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Travel: St. John, USVI

Posted by Robin - G+ on Dec 11, 2010 in Travel | 1 comment

The sand is impossibly white. The water is warm, aqua, and calm as a bathtub. The temperature is almost always in the mid-80s. It's what you imagine the Caribbean to be. Uploaded by USVI forum member mscolleen.

(Originally posted April 30, 2009)

The marketing theme for the U.S. Virgin Islands used to be “America’s Caribbean.” So while at first blush it may seem odd to have a Caribbean island in a blog about Great American Things, it definitely belongs.

What makes St. John unique in the Caribbean is that the Virgin Islands National Park covers more than 7,000 acres on the island, limiting development and preserving the quality of the natural habitat. The beaches consist of that amazing sugar-white powder. Shades of aqua you can’t imagine being real make

Photo by Jeannie Chalkley.

each bay more wonderful than the last. The snorkeling is some of the best in the world, and you can swim to the reefs from shore. If all that isn’t enough, the temperature remains in the mid-80s year-round.

There are plenty of dining options, but no chain restaurants. The language is English, American money is used, there’s even a slow-as-home post office. You’ll have to drive on the left, however, and that’ll throw you until you get used to it.

St. John is breathtakingly beautiful, and as safe as the Caribbean can be. No wonder it pulls us back year after year.