ST.John or Bequia !!!!
 

We now have it narrowed down to these 2 islands , we can not do St. Lucia due to flight conflict . SO , Between St.John and Bequia which would be the more natural , lush , quiet , etc . Any info. as usual is greatly appreciated . St . John is new to my list !! Faith

St. John is a much prettier island and because of the National Park you will find it more natural, lush and it has better and more beaches than Bequia. Because of this you will find it a bit more "touristy" of the two. Bequia, is smaller, there are only a few moderate hotels and inns. It caters to the sailing crowd. There's not a lot to see, you can tour the island in about 1 1/2 hours and see all there is to see. Go to Bequia if you want to "get away from the world". Go to St. John if you want more of the creature comforts. Hope this helps.

Willem, Sunnyboy is right. Bequia is a good stop on a cruise ship, we were there while windjammering...you can see most of what it's got in a few hours...eat some Lobster Pizza at Mac's and it's back to the ship. St. John has lots to offer, many snorkling beaches, hiking, nature, good restaurants and lots of laid back fun. Trish

I guess my fear with the Virgin Islands was that they were really touristy and a bit americanized of course . Although I believe out of the three St.John draws the least crowds , is this correct .... We liked Bequia for that out of the way feeling , and lean towards small inns etc. St.John certainly looks beautiful , great beaches and lush vegetation , still on the list ! This helps guys , thanx !! Faith

You can get that out of the way feeling on St. John. We like that too...we stay on the south side out past Coral Bay. It's quieter, and Salt Pond Bay, among many others offers great snorkling. When are you planning to go? Low season just started in the VI's, so prices are reasonable & the weather is still fantastic. If you like camping check out www.maho.org for their eco-tent sites in Maho Bay (north side) and Concordia (south side). These structures have solar power & kitchens. It's top notch camping. They also have studios at Concordia. Alternately, there are small villas which won't break the bank as well. check out www.stjohnlinks.com and click on Vacation rentals. Trish

Please allow me to say something, plwase don't get me wrong. I live and work in NYC. The City has a population of 8 million and the metro area has about 20 million people. To someone like myself, getting away to someplace quiet would be South Beach. St. John is totally beautiful, however it is almost beyond quiet as far as I'm concerned. I a normal 40 year old married guy with 2 kids. If I need more quiet, I would just stay home in my closet, but I don't. Hey, I can even understand, best case a day or two of solitude, but a week or two - nope! Why would anyone who has social skills and a pulse, would enjoy more than a couple of days, someplace as quiet as Bequia?

The great thing about the Caribbean and traveling abroad, for the most part is meeting people and getting a vibe of the culture and the locals. I just never understood why someone would spend money to travel and be totally alone. Please don't be offended. Someone please explain this to me.

Hmmmmm...Lets see , I do have a pulse , I do have social skills , yet I am STILL interested in both Bequia and St.John . My oponion and likes obviously differ from yours . My husband and I choose places for natural beauty and to get the feeling that we have discovered something special , we do not want mega resorts , highrise hotels , casinos , etc. These islands do have a social scene , Bequia draws the sailing crowd and I am sure many a good conversation can be had at the Frangipani . I also believe that these places are populated so we may actually meet some locals ! I like to say each to there own , you might be better off in your closet with your social skills . To the others , much Thanx , your advice helps !! Faith

For Trish or Sunnyboy , I will check out the sites you mentioned , do you know of any nice small inns .... On Nevis we had been interested in The Hermitage , and on Bequia The Old Fort Inn , it will be our anniversary and these places seemed romantic !! Anything similar on St. John ... P.S. I came across a site with lots of great photos and boy does it look beautiful !! Thank-You , Faith .

I can understand what the previous poster is saying.I could also do a few days of quiet but not a few weeks.I do not think he was trying to be offensive...merely asking a question.I think he "coined" a phrase by talking about having a pulse.
Virgin Gorda is not a populated Island.It is very lush and beautiful.The locals are very entertaining and you do indeed have peace and quiet.
Willem hope you find the right destination...sounds like you prefer very quiet vacations.

Perhaps I misread , felt like he was trashing the decision to visit Bequia , probaly could have been worded better ... Anyway , no harm done ,Rich normally gives great advice. Virgin Gorda looks great , we definetly prefer things more on the natural side , someplace mainstream tourism has not hit yet ! we loved our recent trip to Port Antonio , but it would not be everyones cup of tea ! Thanx Faith

Regardless of what RichF was trying to say, it did come across a little "my way is the best and only way"... which is so not true. Based on the concept that Willem had already narrowed it down to Bequia and St. John indicated to me (who has visited both islands) a general idea of what type of vacation they were looking for. I gave my polite opinions about both and left it up to them to choose their ultimate destination. Not everybody wants all-inclusive mega resorts. I personally can't stand them, but I wouldn't tell somebody who likes 'em not to go. And BTW RichF, we were not totally alone on either island. Sought out and met plenty of nice people. Your vacation is what you make of it.

