ST. JOHN: CANEEL BAY

After another soul-crushing New England winter, Steve and I decided it would be necessary to go someplace warm this year. We picked St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since more than half the island is a National Park, it's less developed and tourist-heavy than other Caribbean destinations such as St. Thomas - in other words, perfect for us.



We stayed at Caneel Bay resort, which this post will feature. Because St. John does not have an airport, we flew into St. Thomas and then took a ferry directly to the resort - this was our most welcoming first view.



Consisting of 170 acres and 7 beaches, Caneel Bay is a spacious, beautiful property nestled between the coast and St. John's mountainous landscape.



Here's a wide-lens view with the resort's open-air Equator restaurant on the left.



Our accomodations appeared unremarkable from the outside...



Inside, however, was surprisingly lovely - cozy and just the right size.



The property features some sugar mill ruins.





For a hefty price, I believe one can privately dine in them.



Caneel's vegetation often seemed more like something one would find in the desert than in the tropics.



However, there were plenty of trees laden with fruit...



And of course, palms everywhere.



In the background, if you squint hard enough, you can make out some of Caneel's most common animal residents.



Donkeys strolled the property with ease.



A few weren't shy, either. This one took an interest and kept inching towards me.



We also spotted the occasional iguana.



I think I preferred the donkeys.



We saw plenty of teeny tiny birds, plus mightier ones such as this pelican-like beauty.



I mentioned that Caneel has seven beaches - while we did not lounge at every single one, we spent one afternoon here at Scott Beach.



Snorkling in the clear blue Caribbean, we saw a stellar assortment of tropical fish, plus one massive turtle.



This lady had the right idea - although not oppressively hot, the temps reached the mid-80s every single day.

Sunset at the sugar mill ruins, gazing upon the St. Thomas horizon. Check back soon for more pictures from the rest of the island (and beyond).