There’s just something about an amazing island view. It wraps around you like a warm hug and gives you a feeling of joyous content. This is how we, Castaway Crystal and I, felt the second we walked into our rental condo in Cruz Bay, St. John USVI. And that feeling didn’t fade. Every morning and every night, we would sit out on that balcony and watch the comings and goings of boats, ferries, people and birds.
It was pure island bliss.
After our trip to St. John last month (July 2018), one of the most common questions we were asked was…”Where did you stay?! That view is to die for!”
The answer is, Grande Bay Resort.
I’ve stayed in several places during my visits to St. John, and I have to say the convenient location and fantastic Cruz Bay views made our stay at Grande Bay Resort a special experience.
Here are some of the main features we loved:
- Located right in town
- Has parking, so no need to find parking in Cruz Bay
- Has a great pool and gym, though we didn’t use them. Castaway Crystal would have used the gym but with limited space in her suitcase, she had to choose between snorkel flippers or running shoes…The flippers won.
- The amazing view of the Cruz Bay
- The rental company meets you at the dock with a smile and drives you to the unit
- Comes with beach chairs and coolers
This was our home base for the trip, but it felt much more like a home. It was cozy, cute and had everything we simple pirates needed. Each day we would roll out of bed around sunrise and step out on to the balcony, breathing in that sweet Virgin Islands air and stretching our stiff bones.
We would make our plan for the day, deciding which trails to hike, which beaches to visit and where we wanted to shoot videos and take photos. After all that exploring, we would always end up back at the Grande Bay Resort condo to get cleaned up, grab a rum drink and decide on which happy hour to join. It was a routine that was way too easy to get use to.
If you’re curious to see what our home base looked like, here’s are some photos. The first photo is Wednesday meeting us at the ferry dock! She picked us up and took us to the unit, all smiles and full of information. Thanks Wednesday!!!
See the little white circle? That was us!
If you would like to stay in this room, here is the VRBO link. The owner also has a 1-bedroom unit, here is the VRBO link for that.
If you’re interested in staying here, message me on the RumShopRyan Facebook page, I’m happy to answer any questions or help out any way I can.
The reason for our trip was to see how the USVI and BVI have been recovering as the one year anniversary of hurricanes Irma and Maria slammed into the islands. We were surprised by how far they’ve come. You can read about what we saw recovery wise in this blog post: One Year After The Storms: A Look at St. John.
We are already starting to plan another trip to St. John. There’s just something special about this rock.
Enjoy your stay on STJ, it’s one of my favorite places in the world.
Cheers!
RumShopRyan
P.S. – Leaving soon? These recommended links below will help you save money and book your trip:
- Get your flight with Skyscanner (you’ll never miss a cheap flight)
- Get your accommodation with Booking.com – They have great deals
- Love Pets and a Free Place To Stay? Definitely try Trusted Housesitters
- Need travel tips? Grab a Guide Book
- Need anything on Amazon, use this link, thank you!
- Get your travel insurance with World Nomads or AXA Travel Insurance
- Find our recommended Caribbean hotels, restaurants, charters, & tours here
- Need something else? Check out our list of favorite companies on our resources page
We use all the companies listed here or on the resource page. By booking through these links, the small commission we earn helps us bring you more Caribbean content so that you can save money and have a better island vacation. Crystal and I greatly appreciate any support!
About the Author: RumShopRyan
