---

Restaurant:
<1> Hillside Terrace - near my inn.
St. John, St John, Frank St, Cruz Bay, 00830, U.S. Virgin Islands
+13407151036

Fried Chicken Seasoned Rice Potato Salad and Macaroni Salad, Stew Chicken, Fried Shrimp Seasoned Rice Potato Salad and Macaroni Salad, Pasta Salad
the oxtail and curry chicken
<2> partly / Chinese restaurant -
Morgan's Mango, 18-1 Enighed Cruz Bay, St John 00831, U.S. Virgin Islands
only dinner (5:30-10pm); seems expensive; neo-Caribbean cuisine:

<3> Chinese restaurant:
The Dugout at 420 to Center
7 Cruz Bay, 00830 St. John
+1 340-643-6637
Fri and Sat closed
6 minutes walk from the inn. Near the ferry dock.
<4>
Our Market Smoothies
CUISINES:  American, Caribbean, Healthy
MEALS:  Breakfast, Late Night, Drinks
Vesta Gade, Cruz Bay 00831 St. John
5 minutes walk from the inn. Near the ferry dock.

---

Supermarket
<1> Dolphin Gourmet Market, Boulon Center 18-25 St. John, St John 00830, U.S. Virgin Islands
2 minutes walk from the inn.
<2> Starfish Market
St. John, Cruz Bay, St John 00830, U.S. Virgin Islands
4 minutes walk from the inn.

---

Plan:
3/5 Tue
8:35am - JFK Terminal 4 - Delta - My Confirmation#: JODVHF.  Her Confirmation#:  GFRXF8
1:43pm - arrived at STT

Old plan: Taxi to St John Ferry Dock, St Thomas, Charlotte Amalie - 11 minutes drive.  Walk: 1 hr 1 min. 5:30 pm - ferry - $13.  Any senior or disability rate? 6:15pm - arrived at Cruz Bay, St. John.

New plan:
Taxi to Red Hook, 30 minutes.  $29 (or $23?) total.
20-minute ride to Cruz Bay, St. John.
Walk to Inn at Tamarind Court - about 7 min.
Dinner - Hillside Terrace, or restaurant in the inn. Or,
As the sun sets, savor a Caribbean-inspired dinner at The Beach Bar, offering a perfect beachfront setting. Conclude your evening with a leisurely walk along the shore, listening to the gentle waves and soaking in the island's ambiance.
Address of The Beach Bar: 4A Wharfside Village, St John 00831, U.S. Virgin Islands
Or

Or

visit  Cruz Bay Landing and try their fresh seafood offerings.  Recommend the Landing shrimp, and fish & chips. Provide lunch & dinner.
Address of Cruz Bay Landing: 6 D Cruz Bay Town, St John, VI 00831, U.S. Virgin Islands

3/6 Wed
Free breakfast
Taxi to Trunk Bay- $18 total per trip for 2 persons.
Although rates are standardized it is recommended that you speak to the driver and agree to your total rate (for you, your group, your luggage, waiting, tour) before boarding the taxi.
Trunk Bay Plantation Ruins.
Coral Reef Underwater Park Trail.  $:Free.

There are no entrance fees for either Virgin Islands National Park or Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monument. However, visitors to Trunk Bay are required to pay an Expanded Amenity Recreation Fee, per the table below:

3/7 Thu
A.
Taxi to Cinnamon Bay / Little Cinnamon Bay Beach - $22 total. 
Yes, there is taxi stand at the beach. 
Cinnamon Bay Plantation Ruins. 
Cinnamon Bay Self-Guiding Trail.
Snorkeling sites:
1. Cinnamon Cay - A short snorkel off the beach, the Cay has some interesting structure. deep water on the eastern side with more shallow water corals and fish on the western side. The eastern side can be subject to surf/waves.
2. Cinnamon Bay - On the far eastern end of Cinnamon is some fantastic snorkeling. You'll find a large table structure that's home to lobster, fish and corals.
B.
Easy snorkeling place recommended by here - Taxi to Maho Bay. $28 total.  How to come back?
A great beach and probably the best chance to see a turtle or ray. you'll also see pelicans, tarpon and schools of fish. Snorkeling is best along each shoreline.

