Virgin Islands National Park represents 60% of the island of St. John in the United States Virgin Islands. This incredible landscape of beaches, coral reefs, and lush foliage is unspoiled, and offers visitors the chance to unplug and interact with the habitat there. Swim up close with majestic sea turtles, hike through remnants of the Plantation Era, snorkel in breathtaking coral reefs, and relax on the undisturbed white sand beaches. We know that, like us, you will forever remember the unique and beautiful Virgin Islands National Park.
After a short week in Miami during our New Years 2021 Road Trip, our family embarked upon our unexpected adventure to St. John in the Virgin Islands National Park. This venture was not in our original itinerary for our trip. However, when we realized that the Virgin Islands were just a quick flight from Miami, AND that our kids had a four-day weekend the coming weekend, we decided to book flights, stay in Miami for the week instead of driving home back to California, and jet over to explore St. John during our long weekend break. This turned out to be one of the best, most spontaneous decisions we have made as roadtrippers, as St. John is now one of our all-time family favorite national parks.
After a full school day in Miami, the last hour of which our kids did in the parking lot of the airport so that Grace could take a math test, and which led us to being *just* on time for our flight and would come back to bite us when we checked in at the airport, we headed into the airport with nothing but a backpack for each of us. Since we hadn’t anticipated this trip, and didn’t have any luggage in the RV (and luckily needed very little for a four-day tropical escape), we each packed a backpack and called it good. Justin and I told the kids that it was a step in making sure they are very efficient and unfussy travelers as they grow up!
Upon our arrival to the check-in desk in the airport terminal, the airline employee asked us for our COVID test result paperwork, and also the paperwork necessary for entry to the USVI. Justin and I were immediately confused about what she was talking about. In all of our research and preparation for our trip, we had not come across a single thing about what we soon learned was a government website that was required to be filled out for *each* passenger to travel to the Virgin Islands.
Justin and I began frantically filling out the necessary website and information from our phones. The process was LENGTHY, and I literally started stripping off layers of clothes because I was sweating so profusely, knowing we were already cutting it REALLY close on timing for our flight due to Grace’s math test. After filling out our paperwork, we ran through the airport, the kids chuckling along the way that they felt like the family in Home Alone. We made it to our gate just as the plane was boarding.
After an easy, 2 1/2 hr flight from Miami to St. Thomas, we arrived very late in the evening, where we planned to stay close to the airport for the night, knowing we had such a late flight and the ferry to St. John wouldn’t be running.
We crashed HARD that night.
We woke up early the next morning for Kevin (our driver, and a friend of a dear friend of ours) to pick us up and drive us to Red Hook for the ferry ride to St. John. Kevin brought his teacup chihuahua for the kids to play with on the drive. They LOVED her!
The ferry ride from St. Thomas to St. John was a quick 20 minutes, and we arrived in Cruz Bay, St. John, where we walked to pick up our Jeep rental for our stay. As they brought the car out for us, we were elated to see that it was a BRIGHT GOLD JEEP. We all swooned.
Our family loaded into the jeep, knowing that it made the most sense to go explore the island first thing, as we knew we would likely lose the kids once we checked into our hotel.
It was a little strange getting used to driving on the opposite side of the road.
We spent the entire day exploring the Island of St. John, who’s beauty immediately took our breath away. From its crystal clear water and gorgeous bays all the way around the island, to the amazing lizards, fish, turtles, reefs, lush foliage, hermit crabs, iguanas, and wild donkey, goat, and pig, we were smitten. We drove all the way from Cruz Bay into the park, stopping many times along our way and bumping to music the entire time.
One of our first stops on our journey around the island after a few overlooks was the Annaberg Plantation, the historic ruins of a sugar mill from the 1800’s. In order to see the Plantation, we took a short hike up from the parking lot to a beautiful area overlooking the BVIs across the water. At the top, we swooned, seeing the lush foliage, crystal clear blue water, and trees swarmed with butterflies. It was spectacular!
After visiting the plantation, we drove toward Lameshur Bay, stopping at several viewpoints along the way. The ride in the jeep was such fun for all of us, music bumping along the way.
