Jeeps on St.John are great fun and open airsy and adventuresome - good choice.

Maho Bay Campground, where I stayed for a week many years ago has most all their tents up on the hillside away from many steps down to the beach. They have an awesome beach for snorkelling. The "tents" actually have wooden floors and sides that come up about 3 fee or so, then netting and a netted roof....a little door, etc.

Cinnamon Bay if I'm not mistaken will give you a better on the beach camping experience. And the beach aint too shabby either...but heh, rent the jeep and you can easily get from one to the other!

Can anyone suggest a good or prefered tent number or section?

Call Cinnamon Bay Camp and they will send you a map and info , so that you san see where the locations are in comp to the beach , I was there in Oct tober and would love to sleep right by the beach, so pick a cabin or tent site close to the water and you wont be sorry just my opinion
Yolanda

I assume that you have gone to their website (cinnamonbay.com). Look at the overview map button. That gives you a map of the grounds.

Everyone is a little different regarding what they like (e.g., privacy, view, nearness to the beach or showers, etc.).

For a set up tent I think site 2 is the best. It is near the beach and relatively private. The other sites near the beach suffer a bit with regard to privacy (or having the rest areas too close). When you look at the map, there is a section on the far right that terminates with site 62. That is probably the most attractive view among sites and is quite private. That entire section is pretty nice and private. There are some downsides however that include a stiff climb to your site and a fairly long walk from the commissary and parking.
The latter is a nuisance if you rent a car and want to pop in and out around the island. All other sites that are below the road nearest the shore are level but on a hill which may be a problem for some.

If you look at the cabins, the building on the far left that includes 4 units is the beach front building. Quite nice and a little hard to reserve. The 3 buildings to its immediate right are the beach view units, and a little cheaper.

In response to your post, I guess it depends on what you want. You can camp with your own tent at Cinnamon for 27 dollars and night, and rent a lantern and stove for an additional 3. The cabins there are an excellent choice if you must have four walls and a door.

Maho is more cabin camping then tents, and they are in the woods/jungle- a nice hike up stairs from the beach. The staff there is all white which I found kind of weird on the Island. It depends on what you want. If you need good vegetarian food, politically correct chatter, and yoga then go for Maho. Personally, I find Cinnamon to be MUCH more relaxed- the beach is absolutely the best that there is and easy walking distance from any campsige, and in June there are sure to be a lot of good sights availabile. Both have restaurants and small stores, snorkel rentals, etc.

For bare sights, I recommend C8, followed by 56. For tent sites, I recommend 21, and if you are splurging on the ocean front cabins are all good.

I just got back from Cinnamon bay 2 weeks ago.

Site location is based on your preference. Close to the bath house/ Private hidden off to the side or close to the beach? We spent the first 3 days in their tent because a bare site was not available. We then moved to our own tent. I did NOT like their text at all! They are spacious but the doors do not zip shut. So we had some geckos and bugs in the tent.Not a problem but cerrtainly not worth the money in my mind. I prefer my own tent.

The group sites are open and not as many trees. The other sites are full of trees to hang tarps from to protect from rain. We had a passing shower every day.

We rented a car from St. Thomas. It was only about $310 for 12 days. Much cheaper than a jeep. We got everywhere we wanted. We are hikers. So we hiked most places anyway.

We loved the island! My boyfiend actually like it better than camping in Kauai.

enjoy
Heidi

We are staying at Maho Bay March 2005 and I am wondering what I should take along. Do I need soap for dishwashing and towels for dish drying, how do you wash you dishes at Maho, anyone know? I understand they have grills, do I need charcoal or are they gas grills. Are there any other things I should take along, like a clothes line?

Thanks for valuable advise.
Jen

Maho provides you with biodegradable soap and all linens and towels. They provide a 2 burner propane grill and also clothes lines. You will have to lug water a bit. Since the soap is bio, you just toss the dishwater outside after washing. Have fun, wish I was back there now!!! K