1000 questions about the Virgin Islands
 

Hello!!

I am new to the forum, but have been reading so much useful information about various places over the last few years.

My husband and I will be going to the Virgin Islands in July 2008. We will fly into St. Thomas. We will be there for 11 days. We are planning 3 nights on St. Thomas, 3 on St. John, and 4 on Tortola.

Here are some questions I have:

*Accommodations - Pavilions and Pools on St. Thomas, Caneel Bay on St. John, Long Bay Resort on Tortoal

Does anyone have any advice on these places? Do you have any other recommendations? We love "out of the way" places, but we don't want to be so far away from everything. Also, since we're going in July, A/C is a must!

*We want to rent a car on each island. Is it easiest to just rent the car and return it on each island, rather than trying to rent the car in St. Thomas and carry it with us to each island? Any suggestions for rental car companies?

*We also want to see some of the smaller BVI (Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island). We aren't into group snorkeling trips or tours, so we really want to venture out on our own. I know that there are trips to each of these islands from Tortola. Are there ferries that do multiple islands in one day?

*What are the "must-sees" on each island? We love to snorkel, hike, and explore.

*What restaurants can you recommend for picky eaters? We really only eat chicken and fish, and we are not into "appearances" at all. We enjoy having a good meal at a decent price, nothing frilly or fancy. Neither of us drink.

See....I warned you it was going to be 1000 questions. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to answer my questions.

:-)

I'll try to give you my opinion on my experiences in the VI.
My wife and I stayed at Pavilions and Pools a few years ago. It is a nice small intimate place near Sapphire Beach. The pool is right off of the bedroom and very private. The resort has an homor bar and there is a small restaurant on the premises with a limited menu.If you are not set on P&P, you may look into Secret Harbor . It is a very nice place with a beautiful beach and a good restaurant (Blue Moon).
I never stayed on STJ, but have heard and read good things about Caneel Bay.
Never been to Tortola.
Rental cars---there is a car ferry that will take your vehicle across the channel to STJ from STT, but I'm not sure if you can get the same car to Tortola.
There are bare boats to rent if you want to explore the islands on your own. Just remember that the BVI may require passports, so check requirements before going there.
On STT, the best place to snorkel is probably Coki Beach, which is next to Coral World. It will probably be crowded if there is a cruise ship in port.
My favorite restaurants on STT are Roberts at the Elysian, The Mafolie up in the hills and the Blue Moon at Secret Harbor.
I hope this information is helpful. I'm sure you will get many responses soon.

Not 1,000 answers but will try to tap on some ...
Pavillions & Pools is one of the older resorts with each unit having their own dip pool. Walk to neighboring resort's beach about 5 minutes. Have heard that they are doing some updating and as a frequent visitor to STT, I've not stayed there as it never appealed since there is neither "view" nor beach. My option on St. Thomas would be Secret Harbour with a lovely beach.
Caneel Bay, STJ, excellent choice - none better
Long Bay not my favorite either. The water there can be very rough (but not sure about July as we were there in winter). Tortola is my least favorite of the VI's and I would opt for Virgin Gorda because of the wonderful beaches and atmosphere.
You can rent a car on STT and take it to STJ but if you plan to go to Tortola/BVI's from STJ, you'll have to return the car to STT. There is no way to transport a car between the USVI/BVI so I would opt to rent on each island.
There are public ferrys that travel between the BVI islands daily so that is not a problem for day trips. You might also want to consider doing a charter sail for a few days with a captain and you can plan your own itinerary. Ther ferry between the USVI and Virgin Gorda does not run everyday.
Now for the "must sees" - that's tough. STT - snorkeling at Secret Harbour or the more touristy and popular Coki Beach. A couple hour island tour with one of the tour guides with stops at Mountain Top, Drake's seat, etc. Paradise Tramway. Shopping in Charlotte Amalie or Havensight (where the curise ships dock) or the new Yacht Haven. Checking out the historical buildings in Charlotte Amalie. Kyack the mangroves.
STJ - just enjoy the wonderful beaches and views around every curve and over every hill. Good snokeling almost everywhere including Caneel. One of my favorites is Haulover
Tortola - botonical gardens but the beaches don't start to compare to those on Virgin Gorda (the Baths - or Spring Bay or Devil's Bay as options on VG) but there's Apple Bay, Brewers Bay (snorkeling)and Smugglers (snorkeling). Cane Garden Bay has lots of beachie places along it - bars, etc. Might want to do a trip to Monkey Point for snorkeling. The Caves, the Indians.
If you go the vinow.com it is a very active USVI board and http://www.traveltalkonline.com for their very active BVI board

