In addition to a wealth of water sports, there are a number of other ways to play on St. John. You can ride trails on the east-end of St. John on horseback or donkey or hike the numerous trails throughout the Park. One of the most popular trails is the Reef Bay Trail, which is in the middle of the island. It is a downward hike which takes you through a pristine forest of large trees and tropical plants. Take a side trail and you will end up at the petroglyphs, elegant primitive symbols carved into the rocks around a shallow pool. There is much debate about who actually did the carvings. Another side trail will take you to an abandoned estate house. The main trail ends at the ruins of a sugar mill near the beach at Reef Bay. For those who don’t want to take the hike back up, the National Park Service has scheduled times for a boat to meet you at Reef Bay and take you back to Cruz Bay. Information on this hike and numerous other Park activities can be found at the Visitor Center located in Cruz Bay.
Golfers will be happy to know that there are a couple of options to play your passion. On St. John, visit Pastory Gardens and the Cruz Bay Golf Club. Test your skills on their 18 hole executive putting course set within a lush botanical garden, which has 40 to 60 foot putting greens amidst bridges, waterfall and streams. They also have the newest golf rage, Virtual Reality Golf, where you can use your own clubs or theirs to play the top PGA courses in the world. Adjacent to the golf course is a delightful 135-seat restaurant, The Compass Rose. This is a spacious bar and if you’re there at sunset you’ll receive a complimentary cocktail. For more information visit www.cruzbaygolf.com and www.pastorygardens.com
For golfers who want a full course experience, Mahogany Run Golf Course on St. Thomas is a beautiful course on the north side of St. Thomas. Dramatic and challenging it is worth the trip to St. Thomas. For more information contact: www.st-thomas.com/mahogany
St. John has several salons that offer hair care, nail care, and a variety of spa/massage experiences if you would like to pamper yourself during your stay, and an on-call masseuse can be arranged for private sessions at the Estate.
Beauty in Balance is a salon/spa that offers hair care, nail care and a variety of massage experiences if you would like to pamper yourself for an afternoon. For deep tissue work ask for Christine. For a totaling relaxing massage try the raindrop massage by Melissa. She uses a combination of essential oils in a back massage that makes tension just float away. A facial by Sonni at Beauty in Balance is another wonderful way to spoil yourself.