After a relatively short drive, we arrived at our destination for the afternoon, Salt Pond Bay and Drunk Bay. It was here that we were able to experience the juxtaposition of both characteristics of the island, the crazy dark salt water inland and the rocky coral coastal shore of Drunk Bay juxtaposed with the calm, warm white sand beach of Salt Pond Bay. We spent some time snorkeling at Salt Pond Bay, and had our first glimpses of sea turtles in the water. INCREDIBLE!
After a quick clothing change in the car, we loaded up to drive back around the island, making a quick stop for the most delicious smoothies on the island at “Our Market Smoothies.” We would later return multiple times during our stay for their incredible smoothies and ice cream.
In the late afternoon, we arrived at our hotel, the Westin St. John, Cruz Bay, to check in and enjoy the sunset. The kids immediately went to work unpacking and organizing their things in our hotel room, running around squealing with delight at the amenities there, a true luxury after the last month in the RV. We hit the beach to enjoy the sunset and dinner, and, after dinner, took a night swim in the hotel pool under the night sky. We all settled in for a good night’s sleep after what had truly been a magical day in paradise.
The next morning, we woke up with plans to explore more of the island and national park. Our family ventured to Maho Bay for the day, where we set up on the gorgeous, fine white sand beach, and prepared to snorkel with the gear we rented for the day from our hotel. This beach was incredible, and none of us will ever forget what it was like to stare into the faces of giant sea turtles as we snorkeled around in the protected and calm bay. I will never forget the excitement of watching my children experience this and their sheer joy while doing so.
We spent the day, and several trips in and out of the water, exploring the bay, playing in the water, and enjoying the warm sun and white sand. It was SO GOOD.
Hayden, our resident sea animal-lover, was happy to share lots of facts with us about these amazing creatures.
That afternoon, we returned to our hotel to relax and shower before dinner at The Longboard in downtown Cruz Bay. This restaurant had the most incredible calamari dish – definitely the best of my life!
The next day, we had planned to rest and enjoy the resort for the day to give us all some downtime. After a quick visit that morning to pick up some ear medicine for Brady’s swimmer’s ear, we hit the pool, and had a blast playing, resting in the sun, watching the giant iguanas on the edge of the pool, reading, and enjoying another gorgeous sunset on the beach in the hammocks. Grace even won the game of “Name that Tune” poolside!
That evening, we enjoyed another gorgeous Virgin Island sunset at the Westin, and relaxed on the beach. Justin made sure to try a good cocktail, and had been saying our whole trip that just one time he needed to get “Two pina coladas. One for each hand.” so he finally made that dream come true.
On our final day in St. John, our family packed up and checked out of our hotel, planning to explore more of the park before our departure that evening. After a stop at the visitor center in Cruz Bay, we ventured to Trunk Bay, where we snorkeled for the day, and completed the “snorkel trail” through the reef. The fish were gorgeous (the parrot fish were my favorite), and the reef was beautiful. The kids had a blast playing the water, which was so warm that you could stay in all day and never get cold!
We stayed at the beach as long as we could, and then headed to shower at the Westin before our ferry boat ride back to St. Thomas. Watching the sun set on our ferry ride was a moment I will never forget.
We arrived back on the island of St. Thomas that evening, and our driver delivered us to our “very European” hotel that we’d booked for a quick stay since we’d be leaving for the airport at 5am the next morning. This place was a trip! We had dinner at the rooftop restaurant with the kids, where Brady tried calamari for the first time (hilarious!), and we all hit the bed for a quick and awful sleep. Alas, all good things eventually come to an end! I told the kids that our experience that night reminded me a TON of backpacking through Europe in College!
We hit the road for our early flight that next morning, and arrived back in Miami in time for the kids to log on virtually for school that morning, the time change critical.
Our visit to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park had been AN AMAZING and UNEXPECTED SPONTANEOUS trip to paradise! The kids now claim that the U.S. Virgin Islands is their favorite National Park, and I cannot say that I blame them one bit. I have a strong and suspicious feeling that our family will return to the magical Virgin Islands at some point.
