9 Day St. John Itinerary: Beach. Snorkel. Lime-N-Da-Coconut. Repeat.

It is not super easy to get to St. John. You  fly into St. Thomas first and then take a car or passenger ferry over to St. John. We arrived at the airport in St. Thomas at 2:14 pm.  

We rented a Jeep from Amalie Car Rental in St. Thomas. They met us curbside at the airport for a seamless handoff. We then drove about 30 minutes over to the car ferry.

4 pm: Car ferry from Red Hook, St. Thomas to Cruz Bay, St. John.

4:30 pm: Quick trip to Starfish Market in Cruz Bay to load up on essential groceries. 5:30 pm: Arrival at villa rental.

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: Today was a travel day, so breakfast/lunch was eaten at the airport/plane. We ate at the villa for dinner.

12:15 pm: After a lazy morning of sleeping in and eating breakfast, we headed to the first snorkeling location of our vacation, Salt Pond Bay. Get there early to get a parking spot! The highlight of snorkeling at Salt Pond Bay was seeing a family of squid! Love snorkeling? Do not miss reading my ultimate St. John snorkeling guide with my personal ratings of each site.

Breakfast/Dinner: At the villa

3 pm Lunch: Miss Lucys. While enjoying the beautiful waterfront location of this gem of a restaurant, order the grouper reuben and wash it down with a Lime-N-Da-Coconut. This was one of the best meals we had on the island! 

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

9 am: 20-minute easy hike along the coastline to Waterlemon Cay. This was one of our FAVORITE snorkeling locations. Expect beautiful coral, sea fans, squid, and many tropical fish. We even saw 2 nurse sharks! 

1:30 pm: Next snorkel spot was Maho Bay. It has calm protected waters and seagrass beds, so this is one of the places you can expect to see turtles. There is also a pop-up village across the street offering food, drinks, and water sports rentals.

Breakfast/Dinner: At the villa.

12:30 pm Lunch: North Shore Deli. This friendly deli has delicious roasted meat sandwiches, fresh salads, and smoothies. We can personally vouch for the Pastrami Tsunami and the Superfood Salad.

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

9 am: Haulover North was another one of our favorite snorkeling locations! Access is easy and requires a short 5-minute walk through the woods. We saw gorgeous coral, huge purple sea fans, and many schools of tropical fish.

11:45 am: Right next door to Haulover North is Hansen Bay Beach. This beautiful white sand beach has calm protected waters. We saw several turtles and tropical fish. There are also chairs, paddleboards, and kayaks to use. 

Breakfast/Dinner: At the villa.

2 pm Lunch: Skinny Legs. This laid-back restaurant offers some amazing juicy burgers and some of the best cocktails we had on the island. Order the painkiller. You will truly feel you are on holiday.

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

10 am: Trunk Bay is gorgeous! It is one of the most pristine beaches in all of the Caribbean. There are also amenities such as a food shack, beach bar, bathrooms, and showers. See my complete guide on Trunk Bay for more details.

12:45 pm: The neighboring Cinnamon Bay Beach is like a less-crowded version of Trunk Bay. The snorkeling here is better than Trunk Bay. We saw beautiful tropical fish and even a lemon shark!

Breakfast/Dinner: At the villa.

2:30 pm Lunch: Shaibu’s Gourmet Grab & Go. This delicious vegetarian restaurant offers some amazing fresh food choices, smoothies, and juices. We had the cold noodle Thai peanut salad and a veggie panini paired with an incredibly tasty Sea Moss Smoothie. 

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

9:30 am: Ram Head hike. This 2-mile roundtrip hike takes about 90 minutes and offers some amazing panoramic views! My Ram Head Hike Guide goes over all the details.

11:30 am: The hike to Ram Head requires you to walk along Blue Cobblestone Beach for a portion of it. As we were making our return, we decided to cool off and snorkel at Blue Cobblestone Beach. Although the water felt great, the snorkeling was subpar.

1:30 pm: Little Lameshur Bay Beach is yet another gorgeous snorkeling location. Be prepared it is an adventure to access it though, and you will need a 4-wheel drive vehicle. 

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: At the villa.

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

11:15 am: Grootpan Bay is another excellent snorkeling site. Its off-the-beaten-path location will require a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. We saw plenty of beautiful coral, sea fans, and schools of tropical fish. 

1:30 pm: Our last snorkeling location was Francis Bay, one of my top 12 things to do in St. John. I was not expecting much, but we saw at least 10+ turtles in addition to many tropical fish and even a lionfish.

4:15 pm: Happy hour drinks + snack at Oasis, which has a Drive-Thru Brew! We ordered some painkillers and rum punches. Oasis is also known for amazing southern comfort food, so we also had to order the mac ‘n cheese which was to die for! 

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: At the villa.

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

All day: Our St. John itinerary was pretty jam-packed, so on our last day of vacation we chose to relax and swim in the pool, take in those stunning Coral Bay views, and sip on our own cocktails made with the local rum, Botany Bay.

Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: At the villa.

Overnight: Anchorage Aweigh 

9:30 am: We drove back to the car ferry at Cruz Bay.

12:00 pm: We took the car ferry from Cruz Bay, St John back to Red Hook, St Thomas. ** This was cutting it a little too close. 

1 pm: We arrived at the airport. The drive from the ferry in Red Hook to the airport took 30 minutes. Amalie Car Rental met us curbside.

2:55 pm: Flight back home.

7 pm: Cocktails at the speakeasy at the American Express Centurion Lounge at JFK Airport. It has 2 premium bars and its own speakeasy! Order the Southside Cocktail with Beefeater gin, lemon juice, & mint.

Breakfast: At the villa.

Lunch/Dinner: At airport lounges and plane ride.