welch

We live on the West Coast and love Hawaii. It's beautiful and very easy for us to get to. When our kids were young it was a yearly trip we all looked forward to.
The kids aren't kids anymore and the past few years we've taken other kinds of trips, but this year we want a beach.
I traveled to Virgin Gorda 30 years ago and stayed at Little Dix. My husband has never been there. We have been to St. Barths a few times in past 5 or 6 years and it's quite a haul, as is the trip to Virgin Gorda.
Is there anyone out there who has been to both islands and can say that it's worth the 24 hours it will take us to arrive at the island?
Thanks so much for any opinions!

StanKase

Not in my opinion. The Garden Island is the best of them all for sheer natural beauty in our opinion based on visits to all except Molokai. Snorkeling is best in Maui based on last visit in 2005 and Lanai was the least desirbable for snorkling. I'm not sure how much time you would save if you went to Hamanasi Resort in Belize. I know you can fly through Houston or Dallas. It is not as elegant my any measure as Little Dix bit it has an understated elegance. The food for such a remote location is quite good. You might want to look into it and maybe reduce travel time by 4-6 hours. Also, cost 50-60% od Litte Dix.

DavefromCA

We've been to Kauai twice and stayed at Biras Creek on VG. We live in San Francisco, so I know the pain of getting to the Caribbean. That said we go every couple of years to the ilons, mon! We usually take the red eye out of SFO and usually end up on an island around 4 pm the next day. It's a pain, true, but worth it.

I am now going to sell you on the Caribbean.

VG is one of my favorite islands. Biras Creek is a great resort with topnotch food and the use of the Boston Whalers add a special dimension.

Also, the people are some of the friendliest we've met. We walked to Bitter End, boated to Saba and Gun Creek, drove to the Baths and it was terrific. We mooched some towels at Little Dix and hung out on their beach for a day. Gorgeous. As was Savannah Bay, still one of my favorite beaches.

Don't get me wrong, Kauai is lovely. It's big for me, but lovely. So, if you want things to do every day, go to Hawaii. If you want to just go limin', go to the Caribbean!

welch

Thanks!
I wasn't clear on options in VG.
We could rent a villa or go to Biras. LDB isn't a contender.
My concern about Biras is the beach. I need a good beach. Although I've lived in the Bay Area for 26 years I was born in the Bahamas and that water is in my blood! I myself was amazed I loved Hawaii as much as I do.
You know, maybe I will go to VG this year...
Are there a few bands around in the summer, local, of course?
We like to be social!

kellybeaches

Hi Welch,
For me it’s a no brainer. Kauai gets my vote hands down. I’ve been to Kauai and Maui (1 week each) and Virgin Gorda. Although VG is a great choice if you’re going to the Caribbean (it’s one of my favorites), Kauai blows it away for it’s sheer beauty and topography I’ve yet to find anywhere else. We stayed at the Princeville Resort on the north shore of Kauai and hiked the Napali coast. Loved it, loved it, loved it. If we lived on the west coast I’d go every year!

If you really want to check out the Caribbean though, VG is a good choice. We rented a villa on Mahoe Bay called Caribbean Wind. I highly recommend this as they are all beautiful and right on a white sand beach with clear blue water. You can also do day trips to neighboring islands. Here are pics from our trip if that helps in your decision: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...fromshare&Ux=0

Regarding entertainment, Leverick Bay does a Friday night beach BBQ, and Bitter End Yacht club also does a bbq. It is a beautiful mountainous island, but no where near as lush or huge mountains as Kauai. It also has a totally different feel overall as it has the Caribbean vibe rather than the Hawaiian vibe. You really can’t go wrong with either, but my vote would be for the north shore of Kauai

mnag

Have been to both. I agree Kaui is beautiful but I liked VG even more. Mostly because we love quiet places with nice beaches. Kaui was a bit crowded for us though its definately more beautiful/lush etc.Don't think you'll be disappointed with VG. Its one of our fav islands in the caribbean and we've been to several. Its very quiant and not commericalized. The baths are gorgeous. You could either stay at the Mahoe bay villas which I highly recommend or Biras Creek if you're looking for a boutique but upscale resort.

StanKase

The beach at Biras is only decent, in my opinion. It is clean but narrow and not one of those 1/2 to 3/4 mi. ones like on Anguilla or Cayman's or even Barbados. Hawawii has dozens. So, if beach is important BCreek is not the place, to go.

orangetravelcat

I love the Caribbean and the Bahamas. It's a trek to get there from Phoenix, and we usually overnight in Miami or San Juan, but I prefer it to Hawaii. Hawaii is beautiful but there is nothing like the warm clear water of the Caribbean. It's worth the hassle to get there.