agapotravel

Hi!

Taking a trip with my husband to the Virgin Islands in July 2008. We are flying into St. Thomas and spending two nights. Then we will spend 4 nights each on St. John and Tortola. What order should I visit? A lot of people are saying that St. John is the best, so I am wondering if we should save that for last. However, I don't want to have to go through customs twice if it's a hassle. Thanks for the advice.

virginia

i'd save st. john for last as i think caneel will be the most relaxing part of your trip. also easier/faster to get back onto st. thomas for flight home. also no customs on last day except airport.

customs on the islands is usually a quick and painless thing. when i went from bvi's to st. john customs line took about 2 mins. we waited on the lawn for our turn. (we were on a boat with about 15ppl) same couple min experience entering bvi's.

brenandg

1. St Thomas
2. Tortola
3. STJ
Since it appears that you like a busy trip, you might want to consider a day trip to Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda while you are on Tortola. The ferry runs much more frequently from Tortola than the other two and Jost is just a skip away.

agapotravel

Thank you both for your replies! I was leaning toward going to St. John last since I have heard the most positives about that island. Another question for you....

My husband and I love to explore on our own. We typically don't enjoy tours or being on someone else's schedule. We know we want to rent a car on each island. I guess we would have to rent a car and return it and then repeat that process for each island. Brenandg, we do plan to take day trips to Jost and Virgin Gorda while on Tortola. That raises another question....rent a car on those islands too?

brenandg

Definitely you would not need to rent a car on JVD. It's all about "limin" on White Bay. If you need more action/sightseeing than a great beach and a few funky beach bars, look elsewhere. You can take a taxi for $5pp each way from Great Harbor where the ferry dock is to White Bay. Arrange for a pick up when you are dropped off.

Can't help you much with VG as we only went on a day trip on New Horizon's II and were only there an hour or so to explore The Bath's. If you only want to visit the "highlights" on VG, you will probably do fine with taxis for the day as your time there is limited.

To bring up a new topic, I would go to Anegada for the day if I were staying on Tortola. I have been itching to get there, but it is next to impossible from STJ or STT. The ferry leaves Mon-Wed-Fri from Tortola.

You will definitely need a vehicle on Tortola and St John to appreciate the islands. You cannot take a rental from the USVI's to the BVI's.

brenandg

http://b-v-i.com/

This is a great link to explore the BVI's and see which island suits your fancy. Scroll to the bottom for links to all of the islands.

ejcrowe

You know, brenandg makes a good point (as usual!). Anegada as a coral atoll is unlike the rest of the US or British Virgin Islands. I, too, would really like to experience it one day. There are ferries that run between Tortola and Anegada, and there are also charter companies that offer daytrips there. For something completely different, you might want to consider Anegada instead of one of the other two, or perhaps in addition to.

FWIW, between St. John and Tortola, I agree that you should end your stay on St. john.

brenandg

Thank you, ej, nice compliment. We are so hooked on STJ right now. We are going back this November. 25 days, but who is counting? You do have me thinking more about Grenada though. How are the Hawaii trip plans going?

ejcrowe

hey there--I fell asleep reading through the Moon Handbook of the Big Island last night. Though I'm disappointed with not being able to walk to see the lava flow, I'm starting to get very excited about this trip!

You and a few others around here have been making me seriously reconsider St. John. We've got a trip with a 13 year old granddaughter next year whose mother is uneasy with our traveling out of the country with her. I had assumed we'd just go back to Vieques like we did with her sister, but now maybe St. John is the better option...

christiegr

ej,
Hi!How are you? Being that I have been to both Vieques and St John...I would highly recommend that you take your granddaughter to St John..the beaches are nicer and the water clarity is way better.?Trust me...you will not be disappointed.

Christie

ejcrowe

Hi, Christie--

long time no see around here. Yes, St. John is growing on me, so we'll see. This particular granddaughter isn't really interested in snorkeling, so part of me thinks a trip to St. John might be wasted on her. I dunno...we still have some time to decide, so I'll keep everybody posted!

christiegr

ej,

She would enjoy the beautiful beaches! ....keep us posted

Christie

bsnave

ej,
I agree with Christie, snorkeling or not, the beaches of St. John are beautiful in and of themselves.
bsnave

Sunshine_Lee

Hello.
You will enjoy your vacation in the Caribbean.
I also started my trip in St Thomas but from there we chartered a Catamaran and went to Tortola BVI, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke (my favorite) Norman island and other secluded islands. We traveled to a different island eveyday and on our way back to St Thomas, we went to St John.
It was the perfect way to visit the Virgin Islands. We are planning on going to the Leward Islands this summer also on a charter.
Here you can find some info on the islands and also on chartering a boat. They are specialized on different locations - just pick a location and you will see that it is a very affordable and a beautiful way to travel.
www.worldwideboat.com
Have a nice vacation!