Good morning and Happy Holidays! I am starting to research for a trip in late June. We are considering a trip to BVI's. I have been reading some of your responses recently and was wondering if you recommend staying put in one place and taking day trips or splitting the time between 2 islands.
If you remember, we did the St. Kitts/Nevis/St. Martin thing last summer, but 3 islands was too much. We have split time between 2 islands and I don't mind that at all.
I received a very helpful guide from another poster on this board, but I thought I would check with you, as well. I have read and been advised that Tortola is a good place to start.?

Well, I'll give you my input, but I've only been to the BVI twice, with a third trip planned for this July, so keep that in mind when reading my suggestions.

If you want to do a fair bit of island hopping, Tortola has the best ferry schedule for doing so. It's where we stayed last year with our 13 year old granddaughter and we used it as a base for exploration for 4 nights. It has many charms, including beautiful beaches, some fun beach bars, warm "belongers", and gorgeous scenery. The main roads are very good, but some of the others (road to Smuggler's Cove, for one) are really in terrible shape. The road to Brewers Bay is so steep and narrow that I prayed the whole time not to meet another car coming from the oppostite direction! Now that I've done more driving on the left side of the road, Tortola might not seem quite so bad to me these days, however. and to be fair, most of the roads we used were wide and in good repair with only a few blind corners.

We're planning to go to Virgin Gorda for our next trip, with the same granddaughter who will be 15 at time of travel. We went there on a daytrip from Tortola last year and wanted to see more of it. We hear that the snorkeling is better and the beaches even lovelier than on Tortola (which is not to say we weren't satisfied with those on Tortola) and wanted to give it a try.

As to staying overnight in one place or splitting it up, that's such a personal choice, and I am not consistent with my own travels. How much time will you have? And do you want two islands with totally different feels? If so, picking Anegada would provide the most contrast, no matter which other BVI you chose. There are also the several other private island places in the BVI--the very expensive ones like Peter Island (I'll assume that Necker is beyond your price range!) and the inexpensive one like Cooper Island.

If I had time enough and the funds, I would stay on Jost, Anegada, VG, Tortola, Guana, and Cooper for 5 nights each, but that will never be a realistic scenario, I'm afraid.

I remember reading your trip report after your return from the SKB/NEV/SXM trip, but as I recall, you enjoyed St. Kitts much more than I did. Remind me of your favorite things about each island and what you would prioritize for your next vacation.

I'm going through the same dilemma. We've decided on BVIs for the summer (August) but can't decide which islands and how to do it. I've thought about splitting it between Marina Cay (love the small island idea but worried for my husband that there's no a.c.) and Virgin Gorda with day trips to Tortola, Anegada and/or JVD. I'm actually not keen on staying on Tortola. Anyway, my husband thinks I've lost my mind. He wants to stay in one place. Good luck with the planning!

If you want to do two islands, I would do either Tortola and Virgin Gorda, or possibly VG and Jost or Peter IS. I would not bother with Marina Cay, there is nothing there and its not like being on a private island. If you want to do the private island thing I would do Peter for something upscale or Cooper for something more low-key.
Or consider splitting the trip beween one of the above and Anegada. Anegada is just beach and you will see few other souls there.
Tortola is one of my favorite places as I have been visiting there for almost 30 years (29 to be precise) however, it is much busier than the other BVIs and it depends on what you are looking to do.
If you like St Martin at all then Tortola would be closest to that in terms of being busy, etc. but of course not even close (if that makes sense )
The BVIs are all about sailing and nature and lovely stretches of beach.
One of my favorite houses in all of the Caribbean to rent is the one on Cane Garden Bay
www.tortolabeach.com

Although for simple accomodations I really like Cane Garden Bay Cottages. We normally stay at Guavaberry in VG, but recently rented one of their managed homes, Virgin Oriental. If I did it over, I would have rented another home they have called the Beach House.

To answer your ? IW, Tortola is a good place to start, I have also loved staying at Sugar Mill. It is a fantastic small hotel and the restaurant is wonderful. I just love it.

Wow! Thanks for the quick response to all! I hate to make decisions, but I am thankful for a minute to read your replies, as I am getting ready for 4 consecutive dinner parties, YIKES!

We liked St. Kitts for the people, Turtle Beach fun, Brimstone Hill Fortress, Caribelle Batik (I know that I missed that spelling), the rainforest hike and food. I do like the casino at the Marriott. (Forgive me)..... Nevis...very lush and laid back with wonderful people and food. Yes, the beaches in both islands are nothing to write home about, but they are uncrowded in late June, definitely a plus, in my book!
BTW, the roads in Tortola wouldn't bother me as I have been to race car driving school! wink wink... My 350z and I could handle it.
So, how different is Anegada from Tortola? Just read MIM's assessment of Anegada...might be too quiet. I wonder how it compares to Nevis, which is the quietest island I have visited, thus far.
We will spend between 12-16 days, I imagine. I am off in the summer, so time is flexible.
MIM....I do not care for St. Martin any longer...too busy, like Myrtle Beach, for me. So....I think that you mean that Tortola might be like St. Martin was, 10 or so years ago on my first visit? I am trying to read b/n the lines. Actually I liked SXM 8 years ago, but I couldn't believe the changes on this past trip.
Guess my age is showing!

Please keep the thoughts coming.

Happy Holidays to all,
Karen

MIM04: Thanks for the thoughts. I'm aware that Marina Cay isn't private. I just like it as an alternative to Tortola, plus the fact that it's so small and how completely laid back it appears to be. We've done Peter Island already so it's not an option for us on this trip. Maybe we just need to stay on VG the entire time and do day trips to the other places. VG calls out to me more than the others for some reason. We'll see. We have lots of time to decide.
By the way, LOVE that Cane Garden Bay beach house, but it's a little more than what we want to spend.

another house to consider in cane garden bay is Indigo House !! this is more affordable and also right on the beach !!haven't stayed there myself but have "heard" many wonderfull reviews, so it's on my list when the time's right ! planning to save it for a trip with just my husband and myself. www.indgiohouse.org FYI...we split our trips between either st. john or tortola and always end with a stay on jost....this , for me, is the best way to finish our travels...we stay at either Sandcastles or Ivans and always enjoy the beauty and relaxation we continue to find/need in white bay before returning to our hectic lives back home !! always a wonderfull way to recharge !! PERFECT !!