Caneel Bay Resort, St. John, US Virgin Islands – This second stop on our 25th wedding anniversary Caribbean tour has been one of our favorite resorts for many years.

Quite a number of years ago, when our former business in Michigan began to taste success, we booked an unforgettable stay at the Caneel Bay Resort on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands.

Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort is set on its own private peninsula amid 170 acres in Virgin Islands National Park, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Laurance S. Rockefeller “discovered” Caneel Bay in 1952 while sailing in the Caribbean. In 1955, Rockefeller began developing an infrastructure on the island to provide the resort with power, fresh water and roads.  Caneel Bay opened in 1956 as a wholly original and ecologically sensitive resort.  In 1993, Caneel Bay became a Rosewood resort, and in 2006, Caneel Bay celebrated its 50^th Anniversary.

On-site Roaming Boomer Photo Journals

• Caneel Bay Resort, St. John USVI, Wild Donkeys, and a Spectacular Sunset
• The Caneel Bay Resort, the Island of St. John, Stingrays, Sea Turtles, and Seductive Azure Waters
• A Photo Tour of the Caneel Bay Resort on the Island of St. John, US Virgin Islands
• Snorkeling Caneel Bay Resort’s Scott Beach

Here is our video review of Caneel Bay…

We spent 4 unforgettable nights at Caneel Bay, and here are the things that we remember most:

• Our beachfront room sat right on Scott’s Beach, and we were literally 50 paces to the ocean from our back patio.  It was very, very quiet, and much like having our own bungalow right on the ocean.  Amazing!
• Because of its location inside the 5,000 acre US Virgin Island National Park, there was abundant wildlife everywhere.  Wild donkeys visited our location each day, and iguana and small deer were also ever present.
• The 1950s styling in the rooms was a hoot.  Everything was brand new, but styled in the 1950s.  The Big Ben clock reminded me of my grandmother’s bedroom clock.
• I don’t know how to begin to describe the incredible beach that lay outside our back patio.  The water was crystal clear, the sand was the whitest of whites, and the brilliant turquoise, azure, and deep blue colors were absolutely mesmerizing.  We spent every waking hour sitting under a shade tree reading a book, swinging in the hammock, snorkeling, or simply bobbing in the ocean.
• The snorkeling was amazing.  We saw scores of sea turtles, stingray, and brilliant colored fish.  Furthermore, the coral teaming with these colorful fish was blazing and brilliant to see.
• Scott’s Beach was adults only.  Therefore it was oh so very quiet.
• Without a television to lure us into staring submission, we found ourselves talking more, enjoying our books, and simply enjoying peace and quiet.  Frankly, I had kind of forgotten what quiet was.
• Our dinner at The Equator, high atop 18th-century sugar mill ruins.
• Our half-day walk around the 170-acre former Rockefeller estate.
• When the sun would go down, the rain forest came alive with the sounds of birds, frogs, and fauna completely unfamiliar to our ears.
• Enjoying fresh fish from the ocean each day.

After our second stay at Caneel Bay, it remarkably holds an even greater grip on our hearts.  Caneel Bay is certain to remain one of our favorite places in the world, and we are already pondering when we might go back again.

A friend asked me the other day where I would go if I could only visit one of our many visited resorts.  Without hesitation, Caneel Bay poured from my heart and through my lips.

Caneel Bay is simply that special, and a place you should attempt to visit at least once in your life.