Arih, thank you for sharing your trip report with us. I'm glad you seemed to have a good time. And, thanks for the heads-up about parking. I am on a strict budget when I travel and $125 for a towed car would REALLY make me upset since it could have been a couple of nice meals or something.

I'm curious about Waterlemon. Did you have to hike 30 minutes AND snorkel to reach it? I have never been there and want to go when I am in the VI next week. But, I wonder if my young daughter will be able to make it. She's a very inexperienced swimmer and wouldn't be able to actually swim to get somewhere in water over her head.

The shortest point to reach waterlemon by snorkeling, lies on a pebble strewn beach, which is 30 min from where we parked our car (it is not possible to take the car any further). So yes, you would have to hike 30 min and then snorkel. We found the water a bit rough so I would definitely not recommend it for an inexperienced swimmer, since it is quite some snorkeling distance to get to the island.

Coki is nearly as satisfying in terms of the variety and quantity of fish. We did see a lot more starfish and stingrays at waterlemon though.

The calmest waters for snorkeling were definitley in trunk bay, also the most scenic.

Hi Bluwater,
Waterlemon is reached by a good hike and then a swim out to the Cay in fairly deep water at times (in places 20' or so) We have not done this from land, only from a dingy where we tied on. The first time was fabulous - although getting back into the dingy was a challenge 😛 the second time was alot more difficult. I am a fairly strong swimmer and we were stuck in a current (they can be strong around the island) and it was an exhausting time getting back to the dingy. We have always swam counter clockwise around (as is told in the guide books) the first time fabulous and the second exhausting.
If your daughter is young and inexperienced I might wait alittle while or definately have her wear a floatation device just so you can relax alittle, although I would say wait alittle. I know many smaller children have done this, and after my first time I would have said no problem, but after the second I definately am more cautious.
We have been told the current is stronger around full moon - don't know if it is true or not - but don't know about our first time but our second was about 4 or 5 days after full moon, and I believe you will be there during full moon, so I might wait.
Enjoy your trip - when exactly do you leave?
ps: Did you see the pictures of the "studios" at Cinnamon that I posted for you?

HI Pia! I missed the pics of the Cinnamon Studios. Where did you post them? SOmetimes I have a hard time navigating the messages on here. I may need to change my settings because I read these baords daily, but sometimes miss things and realize it days later - something about the way the messages thread.

Anyway, tell me where to find the pics and THANK YOU!

I think we'll wait on Waterlemon. It sounds too hazardous for my daughter, who is only 7. We are thinking of renting a dingy from Noah's for a day. I wonder if we can take it that far. I doubt it.

Hmmmm....I haven't thought to check the moon calendar for the duration of our trip. A full moon signals more than choppy water, in my head. It signals a trip to BOMBAS! ha ha

We leave next Wednesday (29th) and return 7/13.

Don't skip watlerlemon! It is fantastic! We went there last year by car, the hike isn't bad and I don't remember it taking 1/2 an hour. The swim out to waterlemon wasn't bad also and there's great things to see along the way. This year we rented a boat from Noah's little dingys. Waterlemon is the farthest you can take it. And well worth the trip. We also had some trouble getting back into the dingy! I'm going to have to work on my muscles for our next trip! The views from the boat are awesome especially once you get close to waterlemon you can see tortola (?), it's absolutely breathtaking! Keep your eyes open for huge starfish and sea turtles.

arih: I am sorry for the downsides of your trip. I live here and have NEVER left my car in the Red Hook parking lot. It is supposed to be closing tomorrow and a "temporary" lot opening on the corner across from the National Park road. The parking situation is only going to be worse until they finish the new terminal and parking lot.

I was glad to see your views on the various beaches. There is a beach for everyone around here, and Magen's has lots of plusses. I must stand up for Coral World, however. I am not sure how you got the feeling it is a tourist trap, as I have never gotten that feeling. It is a small aquarium, much better laid out than many I have seen stateside. If you take your time, listen to the aquarists give their speeches and ask them questions, if you read and really look at the exhibits, you will find that there is a great deal of information to be absorbed. Coral World does some wonderful work in the community- from raising and repatriating sea horses to rescuing sea turtle eggs and raising injured turtles to eduational outreach about the sea. Okay, I'm off my soap box now.

Bluwater: Re: Leinster and Waterlemon Cay-If you rent a dinghy, you can pull up to the dinghy mooring and snorkel from there, The cay is pretty much in open water, though, not really beginner terrain. The marked Trunk Bay trail is closer to shore and doesn't go all the way around the cay (but the more adventurous swimmers in your group might try a circumnavigation!)

