9 Day St John Itinerary: Beach. Snorkel. Lime-N-Da-Coconut. Repeat.
With so much parkland, St John is a nature lover’s paradise! We love being outdoors, so my husband and I sought out the best beaches, snorkeling sites, and hikes during our 9 days in St John. We are huge foodies, so of course, we also tried out some of the best restaurants and drinks the island has to offer. I hope this St John itinerary is useful as you plan out your Caribbean getaway to the most beautiful island in the USVI! Â
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DAY 1: TRAVEL DAY TO ST JOHN
It is not necessarily easy to get to St John. You have to 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. Â
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: 20-minute 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.Â
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: Today was a travel day, so breakfast/lunch was eaten at the airport/plane. We ate at the villa for dinner using the groceries we picked up along the way.
DAY 2: SALT POND BAY
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! We arrived after noon, and we had to wait a bit for a spot to open up. The highlight of snorkeling at Salt Pond Bay was seeing a family of squid!Â
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! I have detailed all the great places to eat in my St John USVI Guide for where to stay, play, and eat.
Overnight: Anchorage AweighÂ
DAY 3: WATERLEMON CAY + MAHO BAY BEACH
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! Love snorkeling? Check out my St John Snorkeling Guide + snorkel ratings on all 11 sites we visited.
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.Â
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 AweighÂ
DAY 4: HAULOVER BAY NORTH + HANSEN BAY
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.Â
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 AweighÂ
DAY 5: TRUNK BAY + CINNAMON BAYÂ
10 am: Trunk Bay is gorgeous! It is one of the most pristine beaches in all of the Caribbean. The snorkeling was not the best, but we really enjoyed just hanging out in the crystal clear turquoise waters. 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 (not the scary kind, he quickly swam away)!Â
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. I know it sounds weird, but it was so good!Â
Overnight: Anchorage AweighÂ
DAY 6: RAM HEAD HIKE + BLUE COBBLESTONE + LITTLE LAMESHUR
9:30 am: Ram Head hike. This 2-mile roundtrip hike takes about 90 minutes and offers some amazing panoramic views! Go early to avoid the heat and bring plenty of water. 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.Â
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. We snorkeled out to Yawzi Point and encountered deep water canyons and incredible marine life.Â
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: At the villa
Overnight: Anchorage AweighÂ
DAY 7: GROOTPAN BAY + FRANCIS BAYÂ
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.Â
1:30 pm: Our last snorkeling location was Francis Bay. This site was a pleasant surprise. 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!Â
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: At the villa
Overnight: Anchorage AweighÂ
DAY 8: RELAX POOLSIDE AT THE VILLAÂ
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 AweighÂ
DAY 9: FLY BACK HOME
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 to close to our flight time. Advise allowing PLENTY of time and take an early ferry.
1 pm: We arrived at the airport. The drive from the car ferry in Red Hook to St Thomas airport took around 30 minutes. Amalie Car Rental met us again curbside at the arrivals area. Another seamless handoff.
2:55 pm: Flight back home
7 pm: Cocktails at the speakeasy at the American Express Centurion Lounge at JFK Airport. We purposely flew through JFK to check out this new AmEx lounge. It has 2 premium bars and its own speakeasy! Order the Southside Cocktail with Beefeater gin, lemon juice, and mint. So refreshing! Great way to end an amazing trip. Â
Breakfast: At the villa
Lunch/Dinner: At airport lounges and plane ride
Who Will Like This St John ItineraryÂ
- Beach lovers
- Snorkeling & hiking enthusiasts
Best Time to Go to St JohnÂ
Many consider April and May as the best time to go to St John due to the ideal temperatures and little rainfall. I would avoid June – November, which is hurricane season. Those months have a lot of rain, and it’s hot!
December through March is also a nice time to visit but prices will be higher since it is peak season and you may be contending with the “Christmas winds.” We went in December, and some of the days we snorkeled were really difficult or impossible due to these winds.
Villa Rental Booked for This St John Itinerary Â
- 8 nights
* There are only 2 resorts on the island, so the majority of visitors stay in vacation rentals. We stayed all 8 nights at Anchorage Aweigh, which is a villa rental in Coral Bay.
Airlines & Lounges UsedÂ
Delta Airlines
- We had a layover in Atlanta before flying into St Thomas and a layover at JFK flying back home. Total flight times from the east coast + layovers were about 6-7 hours.
Amex Centurion Lounge JFK
- Gorgeous multi-level lounge with a speakeasy! Love this lounge.
Car Rental & How to Get Around St JohnÂ
- St John is pretty easy to navigate around by car. We used Amalie Car Rental in St Thomas. I highly recommend them.
Tour Operators We UsedÂ
- None. This is one of the few trips we did without any tours. All of our snorkeling sites were accessed directly from the beach.Â
Lunch/Dinner Reservations Booked in AdvanceÂ
- None. All of the restaurants we chose did not require reservations.Â
What I Would Have Changed in My St John ItineraryÂ
- I would have checked out more of the local food establishments. My husband and I went during the pandemic, so our goal was to avoid people and just enjoy the outdoors and fresh air. We did go to a few local places, but it was mainly for take-out. When we come back (not during a pandemic), I would love to check out Lime Out (the floating taco bar), Extra Virgin Bistro (have some cocktails), and Aqua Bistro (for lunch/dinner).
- Skip the snorkeling at Blue Cobblestone Beach.
- I wish I had time to have hiked Reef Bay Trail, another well-known hike in St John.
St John USVI
Questions about our St John itinerary?
Let me know in the comments below!
Fantastic information! We will head back there December 2021 and your information along with pictures and safety advice was priceless. Thank you so much! Sue and Craig
So glad you found it helpful. St. John is such a beautiful island with so many places to explore. Enjoy your trip!