Beaches STX vs STT - Wildlife

Same wildlife here as in STX both in water and on land.

If you want a not so bad hike to a great beach when the seas are calm, try Stumpy Bay on the West End.
Bordeaux has a rocky beach but great snorkeling when calm tho a long drive there and back and pretty remote.
If you have a 4 wheel drive (if it's been raining), you can go to Netjleberg. There's also Caret Bay and many others to explore.
This was on the Sunsie beach thread.

There are lots of great beaches here, on and off the beaten path. lots of great diving as well.
Easy to get up to BVI and enjoy their waters too.
STJ also has awesome beaches as per above and just a barge ride away with your own vehicle.

If you are renting an apt. it depends on the neighborhood as well as whether it is a single family home w/1 rental or a multi family unit.
Some people quite like condos and there are many differentt types, on and off the beach at various prices.
If you rent a single family house it may run you above 2300 and much above depending on different locations and type of home.

If you want to see the beaches of STX then check out a few of my YouTube video's. The first 4 are just personal stuff but the other 20 or so are aerial videos of STX mostly the beaches.

http://www.youtube.com/user/vijohn?feature=results_main

Thanks Alana, Roto I hav'nt seen STT beaches. Ive seen many of STX from our month ling PMV. Do you have any from STT?

Are the corals better or worse off in STT? I guess I am assuming that STT is like a super busy city where the reefs get pounded with millions of visitors each year and are more just rock and sand than a living reef system.

Some areas super busy during working hours.
Many - just very nice and quiet.

Take the bigger pay check. St Thomas does not have the same varity of terrian as St Croix. It a smaller isalnd and the main town (CA) is busier. Red hook gets busy too. But NOTHING like PHX. Trust me. There are some nice areas on STT where you can rent house for $2000 a month--a little farther from CA and Red Hook--but it seems like you'd preferr to be farther out. my STX "off shore" snorkling is limited to cane bay and Buck island. But Ican honestly say that STT has many spots that are just as plentyfull. Most of the torristy spots directly off resort beaches aren't that great. With a car and motivation, (a kyak helps) you'll be discovering great spots left and right. The other advantage is that you are just a ferry ride away from STJ, JVD, Tortola, VG and world class BVI diving.
If you aren't in mood for another PMV, just rent a little condo for short term (2-3 months) get the lay of the land, pick an area and find house.

And, living on STT allows you unlimited access to STJ. Because it is more than half National Park without commercial development, you will find beaches there less touristy.

Thanks Blu, good advice. I want to buy a little dinghy on either island to support my addiction (snorkling/diving) lol. On STX I noticed Chenay bay you can just park your little boat on the beach, is there anywhere on STT to do that?

Honesty I'm moving to the VI for the water. I NEED to be by the ocean, it's been calling to me for years.

2k is more than we want to spend for a rental, I need something in the 1200 range. We're still planning on STX as of now but if they offer him high dollars (unlikely) we may come for a few months there and rent something small like you suggested.

Either way were gonna make it to STT a few times at least and definatly to STJ and eventually to BVI. Damn I'm excited, wish l was there already.

Hull Bay has boats of various sizes on trailers parked in the lot by Hull Bay Hideaway adjacent to the beach and there is a boat ramp there on the beach. Don't know what they charge for monthly rental space or availability.
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There are many places you can just park your boat. I think you mean if you are toodling around the island and want to stop at that bar right there for a cocktail or some lunch or something. I see people doing it all the time. If you mean somewhere to KEEP your boat, I know there are a lot of places to do that, too. Along the road going south out of Red Hook, there are A LOT of little spots. One of those places has apartments for rent, as well. No idea how much they are, but they don't look all that spectacular so I suspect they aren't in the $2K/mo, nothing included price range. And you are just as close to the water (maybe closer, we are a smaller island, after all) and have all the same water activities as you would on STX. And, we haven't even come close to discussing STJ!! Did you not know that TWO THIRDS of the island is National Park? I can take you to beaches over there that will blow your mind -- for that matter, I can take you to some beaches here on STT that would blow your mind. I live a five minute stroll (okay super-steep hill, but good exercise!!) from what I concider the best snorkeling beach on island, Secret Harbor. Look up Aqua Action Dive Center, the dive shop in residense at Secret Harbor, and you will see how many unbelievable dives are right in my backyard.

Wildlife? Are you talking about the tourists, the locals, the crazy drivers or actual fauna? I disturb deer at least once a week on that road to Secret Harbor. Plenty of lizards and iguanas, chickens and *some* mongoose (depends on where you are on island) -- BIRDS, lots of beautiful birds, at least three kinds of hummingbirds. Bats, moths that look like bats...I mean, unless STX has a stash of koala bears or cute lil monkeys over there, I think all the wildlife is the same. Underwater, more of the same. Of course, you can go to the over snorkeled tourist spots (Coki, Trunk) or you can go to a few out of the way spots. My backyard beach is full of turtles, southern rays, spotted eagle rays, parrotfish of all colors and sizes, queen angels, French angels, gray angels, octopus, squid, starfish...I've even seen a sleeping nurse shark in the rocks to the far left.

One last, I live in a really awesome place. I have views of St John, Christmas Cove, and Cowpet Bay from my porch. From the driveway, I can see STX on a clear day, otherwise I can see Cas Cay, Patricia Cay, Capella and Buck Islands. We run the a/c at night, in the bedroom, otherwise don't use much electricity. Our water is included in the rent. I have a cell phone, cable with HBO (cannot live without) and internet. Even with groceries and gas, I don't believe our rent+bills are over $2K a month!

One thing that I am jealous of STXers, every year I hear reports of whale sightings from land. Maybe I just haven't gotten lucky, but even after a whale-watching all day sail, I have still not seen a whale. BUT, I can island hop inexpensively and easily.

Allow me to clarify the "$2k per month". $2k is rough estimate for a "nicer" private home. Meaning single family home (not apt in duplex or guest house or condo) in a low key nieghborhood, with private decks/patios/views/storage/maybe a small pool/room to garden. I thought OP was looking for a "house". My bad.

you'll find pleanty of "private" apts associated with private houses: dulpexes, lower levels, guest houses. Those sometimes come with electric included, as only one meter serves the property. Somes of these private apts are in the "nice" to "very very nice" range. And some offer a suprising amount of privacy. The best ones are word of mouth. As you can image renters stay longer in good situations and thier friends are normally first in line to snacth up the vacancy. Make lots of friends....
Securing a small condo may be the way to go for a month or two. Get a feel for the island. Look at bunch of places, check out pal's pads, explore. Then settle into a long term lease.