Fun things to do with kids on St John

shells

Stand-up Paddle Boardingis a fun activity for kids as well as adults Shell and coral collecting -- St John has more than 30 beaches most of which are readily accessible and safe for children to explore the unlimited amount of sea creatures or sand crabs or lizards or make sand castles.

Trunk Bay underwater trail is a well marked which depicts several types of sea coral and shells

Reef Bay Trail, swim on the beach, and boat ride back to Cruz Bay and the good news is that the trail is downhill to the beach!

Drive to the East End  - and get up close to the goats, donkeys, and chickens that roam free.

Sloop Jones Art Class is a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon. Everyone has talent and can paint a shirt to remember St John by.

Friends of VI National Park Seminar Series -- offers guided kayak tours, hikes through the Virgin Islands National Park, bird watching tours, seashore walks with park rangers to learn about St John's wonderful sea creatures, eco-systems, reefs and more.

Day sail or power boat or rent a dinghy and explore the waters around St John and nearby cays.

Volunteer at the St John Animal Care Center -- The Animal Care Center is alway appreciative when people come in to volunteer to walk one of their dogs.

Take a taxi tour around St John.  Safari bus (taxi) drivers offer two-hour or three-hour guided tour of the Island, including the Park. These tours usually begin and end at the public ferry dock in Cruz Bay. They stop at overlooks for panoramic views of beaches and surrounding hillsides and at remnants of Annaberg and other sugar plantations.

bubbles on tennis court with kids

Or, just hang out at our kid friendly St John villa, Great Expectations, which has multiple pools (3 and a wading pool for the littlest ones), 2 hot tubs, a basketball and tennis court (a great area for kids to play safely), lots & lots of hammocks, plenty of games and we are only a 5 minute walk to two different beaches (Chocolate Hole harbor with great snorkeling and paddle boarding) and Hart Bay beach which is known for great shell and coral collecting.

Walls go up on the newest pool on St John...

The walls - at least in plywood - are up on the pool

Now that the concrete floor has cured, Carlson Construction got to work this week erecting the plywood forms for the pool walls. Plywood will surround the rebar, plumbing, and electrical wiring prior to concrete being poured.  More work to do before the concrete flows but it has been a good week so far for our St John swimming pool project @ Great Expectations.

Kids stay free! at St John Great Expectations

Let your kids 'drag' you to St John

 On-St John recently reported the tale of Don Ricci who had a tough time leaving the beach on his last day so much so that his kids had to drag him off (and isn't it usually the other way around?). The logical question asked (by On-StJohn) was when do you book your next vacation to St John? While on island? Within the month you get back? Or, are you one of those who wait until the first snow-storm?

Wait no longer -- for the next week only - book Great Expectations for any new reservation by Tuesday, August 7 and get Kids Stay Free!  That's right - FREE! So, no more procrastinating! Reserve any week, except holiday weeks, with no charge for children age 12 or under!

E-mail or call (617 314-6836) us today to take advantage of our Kids Stay Free! special.

July & August News flashes & fun St John clips:

• Once again the Virgin Islands received top honors on several 'the best of' lists. We are not surprised since but always love having others validate our feelings about St John.  Some of this months honors are: *the Huffington Post designated the Virgin Islands National Park    their 'Destination of the Week'

  *Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards reader's survey placed the US Virgin Islands in their top 5 'Best Caribbean Islands'.

  *Islands Wish List for the 'Best Island to Live On' named St John as that island!

• Jet Blue jump starts its season by beginning their Boston - St Thomas flights in September, 3 months earlier than originally planned making it easier to get to St John.

•   News of St John has a great blog posting about a TripAdvisor forum about the 'Best things to Do on St John'.  See if you agree with their listing of best food, beaches, drink, entertainment, and hiking or if you have other ideas to add to the list.

• The USVI is represented at the Summer Olympics in London (including the Paralympics Games) by 8 amazing athletes who are sailing, running, swimming, & riding with their peers from around the world.  Tabarie Henry, who is running the 400 meter dash, was chosen to be the flag bearer for the USVI team. No matter what results, they are all winners & we are very proud of them all.

Come to St John - and Great Expectations - to enjoy an 'endless summer'!

Best,

Chuck & Kristin

owners of Great Expectations

P.S. Check out our availability; we still have a few weeks available during this coming winter.