things to see and do on St. John Archives

April 17, 2014January 19, 2017

Angels Rest, St. John

Angels Rest, a 40 ft. pontoon boat and bar, was on our list of places to visit while in St. John recently. We’d seen Angels Rest a few years ago while driving past Coral Bay, but with the recent buzz about it, we were on a mission to find out more.

We emailed Capt. Peter (Peter Hoschl) to find out if he’d be at Hansen Bay in front of Vie’s Snack Shack the day we were in St. John and being newbies to Angels Rest and probably not the best group of swimmers around, we asked if there was a dinghy for pickup on the beach. We loved his answer.

“Ahoy there my fellow rummies, the best way to get a hold of me is call before you head out there, everybody swims out to the bar, I am usually anchored out about 100 ft . off shore, no pick-me-ups.

See ya there, I got water wings for ya if you get toooo rumed up.”

Tel#. 340-514-6270 Capt. Peter. M/V Angels Rest

This was gonna be fun!

We made our way out to Vie’s on the east side of St. John and east of Coral Bay, and got our first glimpse of Angels Rest.
(UPDATE – Vie’s Snack Shack has recently closed, but we heard that you can still access Hansen’s Bay by driving just a little past Vie’s and access it though the next property – check with Capt. Peter to confirm the best way to get there)

Thinking the swim out would be fine but we may need water wings to get back, we made our way into the clear, blue water.

Capt. Peter greeted us as we swam up, made it to the platform and pulled ourselves in.

Not knowing what to expect, we were pleasantly surprised at the interior – bright colors, a beachy feel and a great view of the bay made it a place we felt like we could hang out for quite some time – and we did!

Watch for fish (or people) under your feet as you sit back and relax with a beverage

Angels Rest sound system

We ordered a round of Capt. Peter’s special rum punch (mostly rum with a little punch) and chatted with him about Angels Rest. A great guy who loves to meet and talk to his guests, we loved hearing the about his travels and how he’d ended up in St. John building a pontoon that would someday become a floating bar which doubles as his personal home. He also offers day charters (with gourmet meals) – or longer charters including a honeymoon charter!

Quite the storyteller, we found ourselves very entertained with his enthusiastic tales of adventure.

Angels Rest has a deck on the top for patrons to enjoy as we with some seating. The upper level has a great view of the beach and bay.

After a few hours, we took one last look around,

thought about using the water wings…

Grabbed one of Capt. Peter’s business cards,

And said goodbye to some new friends.

When we asked Capt. Peter why he chose the name Angels Rest for his pontoon, he said,
“We are all angels, and we all need a place to rest!! So why not have a hangout where all us angels can rest together.”

Exactly.

To find out more about Angels Rest, where it will be when you are visiting St. John or chartering and day trips,
Join the Facebook page: Angels Rest
Email Capt. John: [email protected]
or call him: (340)514-6270

Find Angels Rest (when in front of Vie’s in Hansen Bay) on our St. John Map

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

August 21, 2013May 29, 2019

Cinnamon Bay, St. John

We’ve been asked if we have a favorite beach on St. John, and we’d have to answer the same way that our friend Dwayne Allen of the Rum Bar in Phoenix answered when we asked him if he had a favorite rum. He said “They’re all like my children – I love them equally, it’s just that some days I prefer one over the other!”

Map of St. John north side beaches. The umbrellas indicate beaches. For and interactive version of this map, click here.

With so many outstanding beaches to visit on St. John, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Cinnamon Bay will always hold a special place in our heart. When we first visited St. John some 17 years ago, we were on a cruise and had only one day to explore St. Thomas and St. John. We asked a good friend of ours who had spent time on both islands for his advise on what to do and see. This is the same friend that told us we must sample a Painkiller while in St. John…which, of course, we did, and have been sampling them ever since!

So what was his advice? Take the ferry to St. John and spend the entire day on Cinnamon Bay. That’s exactly what we did, and spent an entire, beautiful day on one of the prettiest beaches we’d ever seen, sharing it with only a family of donkeys. That’s right – aside from a couple way on the other end of the beach – and the donkey’s – we had it all to ourselves.

Fast forward 17 years and Cinnamon Bay is now one of the most popular beaches on the island and for good reason. It not only has a mile long expanse of gorgeous white sand, good swimming and snorkeling, it now has a ton of amenities as well.

Cinnamon Bay has a General Store, a Beach Shop, Watersports Activity Center, Restaurant, Restroom and Showers, Camping and Cottages, plenty of parking and regular taxi service.

The only bad thing about all of this? You most likely won’t be the only ones on the beach with a family of donkey’s anymore. But with a mile of beautiful beach to enjoy, you should still be able to find a great spot in the sun as you can see from a picture of a more recent visit above.

One of the Cinnamon Bay Cottages

View to the left from the beach

Looking down Cinnamon Bay Beach to the right

Cinnamon Bay – still one of our favorite places to get our toes in the sand on St. John. Can you see why?

For more information on camping and other amenities on Cinnamon Bay, check out the
Cinnamon Bay Campground Website

Find Cinnamon Bay on our St. John Island Map

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

June 20, 2013May 29, 2019

Hawksnest Bay, St. John

It’s hard to pick a favorite beach on St. John – there are just so many gorgeous ones. There’s one after another on St. John’s north shore and one of the closer ones to Cruz Bay is Hawksnest Bay.

Hawksnest is easy to get to, has parking close to the beach, has good amenities such as BBQ grills, restrooms and covered pavilions, and because of these conveniences – can get busy. What we like the most about Hawksnest is that it’s a great place to have a picnic, is great for swimming and snorkeling (unless there’s a north swell) and has some terrific shady areas and a little privacy in and amongst the lush foliage.

