort shuttle for quick drop off at any of these beaches; don't forget to request a picnic lunch to take along!

Overlooking one of those beaches, Turtle Bay Point is especially popular for weddings and vow renewals. Other couples opt for private Honeymoon Beach or Paradise Beach, or on the hotel grounds. An on-site wedding planner makes arrangements simple.

Westin St. John
P.O. Box 8310
Great Cruz Bay
Reservations: 888-625-5144
340-693-8000
Reservations: 800-WESTIN-1

This beachside resort is tops with couples who enjoy spa treatments; the resort has a new, extensive spa. The resort is sprawling, especially by St. John standards, with hillside rooms (make sure you don't get one of these if the easiest beach access is your priority) and beachside rooms.

Romantic Campgrounds

Cinnamon Bay Campgrounds
P.O. Box 720
Cruz Bay
Reservations: 800-539-9998
340-776-6330 or 693-5654, Fax 340-776-6458

You might not think of camping as romantic--but that just means you haven't seen St. John's campsites. Campers keep the bare sites, tents, and screened shelters of this popular campground full year around. Managed by Caneel Bay, this campground is located on the grounds of the national park and features accommodations near beautiful Cinnamon Bay Beach, St. John's longest stretch of sand.

Tents (which measure 10' x 14') are outfitted with four cots with bedding, a solid floor, an ice chest, water container, and cooking and eating utensils. Outdoors, a propane stove and lantern, charcoal grill, and picnic table are available.

Cottages (15 x 15 feet) are actually screened shelters with the same features as well as electricity. All accommodations share bathhouses with cool water showers.

The atmosphere is very relaxed, as campers enjoy the Caribbean at their campsite, on the beach, and on daily ranger-led tours of the national park. Don't be surprised to see a family of wild burros roaming the grounds.

The most romantic cottages are units 10 A through D, a seashell's throw from the water. Tent site 21 is the closest to the water, and bare site 24 is best for beach buffs. We hear that you practically have to inherit a reservation to secure these most-popular sites, but give it a try anyway.

Estate Concordia
Cruz Bay
340-693-5855, Fax 340-643-5960
Reservations: 800-392-9004

"Eco-tents" are the latest creation of eco-tourism by the same developer as Maho, Harmony, and Estate Concordia. However, these canvas tent cottages are specifically designed to be light on the land, to rely on high-tech advancements such as ultra light reflective materials, and to provide facilities such as compost toilets, while at the same time being ecologically friendly. The resident managers of this natural complex, a husband-wife team, came to St. John as honeymooners themselves at Maho Bay. Today they recognize how romantic camping can be for couples looking to experience the Caribbean in a slightly non-traditional way.

Harmony
P.O. Box 310
Cruz Bay
340-776-6226, Fax 340-776-6540
Reservations: 800-392-9004

As its name suggests, this was designed to be a resort in tune with nature. Solar power, recycled materials, low flush toilets, and a complete awareness of the environment makes this an eco-sensitive resort, but with a higher number of creature comforts than are found at its sister property, Maho. These units include energy-efficient refrigerators, a computer to track energy use, comfortable furnishings (either two twin beds in the bedroom studio units or two queen beds in the living room studios), private baths, a deck with furniture, and kitchen.

Maho Bay Camps
P.O. Box 310
Cruz Bay
340-776-6240, Fax 340-776-6504
Reservations: 800-392-9004

From the minute you arrive at Maho, you'll know that this is no ordinary campground. From the help-yourself center where guests leave unused food, toiletries, books, and other items for other guests' use to the network of raised boardwalks that connect the tent cabins and protect hillside vegetation, this resort's focus is on environmental camping.

Every 16' x 16' unit has screened sides with roll down privacy shades, a sleeping area with mattress-covered beds and bedding, a futon sofa that pulls down into a sleeper, a cooking and dining area with cooler, propane stove, and fan, and an outdoor balcony. Barbecue grills and bathhouses are scattered throughout the property.

The campgrounds enjoy a beautiful open-air restaurant perched high above the sea. Breakfast offerings include (in addition to the obligatory granola) items such as bacon and cheese omelets and amaretto French toast. (Breakfast prices are under $5.) Dinner entrees are also inexpensive and range from jerk chicken to BBQ spare ribs to vegetarian walnut loaf.