If I were you, I would nix STT and Tortola. My DH and I flew into St. Thomas en route to St. John, and both agreed that we wouldn't go there on a vacation. The cruise ship port vibe is apparent, which to us for an island trip, is not relaxing.

We went to Tortola on a day trip in August from STJ, including spending time at the beach at Long Bay and eating lunch at their beachfront restaurant. I agree with Beachplum--the water in front of Long Bay was very rough when we were there in August.

St. Thomas and Tortola did not seem very *special* IMHO. However, St. John was, and most posters on this board give high marks to Virgin Gorda as well. When we return to St. John, we may pair it with a couple of days in Virgin Gorda.

If you are set on going to all three, which I advise against since that would be too much packing up on vacation, I would say 2 nights STT, 6 nights STJ, and 2 nights Tortola. Are you flying open jaw arriving in STT and flying out of Tortola?

Wow!! Thanks everybody for your advice so far! You are giving me so much to think about. We are flying roundtrip in/out of St. Thomas because the fares were so cheap. I know some of you are concerned because of the packing up/travel time to other islands. We really don't mind this. We visited Hawaii last year and spent 5 nights each on Oahu, Big Island, Kauai, and Maui. Please keep the advice coming!! :-)

Is your question where you should go, where should you stay, or if your plan is good? You may want to clarify that so people can provide advice.

Is there a reason why you chose all 3 of the islands? It may help if you clue us in to your particular interests so recommendations that center on those interests can be made.

One has to remember that the trip from the airport to the ferry dock (whether it be Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie) you really don't get much of the flavor of St. Thomas - altho it is more developed than St. John which has a huge advantage of being 3/5 Nat'l Park, there are very quiet and lovely spots especially on East End (where Secret Harbour is)and a huge variety of excellent restaurants to choose from. My own experience is that I seldom visit STJ anymore because it has become much too crowded and busy and much of the ambience that I used to love is not there anymore and Caneel is really the only resort that has beach access (the Westin has a manmade beach) other than a few villas. I find Virgin Gorda much more like STJ used to be. A lovely spot on VG is Mango Bay on Mahoe Bay, a wonderful beach. Since you are flying in/out of STT, why not start your vacation in the USVI and then do the BVI in the middle so that you are not wasting that last day trying to get back to catch a plane. Caneel has a split that they offer between Caneel and Little Dix with transportation on their boat three days a week included.
http://www.seaborneairlines.com/ has recently added Virgin Gorda to their schedule and using it might work for you for some legs in addition to the ferrys.
I know - you really want to do Tortola and I keep discouraging it but it is good if you are going to spend all your days away from it on Jost, VG, Anegada. You could even take the Peter Island ferry and spend a day on Deadman's Bay there with lunch at the beach bar or dinner in Tradewinds.

I guess my question would be if my plan is okay. If it's not, then I welcome suggestions. I picked St. Thomas because that is where we are flying into, so I thought since we were there, we would explore it for a couple of days. I picked St. John because I have heard it's wonderful. I picked Tortola because my husband wanted to visit the BVI. I like the sound of Virgin Gorda, but we'd have to go to Tortola first anyways, right? Plus, the accommodations are much more expensive on Virgin Gorda. I chose 3 because we like to go, go, go on vacation. I was afraid we would get bored just staying in one place. Plus, I love to see all that I can while I'm there.