Leeko - did you anchor your dingy at Waterlemon? Is it easy to anchor the dingys?

Also, does the cay have any kind of beach?

Hi Bluwater,
It is easy to anchor at Waterlemon, we have also rented from Noah's - great fun - and Waterlemon is as far as you can go. The Cay has a small beach (never went on it) that you can rest on.
Here are the inside photos of the studios at Cinnamon - I posted them under the photo's that Matt had taken - you were asking what the "rooms" were on the beach (back on 6-15)
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147411-d147567-r3489208-Cinnamon_Bay_Campground-Virgin_Islands_National_Park_St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html
Have a great time on STJ.

Just be sure that your anchor is going to land in the sand, NOT on any coral!!

Ok, one word for those 'bunkers" - ick!

The beach is drop-dead georgeous, though. I guess the treade-off is fairly balanced to stay on that beautiful beach.

Here's hoping Maho is better!

Thank you for the link to your pics, Pia. I also appreciated reading your comments, and those above you. Everyone seems to agree on the property - ick.

Dear Pia and others: There is a "No Boat Zone" around Waterlemon. You are not supposed to land your dinghy there, although I see people do it all the time. There IS a dinghy mooring. Please follow the Park rules including the no boat zones. The reason they are there is because of the large number of snorkelers in the area. I am interested in knowing if the Noah's Little Arks people give this as part of their boat orientation.

Okay, back off the soap box again.

EE, I am going to have to offer to buy you a new soapbox soon. I see you are wearing your old one out. 😉 j/k

Thank you for the tip about Waterlemon. Now I'm back to not knowing whether or not to go. But, it's better than running over a snorkeler - ouch.

I would also like to share my Morningstar resort experience - first off, they were super nice during check-in, gave us a free upgrade to an ocean view suite, which was great, the suite itself was up to our expectations, and on par with the best mariotts on mainland. There is a big enough fridge that you can stuff to your hearts content, and a very cool icemaker as well. The in room TV was very convenient in helping me follow the US open on ESPN.

The frenchman's resort is well landscaped and beautiful. Every possible amenity is availabale, including a comprehensive adventure center which can arrange just about any kind of trip / activity. We used them extensively.

The restaurants are nice, but overpriced as usual (being a resort). However we got the $100 resort cash after viewing a sales pitch for their timeshare, this was helpful.

The location is also very convenient, close but not uncomfortably close to the busy charlotte amalie.

We figured we paid about $150-$160 per night (as a part of a package), at that price it was definitely worth it.

You don't actually anchor your the dinghy. There are 2 orange bouys with the rope in between each that you tie your dinghy to. The swim from there is not far and super easy. As for the beach on waterlemon... it's basically a tiny little island the beach is mostly rock, not much sand but is great for relaxing on and taking in the beauty of the surrounding islands.

Noah's does train people on the beaches with the "no boat zones". it is part of the video they make you watch before going out on the water. They also give you a waterproof map with the same info on the back incase you forget.

It's all super easy and lots of fun, if my husband and I can do it anyone can! We are very inexperienced boaters and didn't have any problems.

Great Report...

As you discovered...why would anyone stay on St Thomas?

About 15 years ago we flew into St Thomas and took a taxi to Red Hook and on to our rental Villa at Coral Bay for the first time. (yes that was before Hugo)

Then and now we always wondered why anyone whould go to, even stay on St Thomas. Nothing has changed.

I have always tried to keep my opinions about St Thomas to myself, however..folks... the truth is the truth...It is not a nice place to stay. If you are a local, it is very different. Even the cruise ship tourists have a better time, but short time residents are not treated with respect or kindness.

If you are young and willing to put up with a bunch of s##ff then you can enjoy St Thomas, otherwise..try somewhere else.

