Hi. I am hoping someone can help answer a few questions I have. My husband and I, along with a few other couples, are planning a trip sometime this year to the caribbean. We are debating between staying in a villa on St. Barts Island or Tortola. My husband and I a few years back stayed on St. John for our honeymoon and loved it. I read on a few forums that Tortola is awesome too and the ferry can take you to several other islands which is a plus. I guess my question is, is what all is there to do on St. Barts - I hear lots of celebrities go there but what is appealing about it and is there more do there than on Tortola. Any suggestion or information about the two islands would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Kelly

St Barts is a very quiet, elegant island. Tres chic about sums it up.
Very French but not in a stuffy way. Outstanding restaurants. The main activities are going to the beach and dining. (shopping is good too for boutique type, French products).
Tortola is British, more laid back, much less expensive. Beaches may be better.
It all depends on what you want.

I've only been to St. Barts for a day. Took a day trip from St. Martin -- so I assume it's possible to take a day trip to St. Martin from St. Barts.
St. Barts is a beautiful island but it's small and there didn't appear to be a lot to do.

It's a far cry between St. Barts ... ritzy ... to Tortolla which does have it's charm and fair share of good restaurants. Why not try for St. John ... great restaurants, snorkeling, and hiking ... Day trips can take you over to Tortolla, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda ... Or there's plenty to while away your time right on St. John.

Caribgal - we went to st. john almost 2 years ago for our honeymoon...stayed two weeks there in a villa - loved it! However, we are wanting to try somewhere new but that roughly has the same atmoshphere. I am just not real familiar with what all there is to do on St. Bart but with Tortola I like b/c the ferry can take you to St. Peters Island which we are wanting to stay a couple of nights on, and Jost Van Dyke, etc. What all other islands can you visit from St. Bart, which has better beaches and food, and somewhat of a nightlife...we are in our 20's and of course are all married, so we don't have to have something that will entertain us at all times, but we would like to go somewhere that has a nice atmosphere with beach bars and bands...

My husband and I honeymooned on St. John also, a little over 5 years ago. Since then we have tried different islands, and have been back to St. John two other occasions (most recently two months ago). Eight months ago, we did an Anguilla/St. Barts split, and it was the best vacation we've ever been on. The first 4 nights of the vacation we spent on Anguilla. Anguilla is a lot like St. John insofar as there are beautiful beaches, and it is a relatively quiet island. The difference in the islands is that while St. John is hilly and green, Anguilla is flat and desert-like. If you love St. John, I would be willing to bet you would love Anguilla. The second half of the vacation was then spent in St. Barts. We loved St. Barts! The beaches were fabulous (much better than people let on), the restaurants were great (though pricey), and the people were very friendly. If you like to go out at night, check out Le Ti St Barth for some awesome nightlife (like none I've ever seen in the Caribbean - serious dancing on table tops going on!). The culture is just so French and so different from what you will see in the rest of the Caribbean. If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. Also, click on my name and then see my trip report on Anguilla/St. Barts (should be the second posting or so down after you've clicked on my name) - hope this helps!

Actually, when you click on "Becca" it is the 7th posting listed, entitled "Trip Report - Anguilla/St. Barts - May, 2005."

I would go to St. Barts or Anguilla in a heartbeat over Tortola. I don't think the beaches are that great in the BVI and we had a very blah but pricey dinner for Valentine's Day at the Sugar Mill in Tortola. Service was awful too. In fact, throughout the BVI's I found service to be lacking in general. I've never stayed at resorts there, just sailed among the islands.

St. Barts is beautiful with lots of wonderful restaurants and beaches. I love St. Barts. Have also been to Anguilla via sailing but am returning there in a couple weeks and staying at Cuisinart Resort. Both Anguilla and St. Barts are a lot more upscale than Tortola.

If we were going to go anywhere in the Caribbean it would be either Vieques or St. Barts (very different from each other). St. Barts is awesome.

Thanks everyone! Becca, read your trip report and that was great! Sounds like you had a fabulous time. After reading your trip report, it sounds like you like Anguilla better than St. Barts?? Where do you fly into when going to Anguilla? Thanks.

I know my trip report sounds like I like Anguilla better, but the further away I've gotten from the trip, the more I think I like St. Barts better. For instance, we are considering another two island split this summer, and we originally planned on doing Anguilla/St. Barts again. Now I'm thinking about Nevis/St. Barts, but I haven't quite made up my mind. I know whatever we do, it will include St. Barts in some capacity. If you want to read about Anguilla and St. Barts in more depth, especially message boards about the two islands, check out www.anguillaguide.com (click on "Anguilla Forum" or go directly to www.anguillaforum.com for message boards) for Anguilla, and check out www.sbhonline.com (click on "Forums" for message boards) for St. Barts. We fly into St. Martin, and then you have the option of taking the 20 minute ferry or taking a 5-10 minute flight to Anguilla. St. Martin is a great jumping off point for several neighboring islands - Anguilla, St. Barts, Nevis, St. Kitts, Antigua, Saba, etc.