Our interests: hiking, snorkeling, exploring, sight-seeing, boating, jet-skiing. We are not interested in nightlife or fancy restaurants. Does this help?

I have never been to Virgin Gorda although I would like to go in the future. I think there are more high end hotels generally on Virgin Gorda than Tortola. However, beachplum made the suggestion of Mango Bay (I think Mangobayresort.com) on Mahoe Bay, which if my previous perusal of their website is correct, you can find rooms in the $100-200 range for 1 bedrooms. I don't think that is anymore than Long Bay on Tortola.

The ferry from STJ to Virgin Gorda does drop off passengers heading to Tortola first before going on to Virgin Gorda, but that only takes a minute and you would not get off the ferry if you were continuing on to Virgin Gorda. I think it is probably only a little longer to get to Virgin Gorda so I would not let that be the determining factor behind choosing Tortola over Virgin Gorda.

I think there is ferry service to VG from St. John that doesn't stop in Tortola. So you could possibly visit VG from St. John without having to go to Tortola.

There are reasonsable places in VG. Look at Guavaberry Spring Bay.

There is a direct ferry between Red Hook and Virgin Gorda on Thursday and Sundays with a stop at Cruz Bay. It is at 8am from Red Hook and 8:30 from Cruz Bay. On Tuesday and Thursday there is a direct ferry between Charlotte Amalie and Virgin Gorda in the morning and one at 3 pm on Saturday that goes directly to VG. I don't think that those from Charlotte Amalie stop at Cruz Bay on the way to VG. None of these stop at or go to Tortola.

whoops! I was just thinking and maybe the ferrys from CA do stop at Tortola on the way to VG - not sure since I've never gone from CA.

I think the OP plans on going to the BVI's from STJ, not STT.

your itinerary sounds fine. seeing alot the first time down is good as you'll know better where you want to concentrate your time next trip.
i actually like st. thomas. have been 3 times. we've always stayed at secret harbour and thought it an excellent spot. good dining, great condo style rooms w/large patio or deck, good snorkeling on site.
caneel almost always gets rave reviews. as you are only there 3 nights and it has 7 beaches, maybe you could not get a car there and spend that money to stay on virgin gorda instead of tortola.
i have heard nice things about long bay beach resort though. so perhaps the day trip to virgin gorda would suffice for your first visit. note that i've said first as i feel certain you will make more trips after you see how nice it is.

if you want cars on each island i would rent on each island.

here is a link to the various inter-island ferry schedules: http://www.bvivacations.com/Ferry.html

this would be my list of want-to-dos on st.t:
go to magens beach early one morning. plan to leave by lunchtime.
drive the perimeter of the island. or most of it.
snorkel at coki and secret harbour.
go up the tram ride across from havensight mall for sunset & a cool iced tea.
eat at blue moon one dinner.
eat at havana blue one dinner. perfect after the tram as you'd like to dine as the moon comes up if possible. gorgeous, outstanding food and pricey. rest is at marriott hotel.
dinner at tony romano's if you like italian. it's on the coki road.
st. john: snorkel snorkel snorkel
tortola: never been
virgin gorda: the baths
even though you've said you don't like tours check out: http://newhorizonscharters.com/
this is a fun trip and only take 12 or so ppl. it leaves st. thomas then basically goes all the way around tortola allowing you to get a look at most of the bvi. if you want to do this trip book now, you can cancel (no cost) on island if you decide not to go and they book up months ahead.

Wow, Wow, Wow....I am overwhelmed with all of this information. It is so helpful! I am thinking of making these changes....

*Stay at Secret Harbor Resort on St. Thomas, instead of Pavilions and Pools

*Visit St. Thomas, then the BVI, then St. John

*I checked out Mango Bay resort, and it looks beautiful there. I also checked out Little Dix Bay Resort, and it looks beautiful (but expensive!!). I think I would prefer to go with resorts on all places our first time around and then maybe do a condo/villa on a return trip. I like having the security of a resort on our first time.

*I have already booked our airfare...got an amazing deal! I am looking for a deal on accommodations. I checked Expedia and they list the same prices that I found on the resorts' websites. Any ideas on where to look?