Walk along the beach to the west then on a trail through the woods next to the water to get to Little Hawksnest Beach for a little more seclusion, or drive .3 miles past the Hawksnest Beach parking lot to park and enter Gibney Beach, which is actually part of Hawksnest Bay. Gibney has very limited parking but is beautiful and usually quite secluded.

Looking towards Little Hawksnest Beach

View of Gibney Beach

The clear water makes for great snorkeling in areas

One of the paths to Hawksnest Beach

Find Hawksnest Bay on our ST. JOHN MAP

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

June 3, 2013June 5, 2019

Rum Therapy On St. John

Although the smallest of the three US Virgin Islands, St. John has a tremendous amount of things to do and see, or plenty of space to stretch out and do nothing at all, if that’s what you’re looking for!

During a recent visit, we took an early morning car ferry from Red Hook, St. Thomas to St. John. The car ferry is a good option if you’ve rented a car on St. Thomas and have plenty of time – just check with your car rental company to make sure they allow it.

Car Ferry from Red Hook, St. Thomas to St. John

Lovely Cruz Bay, St. John. Cruz Bay is where the ferries arrive and depart.

Right off of the passenger ferry dock you’ll find a number of great beach bars and fun stores. During this trip, we made a stop at St. John Spice (upper level) and Bones Rum (1st level).

Take a hike down the beach and stop for a drink at:

High Tide

Joe’s Rum Hut, or

The Beach Bar.

Cruz Bay has a lot of other great restaurant, bar and shopping options – there’s literally something for everyone. We headed up the hill on 20 toward the north side beaches and stopped at the Cruz Bay overlook for a pic.

Then took a hike down through the forest to check out Salomon (Solomon) Bay and Honeymoon Beach.

Salomon (Solomon) Bay

Honeymoon Beach

We continued on 20 past Caneel Bay

And stopped at Hawksnest Bay Beach to lounge in the water for a while

Climbed Peace Hill to check out the ruins and the gorgeous views…

Then lingered for a while at the popular Trunk Bay Overlook for a picture of the spectacular bay.

Trunk Bay

And snorkeled at the Trunk Bay Underwater Snorkel Trail

Stopped at Cinnamon Bay to put our toes in the sand

Checked out beautiful Maho Bay for the first time

And peaceful Francis Bay.

We took our time looking around Coral Bay.

Enjoying a very tasty Jazz Brunch at Miss Lucy’s

and later an extremely tasty hamburger and rum drinks at Skinny Legs.

We hiked the Salt Pond Trail to Drunk Bay

to check out some interesting coral sculptures that other visitors have created…

And took one last chance to wade in the clear, blue water of Salt Pond Bay. Reluctantly, we headed back to the ferry, a bit more tan and a lot more relaxed…

There you have it. A few of our favorite experiences from our last (much too short) visit to St. John. We’ll most certainly be going back, so, what have we missed? What are your favorite things to see and do on St. John?

To see other posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

April 4, 2013June 5, 2019

Maho Bay, St. John

When it comes to beautiful beaches, St. John, USVI sure has its share. The island is dotted with phenomenal white sand beaches with beautiful clear, turquoise water. Just past some of the most popular and sometimes quite crowded beaches, Trunk and Cinnamon, you come to the overlook of another St. John beauty – Maho Bay.

Overlook of Maho Bay

Access: Limited parking in parking spaces right on the road, close to the beach.

Beach: a nice stretch of soft sand with lined with palm trees and Maho trees. Gentle sandy access, great for swimming. Usually calm surf. Popular with the locals on weekends.

Amenities: A beach pavilion that can be reserved by permit through the Virgin Islands National Park Service.

Recommended for: swimming, some snorkeling, families, photography, anyone wanting a quiet beach with few amenities.

Tip: stop at Trunk Bay for snorkeling or Cinnamon Bay for full amenities, but continue to Maho if you want to escape the crowds and don’t need a lot of amenities.

Find Maho Bay on our St. John Map

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013, 2014
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

January 15, 2013July 17, 2019

Honeymoon Beach, St. John, USVI

Honeymoon Beach, a north shore St. John, USVI beauty.

Access: hiking or boat
Hiking: there are 3 ways to hike to Honeymoon Beach.
1. Hike the Lindt Point Trail from behind the National Park Visitors Center in Cruz Bay.
2. Drive up Route 20 from Cruz Bay up the hill, past the Cruz Bay Overlook and turn left, right before the Virgin Islands National Park sign.

There are a few parking spots to the immediate right after you turn. Walk past the National Park sign until you see the Caneel Spur Trail sign. Follow it down the hill to Honeymoon Beach.

Caneel Spur Trail (Access #2)

3. Park at Caneel Bay Resort (there is a fee to park there) and take the path from the parking lot to Honeymoon Beach.

Beach: Honeymoon Beach is a long stretch of beautiful, light colored sand with a gentle access. Some shade is available.

Honeymoon Beach looking left towards Solomon Bay.

Honeymoon Beach looking right towards Caneel Bay.

Amenities: Watersports Center, Gift Shop, restrooms, hammocks, picnic tables, guided eco-kayak, hike & snorkel adventures. Chairs and water toys can be rented.

Honeymoon Hut at Honeymoon Beach.

Tip: We visited Honeymoon Beach fairly early in the morning and it was just us and these guys:

Wild donkeys on Honeymoon Beach

We hear that later morning and early afternoons can get quite busy with boats bringing guests over for excursions, so if you’re on St John during high season and want to avoid the crowds, you might try to spend time on Honeymoon Beach earlier in the a.m. or later in the afternoon.

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.