3/8 Fri
Unique Sea Turtle Snorkeling & Boat Excursion
Friday, March 8th 2024 @ 9am – 12:30pm
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/friendsvinp/items/204394/calendar/2024/03/?full-items=yes&flow=9093
This excursion departs St.Thomas (Ocean Surfari Red Hook location) and stops in St.John (Ocean Surfari Cruz Bay location) to pick up guests as well!
Address of Ocean Surfari | Retail Store at Cruz Bay: Dock Side Mall unit C Cruz Bay, St John 00831, U.S. Virgin Islands
If you need to make a change, please call 340-779-4940.  $95.40
If you are on St John, please meet us at 9:00AM at the Ocean Safari store which is located at the Cruz Bay ferry dock. The boat will be en route from St. Thomas and no waiting is allowed on the beach so everyone needs to be ready to go when the boat pulls in at 9:30AM. Drop off will be at the same place on the Cruz Bay beach in front of the Ocean Surfari store at 12PM.

3/9 Sat
Taxi to Oppenheimer Beach.  $16 total.  How to come back?

https://stjohn-beachguide.com/oppenheimer-beach-st-john/
Snorkeling at Oppenheimer Beach is best along the eastern side. The shallow reef just off the beach is recovering from destruction inflicted during the construction of the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center – high up on the ridge above Hawksnest Bay. Construction runoff caused significant damage to a once impressive reef. Fortunately the corals, sea fans and marine life are returning. Continue on along the shoreline in about 8′ to 15′ of water and the overall health of the reef increases dramatically. You’ll see a wide variety of Tangs, wrasses and snapper as well as established brain corals, sea fans, gorgonians, elkhorn and fire coral.

3/10 Sun
Ferry to Red Hook, Saint Thomas (a 20-minute ride)

3/11 Mon
Birdwatching Day
From Maho Bay to Francis Bay

Ref: https://wikitravel.org/en/Saint_John_(Virgin_Islands)

---

6 day trip suggested by AI:
https://www.roamaround.io/itinerary/st-john-usvi-6-days?from=2024-03-06&to=2024-03-11&search=true

---

src

You’ll find plenty of things to do in Virgin Islands National Park. Tackle some of the park’s more than 20 hiking paths. Choose from a dozen with a distance of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) or less or string several routes together for a full day on the trails.

For fun in and on the water, head to Cinnamon Bay. Rent kayaks, paddleboats, surfboards or sailboats and hit the beach and the waves. Among the most notable beaches in the park is Trunk Bay, a stretch famous for its silky sands, clear water and excellent facilities. Rent a comfortable beach chair to laze beneath the sun or snorkeling gear to follow the Underwater Trail. As you float along the trail past colorful coral and fish, pause to read underwater plaques that provide additional information about the marine life in the area.

Another popular park location is the Annaberg Plantation, which produced sugar, molasses and rum in the 18th and 19th centuries. Follow the informational trail, which leads past the ruins of the plantation’s old factory, windmill and slave lodgings and features signs sharing historic details.

Opt for a bird-watching stroll along Francis Bay Trail and salt pond or join a ranger-led tour into the verdant Reef Bay Valley. Participants can see ancient rock carvings as they hike through tropical forest. Some tours conclude with boat rides back to the Cruz Bay Visitor Center.

---

Snorkeling map:
url:  https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/virgin-islands-marine-visitor-use-information.htm


https://stjohn-beachguide.com/best-snorkeling-in-st-john/

BEST SNORKELING FOR CHILDREN

Maho Bay
Easy access, shallow water, shade and a good chance you’ll see turtles, rays and lots of fish!
Caneel Bay beach
Shallow entry, calm waters and plenty to see close to shore.

---

Francis Bay Trail
Francis Bay Trail starts at the Francis Bay Sugar Factory. It continues past the Mary's Point Estate house and around a salt pond (Mary Point Pond). The dry tropical forest and salt pond provide an excellent opportunity to view birds. The lower portion of the trail is an accessible boardwalk that continues through the mangroves to the two viewing platforms.
Note: Mary Point is an uninhabited peninsula on the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands. There are no roads or trails and steep cliffs prevent access from the water. Although Mary Point once housed a small sugar cane plantation, the area is now overgrown with thick forest.
Address of the start of Francis Bay Trail: 9785+3JM, St John 00830, U.S. Virgin Islands (near Little Maho Beach)
*The boardwalk to the salt pond viewing platforms is wheelchair accessible. The rest of the trail is uneven and rocky. There is a steep climb from the parking lot at the Francis Sugar Factory to the beach and boardwalk. Those looking for easier access should park at the beach end of the trail.


