There's really no escaping having to drive or take taxis if you're wanting to see all of the beaches and hiking. So, be prepared for that. Cruz Bay will get you within walking distance of dining. Coral Bay is much quieter and offers more privacy at your villa. Sometimes we split our trip between the two ends of the island to get both experiences.

Seriously check out Gallows Point. It is absolutely beautiful and only a few minute walk into town (Cruz Bay) for dining, happy hours, shopping etc. The "resort" are individually owned condos managed by Gallows Point. Lush landscaping, a new pool and deck, a walkway to get into the water to snorkel (though no beach). It is made for couples (no children allowed under 5) and honestly we've never seen kids there period. Stay #14 coming up this Dec. since 2010. Ask away if any questions. Congrats and enjoy!

https://gallowspointresort.com/

I echo Gallows, but as stated, stj is a diy place where you load ip and drive to a different beach daily. If not renting a vehicle, you definitely want to stay in Cruz Bay, hardly a city, so crowded is relative. If you have a vehicle and want a private villa, put out budget and must haves and you will get suggestions.

I would still suggest staying on the Cruz Bay side for ease of being close and not driving the roads after drinking and being dark. As soon as you are 2 min from town, the island is essentially quiet everywhere.

We split our vacation between Coral Bay and Cruz Bay this past February and will do the same next year. There are far fewer restaurants in Coral Bay if that is important to you. You should be aware that driving in Coral Bay after dark can be intimidating The roads are dark and curvey. We stayed a two minute drive from the center of Coral Bay but you could be quite a bit further. Now some drivers do not mind at all so you may be OK. We like to stay within walking distance of the restaurants in Cruz Bay. I would also suggest Battery Hill, SeaGrape Vista and the Star Villa properties. There are others you could find if you Google around. If you want a villa, the drive from Cruz Bay along the South Shore toward Fish Bay is easy, although Fish Bay can take longer and you might be up some big hills there. You could also check a villa rental company like Carribean Villas for= suggestions or check their website.

I’ve always stayed in villas - have always gone with extended family and enjoy everyone together with our own pool and privacy. I’m on SJ now (for 3 wonderful weeks) and it’s just our family (parents and 2 young adult kids). It was a relatively impromptu trip so ended up renting 3 different places. Not ideal, but beggars and all that. Post your must-haves, would-likes, and budget and you’ll be flooded with suggestions.

Outstanding recommendation. Will definitely look into this place!

We have also always stayed in villas (family of 5). We love having our own pool and space. We have stayed all over the island as well. Coral bay, Chocolate hole twice (and again in July), Fish bay, Cruz bay and Upper Peter bay. We have rented from Destination St John the past 4 times we have gone and they are easy to deal with and give a 10% discount for returning customers. We also have rented a jeep each time for the whole visit. We like to hit up the whole island and as many beaches as possible. If you go the villa route, I would definitely recommend that. I love driving there, so it is not a big deal for us.

We liked Coral Bay, but it is definitely quieter and if you have a few drinks or dinner in Cruz bay, you have to deal with the drive back. I like the restaurants over there, but you are somewhat limited. We had great views from the villa though.

Chocolate hole and Fish bay seem to have the most villas available at pretty decent prices. The views are excellent if you rent a villa that is up on the hill. We rented a villa there (right after the hurricanes, so we could not be picky) that did not have a view. The house was great, but not having a view on STJ is a letdown. It is about a 10 minute drive to Cruz bay from these spots. Typically, we go to the beach in the AM, change clothes when we are done and drive into Cruz bay and have HH or dinner before continuing the drive to the villa. Makes it pretty easy.

We stayed in Cruz bay, but it was about a 15-18 minute walk down the the Cruz bay beach. We walked it once because the walk up the hill was tough... We had decent views and were far enough away that it was not too noisy. It was probably our least favorite spot though.

Upper Peter bay was great. Unbelievable view. 3-4 minute drive to Trunk or Cinnamon and we could go back to the villa for a quick swim and change after the beach and before going to Cruz for dinner. Wanted to book again for this upcoming trip but it was a spur of the moment thing and it was not available for our week.

Have a blast!

It depends when you are visiting. If you are visiting in late summer or fall Coral Bay can be pretty sleepy. Some restaurants will be closed for various amount of time for the season. There’s only a handful of restaurants in Coral Bay so I’d take that into consideration. Nothing is really walkable in Coral Bay, although depending on your villa location you may be able to walk to a restaurant or two.

If you want more restaurant choices and true walkability, staying right in Cruz Bay is the way to go. St. John is hilly so when you get just past the shops and restaurants you are dealing with hills. If you are looking for truly walkable Gallows, Grande Bay and there are some places on Frangipani Ln that would work. The units in Grande Bay are/can be quite a bit cheaper than Gallows. Gallows is a lovely property but I haven’t stayed there. We stayed at Grande Bay last visit and loved our unit and the proximity to town. We had covered parking. ( the studio units don’t come with parking) and you can take the elevators right down to the street level and be in town in one minutes walk.

If you want a stand alone villa you are most likely looking at a short drive to town. I’d opt for the south shore. There are many villas for rent in this area and it’s a pretty quick drive to town. You will need a car! It is in no way walkable. From Cruz Bay it looks like this :

Constant area- it is between the Large Pond ( where the car barge comes in) and Great Cruz Bay. It’s the closest to town.

Maria Bluff- between Great Cruz Bay and Chocolate Hole -it is the next peninsula heading east from Contant.

Hart Bay- between Chocolate Hole and Hart Bay.

Search out villas using these locations. Most of us use

St.John-villa rentals.com. It avoids the crazy VRBO fees and you will be renting right from a management company/property manager or owner.

As you get further east it gets even quieter and for me just to far of a drive to town especially for a first time visitor. It looks short on a map but you will be driving about 20 mph on a hilly, unfamiliar road. rIf you are looking for privacy and don’t mind what I consider to be a bit too far out, Klein Bay and Fish Bay are beautiful also.

Like I said if you chose the south shore location you will need a car. As soon as you firm up your villa plans and airfare get that book! I can’t tell you how many people wait and are sorry. We book our Jeep 6 months out, as do many returning visitors. We book ours right on St Thomas and opt to take the car barge over. It’s very convenient.

Would recommend Gallows or Grande Bay but if you want quieter and a simple walk to town...look into Aqua Bay Villas. 4 units share one pool. When we were there last Summer it was us and one other family so we often felt we had the place to ourselves. We walked to town for dinner at night after we drove to beach for the day. Parking in Cruz can also be an issue