Questions about St John, US Virgin Islands?

I'm thinking of planning a trip there. Wondering what the best time of year is to visit? nicest weather? fewest ppl?
does it really get crowded? If I want to see the whole island, rent a car or take taxis?
also, advice on a place to stay, I'd like it to be nice, but not like a villa or something super expensive like that.
any other info or tips you could give me would be appreciated as well.

also, is there any place on the island where a 23 year old can rent a car?

The weather in the Virgin Islands is pretty nice year-round. I was there last September, (middle of hurricaine/rainy season) and although it did rain a little, it was by no means a wash out. There were just the usual short afternoon showers, then back to sunny skies. It stays warm all year, though it's smart to bring a light jacket or sweater for the evenings, just in case.

St. John was not at all crowded when I was there, in fact, my husband and I were the only ones on the most of the beaches we went to. We stayed on St. Thomas and ferried over to St. John for one day.

Since St. John is mostly a national park, there aren't too many resorts on the island. The ones that are there are pretty high-end. (Namely Caneel Bay and the Westin St. John - $$$$$!) I've never stayed at either place, but I've heard only really wonderful things about both of them. There are also a couple of eco-tourism campgrounds where you can rent a canvas tent-cottage. But that's basically camping, though not quite as "rough."

Actually, there are a number of villas that, depending on the number of people you are taking, may actually come out cheaper than staying at a resort, especially if you'd need more than one room.

This link has lots of good information on both hotels and villas:

http://www.wheretostay.com/caribbean/us_...

I must say that St. John is absoultely, positively, the most beautiful place I've ever been, and I've done a fair amount of traveling. If you do decide to go, you'll love it. Since most of the beaches are within the Virgin Islands National Park and are protected, they're completely unspoiled. The people are super nice, and the two little towns (Coral Bay and Cruz Bay) are charming and filled with neat little shops and quaint restaurants. If you like cooking, I suggest a stop in St. John Spice, right next to the ferry dock in Cruz Bay, to check out some of the local spices and hot sauces. If you want to hop over to St. Thomas for some "real" shopping, it's just as 20 min. ferry ride, $5.00 a person.

As far as renting a car, there are Jeep and car rental stands all over the place in Cruz Bay, where you get off the ferry. (St. John doesn't have an airport so you'll fly into St. Thomas and ferry over to St. John.) I'm not sure about age limits, though. St. Thomas has more national car rental places, though there are rules about cars going between the islands. The best advice I can give you about that would be to call the VI branches of the rental places and ask.

Anyway, I hope you decide to go. It's a beautiful island and you'll have a blast!

no rental needed...too much money anyway...take what is called locally a "safari" around the island. For about 30 bucks you will get a 2 hour tour of the WHOLE island. I suggest staying at Caneel Bay if you can afford 500 a night...if not Cinammon Bay has a nice campground with screened in shelters and real beds for about 100 a night. The restraunt there is really good too...just go to STJ and hang out "limin" for your entire vacation...you will have so much fun!! good luck! BTW...we like to go in May or June..the snowbirds are gone and the hurricane threat is minimal.

You have to be 25 to rent a car on St John. I would check the car rental places on St Thomas and bring the car over on the car ferry if the rental company allows this. I think Hertz will rent to 21 year olds and up. Taxis are expensive on St John, the VI bus is cheap but on island time and does not go to the North Beaches.

Check these sites out for inexpensive lodging and camp grounds

http://www.stjohnusvi.com/camp.html
http://www.usvi.net/usvi/stj.html

Summer months is when the USVI gets less crowded. But the USVI is a popular travel destination. The best month to travel to St John is November. Fewer people just before the holidays and cheaper prices for lodging.

Good Luck and enjoy)

The Frenchman's Reef Marriot and Morningstar Resort is magnificant, and price competitive. Good location, views can't be beat. I would not rent a car; roads are dangerous, curvy and mountainous, not to mention, you gotta drive on the left. If you want to see the island, go take a tour, theres a lot of them. Just walk around the shopping district in Charlotte, they'll find YOU. Shop around, take the best one. DON'T go to any other hotel, this is the place. It may be worth a few more bucks, but it's well worth it. And make sure you take the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John Island. Leave Charlotte Amelie, it takes about 45 minutes. However, return to St. Thomas via Red Hook, as you can stay a lot later by doing so. It's a shorter trip, only about 15 minutes. Then take a taxi back to hotel. You'll see a lot of the inland part of the island that way too. And the sea ferry over to St. John from Charlotte Amelie dock is absolutlely a must. Only about $10 one way per person. So nice. If you stay there, get a room overlooking the HARBOR, not the ocean, it's beautiful, watching the huge cruise ships come into the harbor, and the night time view from your own private balconey is magnificent. You'll miss that if you take an ocean view room. Don't worry, you'll see plenty of ocean at the 3 swimming pools. The pool at the beach was my favorite, but ALL of them are excellent. Supremely clean, excellent friendly service, you'll like it. Note on taxi service: they don't work like American taxis. They try to cram maximum number into each taxi , which is I think 11 people. They don't leave until they have 11, except in rare cases. Airport to Frenchman's reef, taxi is about $12 plus about 1 o2 2 dollars per bag. and that's per peron. But don't make the mistake of renting a car, just use a "tour" available in many places in downtown Chalotte, near all the shopping areas. Don't botther going to St. Croix, it's not the same. And I wouldn't bother going to the British V.I. either, as then you're entering a new country, with new money, passports required to get back to St. Thomas. Not worth it. But St. John is, and they're US. Cinammon Beach and Trunk Bay are excellent, maybe $6 by taxi from the ferry landing at St. John. Bring swimsuit and towel. Some of the top beaches in the world are there. You'll see why.