The Francis Bay Trail is a gentle 0.4 mile walk that starts of the Francis Bay Sugar Factory and continues past the Mary's Point estate house before skirting a mangrove-fringed salt pond.
The combination of dry tropical forest and the pond provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of bird species and is a great place to look for migrating warblers. The lower portion of the trail is an accessible boardwalk that passes through the mangroves and provides access to two viewing platforms.
Or, you might just choose to sit on one of the benches above and enjoy the sharp cries of the stilts and coots below and skip the walk altogether.
https://www.facebook.com/virginislandsNPS/photos/a.995784963783953/4459082540787494/?paipv=0&eav=AfbnDrPzzDc2y7hqeKjZtv7wTbaC3j5PkEyopV5Mi2GU1J39NCw4Ge-1Br9V467AE2Y

---

Ranger-Guided Tours
https://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/rangerguidedtours.htm

---

src (In April 1986)
Maho Bay Camps:
The tent platforms are connected together by a series of boardwalks leading to toilets and unheated showers, administration buildings, the dining hall, and the beach. The boardwalks are built slightly off the ground to protect the habitat from foot traffic and erosion. From these boardwalks, I was able to see numbers of Bananaquits, Pearly-eyed Thrashers, Gray Kingbirds, Antillean Crested Humming birds, Zenaida Doves, Scaly-naped Pigeons, Mangrove Cuckoos, and Black-faced Grassquits.

...

A second reason for visiting Maho (I think is Little Maho Bay) is the fact that the camp ground is only a fifteen-minute hike from Mary Point (at Francis Bay Trail), an excellent birding area when there has been adequate rain. Mary Point is bounded on the west by Francis Bay and on the east by Leinster Bay. The Park Service maintains a 0.3 mile trail that leads from the public road, passes Mary Point Pond, and ends at a bathing area on Francis Bay. The Park Service often conducts bird walks to this area: check with the rangers at Cruz Bay for details. Despite the fact that St. John was in the middle of a dry spell and Mary Point Pond was nearly empty, my walks in this area were very productive. I was able to see Common Ground-Doves, Zenaida Doves, Black-Whiskered Vireos, Black faced Grassquits, Smooth-billed Anis, Antillean Crested Humming birds, Little Blue Herons, Green-throated Caribs, plus the ever-present Bananaquits and Pearly-eyed Thrashers. Northern Waterthrushes, Northern Parulas, Yellow Warblers, and Ruddy Turnstones were also present in good numbers.

The third reason for recommending Maho Bay is the fact that the camp provides convenient access to a wide variety of activities offering numerous opportunities for birding. These activities include both camp-sponsored events and programs conducted by the Park Service. One such event was an all-day snorkeling trip by power boat circumnavigating St. John. Besides the splendid snorkeling at four different locations, there was also adequate time to observe ocean birds. Although you can see Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Boobys, Royal Terns, and Brown Pelicans from many locations on the island, the boat trip offers the opportunity to see these birds in greater concentrations and at closer range. I observed the largest numbers of Brown Boobys on and around Lovango and Mingo cays. These two islands are located just off the northwest tip of St. John. Next to these two islands is Congo Cay, the reported nesting site for a small group of White-tailed Tropicbirds. The boat captain and manager of Maho Bay Camps, Bob Berner, made a special detour by Congo Cay at my request so that we could see these birds. Three tropicbirds flew off the cliffs and circled overhead. What a magnificent sight they were with their long tails streaming out behind!

Update (2020):

Update (2017):
However: On a mile-long, white sand beach elsewhere in St. John, in a U.S. national park, new management has taken over the tents called Cinnamon Bay. And a near equivalent of the much-lamented Maho Bay is beginning to emerge.
To repeat a vital point: Cinnamon Bay is an officially designated campground in a U.S. national park. It has just acquired a new private management, ...
The entire area is serviced by a low-cost restaurant preparing three meals a day and by various grocery outlets for persons preparing their own meals.