Tim

My wife and I just returned from 4 nites at Little Dix on Virgin Gorda and 4 nites at the Westin in St. John. The trip dates were 7/9/01 to 7/16. Had beautiful weather, and had a great time. We rented a small boat for one day on both of the islands and rented a car on St, john for 2 days. So, we saw a lot of both of the islands. Will be happy to ansewr any questions.

Mariarosa

Hi Tim! How about writing a short trip report? How difficult was it to rent a small boat and snorkel around?

nancy

Yes, would love to hear espcially about <BR>St. John..we plan to go there on our honeymoon...still waiting to hear from <BR>anyone who has villa suggestions...what <BR>areas are better to rent one....any <BR>suggestions would be appreciated. <BR>Nancy

Julie

Nancy--We were in the same dilemma as you a few weeks ago. We're headed to St. John in the fall and kept going back and forth over where to stay. We finally reserved a villa called Dream Catcher (on Great Cruz Bay) which was within our price range and luckily, met all our other requirements as well. What I've heard from others as I've researched all this myself is the following: <BR> <BR>1) Avoid immediate Cruz Bay area as it can be loud. <BR>2) Great Cruz Bay and Maria Bluff are both generally nice and conveniently located. <BR>2) Avoid East End unless you want total seclusion and don't plan to spend much, if any, time in town--it's just too remote. <BR>3) The Coral Bay half of the island is generally a few degrees hotter than the Cruz Bay half (because it gets fewer trade winds?). It's also a more quiet, laid back area. The trip from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay can be treacherous at night, so if you plan on spending many evenings in Cruz Bay you probably shouldn't stay on Coral Bay. <BR>4) The hillside directly above the Westin is where most of the recent villa break-ins have occurred. <BR>5) Chocolate Hole should not be a first choice, as the views are usually better elsewhere and the area can be worse than most for mosquitos (due to lake). <BR>6) Reef Bay is remote and somewhat difficult to get to. <BR>7) Fish Bay is less remote, but the roads coming in are quite bad. <BR>8) Hart Bay, Rendezvous Bay and Klein Bay are all nice areas. <BR>9) Waterfront/Beachfront villas are few and far between, and the beaches they are located on tend to be not so great. It usually makes more sense to get a hillside villa and drive to the beaches. <BR>10) Villas on the North Shore are also few and far between. <BR>11) Gifft Hill is reasonably nice, but the water view is pretty distant (if that matters to you). <BR>12) Recall someone saying that Contant Point was not the best neighborhood. <BR>13) Villas on Peter Bay are really expensive. <BR>14) If you don't mind not having your own pool/hottub and you're looking for a slightly cheaper alternative, Gallows Point is very nice (but get an oceanfront unit--the harborside units can be too noisy). <BR>15) Stick with a newer villa as the older ones occasionally have problems w/ rats. <BR>16) If the heat bothers you at all, get a/c in the bedrooms. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps a little. If anyone (Tim?) thinks any of the above is inaccurate, feel free to say so--this is all secondhand information!

Lara

Hi Tim: <BR> <BR>Please post a detailed trip report on Little Dix. How many children were at the resort? <BR> <BR>--Lara

jt

How does Little Dix compare with the Westin? Where did you rent a boat from in Virgin Gorda? (We used Nauti Nymph on St. John)Can you find 'secluded' beaches on VG like ones on St. John? <BR> <BR>For Mariarosa: It was very easy to rent from Nauti Nymph on St. John. They have some boats at the Westin and also on St. Thomas I think. They provide a map and work with you to plan a day of snorkeling. We have never been boating by ourselves on the ocean before..just on lakes so I was a little nervous at first. But it ended up the BEST day of our trip.

nancy

Message; Julie, <BR>Thanks so much for all that info Julie. <BR>it was quite a help...hmm..never thought about the "rats"...most of the <BR>villas we have seen online look pretty <BR>new...there is another one I found today <BR>"Mango Bay".... <BR> <BR>Again, thanks for all the tips on the <BR>areas on St. John. <BR> <BR>Nancy

Tim

Hey All, <BR> <BR>I've tried to post a long trip report on our honeymoon twice today but it won't post. Any suggestions? If you'd like me to email it to you please email me at the above email address. If someone knows how I can post it here please let me know. Thanks <BR> <BR>Tim

