St. John USVI aka Paradise

Yesterday, I opened up my email in the morning like I always do. Typically, one of the major travel booking company's emails is in my inbox. But, this one was special. Charlotte to St. Thomas flight deal. I can't tell you how hard it was to not buy a ticket yesterday to go back to this...





















We had such an amazing time on the honeymoon!! We flew into St. Thomas on Monday after the wedding (it's only a 3 hour flight from Charlotte...too tempting to go back all the time) and took the short ferry ride over to St. John for 6 days in paradise. We stayed at the Westin Resort and it was lovely. We'd read mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, but we found it to be really clean, convenient, amazing pool, great food options, and full of helpful staff. The beach was definitely sub-par at the Westin, but we had a rental car and weren't planning on staying there for the beach anyways. We spent the week eating, laying on quiet and secluded beaches, driving around the 9-mile island in the Jeep to see the mountain views, hiking, and doing a lot of nothing. It was glorious.

Favorite beaches:

• Honeymoon Beach (in Caneel Bay) 
• Waterlemon Cay (nice short hike in...good snorkeling)
• Salt Pond Bay (beautiful bay and great hike to Ram Head)
• Hawks Nest Beach (most crowded, but great snorkeling and beautiful white sand)
• Francis Bay (bring mosquito spray though)

Favorite restaurants:

• Waterfront Bistro in Cruz Bay
• Ocean Grill in Cruz Bay
• Skinny Legs in Coral Bay
• Margarita Phils (watch out for the prices on the specials though; they're not listed and they're way higher than the menu...a little shady, but delicious)

We honestly can't say anything bad about St. John. It was an amazing place and some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The weather just got better and better while we were there. The island is so undeveloped and you just don't get the overcrowding you get at other islands with cruise ships. We were often either one of two couples on a beach and sometimes alone. It was unreal for how beautiful it was. We can't wait to go back!

For the wedding, I gave Jeff a waterproof HD video camera and we had a blast snorkeling with it. All the pics are on facebook, but we spent a little time this week in iMovie making a video with the pics and video clips from the week. But, I just found out it's too long to upload here or on YouTube. So here are some highlights you may enjoy:

Jeff's 1st Snorkeling Expedition (Francis Bay)


My 1st Snorkeling Attempt (Francis Bay)


Sea Turtles #1 (Waterlemon Cay)


Sea Turtles Continued


Iguanas