We are headed to St. John for one week in May (yippee!!!) and are interested in taking a day excursion to the British Virgin Islands. The Baths of Virgin Gorda are a must - but other than that, we're not sure which island(s) we should visit.

I've researched day excursions and come up with a list of appealing ones, including New Horizons II, Stormy Petrel, Island Time and Breakaway. (Also have read good things about Limnos, but I can't find a price - so I'm not sure if we'll consider this one or not.)

Anyway, to get to my main question, aside from Virgin Gorda, which islands would be best for part of a day trip: Marina Cay, Guana Island, Jost van Dyke, Cooper Island, Peter Island or Norman Island? I've researched them all and can't find any huge differences between them. Just wondering if anyone has a preference in terms of snorkeling and natural beauty.

Thanks!!
Meredith

Meredith--My family and I are going to STJ also in June.

CaribbeanSoul recommended a day trip to Jost Van Dyke to me..make a post to CaribbeanSoul and he can help you.Put his name in the subject and I'm sure that he will see it.
(I'm Jealous, your leaving to go sooner than me!)Have fun!!!!!

I can't comment on the different islands, but I can tell you we did a Stormy Petrol excursion when we were in St. John last month. I would highly recommend them - the two "crew" members took good care of us.

We got picked up in St. John/Cruz Bay, and then went to the Baths - which is great! Then we ate lunch at Cooper Island (our lunch choices were called in ahead of time, so we didn't spend lots of time waiting to eat). Then we did a snorkel stop off of Peter Island, I believe. This was great - we saw a sea turtle!

The boat ride from St. John to Virgin Gorda is so pretty - you paralllel the north shore of St. John, and then pass Tortola and lots of other smaller islands.

We are also going in May, but staying on St. Thomas. We have already booked the New Horizons II, which goes to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay, Guana Island, and Jost Van Dyke.

It was also hard for us to make a decison as there are so many excursions to the BVI's to chose from.

We are staying at the Wyndham Sugar Bay. Their tour desk offers a day crusie with Limnos that goes to the Baths and a "snorkling spot" for $95 -$120. It didn't cover enough of the BVI for us.

What helped in our decision was we wanted to see a much as we could of the BVI's in this one trip. Hopefully, we choose wisely.

kvr

I'm not traveling til later this year but have a question for you. We want to book New Horizons II as well. I see you are going in May. How far in advance do you need to book this trip?

meredith

We are going to take the ferry to JVD for the day. Soggy Dollar, bubbly pool,Foxy's...

It all depends on what you are looking for. Virgin Gorda, Tortola and JVD are all vastly different from one another. VG is farthest from STJ and boasts the Baths as their unique feature. Tortola is the biggest and has the widest variety of terrain....beautiful beaches and drop dead gorgeous views from every hairpin turn. Nice shopping in Roadtown, as well. JVD is a little island with 300 residents....few roads and few cars. Its claim to fame is Foxy's and the Soggy Dollar Bar. SDB is located on one of the most beautiful beaches I have been on known as White Bay Beach. We like to charter a 25-30 ft boat on our own, if you are nautically inclined, and hit the Bight at Norman Island along with a stop at Sandy Cay and Jost Van Dyke for a full day of cruising the BVI. Also requires a stop at West End, Tortola to clear Customs. I have seen many different charters....it all really depends on the kind of trip you are looking for.

brenandg:

I booked the trip in February. I'm sure I didn't need to book that early, but wanted to. I sent them an e-mail and that sent me back an e-mail with an 800# to call to make the reservation; 800-416-1205.

They took my credit card number to hold the reservation, but indicated they wouldn't charge the card until after the sailing or I can choose other options to pay at that time. They sent me a detailed confirmation via e-mail after our telephone conversation.

We are looking forward to this trip. Celebrating DH's 50th birthday.

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback! We're still undecided right now, although I have narrowed it down to either New Horizons II or Stormy Petrel - they both seem to be very popular.

KVR, if we choose New Horizons, I guess there's a chance we could end up going the same day as you - I'll ask around on the boat for any Fodorites.