Ticket to Paradise

Now that Covid-19 has taken over our lives for a full year, we’ve more or less navigated how to not catch the virus, while also not being cooped up at home. No judgment on those who don’t feel comfortable traveling yet, but if you do, St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands should be at the top of your travel list.

There’s no airport on this remote, eightmile-long island, so here’s how you get there: Fly American Airlines from Miami to St. Thomas, take a taxi to either Red Hook or Crown Bay, then hop on a ferry to St. John. The flight I took was completely full, not even the middle seats were empty for social distancing. Fortunately, American aircraft have state-of-the-art air filtration systems, which constantly pull air from above to

BY LIZZIE WILCOX

below the seat, and on the flight back I had the row entirely to myself.

Something else made it feel safe: Everyone needs to provide a negative Covid test (rapid or PCR) within five days of traveling. Upload the test results to usvitravelportal.com and you’ll be emailed a certification within hours. Print out a copy of the test results and the certification, which they will collect at the airport in St. Thomas. The nice thing about traveling to the Virgin Islands right now is that, because they’re a U.S. territory, you don’t have to get another test to travel back.

I have been to St. John many times and every year my family stays at The Westin in Great Cruz Bay. The resort is family-friendly, has its own beach and restaurant, and is just a five-minute taxi ride from town. The only year we didn’t stay at The Westin was in 2018 when it was under repair from hurricanes Irma and Maria. That year, we ventured to Gallows Point. This resort doesn’t have beach access, but it does have a pool and hot tub that look out over the Caribbean Sea, and a platform you can climb down to if you prefer a salt water swim. Gallows Point is more couples-oriented; the suites are large with a full kitchen and living room, but only one bedroom. The resort is in Cruz Bay, so it’s walking distance to all the shops and restaurants in the downtown.

Caneel Bay is another famous St. John resort, but it hasn’t reopened since Irma and Maria. Their lease with the National Park Service is almost up, which they are trying

MIDDLE: to renew, but they don’t want to put millions of dollars into restoration if the property will be returned to the park service within a few years.

The island has a really great dining scene and I could write an entire article about the restaurants in Cruz Bay alone. Shaibu’s just opened in January and has the best crab cakes I have eaten in my life. The Terrace is French-inspired and has an incredible cocktail menu. Ocean 362 has one of the prettiest sunset views on the island. Morgan’s Mango is known for its seafood and Caribbean cuisine.

Having visited St. John over a dozen times, I’ve been to many of the island’s pristine beaches, but Honeymoon Beach is by far my favorite. You can access the beach by shuttle from the Caneel Bay property, but we prefer to hike to it via Lind Point Trail. Starting in Cruz Bay, it takes about 20 minutes to reach Honeymoon. The sea here is so clear you can see right through to the bottom, so you’ll want snorkel gear to watch the sea turtles and stingrays that inhabit the waters. You can rent beach chairs and chaise lounges, and, most importantly, there are concessions where you can purchase Caribbean cocktails like painkillers and rum punch.

Covid-wise, the island felt completely safe. Everything is outdoors, from the beach to the trails to the restaurants; even the taxis are open-air. At the time we were on St. John, there were only five active cases. It felt like we were taking a vacation not only from work, but also from this pandemic nightmare we’ve been living in. We stayed for a week, but even that didn’t feel long enough. So many beaches to explore, so many bays to snorkel, so many painkillers to drink and so little time. ■