While You're in St. John
This section of the website is dedicated to information about dining and commerce and links to helpful sites. Many guests ask about Car Rentals. I do not usually recommend one car rental agency over another but feel free to call or email for information about the different companies, to find car rentals go to www.usvi.net's Car Rental page. Another site to check out for St. John info is www.usvitourism.vi
For boat rentals, charters, and watersports please email me with specifics and I will help you find what works for you. If you have visited the island before you might already be familiar with this information but if you have not stayed in Coral Bay, I hope it will be helpful. Coral Bay and Cruz Bay are the main towns on the island. Coral Bay is on the west side of the island and is more of the quiet, local area. Our villa is in Coral Bay, and if you walk or drive down to the end of our road from the villa (.2 miles) you will be at Cocoloba Center. It has a grocery store called Lilly’s Gourmet (a little smaller than the grocery stores located in Cruz Bay). The shopping center also has a restaurant called Aqua Bistro, massage therapy, shops, and a postal store from which you can fax and ship things home. There is another small grocery store in Coral Bay called Love City and a Josephines Gardens where you can buy organic vegetables. Other entertainment and restaurant options are Sweet Plantains, Shipwreck Landing, Tourist Trap, Island Blues, Skinny Legs, Donkey Diner, Miss Lucy’s (Sunday jazz brunch), Concordia (also does Sunday jazz brunch) and food stands like Miss Vie’s. Skinny legs and the Donkey Diner are .8 miles from the villa. The two main roads to get to Cruz Bay are North Shore Road and Centerline. It takes about 20 minutes to get to Cruz Bay on Centerline. North Shore Road is the scenic longer route which takes you through the National Park and past all of the beaches. There is a bus that leaves every hour from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay. It is just as fast as driving and costs a dollar (be aware that you cannot take suitcases or coolers on the bus). The closest Beach is Maho Bay at 3.2 miles and Francis Bay at 4.2 miles and headed south is Salt Pond Bay. You hit all of the other national park beaches on North shore road as you pass Maho Bay (Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, etc.). All of those beaches have parking lots and bathrooms. Cruz Bay is where you arrived on the ferry. The passenger ferries usually travel from 7-11pm depending on the season. Most of the restaurants, bars, and shopping are located in Cruz Bay. It is always loud, busy, and it can be hard to find parking although they have just opened a public parking lot on the edge of town if you don't mind walking a ways. A good choice for groceries is Dolphin Market, Starfish Marketplace, or St. John Grocery. Starfish Marketplace has a grocery store, gourmet food and wine store, hardware store, drug store, video store, coffee shop, restaurants, and other shopping. Some of the restaurants that I recommend in Cruz Bay are Asolare, ZoZo's, Rhumblines, The Lime Inn, La Tapa, and La Plancha Del Mar. A great place for lunch in Cruz bay is Deli Grotto, Water Front Bistro, and Sam and Jacks Deli.
For boat rentals, charters, and watersports please email me with specifics and I will help you find what works for you. If you have visited the island before you might already be familiar with this information but if you have not stayed in Coral Bay, I hope it will be helpful. Coral Bay and Cruz Bay are the main towns on the island. Coral Bay is on the west side of the island and is more of the quiet, local area. Our villa is in Coral Bay, and if you walk or drive down to the end of our road from the villa (.2 miles) you will be at Cocoloba Center. It has a grocery store called Lilly’s Gourmet (a little smaller than the grocery stores located in Cruz Bay). The shopping center also has a restaurant called Aqua Bistro, massage therapy, shops, and a postal store from which you can fax and ship things home. There is another small grocery store in Coral Bay called Love City and a Josephines Gardens where you can buy organic vegetables. Other entertainment and restaurant options are Sweet Plantains, Shipwreck Landing, Tourist Trap, Island Blues, Skinny Legs, Donkey Diner, Miss Lucy’s (Sunday jazz brunch), Concordia (also does Sunday jazz brunch) and food stands like Miss Vie’s. Skinny legs and the Donkey Diner are .8 miles from the villa. The two main roads to get to Cruz Bay are North Shore Road and Centerline. It takes about 20 minutes to get to Cruz Bay on Centerline. North Shore Road is the scenic longer route which takes you through the National Park and past all of the beaches. There is a bus that leaves every hour from Coral Bay to Cruz Bay. It is just as fast as driving and costs a dollar (be aware that you cannot take suitcases or coolers on the bus). The closest Beach is Maho Bay at 3.2 miles and Francis Bay at 4.2 miles and headed south is Salt Pond Bay. You hit all of the other national park beaches on North shore road as you pass Maho Bay (Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, etc.). All of those beaches have parking lots and bathrooms. Cruz Bay is where you arrived on the ferry. The passenger ferries usually travel from 7-11pm depending on the season. Most of the restaurants, bars, and shopping are located in Cruz Bay. It is always loud, busy, and it can be hard to find parking although they have just opened a public parking lot on the edge of town if you don't mind walking a ways. A good choice for groceries is Dolphin Market, Starfish Marketplace, or St. John Grocery. Starfish Marketplace has a grocery store, gourmet food and wine store, hardware store, drug store, video store, coffee shop, restaurants, and other shopping. Some of the restaurants that I recommend in Cruz Bay are Asolare, ZoZo's, Rhumblines, The Lime Inn, La Tapa, and La Plancha Del Mar. A great place for lunch in Cruz bay is Deli Grotto, Water Front Bistro, and Sam and Jacks Deli.
