St John USVI
Allie and I had discussed staying in a hotel for the week or renting a villa, but unfortunately that was out of our budget and definitely not our style. A quick google search pointed us to two eco-friendly campgrounds: Maho Bay and Cinnamon Bay. After some more research we decided to book a bare site at Cinnamon Bay for 5 days at the rate of $32 a day.
Our campsite at Cinnamon Bay
We checked two bags filled with clothing and camp gear and boarded the plane out of Boston for the Caribbean. After landing in St. Thomas, we grabbed a taxi and our gear and headed for the ferry to St. John. The ferry takes all of about ten minutes to depart Red Hook on the east end of St. Thomas to arrive at Cruz Bay on St John. Cruz Bay is a fun and lively town full of crusty ex-pats, sun burned tourists, and smiling locals. Lugging two big bags and painfully pale from the cold New England winter, we definitely had a tourist sign on our backs. Luckily getting a taxi from Cruz Bay is very easy and we were on our way out to Cinnamon Bay.
Sunset at Cinnamon Bay
We pulled off the main mountain road of the island onto a dirt cul de sac where the entrance to Cinnamon Bay Campground was. A small country store, an outdoor deck/restaurant, and a set of ticket booth style check-in counters greeted us as we exited the cab. After an easy check-in we made our way down the dirt road towards our campsite. A large canopy of trees blanket the entire campground blocking out the hot rays of the sun during the height of the day. We could make out the azure color of the Caribbean Sea at the end of the dirt road, but decided to unload and unpack before we made it out to the beach. Our site was clean and basic with a laundry line, picnic table and flat ground for setting up camp. The canopy of trees overhead were hugely beneficial both in keeping the sun out in the morning and keeping the site cool throughout the day and more importantly at night.
Finally, after camp was set we walked out to take in the sights of Cinnamon Bay. We were both blown away by how beautiful a beach it was. St. John is preserved by the Virgin Islands National Park and is an incredibly lush and undeveloped island. At the entrance to the beach, there is a eco classroom/dive shop as well as a water sports rental shack. We noticed several people snorkeling along the coral reef island that juts out in the middle of the bay. The beach itself was not only gorgeous but never got overly crowded throughout the week. We were always able to find a private spot without having to walk too far from our site. I was also very impressed with the selection they had at the water sports shop. They rented everything from boogie boards and beach chairs to hobie cats and stand up paddleboards. Allie and I rented paddle boards and surfboards which we used all over the bay and off the reefs adjacent to the island.
Surfing at Cinnamon Bay
After the beach, we headed back up the road to grab dinner at the campground's restaurant. Although the prices were a bit high, the food was solid. We also were happy with the post-dinner entertainment they offered. A local reggae band played some great originals and cover songs. Allie and I were spent at about 8PM and called it a night.
The rest of the week we were on the pretty much the same schedule. We would wake up, walk out to the beach, grab breakfast, head into Cruz Bay or hike around the island, grab and early dinner and be in bed most nights by 8 or 9. Although food and taxis are the most expensive aspect of life on St. John, we quickly learned after a couple days that hitching rides from locals and bringing food to the campsite are part of life at Cinnamon Bay.
The author hitching a ride in the back of a pick up out to Coral Bay USVI
Overall, our trip to St. John and Cinnamon Bay Campground was awesome. We couldn't have been happier with our winter escape as we spent very little money and had a great time. I would highly recommend St John as winter destination for the budget conscious travelers out there. Thanks for reading.
- Zach