Tim

Hey All, <BR>Here's a trip report on our honeymoon as requested. <BR>Our first stop was Little Dix Bay(LDB) on Virgin Gorda(VG). Since it was a Sunday it took a while to get there due to limited ferry schedules. Got picked up at Beef Island by LDB ferry($75 additional cost!)and arrived at the resort at 5:30pm. Went to dinner at the MineShaft, ok food probably a good view but it was already dark <BR>Next day stayed on the beach. at times had the whole beach to ourselves. Our side of the beach hardly ever had anyone on it. Most people stayed near the watersport area. Our room (#108 Ocean View rate) was 20 yards from the beach and near the restaurants but very quiet. The whole resort was probably only half full. The off season is to blame and the rates were half off. It was great because we felt like we had the place to ourselves often times. <BR>We rented a boat from Speedy's(did this on our own) for $175 plus $20 in gas. It was a 14' Boston Whaler. We got a cooler, beer, snacks at Bucks Market for the trip. Went to the Seal Dog(no beach), then to Prickly Pear Island where we had a beautiful beach all to ourselves. Then to Bitter End Yacht Club for lunch. We were then told to head to Fallen Jerusalem(a small island off VG)what a treat. We had the whole place to ourselves. It is just like the Baths with no one there. Good snorkeling. From Spanish Town to BEYC was only 30 min travel time so you can get around easily and quickly. The boating was well worth it. The cost is comparable to the half-day snorkel cruise LDB puts on(that was $150/couple) and you get to go whereever you want for the whole day! The beaches were MUCH more secluded than St. John. <BR>The rest of the time we went to the Baths, Devil's Bay(much prettier and much less crowded)and stayed at LDB beach. <BR>We ate at the Pavilion at LDB for the Monday buffet. $65pp the food was just ok. Georgio's, again just ok pretty expensive. Sugar mill at LDB. Great food and had a table 6 inches from the beach(our most memorable dinner spot due to the atmosphere) Ate lunch at Bath and Turtle(good) and Top of the Baths(good food for the price and awesome views). LDB had live music most nights as did the Bath and Turtle. <BR>Overall, VG was incredible. The rooms at LDB were quaint, service excellent. We did encounter a few kids(at LDB) unfortunately but we just moved to a different end of the beach and for the most part the kids weren't too out of control. The whole island was nicely quiet. The downside was the local folks. They always seemed bothered, put out and sometimes rude. But I can't wait to get back to Virgin Gorda <BR> St John report continued on next post. <BR> <BR>Tim

tim

Trip report continued from last post. <BR> <BR>St John(STJ) seemed really crowded compared to VG(but really wasn't too bad). The Westin was nice but night and day compared to LDB. The Westin beach is not too nice which is why we rented a car for 2 days and a boat for 1 day. <BR>we rented both the cars and boat in Cruz bay. It is cheaper and easier that doing it at the Westin. Renting a boat at the Westin is more $ and you are not able to take it past Trunk Bay(why bother) We rented an 11' Zodiac boat from Noah's Little Arks(Cruz bay) and it cost $120 included gas and an iced cooler. We got supplies from the Starfish Market(good selection on beer and food and good prices). Went to Trunk Bay(great snorkeling beautiful beach) GO EARLY. Cinnamon Bay(pretty nice), Waterlemon Cay(good snorkeling)Mahoe Bay(our favorite, good snorkeling), Honeymoon beach(our other fav, no one there). You can get to all of these beaches by car (honeymoon is a 20 min hike) but we like the boat thing. <BR> <BR>We rented a car twice and went back to the beaches. Driving is sort of an adventure, steep roads. C&C Rental $55 for a Vitara in Cruz Bay. <BR> <BR>Places we ate on STJ were Cafe Roma twice for dinner. Great pizza and Italian food good prices. Chateau Bordeaux dinner. Best food we had all honeymoon, great views of Coral Bay. Cafe Wahoo, good food decent prices good view of St Thomas and Cruz Bay. Had drinks at Woody's(young crowd, cheap drinks friendly service) Beach Bar(live music, a little older crowd right on the water) Duffy's love Shack(young but neat set up). <BR> <BR>Overall STJ was a nice change from VG. The locals were MUCH nicer even though they were mostly American college kids. The snorkeling was better on STJ but the beaches were more crowded. What a blast the whole trip was. Please email me at the above email address for more specific questions or ask here at this forum. Hope this helps. <BR> <BR>Tim <BR>

Joel

Tim, you point out a number of aspects of LDB that on my past visit I found rather annoying... mainly the add on costs that are far from insignificant. I expect that when a resort offers a wide array of activities and hasn't advertised itself as in All-inclusive, that there will be added costs, but I compare LDB to my experience at Biras Creek. As a for instance, the whalers there were free for use every day, and the transportation from Beef Island was a chartered, fast, efficient boat that met us at the gate and whisked us away. <BR>My general impression is that LDB pinches the guests' wallets for every little bit. I might expect that from a small no-name resort, but it should be beneath a resort with LDB's name and prestige. <BR>Thanks for your trip report. It puts me off LDB at a time when I was considering returning.

