st thomas 4 days in february, time enough to visit tortola, worth it?
 

hello, my wife and I are travelling to st Thomas for 4 nights in February. I have been to st Thomas way back in the 80's. with such a short stay, can you all recommend absolute "must see" and "must do" with such a short timeframe? also, is it practical to visit tortola...seems like a whole day affair with ferry and whatnot.

I appreciate all your tips!

rich
new york

Where are you staying? My personal preference would be a day trip to St John or Jost Van Dyke over Tortola. You might also try the ferry to Water Island from Crown Bay Marina. Looks like a lot of fun there since they have new owners at the beach bar there. As for beaches, can't help much there but Megan's Bay looks really nice. I have only been to Lindbergh Bay and Lindquist Beach.

thanks brenan, we are def taking a ferry to st john to spend time snorkeling at trunk bay, what is there to do on jost van dyke?

thanks!

Not much on Jost Van Dyke except a stunning beach and beach bars! If that is not your thing, then skip it. If so, the ferry takes you to Great Harbor. Get a taxi to White Bay for $5pp each way and arrange for your return trip to the ferry. Water Island seems to be the "new" Jost Van Dyke!

Water Island is an interesting new twist but I'll bet the 7,8,and/or 9 cruise ships will hog the place. That is the trouble with STT..mega numbers of cruisers off mega sized ships. Where are you staying? That might allow us to make other suggestions. Good idea about St.J., great place to snorkel, eat, drink and poke around.

thanks for the replies everyone, we are staying at the mafolie inn, which is about a mile from the ferry to st john and tortola. I think we would just be checking out town and other must see sites, I don't think we will be sitting on a beach on tortola, we will be doing plenty of beaching on st Thomas and st john...I wouldn't mind smoking a Cuban while on tortola....

You might want to consider booking one of the day trip boats that travel from STT daily and take you to several different spots in the BVI in one day. It can be a little hectic, but it will cover quite a few of the BVI highlights, including the Baths on Virgin Gorda and a visit to either Soggy's or Foxy's on Jost (depending on seather and waves). Some of them even manage to fit in a snorkel at the caves on Norman Island (or at least they used to). It is a good overview of the BVI if you haven't been there before and if you don't have much time.

I don't think I would recommend doing Tortola on your own via the ferry, especially if you are just considering doing a day trip, because Customs on both ends can take a LOT of time.

I you want to check out "town" on Tortola, that would be Road Town. Be sure to get on the right ferry because they go to West End and Road Town. West End is at Soper's Hole and there are some quaint shops and a Pusser's but I'm not sure if that would be enough to occupy you the whole day. Here is a link to The BVI's.

http://b-v-i.com/roadtown.htm

I have been to Water a few times and fortunately is was not too crowded at all. Even on weekend days. There is only one beach bar there (Dinghy's) and another little outdoor grill place with picnic tables. The name escapes me now.

Surprising about Water Il. Would have thought the cruisers would grab on as an adventure.

amer_can Fortunately, Water Island still seems to be little known. It was very rustic until new owners took over Joe's Beach Bar and added lounge chairs and food. I think the grill down the beach is called Heidi's. Also, I think it is walkable to Honeymoon Beach from the ferry, but I have only been on a private boat.

Will check it out 1st opportunity..Hopefully in Feb or Mar..Long ago..years and years we went over but there was nothing to speak of at that time. Can't even remember if the big building was a hotel or the water plant!! Old age creepth!!!

Definitely worth the trip if you just want to "hang out". I have not been there since the new owners took over Joe's. It looks pretty nice now!

Look on the web for New Horizons Boat Charters. They do day sails for small groups. The price includes a nice lunch, snacks, and drinks. My husband and I used them in the past and had wonderful experiences. . .in a one-day trip, you can visit Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke--all worth a visit--and beautiful in their onw ways.

Tortola is probably my least favorite place in the Caribbean I have visted. I would recommend St. John or Jost Van Dyke highly over Tortola. There is not alot at Jost Van Dyke but beautiful unspoiled beaches and some fun beach bars--bars are not really my scene but lunch at Foxy's is a fun experience. St. John is a true gem and would be worth exploring for a whole day but if it were me I would skip Tortola.

New Horizon's is not a day "sail", it is a powerboat. We did it several years ago and it is a nice overview to The BVI's. I have been to a few places on Tortola by boat. Soper's Hole, Marina Cay, Cane Garden Bay, and Smuggler's Cove. Still not my favorite BVI.