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St. John Tops Them All

Photo by Steve Simonsen
Photo by Steve Simonsen

St. John was recently named to the top spot of not one, but two travel lists.

TripAdvisor named St. John the best island in the Caribbean as part of its 2013 Travelers’ Choice Awards. Here’s what they had to say:

“Ecotourism is alive and kicking on St. John. There’s more than enough to do on land, from watching for wildlife in the national park to hiking miles of trails or strolling sandy white beaches. Hit the water for amazing snorkeling, swimming, even underwater photography—of course. This is the Caribbean, after all.”

The award is based on traveler’s opinions and submitted reviews. TripAdvisor ranked St. John the second best island in the world earlier this year.

St. John was also named the top snorkeling destination in the Caribbean earlier this week.

Islands Magazine referred to St. John as “the belle of the ball” and even mentioned renowned local photographer Steve Simonsen in the article. Here’s a bit of what they had to say:

“When you spend the bulk of your professional life snorkeling the reefs of St. JohnUSVI, aiming your underwater camera at a succession of bikini-clad babes and creating images for clients such as Kodak, National Geographic and Playboy, a day off seems like a wasted opportunity. But if you’re CT+L contributor Steve Simonsen, you still grab your snorkel and head for the water. At Leinster Bay, you’ll hit belly-scrapingly shallow water just yards away from the path to Water­lemon Cay, where the skinny water is packed with millions of sardine-size silverside. The baitfish ebb and flow around you as you move, so don’t be surprised to find yourself dive-bombed by a pelican looking to fill its bill.

“In deeper water, vast schools of French grunts and goatfish move amid fields of Venus sea fans. On a recent four-hour masked marathon in Leinster Bay, Simonsen tailed a sea turtle as it grazed on grass and then tried to crack open a small conch, and he spied healthy young stands of endangered elkhorn corals five to eight feet in diameter.”

Now you know you’ve got a good thing going when you get two pretty cool awards in one week. Keep up the good work St. John.

8 thoughts on “St. John Tops Them All”

  1. Can anyone tell me what the other ones were because that website is atrocious to navigate. I love St. John but Anegada is far superior.

  2. I was so blessed to come upon a 5′ black tip shark while snorkeling in Privateer Bay. Yes, we seen each other’s eye!
    A memory I will never stop getting goosebumps when I think of it.
    Nature and people can be at peace…glad it wasnt hungry, tho. 🙂

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