tim

Joel, <BR> <BR>I will agree with you on the LDB ferry. It is ridiculous for them to charge anything for that short trip from Beef Island. Fortunately my TA took care of it since I was told the ferry was included. It was a fast and efficient service like you mentioned at Biras though. However, the free Boston Whaler thing didn't bother me too much for a few reasons. First, I knew going in that Biras and Bitter End offered guests free Whalers and LDB didn't so I was prepared. Second at Biras and BEYC you are stuck there since there are no roads to get there, so it seems to me they'd have to offer a free boat to get anywhere. <BR> <BR>Other than the Ferry I didn't feel nickel and dimed. Were there other things that you felt they charged you for when you stayed there? <BR> <BR>We did our own thing a few nights and I liked to freedom to go to Spanish town and buy snacks, beer, water. This saved a ton of money by not having to drink $6 beers and $8-10 mixed drinks all the time. Also, going to different restaurants, The Baths, Devil's Bay, easily. <BR> <BR>I wanted to go by Biras when we had the boat but didn't have time. I have a few friends who swear by the place. I will definately try to check Biras out the next time I'm there, but we'll probably stay at LDB since had such a great time and it would take alot to get me to switch for the next trip. <BR> <BR>

Karen

Well, I can commisserate! For years, LDB was it! I would not budge ... twice a year and we book the next year before we left. Then I got an adventure bug and I sure am glad I did! Found Biras (loved it), found PIR (loved it more), found Copper Island (it's great) and Guana (fabulous!). We were blown out of PIR and almost wound up going back to LDB because we didn't have to change air then and when I found out that the louvered rooms are now glassed in and a/c'ed, that there is a kids' club and some other signifigant changes, we headed to other parts! I am sure LDB is wonderful and that beach is great! And they would drop you off at a "deserted beach" for a picnic lunch instead of you doing it on your own! I do love Virgin Gorda! But ... there is a whole world out there and there are some spectacular spots! <BR>I have to comment because I am surprised at the combo with the Westin! I think you were kind in reporting about the beach. It surely pales to any of those on St. John and most of the Caribb! Not my favorite spot - can you tell? I think you might have been very pleased if you had chosen Caneel instead!

Sara

I too loved LDB, Virgin Gorda, and the Baths. Its interesting that 2 posters had totally different experiences. Joel didnt seem to be very well informed on what to expect in regard to incidentals. Sometimes the more expensive resorts do alot of nickel and diming cuz their clientele have paid alot to be there and the incidentals dont bother them too much. But these charges bothered Joel and he was unhappy. Tim was well informed on additional costs,thus was comfortable and the end result was a great trip. I wonder if Joel did his own research. Tim stated his TA made his arrangements. LDB is too great of resort to let the incidentals ruin it when you have paid so much to be there. Thats unfortunate. Whats tht saying "penney wise, dollar foolish"

tim

Karen, <BR> <BR>We stayed at the Westin because Caneel was booked by a company for the whole week so we had no choice. Actually i'm glad we didn't. St. John is the kind of place where you don't need to stay somewhere fabulous and overly expensive because every beach is free to anyone there and easy to get to. We spent so little time at the Westin. We did spend some time at Caneel and found it not nearly as private as Little Dix due to the national park status. I can't comment on all the other resorts you mentioned, but we looked extensively at PIR, Biras, BEYS and even Petite St. Vincent. I'm sure they are all great in their own way. This was our first time in the VI and LDB was awesome. Of corse we'll venture out and try somewhere else, but saying LDB in the off season is not a good deal is not accurate.

karen

Did I say it wasn't a good deal? I would return in a heartbeat to LDB other than for the things I mention. Offering children the second room at half price is a great deal, I think, for those seeking a family resort. And I have never found that at any of the resorts that I have stayed that we were "nickled and dimed" other than at a couple we chose to "save" some $$. By the time we were done paying for all the extras and things not included, we could have stayed at one of the "higher" priced resorts for almost the same! You really did pick a wonderful start to your visits to the VI's and I have to agree that I prefered LDB to Caneel for exactly the reason you stated!

tim

Karen, <BR>Yeah, you never did say it wasn't a good deal. I'm not quite sure why I wrote that. We did have a great time on both islands and can't wait to see what else is out there.