The US Virgin Islands are a massively standard Caribbean vacation spot, particularly for U.S. residents searching for a sunny vacation spot to journey to passport-free.
This island group is made up of three stunning islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Whereas all of them are fantastic, which one is best for you?
On this article, we are going to examine St. Thomas vs St. John that can assist you resolve which is the very best vacation spot on your journey.
St. Thomas vs St. John: Overview
These two superb US Virgin Islands have loads of similarities and are each nice contenders for a dreamy trip crammed with solar, sea, and sand. They each provide sunny, heat climate all 12 months spherical (though it may be stormy throughout hurricane season).
Since each St. Thomas and St. John are U.S. territories, the first language is English, Americans don’t want a passport for entry, and the forex is the U.S. greenback. This makes it straightforward to expertise all the great thing about the Caribbean with out the effort of additional paperwork, coping with a international language, or having to alternate forex.
St. Thomas vs. St. John: Resorts and Lodges
In the case of the alternatives accessible by way of lodging, St. Thomas is the clear winner on this one. As the preferred US Virgin Island amongst guests, St. Thomas boasts a wider vary of resorts and motels, together with luxurious and 5-star choices such because the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas.
St. John nonetheless has a very good vary of lodging, however because the island is the smallest of all three US Virgin Islands and isn’t as standard as St. Thomas, there are fewer locations to select from right here. Yow will discover a small vary of resorts, motels, and luxurious villa leases throughout the island.
St. Thomas vs St. John: Seashores
One factor you’ll doubtless need to expertise in your Caribbean trip, is, after all, the seaside. Each islands function stunning seashores with shiny white sands and superb turquoise waters.
As St. Thomas welcomes extra vacationers than St. John, it’s extra developed. Due to this and the big variety of resorts, many of the finest seashores on St. Thomas truly lie inside the grounds of personal resorts and are reserved to be used by their friends.
Don’t despair in case you’ve elected to remain in a lodge or villa although; there may be nonetheless an awesome vary of seashores open to the general public all throughout St. Thomas, together with Coki Level Seaside, Sapphire Bay, Magens Bay Seaside, and Lindquist Seaside. All of them are stunning, although because of the variety of cruise ships that dock right here, these seashores (particularly Magens Bay Seaside) can turn out to be fairly crowded when cruise ships are current.
As St. John is far smaller than St. Thomas, there are fewer resorts. Because of this though there are additionally fewer seashores, most of them are accessible.
Nearly all of St. John’s seashores are literally protected inside the Nationwide Park, so they’re saved pristine and undeveloped. If you wish to expertise a secluded slice of sandy paradise, St. John could also be your most suitable option.
In the event you’re searching for the very best seashores on St. John, you’ll need to head to probably the most well-known space, a protracted stretch alongside North Shore Highway. Nevertheless, there are different nice seashores scattered across the island. A few of the hottest seashores are Maho Bay, Honeymoon Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Hawksnest Bay, and Trunk Bay.
St. Thomas vs. St. John: Price
Prices in your journey will consist primarily of lodging, adopted by meals and transportation. Since St. John is so small and the variety of lodging there may be restricted, lodge costs are usually greater. St. Thomas is the higher selection in case you’re seeking to preserve prices low, as there may be a variety of lodging in any respect value factors.
The common price of an evening in St. Thomas is round $250, and it may well vary from $80 to $570 per evening, relying on the extent of luxurious you’re seeking to take pleasure in. The common price of lodging in St. John is a median of $371 per evening, starting from round $170 to $500 per evening.
Taxis and meals are at comparable value factors on each islands. Nevertheless, it’s necessary to take into account that in case you’re planning on traveling to St. John, you’ll need to take a ferry or hopper aircraft over from St. Thomas, which is an additional expense.
St. Thomas vs. St. John: Security
Each St. Thomas and St. John are comparatively protected locations.
In St. Thomas, the crime charge is reasonable, making it usually on par with different standard vacationer locations. As tourism is such a big a part of the island’s economic system, precautions are in place to make sure the protection and well-being of tourists, so you’ll be able to really feel protected strolling across the main vacationer areas throughout your go to.
That stated, it’s necessary to remain vigilant and use frequent sense, as petty crimes reminiscent of pickpocketing can happen right here, however total, this island is comparatively protected.
St. John is definitely the most secure of all of the US Virgin Islands, and little or no crime happens right here (excluding some petty crimes, which might happen nearly anyplace). Many guests report that they really feel protected strolling round in St. John day and evening, however it’s necessary to remain vigilant, notably in case you’re touring solo or are a feminine traveler.
Some issues to bear in mind to make sure your security in each of those locations embrace:
- Lock your condo or lodge room doorways and home windows at evening and once you go away, to guard from break-ins.
- Lock your automotive doorways in case you decide to hire a automotive, and don’t go away any valuables the place they are often seen.
- Keep away from secluded areas at evening, and take a look at to not stroll round alone until completely essential.
- Don’t carry numerous money or put on costly jewellery when out and about.
St. Thomas vs. St. John: Finest Time to Go to
As these two islands are in such shut proximity to at least one one other, they each expertise the identical climate, so the very best time to go to can be the identical.
To really get the very best out of your journey to St. Thomas or St. John, go to between April and June. The climate presently of 12 months is sort of gentle, and each islands expertise little to no rainfall throughout these months.
Peak season within the US Virgin Islands runs between December and March, so visiting throughout the shoulder season simply after lets you expertise stunning temperatures, higher costs, and fewer crowds.
St. Thomas vs. St. John: The Remaining Verdict
In the event you’re planning on taking a visit to the US Virgin Islands, we’d suggest visiting each St. Thomas and St. John (or if doable all three, together with St. Croix). Island hopping is a superb pastime within the Caribbean, and having the ability to do that passport-free is a dream!
That stated, each St. Thomas and St. John are equally beautiful locations, with beautiful sights, seashores, and many to discover and uncover. You’ll discover that St. Thomas has just a little extra on provide although, because of it being extra developed. In the event you’re planning on going out to eating places, need an awesome vary of resorts to select from, or in case you’re touring on a funds then that is the vacation spot for you.
If, nonetheless, you’re searching for a lesser developed island, then St. John would be the more sensible choice.
Now that you simply’ve learn our comparability of St. Thomas vs St. John, which one do you need to go to? Tell us within the feedback!
Nonetheless undecided which is the very best island for you? Head on over to our Contact Us web page to get in contact with considered one of our trusted journey advisors. They can assist you propose your dream trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands.