For spring break this year, Rob and I were lucky enough to spend a week on St. John at my parents’ house. They bought property down there a number of years ago and have been enjoying the house they built for a few months every year. My family and I used to take frequent trips to the Virgin Islands (Tortola, St. John), but it has been about 5 years since I’ve had the time to visit again.

Let me tell you, I’m not letting another 5 years pass by without visiting. I’m not sure if my parents were just giving Rob and I the star treatment by showing us everything we could possibly pack into a day (we made a list of 16 things to do on the first night and accomplished 14 of them), or if I’ve just been away too long, but St. John honestly provides the best of everything in terms of vacation dream spots.

Naturally, the beaches are the first thing. Soft white sand, clear blue water, space to swim for miles uninterrupted by boats. Water so delicious you just want to drink it.

After our red eye from Denver to the island, my parents handed us a rum punch and took us for a quick dip in one of St. John’s most famous beaches, Trunk Bay. (We had our swimsuits in our carry on in preparation for this exact moment.)

Hand in hand with the beaches is the snorkeling. Knowing that my sister, Margot, who was there with us for a few days, hates getting out of the water, we special ordered size 15 flippers for Rob. From enormous coral, to angelfish, to turtles, to rays, to bait balls, to a 6-foot shark in a rather deserted stretch of sort-of open ocean, we saw it all. If you head there, definitely go for the less-populated beaches to see the best things.

Even though we were there for the beaches, the island of St. John is comprised of about 60% National Park and is covered with hiking trails. We managed three separate hikes while we were there, all of them tougher than I expected from the rocky/rooty terrain and heat.

One hike was with the superintendent of the park who shared with us his experiences of working there. It’s a pretty exclusive opportunity as he only takes 6 people and gives this hike once a year. Not only was his talk interesting, but we ended with a ride in a national park boat to get us back to headquarters.

While we ate at home most nights, my parents had tasty meals planned each day, we also did our fair share of eating out. The food on the island is seriously good. We had a gourmet seafood lunch at Caneel Bay, juicy burgers at Skinny Legs, and light comfort food at The Beach Bar. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with eating at any of these places. I’m still dreaming about all three of the meals.

Even though the beaches, snorkeling, hiking, and food are all perks of the island, the most spectacular perk is The Hideaway. This is my shameless plug at how absolutely amazing my parents’ house is. We spent an entire day, and most nights and slow mornings, just hanging at the house.

A private beach just steps away with great snorkeling, a private pool to soak in before or after a day on the beach, a designer outdoor shower so you don’t have to spend one minute inside, and a separate en-suite bedroom/bathroom for guests to have their own space. You can stalk their house, and rent it!, here.

It was the exact week both Rob and I needed after a stressful winter (hello new house!) and I came home fully relaxed. Good thing we still have 2 things left on our to-do list to tackle on our next visit!

RQ: What is your favorite part about a beach vacation?

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.