I went to St. John a couple of weeks ago & I am finally getting my photo diary together! I am a lover of all things beach, but I must say in terms of the tropical vacations, St. John takes the cake. Everything in St. John is breath taking: from the food, to the people, to the beaches. St. John is a small island & the closest airport is located on St. Thomas. Do not fret, St. John is just a ferry away. There are two ferry stations in St. Thomas but I recommend ferrying from Red Hook to get to St. John. Red Hook is a longer car ride from the St. Thomas Airport, but it is a much shorter ferry ride to get to St. John. If the weather permits, get a seat on the top deck of the ferry. It is such a treat to see these beautiful islands by boat.

Posted while listening to “Face the Sun” by Miguel feat Lenny Kravitz.

At the St. Thomas airport. Who needs terminals when you have the beautiful St. Thomas weather?

The top deck of the ferry traveling between Red Hook, St. Thomas & Cruz Bay, St. John.
Yes this water is real life. And so are these Old Navy sandals.

After picking up our jeep (everyone rents a jeep), our first stop was Beach Bar! I have no shame in admitting I made an appearance at this restaurant every day I was on the island.

PS: If you plan on transporting more than two people around the island, make sure to clarify that your jeep has a back seat!

After catching up with friends & wondering around the island our first day, we finally made it up to our villa. The view was already dark, but still a beaut!Like a little kid on Christmas, I kept anxiously waking up to see if the sun was out yet because I was dying to see the view from our villa in the daylight. This picture doesn’t do the view justice. Talk about the ultimate beauty shock. 

Trunk bay is THE most amazing beach I have ever seen. It costs a couple of bucks to get onto the beach, but if you are looking at the same picture I am looking at: the juice is worth the squeeze.

My book of choice on this beach trip was “Shopaholic to the Stars” by Sophie Kinsella. I have been reading the Shopaholic series since I was a sophomore in high school and obviously, not much has changed. If you want an easy read & a good laugh, Becky Bloomwood (the main character) will do it for you. 

The traveling Presidente, lol.

We spent one day on Maho Bay. I made the ultimate rookie mistake and fell asleep in the sun because sorry, I was in ultimate relaxation mode with this view. Maho Bay left is mark on me and it was not pretty, but there are no hard feelings.

We went on an adventure in search of Skinny Legs in Coral Bay that was recommended by Reb! I am glad we made the trek from Cruz Bay. I recommend a chili dog, yum. 

Posing with my new best friend & the St. John signature drink, the painkiller. If you know what is good for you, request Pussers rum. This rum in a painkiller makes all of the difference.Beach Bar, again. (Reb had already told me it would be my favorite spot, as it is definitely hers! I direct quote “Beach Bar just screams ‘take a picture of me.’)

The roads in St. John are cray. I never got behind the wheel because I am a weeny and am not a fan of roller coasters, scary things, etc.

I spent one day at Gallows Point Resort. The pictures on their website do not do this resort justice, it is really peaceful. You have a private beach, a nice condo, and these views.

One of the bartenders at Beach Bar had on an amazing vintage (or something like it) Beach Bar t-shirt. He directed me to the gift shop so I could purchase one for myself. After coming out empty handed (because none of the shirts were as cool as his), he proposed a deal. He said he would give me his shirt (that he bought 10+ years ago) if I bought him another one that I thought would look good on him. Yes, I did so & yes, he took the shirt off of his back and gave it to me. I told you the people in St. John rock.
Just a painkiller & a pina colada – nothing to see here.

My boyfriend is a huge fan of selfies. JK!
Selfie practice makes perfect. This picture falls into the practice category.

Since Richmonders are Ritz Carlton deprived, I always make a point to visit the Ritz wherever I go. The Ritz Carlton anywhere will forever be my happy place. St. Thomas is just a ferry away from St. John, so I had no excuse. The one is St.Thomas may be my favorite Ritz yet.

The moral of this photo diary is: I hope you say yes to visiting St. John if you get the opportunity. You’ll never look back.