For Willem: I spent two nights on Bequia while sailing the Grenadines so I did not stay at any of the hotels. I passed by the Old Fort Inn and it looked like a decent place to stay. I've stayed at the Hermitage in Nevis and think your assessment that the two are similar is fairly accurate. If I recall there was a post a while back that discussed several of the places on Bequia in some detail. Use the search feature above "type in Bequia" and I'm sure you'll find it. Be sure to visit Elmore's and Seargent's model boat shops. They have some great things. I have to agree with others that I would not want to stay on Bequia for more than a couple of days, it's much too quiet for my tastes (and I don't crave a lot of excitment). You might consider chartering a "crewed" sailboat and spending your vacation sailing the BVI's or the Grenadines. You can mve at your own pace, anchor off a different beach every evening and visit numerous islands. The on board chef will prepare great meals, you'll have a romantic time watching the sunsets and the starlit skies, you'll visits lots of small islands, and the cost will be about the same as staying in a first class hotel with all your meals included.

On St. John I stayed at Caneel Bay and liked it very much but thought Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda was much better. There's been a lot posted on places to stay on St. John so if you do a little research you should find the perfect spot for your vacation.

Thanx Sunnyboy and Trish , well said ! Appreciate your viewpoints , perhaps Virgin Gorda joins the other 2 !! I will look at V.G. now . Faith

If it's your anniversary, you may want ot check out Biras Creek in Virgin Gorda (British Virgin Islands). It's a beautiful, small, intimate resort. Perfect for couples.

Hi, Faith, I will offer my views on Bequia and St. John. We were on Bequia for four days last month in conjunction with a business trip my husband had in St. Vincent. It is not a place to get to easily or cheaply. We stayed at the "Gingerbread House". It was far from quiet without A/C to drown out the 2AM roosters(I'm not kidding), the barking dogs and the late night music. Now if you stay on the Atlantic side, it would be a huge improvement for noise, but then you are not close to all the main shopping and eating. My husband never has a problem sleeping, but he certainly did in Bequia. Bequia is not lush like St. John by any means. We saw most of the island by taking long morning walks. The locals are extremely friendly. We went to Bequia because we had heard the snorkeling was fairly good . As previously said, lots of sail boats, but also lots of divers come to Bequia. We went out twice a day with the dive boats to snorkel at a cost of $10pp each time. I thought that was very reasonable. To our surprise, the coral was in quite good shape. We would not go back mainly because there are too many other places we'd like to try. We are going back to St. John in November for our second time. We stayed at Caneel the first time and are staying there again because we absolutely love the Caneel beaches. Plus it is very quiet. If I can answer any question, please ask. Owa

Thanx owa , really appreciate your input , my husband is a diver, and loves to snorkel and has also just started sailing .We were looking at the Frangipani or The Old Fort Inn , I do love a lush setting though ! Super info all , thank-you . Faith

I'll stick an oar in about Bequia - I'm a city person born and bred.

However, I rarely go to Bequia for less than a 4 week period. While htere, I have all the busyness/partying/socializing, as well as solitude, I can stand. There's also great hiking, sailing snorkelling and fabulous ecotourism sites on nearby St. Vincent. Bequia Beaches are also great - there's a different one for every day of the week, all within hiking or taxi distance. I always regret leaving the island.

BTW, I do agree 100% about the roosters, barking dogs etc., on Bequia and always warn people to pack earplugs. But that's part of the reality of staying in another culture, something you might not get to the same degree in St. John.

Enjoy your trip, wherever you go

BTW

Thanks folks. Didn't mean to hit a nerve Willem, just trying to get an idea. Somehow, these "super" quiet islands remind me of that movie with Tom Hanks talking to his volleyball. Yes, I enjoy daytrips to several super-quiet islands like Peter Island, and the two Sandy Islands, one near Anguilla and the other near Carriacou. I have never been to Bequia or the Grenadines, however it's on my list. Enjoy.

No prob. Came off a bit strong you could say , and if you go back and read original post it was lush , natural , then quiet !!! lol . I mentioned quiet because I was not certain if St.John was in the same vein as St. Thomas , I suspected it was not,just needed confirmation . To curious x, St . Vincent looks like a great place to explore , as for roosters , I believe they add to the expeirence !!! We will take earplugs just in case if we choose Bequia . Thanx all , for super advice ! Faith

Willem,

Mu husabnd and I go to St.John every year and we LOVE it. In fact, we will be there next week. Last year we did some shopping on St. Thomas before catching the ferry to St. John. We started talking to a shop owner (very nice lady). She asked if we were on a cruise ship and we told her that we were actually on our way over to St. John. She said "Oh yeah thats where people who live on St. Thomas go on vacation!" In my opinion and hers, St. Thomas and St. John do not share the same vein. Good Luck!