Where to Stay in St. John, USVI: Cruz Bay vs Coral Bay

For most visitors, the best place to stay in St. John is Cruz Bay, the island's main town and the arrival point for the passenger ferries from St. Thomas. The ferry dock, groceries, restaurants and a beach are a short walk away, and the national park beaches are a short drive. Choose Coral Bay for quiet and a car, and choose a villa for a larger group. This guide compares the island's areas and its lodging types, then covers which base fits your group, how you arrive, when to book and what to weigh before you choose a Cruz Bay suite.

Key takeaways

• Cruz Bay is the best base for most visitors: the ferry dock, groceries, restaurants and a beach are all walkable, and the national park beaches are a short drive.
• Coral Bay, the East End and the South Shore are quieter and more private, but nearly every meal, grocery run and beach needs a Jeep or other four-wheel-drive vehicle.
• Inside Virgin Islands National Park, food is limited to the Trunk Bay Café and Bar and the Rain Tree Café at Cinnamon Bay, so stock up in Cruz Bay first.
• Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground is the only lodging inside the park. Everything else, from resorts to villas and suites, is outside it.
• Compare lodging by the all-in total for your dates, not the nightly rate. Villas and resorts often add cleaning fees, resort fees and minimum stays.

What part of St. John is the best to stay in?

Cruz Bay wins for most trips because everything you need on arrival is on foot. The rest of the island is quieter and more spread out. It works best when you rent a Jeep and accept that every meal, grocery run and beach means driving.

Cruz Bay and its surroundings

• Best for: first trips, short stays and stays where a car is optional.
• What works: the ferry, a market, restaurants and shops are within walking distance.
• What to weigh: it is the busiest part of the island. Evenings are livelier and parking in town is tight.

The North Shore beach side

• Best for: beach-first days and villa groups.
• What works: it is closest to the national park's best-known beaches. Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground is the only lodging inside Virgin Islands National Park, according to the National Park Service.
• What to weigh: food inside the park is limited to the Trunk Bay Café and Bar and the Rain Tree Café at Cinnamon Bay, so you still shop in Cruz Bay.

Coral Bay and the East End

• Best for: quiet, privacy and longer stays.
• What works: you are away from the Cruz Bay dock and its livelier evenings.
• What to weigh: it is the farthest area from the ferry dock. Plan on driving over the island's hills for arrivals, groceries and most dinners, and ask your host for realistic drive times.

The South Shore

• Best for: hillside villas and quiet views.
• What works: secluded, residential and less crowded.
• What to weigh: little is within walking distance, so nearly everything depends on a vehicle.

The National Park Service notes that lodging outside the park runs from beach resorts to B&Bs, guest houses and vacation villas, all within short distances of the park. Base in Cruz Bay if you want to move between beaches by day and walk to dinner at night. Choose Coral Bay, the East End or the South Shore if quiet matters more than convenience and you are comfortable driving to nearly everything.

Where to stay in St. John without a car

A Cruz Bay base gives you a car-free arrival and car-free evenings, but not car-free beach days. From Dolphin Suites, in the heart of Cruz Bay, the ferry dock is about a 5-minute walk, the beach about 3 minutes, and restaurants and shops 2 to 5 minutes. Dolphin Market is on the ground floor, so a grocery run means walking downstairs. That covers the daily loop: ferry in, stock the kitchen, cook breakfast, walk to dinner.

It does not cover the famous north shore beaches. Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay lie outside town, so you reach them by taxi or by Jeep. Our guide to Cruz Bay without a car lists what you can reach on foot, including the Lind Point Trail to Honeymoon Beach.

Plan the beach day around food, because the park offers little. Buy lunch, water and snacks in town before you leave. The park's visitor center is a short walk from the ferry dock at 1300 Cruz Bay Creek and is open Monday to Thursday 8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 8:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (National Park Service), so stop in for trail and beach conditions before your first trip out.

Walking to dinner has a cost too: evenings are livelier in Cruz Bay than anywhere else on the island. Air conditioning lets you close the suite up for sleep, and the balcony gives you a place to sit outside without joining the crowd.

Resort, villa, suite, B&B or campground: how the lodging types compare

The lodging type decides four things before you see a nightly rate: what the price includes, whether you can cook, what gets added at checkout, and how much of the building you share.

• Resort. A room rate, often with daily resort charges. Usually no kitchen in the room. Shared grounds, pool and dining. Ask for the resort fee in writing.
• Villa. A whole-house rate, often shared by a group. Full kitchen and the most privacy, but usually a drive from Cruz Bay. A cleaning fee, a deposit and a minimum stay of a week in high season are common, so ask for the total.
• Suite or apartment. One rate per unit, a full kitchen and often in-unit laundry. A private unit inside a shared building, usually in town.
• B&B or guest house. Priced per room, often with breakfast. Kitchens are rare or shared, and hosts are on site.
• Campground. Priced per site or tent. At Cinnamon Bay, meals are served in an open-air dining hall and a food truck near the beach sells grab-and-go food (National Park Service).

Most St. John lodging does not publish minimum stays or fee schedules in one place, so ask each operator for the all-in total for your dates, and compare that total, not the nightly rate.

