Where are Chocolate Hole and Great Cruz Bay?
Chocolate Hole and Great Cruz Bay are neighboring bays on the south shore of St. John, southeast of Cruz Bay town. Homes line the hillsides around both, and Great Cruz Bay also has a large resort. The landowners’ association for Estate Chocolate Hole places Chocolate Hole Bay on the island’s southwest coast.
Measured in a straight line between Census internal points, Estate Chocolate Hole is about 1.2 miles from Estate Cruz Bay Town. Its internal point falls inside both the Cruz Bay subdistrict and the Cruz Bay census designated place (CDP), so the Census figures in our Cruz Bay area guide take in this area too. For the whole island, see our St. John island guide.
How many people live in Chocolate Hole?
The Census Bureau does not report Great Cruz Bay on its own, because it is not a Census estate. The closest match is Estate Chocolate Hole, with about 0.55 square miles of land. In the 2020 Census it had:
- 278 residents, the fourth largest population of any St. John estate, after Enighed, Carolina and Pastory.
- 473 housing units, the second most on the island, after Enighed.
That is far more homes than residents. Census counts include vacation homes as housing units even when no one lives in them. Across the Cruz Bay subdistrict, which contains the estate, 19.9 percent of all housing units were vacant and held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use in 2020. Explore estate boundaries on our estate map.
What kinds of homes are there?
A vacation ownership resort. Marriott Vacation Club describes The Westin St. John Resort Villas as a 47-acre resort along the beach at Great Cruz Bay, with a listed address of 300A Chocolate Hole. Its villas range from studios to three-bedroom villas, and its website has sections for both vacation ownership and rentals. See our Westin St. John Resort Villas page.
A residential subdivision. According to the Estate Chocolate Hole Landowners’ Association (ECHLA), the estate was platted into several hundred mostly residential lots in the early 1950s and is managed as three sections: East, North and West. The association, formed in 1984, maintains the estate roads and enforces the deed covenants. Its building code, revised in February 2023, says that:
- a lot may have one single-family house, with attached or detached guest quarters;
- buildings are limited to two stories and need at least 600 square feet under roof;
- each owner must provide parking for two vehicles off the association’s roads;
- plans need association approval and DPNR building and earth change permits.
More detail is on our Estate Chocolate Hole page.
Estimate as of October 2026. ECHLA’s 2023 building code requires a road damage deposit of 1 percent of the total cost of new construction or major improvements. Confirm the current amount with the association.
How do you get around?
Most trips run through Cruz Bay. The Virgin Islands Port Authority says its Creek facility in Cruz Bay berths passenger ferries, and its cargo facility at Enighed Pond, the Theovald Moorehead Dock and Terminal, opened in 2006. Our Cruz Bay guide has details.
Census road data map USVI Highway 104, also named Southside Road, through Estate Chocolate Hole, along with local roads such as Chocolate Hole Road and Great Cruz Bay Road. Inside the subdivision, the association’s code bars storing or permanently parking vehicles on its roads.
What services are nearby?
St. John’s community health center, the Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center, is in Estate Susannaberg, according to the Virgin Islands Department of Tourism. The department adds that patients who need extensive care are taken by medical boat to St. Thomas.
Browse our directory for health care, schools, cistern and water services, property managers and beaches and parks.
What to check before buying or renting
- Association standing. ECHLA issues a letter of good standing confirming that all dues on a parcel are paid in full and that there are no liens. Ask for one before closing.
- The covenants on the lot. The covenants posted by ECHLA allow owners to lease their homes, but only one set of guest quarters may be rented while the main house is occupied. They bar businesses except on lots designated for a hotel and allow only domestic pets.
- Vacation ownership terms. For a Westin villa, review the ownership documents, annual fees and resale terms with an attorney before you sign.
- Water and wastewater. In 2020, 82.6 percent of housing units in the Cruz Bay subdistrict reported a cistern, catchment, tanks or drums as a water source, and 32.1 percent were on a public sewer. Ask how the home gets water and where its wastewater goes.
- The shoreline. ECHLA’s code keeps buildings at least 25 feet from the high-water mark on lots facing the sea or a pond. DPNR’s Coastal Zone Management division reviews development in Tier 1, the coastal zone, and its website has a map to check a lot.
- Storm history. FEMA’s major disaster declarations for Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017 covered St. John. Ask what was damaged and how it was repaired.
A home inspector, a surveyor and a real estate attorney can help. Before renting to visitors, read our guide to short-term rentals, and for cover, see hurricane and flood insurance.