*So those of you that think I should stay on Virgin Gorda....is this what you're thinking?

3 nights on St. Thomas
4 nights on Virgin Gorda (would I still be able to see Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, and Peter Island?)
3 nights on St. John

I was thinking it would be easier to explore the BVI from Tortola.

Thanks again for all of your help. You all have been great! :-)

I'd bag STT and spend 5 days on VG and the other 5 on STJ. I am a big fan of Tortola, as well....much more than STT. Keep it simple...stick to 2 islands and you'll enjoy your vacation a lot more plus, remember, you have access to many day trips to other islands.

You may want to check out this USVI website, too: http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/ It is highly biased towards St. John (of course, so am I).

I have not been to Tortola other than a day trip. But, between STT and STJ, I would try to spend more time in STJ. Our first trip, we spend four nights in STT (Ritz - very nice) and three in STJ (Caneel - loved it), but wish we had spent the entire time in St. John. All future trips have been entirely in STJ. We rent villas now. We like having our own place and find it more econonical.

IMHO...I don't think there is as much to do in STT...basically all the shopping. STT has beaches, but for the most part, I think the beaches in STJ are nicer.

Perhaps 2 nights in STT, 4 in STJ and the rest in Tortola?

Okay, I'll jump into the fray here, too. I've never been to St. John or St. Thomas, but I'm not especially interested in visiting either one, but I'm sure I could have a good time on either one. Anyway, I *love* the BVI and like the others, I prefer Virgin Gorda over Tortola. But also like CaribbeanSoul, I do like Tortola. If you just want to use it as a home base for exploring the rest of the BVI, but all means check out Tortola. It's much easier to visit Jost from Tortola than VG. However, you can't really visit Peter Island as it's a private island resort. You can eat lunch or dinner there, and all beaches are public up to the high water line, but you can't wander around the grounds or use their facilities.

On Tortola, I'd recommend the Sugar Mill over Long Bay Beach Resort--pleasant rooms and grounds, nice staff, very good restaurant, good location. www.sugarmillhotel.com However, the beach at Long Bay is superior to the tiny one at Sugar Mill.

On Virgin Gorda, take a look at www.guavaberryspringbay.com for a reasonably priced place that's not exactly a resort but it is a community with a commissary on site and on my favorite part of Virgin Gorda--Spring Bay is gorgeous with the huge boulders, but it's not at all crowded like the Baths are.

I'd probably recommend only doing 2 islands for your 10 night/11 day trip, but if you really must do St. Thomas, I'd say spend the last night of your trip there so you don't have to worry about catching a ferry that may be running late in order to get to your flight on time. So, I guess my final suggestion is to spend half the time on St. John, half the time on either Tortola or VG, and if you really want to see STT, spend your last night there.

You've got a great trip in the works right there, so don't fret about that at all.

Ejcrowe--why aren't you interested in visiting STJ?

Everyone has an opinion and here's mine. :)

There's a ton of different ways you could split up the time. But let me say St John is a gem. I also flew into STT, but went through town, spent a few hours in Charlotte Amalie and took the ferry in Red Hook over to St John. Comparing between the two, St Thomas is busy, dirty, and just nothing special other than a huge cruise ship port and a good place to fly into.

I would recommend spending most of your time on St John and Virgin Gorda. There are ferries that run between all the islands so even if you stayed on St John, you can take the ferry to STT, Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Jost. St John has many wonderful hikes (reef bay trail to petroglyphs and waterfall, ramshead, etc) and amazing snorkeling at tons of different beaches. Cruz Bay is also a great little town with good restaurants and enough nightlife to make it interesting!!!

I would absolutely recommend the Baths on VirginGorda. Cane Garden Bay on Tortola would also make a nice day trip or you could hike in Sage Mountain National Park. You really can't go wrong with St John or Virgin Gorda. Those islands are wonderful to go out and explore!!!!! Hands down, I would choose STJ, VirGorda, Tortola, Jost to spend my time over STT.