Where our suites fit

We are the suite and apartment row. DGMI Properties manages two properties in the walkable center of Cruz Bay. Dolphin Suites has eight one-bedroom suites, each with a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, air conditioning, Wi-Fi and a balcony, with free parking on site. Units 1, 2, 3 and 8 sleep two guests. Units 4, 5, 6 and 7 sleep up to four with a queen bed plus a pull-out sofa, and Unit 2 and Unit 4 have ocean views. Raintree Suites is a one-bedroom suite steps from the beach in Cruz Bay.

Rates on our site run from $289 to $429 a night at Dolphin Suites and from $315 to $356 at Raintree Suites, and the total cost is shown upfront with no hidden fees. See all nine suites side by side.

Which base fits your trip: families, couples and groups

Match your base to your group size and how you plan to move around.

• First-timers: Cruz Bay lets you learn the island without committing to hillside driving on day one.
• Couples: a one-bedroom suite for two in town keeps the ferry, the beach and dinner on foot. Pick an ocean-view unit if the balcony matters.
• Families of 3 or 4: a suite that sleeps four has one bedroom, a queen bed and a pull-out sofa, so plan for shared space and keep beach gear light.
• Groups of 5 to 8: book two suites or rent a villa. Most villas sit up the hills, so a villa means a vehicle for every meal.
• Budget travelers: cook. A full kitchen with a market downstairs cuts the cost of a week more than any nightly discount.
• Visitors splitting time with St. Thomas: stay in Cruz Bay and you are a 15 to 20 minute ferry ride from Red Hook.

How your base changes the trip from St. Thomas airport

Every St. John trip starts the same way: a taxi from St. Thomas airport (STT) to a ferry dock, then a passenger ferry to Cruz Bay. Your base changes only the last leg. From our suites that leg is about a 5-minute walk. From anywhere else on the island it is a drive.

1. Airport to Red Hook. Most travelers take a taxi of 30 to 40 minutes to Red Hook. Crown Bay is about 5 minutes from the airport, but its ferry runs only a few times a day.
2. Red Hook to Cruz Bay. The passenger ferry takes 15 to 20 minutes and leaves about every hour. Confirm the current timetable before you fly.
3. Cruz Bay dock to your door. In town, you walk. For Coral Bay, the East End and the South Shore, plan on a taxi or your rental over the island's hills, and buy groceries in Cruz Bay before you leave the dock.

The full route, with timing tips for late flights, is in our guide to getting from St. Thomas airport to Cruz Bay.

When to book: high season, shoulder months and hurricane season

Book as soon as your dates are fixed if you travel between December and April, when St. John is busiest and rates are highest. May and June are quieter. July through October is low season and hurricane season, which usually means more open dates, lower rates and more weather risk.

Hurricane season rewards flexibility. Read the cancellation and payment terms before you pay, wherever you book. If a balcony view matters, reserve an ocean-view unit first, because there are only two.

Before you book a Cruz Bay suite

• Parking. Parking at Dolphin Suites is free and on site, but street parking across Cruz Bay is tight. Come back from your beach drive before the evening rush, leave the Jeep and walk to dinner.
• Space. Every suite is a one-bedroom. Four adults should plan for shared space. The full kitchen, the washer and dryer and the market downstairs are what make a week easy.
• Reliability. Our suites have backup generators and water systems and high-speed Wi-Fi with 100 Mbps download speed, and our on-island team responds quickly when you need something.

Check availability for your dates, or start with our Plan Your Visit guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is it better to stay in Cruz Bay or Coral Bay?

Cruz Bay is better for most visitors, especially first trips and short stays, because the ferry dock, groceries, restaurants and a beach are all on foot. Coral Bay suits travelers who want quiet and privacy, have a rental vehicle and do not mind driving for most meals and beaches.

Can you stay inside Virgin Islands National Park?

Yes, in one place. Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground is the only lodging inside Virgin Islands National Park. All other lodging, from beach resorts to B&Bs, guest houses, villas and suites, is outside the park, within short distances of it.

Is there food inside the national park?

Very little. The park lists the Trunk Bay Café and Bar and the Rain Tree Café at Cinnamon Bay Beach and Campground. Buy lunch, water and snacks in Cruz Bay before a beach day.

Do you need a car if you stay in Cruz Bay?

Not every day. In Cruz Bay you can walk to the ferry, a beach, restaurants, shops and the Lind Point Trail. For Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay you need a taxi or a Jeep. Many guests rent a Jeep for a day or two and go car-free the rest of the week.

How far are your suites from the ferry dock and the beach?

Dolphin Suites is about a 5-minute walk from the Cruz Bay ferry dock, about 3 minutes from the beach and 2 to 5 minutes from restaurants and shops. Dolphin Market is on the ground floor.

How many people can stay in one suite?

All of our suites are one-bedroom. At Dolphin Suites, Units 1, 2, 3 and 8 sleep two guests, and Units 4, 5, 6 and 7 sleep up to four with a queen bed and a pull-out sofa.

Sources

• National Park Service: Eating and Sleeping, Virgin Islands National Park
• National Park Service: Operating Hours and Seasons, Virgin Islands National Park