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Passport-Free Travel: Relaxed St. John

That's Rendezvous Bay on St. John, USVI, right there. The Bay is located right next to Virgin Islands National Park, which covers half of the island. The park, along with basically all of Dominica and El Yunque rain forest in Puerto Rico, is one of the Caribbean's most lush reserves. Admission is free. The only part of the park that'll cost you is Trunk Bay, where $4 gets you beach time and access to an snorkel trail. It's also where the crowds gather, but there are several other beaches in the park.

St. John's most well known hotels are Caneel Bay and the Westin. The latter is where you go to be seen, and the former is where you go to not be seen (it's famously low-key.) Both charge Caribbean prices, but our pick for an interesting St. John stay is the campground at Cinnamon Bay in the National Park. You can get a bare site there for $27, while tents are $58 in the off season and cottages start at $70. Did we mention that the campsite is right on the beach?

St. John must be reached by ferry from St. Thomas (where flight options are quite decent.) The U.S. Virgin Islands tourist board is wasting no time milking the no-passport angle. They should look into some Kenny Chesney Crossing road signs too. Not all of us want to bump into the famous St. John homeowner.

Related Stories:
· Virgin Islands National Park [Official Site]
· Caneel Bay Hotel [HotelChatter]
· Westin St. John Resort & Villas reviews [TripAdvisor]