** sorry for the low quality pictures – these were taken with an older camera **
2013 was a big year for Jarrett and I. We had gotten our dog Carter in June of 2012 and it made us realize that all three of us would be happier with more space that a house would provide than in an apartment. At the time the real estate market had plateaued and there wasn’t a lot of competition so we decided we should start looking. In April of 2013 we made it official! We closed the last weekend of the month. Then, after an exhausting week of moving, painting and unpacking, we took off on vacation. A friend of mine from Maine, Cassie, had settled down on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. She graciously offered to let Jarrett and I stay with her, her husband and two kids while we were on the island. We would then stay two days on St. Thomas before heading home.
We flew into St. Thomas and took the ferry to St. John. Cassie met us when we landed in Cruz Bay. We followed her in our rental car on the winding roads of the island to where she lived in Coral Bay. The views were absolutely incredible. The waters were bright teal and I couldn’t wait to get to the beach. St. John is a small island, only 9 miles long, so you could easily drive back and forth across the island multiple times a day. The speed limit was 35 miles per hour and often we found ourselves driving slower than that because of the switchbacks and wild donkeys that roamed the island.
It was so fun seeing the wild donkeys all over the island. They were so cute! There were also a lot of goats roaming around and iguanas too. We went to some great places while we were there…but to be honest, I’m not sure if they are also still open after the hurricanes that ripped through a few years ago. Skinny Legs was our favorite bar/restaurant. It was in Coral Bay, right by Cassie’s house. We stopped there multiple times to get Rum Punch and rum brownies. We also enjoyed Mongoose Junction and the little stores there. Jarrett and I love craft beer and enjoy going to breweries so we always try to find some on our journeys. We got to check out St. John Brewers, which was located at Mongoose Junction as well. Rhumb Lines was a restaurant in Cruz Bay where Cassie had worked previously. We did a fun double date night there with Cassie and her husband.
Our favorite beach on the island was Maho Bay. We went there so many times during our trip. Another interesting thing about the island was how quickly the weather could change. We’d be at one beach and it’d start raining but we could drive down the road about a mile to another beach and find the skies were clear and the sun was out.
60% of St. John is covered by the Virgin Islands National Park. Jarrett and I did some hiking one day and the views did not disappoint. It’s cool looking back on this because now Jarrett and I are trying to go to all the National Parks…at the time it wasn’t even a thought of ours.
2. View from Bordeaux Mountain
Our time on St. Thomas wasn’t as exciting. We stayed at Bluebeard’s Castle Resort, which overlooked the water. It was a pleasant stay. The pool was really nice and had great views. We ate every meal at the pool bar and restaurant. We did try to explore a little but unfortunately most of the businesses near the resort were closed. From what we were told it sounds like there weren’t any cruise ships coming in to the harbor the days we were visiting, so most businesses just stayed closed since there wouldn’t be an influx of visitors.
I would like to go back to St. John someday to see how it’s changed in the last 9 years and maybe do some more exploring on St. Thomas to get a better idea of what the island is really like.
Have you been to any of the U.S. Virgin Islands? Which is your favorite? Let me know below!
📍I acknowledge the lands mentioned in this post are the ancestral lands of the Taíno people.
The Adventures of Suze 
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