If You Live on St. John, Where Do You Vacation?
This summer, my family and I were fortunate to get a chance to travel. Many of our guests seem surprised when we tell them we are going “on vacation.” I mean, where do you travel when you live on St. John? For us, exploring the world has always been a part of our lives, whether jumping around hostels while backpacking Europe, casitas on the beach in Central America, old hotels in ancient cities in Thailand, or island hopping the Caribbean, our wanderlust is one of the reasons we came to and ended up staying on St. John.
This summer, we went to Switzerland, Germany, and a small island in Greece. While the main purpose of our adventure was exploring these new places, we also had a professional one, in learning and researching how some of the most premium destinations in the world can help us further improve the quality of the travel experiences we provide. We are always striving to see how St. John compares as a globally significant destination.
Switzerland offered us an unparalleled mountain adventure with impossibly vast vistas and cow bell ringing, wildflower-laden hikes under glacial peaks through verdant valleys. The area in Germany where we traveled had a culturally rich, culinary diverse modern city life. But for the purposes of this article, it’s the tiny Greek island of Paros that brought the most relevant comparison.
Paros is about three times the size of St. John in land size, and a little busier, but equally remote. There is an airport, but most guests arrive by ferry or private boat. It is simply idyllic of what you expect from a Greek island - little white masonry buildings with narrow maze-like streets under azure skies with bustling street cafes filled with beautiful people speaking every language but English. There are dozens of beaches dotting the coastline - some with beach clubs or restaurants - all with clear, calm blue water. Essentially, Paros is a St. John of the Mediterranean.
So how does it compare and what did we learn? When it comes to the beach, it’s just not possible to find better beaches in the world than those on St. John. We’ve travelled to Hawaii, Belize, Costa Rica, Greece, Thailand, Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, and all throughout the Caribbean … and we haven’t found any beaches that compare to those on our little island. While some of the beaches in other countries are undoubtedly beautiful, the combination of all of the right elements on our beaches cannot be found anywhere else in the world - soft white sand, calm clear water, lack of over-crowding, no vendors, undeveloped natural landscapes, easy access …
As we sat poolside on the last day of our trip, we reflected upon what we learned. What is the value of travel? How can we make it better? What should we expect as travelers? Our daughter’s answer to this was compelling – we travel to get out of our comfort zone to see the world differently. To gain experience we would not otherwise get from our typical daily lives. To disrupt the every-day routine of doing dishes and laundry.
We also learned that we needed to adjust our expectations and our comfort zone in order to fully appreciate our experience. Was the Wi-Fi slower? Was the shower smaller and more difficult to use? Was the air conditioning not as cold? Was the food different? Was it less convenient to do laundry? Was it hard to understand the language? Did we know how to drive? Did we feel safe? Did we understand if we were making the right decisions? Were there bugs? Did we order the wrong food or drinks? We experienced all of these at one point or another during our trip – and these challenges and mistakes affected us, for sure! But ultimately, it helped us better understand and appreciate different cultures and places- at least a little. It made us experience things that made us better world citizens. It made us appreciate what we have and what others don’t. It helped us learn to be better hosts and better guests.
So what does that mean when planning a trip to St. John? Should you expect it to be exactly like it is in the states? Not at all. Yet it’s amazing that you can fly from the East Coast in just four hours and get somewhere so vastly different than where your trip originated. When traveling to St. John, you don’t have to get a passport, spend long hours on a flight, learn basic parts of another language, or exchange your money. But, you can gain that little step outside of your comfort zone with a bit more ease than broader global travel with a huge perk of easy access to simply several of the best beaches in the world.
As we ramp up for a busy season, we want to welcome all of you World Travelers, and those just looking to dip a toe into the tranquil blue water. Traveling to St. John is just a toe-dip into the world of possibilities of travel … but the water is perfect here, so come on in!
To further inspire you, we are offering 15% off any stay before the holidays at most of our stunning villas. *Offer limited to stays of 7 nights or more. Stays over Thanksgiving week not eligible.