Sorry, but I can't agree with you. Perhaps your own attitude is why you get the treatment you do. We ALWAYS stay on STT and while there have been a few unpleasant interactions with locals, the VAST majority have been very nice to us. We tried staying on STJ last year for part of our trip but wished we hadn't. We'll do only day trips in the future. STJ is overpriced and way too boring. I notice Trunk bay this year has finally decided to sell frozen drinks but still no loungers or umbrellas. And no music. Not a true Caribbean atmosphere by any stretch. If you want the "real" Caribbean got to STT. STJ should be viewed as what it is. A national park with the majority of residents being extremely wealthy "continentals". Local west indians can not afford to live there. STJ is a PARK. not a Caribbean island. So if you want a "white" Caribbean vacation to hang out with people who are EXACTLY like you, continue going to STJ.If not, try Coki beach ! The MOST Caribbean spot in STT/ STJ is Coki beach. The locals there treat us great, know us by name and that's where we end up on most days. I always take anyones stories about "surly" locals with a huge grain of salt. The fact is most Americans do not know how to treat anyone with a morsel of respect or manners. This is painfully obvious on every foray I take to the Caribbean. These people are by nature the friendliest you'll ever meet. But they value manners! And if you do not display any, you'll be treated accordingly. I laugh when so many people GUSH about St John. Yes it's beautiful, but has an overwhelmingly "fake" vibe to it. But then most of these folks probably think Disney World is heaven as well.

Let me clarify a few things here in the interest of objectivity...

I never said all the locals are surly / rude, but you do find your fair share like you would at any other place with heavy tourist traffic and high prices. There is the usual distribution from very nice to very rude. Our rental car experience definitely lies on the rude side of this distribution, there is no denying that.

I am also sick of people trying to impose that somehow if you got treated badly, its YOUR fault, not the ever-happy, ever-content, ever-similing "natives". People dont go on a vacation intending to be unruly to locals. Before we apply any "ugly American tourist" stereotypes, I must clarify that I am an immigrant from India, with skin color to match. People who dont know better dont even assume I can be American- they think I am Latin or from Fiji or something.

Lets stop trying to paint St Thomas in the fake image of the idyllic happy carribean dream island with "ideal" natives.

St Thomas does offer a great vacation, and after coming back, we are still missing our days there, but its mix of characters is fast becoming like that of any other tourist destination, and be prepared to expect that.

As far as St John is concerned - no, we did not meet many continental transplants. The rental car lady who was very helpful to us (she called up four competitors to find the car we wanted), the coconut seller with whom we chatted for half an hour, the life guard at trunk bay who gave us free anti-fogging solution for our snorkels, were all locals. You do see a few transplants, but whats wrong with their being nice, even if they are supposedly rich. That does not make it Disney World (what was that supposed to mean?).

There is nothing wrong in expecting some basic decency and comfort when you are spending that much money on a vacation. Those "rugged" tourists who often make fun of people who cannot "tough" it out must understand that its people like us who are paying for the upkeep and maintenance of the place - if you didnt know, there is a little factoid we heard on the local radio news - St Thomas, is knee-deep in debt (upto $1 billion) and desperately needs financial support.

I dont mean to offent anyone, but would like to keep the record straight.

While far from trying to paint St Thomas as a "perfect" paradise, I'm merely stressing the fact that it is NOT perfect! Nor is any Caribbean island. These are developing countries with real problems. My point about Disney World is that people EXPECT their vacation to be like Disneyworld - perfect. And I suspect from many peoples comments that this is why they prefer St John. It has a very fake atmosphere as hardly anyone lives there, most of it is National Park land and the vast majority of the land itself is owned by wealthy continentals. No you did not meet many of them, because they are NOT THERE much of the time! They rent these homes out while they are not on island! Many locals take the ferry over to work on St John. But St John seems to attract the type of tourist that can't deal with the "ugly" parts of ST Thomas. They want what they want, when they want it, because they want it and do not talk to locals. They are the ones who would find,say Coki beach, annoying instead of a slice of local life. Anyway, that's just my opinion formed by many trips to the VI and observing tourists behavior. The "ugly American" stereotype tourist exists more than we may want to admit. While no place has "perfect" locals, the Caribbean people are as a whole friendlier than most in the states, and maybe we shouldn't be surprised when they are tired and annoyed-perhaps a little jaded when we approach them after a long day of seeing folks similar to us with mostly poor manners and demanding personalities.

My husband & I prefer stj over stt not because of the reasons parrtofish gave but because of this:

1. We are extremely friendly people, we don't ask for much, we're very laid back undemanding and we don't ask for much. When we're on vacation we mostly just want to hang out and chat with other people and enjoy the scenery and maybe a few bushwackers and rum punch. But the majority of the locals we met - taxi drivers, bartenders, housekeepers, shop owners or just people walking down the street would give us a rude look and ignore us for as long as possible.

2. The beaches on stj are some of the most beautiful beaches i've ever seen.

3. There's more of a party atmosphere on stj in the evenings.

But, when we're not on stj we spend most of our time on coki which has always been and always will be our favorite beach. they also have the best bushwackers on the island!