What is the temperature like at (insert your vacation dates here)?

Averaging 80 degrees year round, truly! St John weather is ideal!

The generic answer to this generic question is that the weather on St. John is usually the same, day or night, winter spring, summer and fall – LOVELY! Seriously, though, the daytime temperature is always 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, bright sunshine with an occasional fluffy cumulus cloud and, maybe, a quick rain shower in the afternoon (we hope daily to keep our rainwater cisterns full) and often with a spectacular rainbow. The nighttime temps are maybe 10 degrees lower. Really, year-round the weather on St. John is always this nice – except for Hurricane Season which peaks in mid-September! We have more guests during the summer from the south (Florida, Georgia, Texas and the Carolina's) who come to get away from the heat and humidity at home. What makes Great Expectations unique is that the Villa faces east over the Caribbean Sea towards Africa and benefits from the almost constant, cooling, easterly Tradewinds which blow unobstructed through the Villa naturally cooling all the rooms. But, nothing can beat floating in the bathtub-warm-temperature of the Caribbean Sea in the middle of a Northeastern snowstorm during January, February or March!

Will my smart phone work on St. John?

While most cellular phones will work on St John, only AT&T and Sprint have no roaming charges in the US Virgin Islands. But, many of the beaches look directly at the British Virgin Islands and often you will pick up their signals, so we recommend turning off your phone or at least putting it in airport mode while you are at any of the US National Park beaches on the north shore.

Since the recovery after the 2017 hurricane season, we’ve noticed that Verizon has gotten better and Sprint has gotten worse.

Can we save money by not renting a car or Jeep?

No. A taxi from the Villa to town (Cruz Bay) costs $5 per person. From town to, say, the beach at Trunk Bay, costs another $8 per person. That’s > $25 per person round-trip with a tip (if you ever want to see the taxi driver again during your stay), or $100 per day for 4 people – more than the daily cost of a rental car on St. John! Some might ask at this point, “but what if we do not go to one of the US National Park beaches every day?” Our answer is then do not come to St. John; while there are two beaches within walking distance of the Villa, neither comes close to the beauty of the white sand beaches along the north shore of St. John in the US National Park.

Still not sure? How’s this: we have never had in over 20 years of business any guest who did not rent vehicles while on St. John or who realized after not renting that they should have. Trust us, rent sufficient vehicles so that everyone in your group can explore one of the world’s greatest islands! We have even arranged discounts for our guests from a number of rental car agencies on St John and St Thomas, so you have no excuse!

What about money and credit cards?

The US & British Virgin Islands use US currency. Most businesses accept major credit cards although a decent-sized minority do no accept American Express.

How do I get from St. Thomas to St. John?

The answer is by Ferry. It is only a 20 minute ride from Red Hook to Cruz Bay on St John and the views are magnificent. Besides the public ferry which runs every hour on the hour until 10pm (as of 2/8/18), think about taking a private water taxi which departs whenever you are ready to go, no fuss, no muss.

Where does one fly into to get to St John?

St Thomas (STT). Many of the major US airlines including American, Delta, United, and JetBlue fly into St Thomas from the states.

If planning on staying or visiting the BVI at the beginning or end of your trip, Beef Island (EIS) is an option as well.

Do I need a passport?

While current US government regulations do not require a US passport for travel to or from the US Virgin Islands. However, we recommend you bring a passport (or you will need a certified copy of your birth certificate and, for anyone 18 or older, a driver's license or other government identification with a photograph) in case you want to visit the British Virgin Islands.

When you leave the Virgin Islands, you will need to clear US Customs in the St. Thomas airport. While a passport is not necessary, it does make things go faster.

Is St. John like it was before the storms?

In many ways, it's better. The community is tighter than ever before. The federal, regional, and local governments spent countless hours and dollars pushing for a fast recovery. The National Park beaches and trails were open sooner than anyone thought.

But, there are some short-term changes: many palm trees were damaged or destroyed. Some are being replanted, some will grow back. A few of your favorite bars or restaurants might not be fully open, although a great number are. Cinnamon Bay campground is going to take a while to rebuild. Some boats were lost, but many more are back on moorings and ready to take you out on the water for the day (or longer).

We've been on island for a week or more every month since August 2017 (we were the last 'guests' at Great Expectations before the storm). September was rough. October was a little better - plenty of food and mostly supplies, but still no power. November got better as downtown got power consistently and cell phone service improved. December saw a major improvement with consistent power on most of the island and a constant flow of goods (and tourists). The winter of 2018/19 was great with beautiful weather, open beaches, and blue water. While rain was a little scare in the beginning of 2019, some nice May rain has brought the island back to it’s wonderful tropical green glory.