Very soon, we are leaving for St. John and we are soooo excited.  Although we are looking forward to relaxing, we do want to do some activities, so I’ve investigated the possibilities and mapped out a plan for activities in St. John with kids.

I think when we get there and check into the hotel, we are going to spend the first few days relaxing and just playing on the beach. Everyone in the family needs a break after the long school year and Keith’s job has been extremely demanding as of late, so sitting and staring at clear blue water sounds perfect! And the kids haven’t been on a beach since last summer when we went to Nicaragua.

Fun Beach Activities

• We’re hoping to interest the kids in snorkeling. I’m not sure what the age limit is but I remember snorkeling when I was 7 so I’m hoping that Max, 8, will at be able to join us. Zoe is a question. Our hotel has several beaches to choose from and all of them have very calm, bath-like water and snorkeling is a blast. In addition, they give you snorkeling gear for the duration of your stay so we can go whenever we want without making reservations or plans. The snorkeling off the Caneel Bay beaches offer opportunities to see colorful tropical fish, barracuda, jellyfish and even turtles.
• The Baths on Virgin Gorda, a quick boat ride away, are amazing and they are definitely on our itinerary. The Baths are a beach with huge limestone boulders, which form tide pools, arches, tunnels and grottos. They are truly an amazing site and a very popular tourist destination. Caneel Bay offers a tour there and lunch at their sister resort, Little Dix Bay.
• Paddleboarding. This has become so popular lately and I must admit I’m intrigued. There are several paddle boarding guides in St. John and I’m hoping to convince Max to go with me. As long as we stay close to shore, I think he’ll really enjoy it.

Fun Land Activities

• St. John is two-thirds national park and I want to get the kids out hiking, even if it’s a short one. When we went to St. John for our honeymoon we never hiked and I have always regretted it. Taking the kids with us for our first St. John hike will be really fun!
• Renting a jeep and touring the island is a must on St. John! The island is full of, not only gorgeous scenery, but wild donkeys, chickens and mongoose! I can’t wait to see the kid’s faces when we encounter our first donkey. Driving completely around the island in one day is easily done and we want to stop at Skinny Legs on the opposite side of the island for a burger!
• Exploring Cruz Bay and getting some souvenirs at Mongoose Junction is definitely on our list! Such a cute town with lots of little shops and plenty of people watching for the kids.

Fun Water Activities

• Caneel Bay Resort offers sunset boat cruises and they are a blast! The sunset is gorgeous, they provide appetizers and drinks and a steel drum band is on board. The perfect Caribbean experience!
• I would love to learn the basics of sailing and the hotel offers classes on sailing a Sunfish. Staying close to shore is really easy in a small boat like a sun fish and I think the kids would really enjoy it.
• Most of all, I just want to kids to sit in the sand, enjoy the beach and build sandcastles.  We can’t wait!

The most important activity on this trip is sitting and staring.  Yep, sitting and staring at the water is my big goal for the trip.  We’ll see how much of that actually happens given the kids are with us! 🙂

For more information on activities in St. John with kids, check out this website.

Melissa