In general, the dining and shopping are comparable to those of St. Kitts but don't hold up to Sint Maarten or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Most hotels, restaurants, beach bars, and water-sports facilities lie north of the capital of St. John's, in the northwest. St. John's is a large, neatly laid-out town 6 miles from the airport and less than a mile from Deep Water Harbour Terminal. The port is the focal point of commerce and industry and the seat of government and shopping. Protected within a narrow bay, St. John's is charming, with cobblestone sidewalks and weather-beaten wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs and louvered Caribbean verandas.
Trade winds keep the wide streets cool.