Ray Snow

My wife and I had a wonderful 2 week trip to <BR>the BVI & USVI in June. We have been to the <BR>Virgins several times so this trip we did a <BR>few of the things we like most. Since the <BR>report is 8 pages long, I posted it at the <BR>following commercial free web site: <BR>http://virginislandsnow.homestead.co...0vacation.html <BR>If you have trouble accessing this site or <BR>have questions about my report, feel free to <BR>e-mail me.

Jeff MacDonald

Great trip report, Ray!!! In your opinion, what is the best all around beach in the BVI and what is the best <BR>one in the USVI? <BR>Thanks, <BR>Jeff

Louis

I think their report is worth the trouble of the address. Their criteria for great snorkeling may be different than ours but they may have had better luck than us. This does give an excellent picture of the both areas where you are outside the high <BR>dollar resorts. You don't need to spend $700/day to visit and have a wonderful time.

lisa

Great report -- thanks!

Ray Snow

Thanks to Jeff, Louis, & Lisa for your kind words about my report. In answer to Jeff's question about the best beach in the BVI & USVI, there are so many great beaches in both places that it is difficult to choose the best one. But in my opinion, the best beach in the BVI is the Baths on Virgin Gorda (go before 10 am or after 3 pm to avoid the crowds) and the best one in the USVI is Trunk Bay on St. John (also go early or late or a day when no cruise ship is at Charlotte Amalie).

Julie

Ray, <BR>I really enjoyed reading your trip report. Are the Villas of Fort Recovery Estate on Tortola air-conditioned and what size beds do they have? <BR>Thanks, <BR>Julie

Ray Snow

Thanks Julie for reading my report. The Villas at Ft. Recovery Estate have an air conditioner in the bedroom which keeps the rest of the unit pretty cool. There is a ceiling fan in the living room that helps also. The beds are king size. This is a very nice place.

Linda

Hello Ray, <BR>I loved reading your report. I've read it thru several times and now I've even printed it to keep. It's a shame you can't go back to the islands to stay. Sounds like your wife may be what's keeping you away. I can identify with that. I love the Virgin Islands but my boyfriend doesn't even want to go there too often on vacation. You wouldn't consider changing wives, would you? I'm 34 years old, blonde, blue eyes, good looking and smart. I have an excellent job but would give it up to move to the islands with the right guy. Your report makes me think that you might be that guy. Email me if interested! <BR>Yours (maybe), <BR>Linda

John Paul

Damn Ray, <BR>Is this a way to get babes or what? Even though I have not been to the islands in the last 3 years, I'll soon post my trip report here. <BR>JP

Ray Snow

To Linda Scott, <BR>What an unusual reply. However, I suspect that your post is just a comic hoax, because when I tried to contact you at the e-mail address listed, I got a message back from my mail administrator stating there was no such address. If this is not a hoax, then you can e-mail me. But I don't expect to hear from you. Thanks for a good laugh! <BR>Yours (probably not), <BR>Ray <BR> <BR>

Linda Scott

Ray I have sent you several emails but have not received any replies. My address is real and I am real and very interested in getting to know you. Please respond!

Ted

What is this? A pick up bar? Listen, Linda, you need to get a life! This is a TRAVEL forum - not somewhere where you can get a date! Take it somewhere else!

Linda Scott

You take it somewhere else Ted! If you don't like what I post on this forum, then don't bother to read it. My message was not to you anyway. And it was about travel. I'm trying to get to know Ray so we can travel to the Caribbean together. Also, I'm trying to get a life by trying to meet Ray. So buss off buster!

Nicki

Hi Ray! <BR> <BR>Your travel log was great. My boyfriend and I are getting ready to head to the Carribean for a week, starting Sept 15 and coming back the following Friday. We are slackers and can't make our mind where exactly we want to go. Right now we are flying in to San Juan, then want to catch a flight to either the USVI or the BVI. B/c you've been there so much, I thought I'd ask your advice. Our dream accomodation is a hut on the beach, but I refuse to camp, so we're having a hard time finding our hut. We want it to be a very relaxed vacation, maybe a little nightlife a couple of nights, but more just diving, laying out, reading, and hiking in a rain forest during the day. Which set of islands do you think is better for this? We want to travel budget to moderate b/c we don't have a lot of free money. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks! <BR> <BR>Nicki

Ray Snow

Hi Nicki, <BR>Thanks for your kind words about my trip report. We sure don't have a lot of money just laying around either. The USVI & the BVI are ideal for travelers like us because they are not too outrageous with their prices. I'm not sure what your idea of budget to moderate pricing for accommodations is but I'll give this my best shot. <BR> <BR>Both St.John, USVI and Tortola, BVI can provide you with nearly everything you outlined in your post. They are both beautiful paradises but different from one another in many ways. <BR> <BR>St. John definitely has the best beaches and lots of them. Tortola is more uniquely Caribbean. It's bigger & more populated than St. John, which has fewer budget accommodations. St. John does not have much of a rainforest and Tortola has even less. There are several hiking trails in the national park on St. John that take you through the forest, however. Right across the road from Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground is a great hiking trail through the woods to a sugar plantation ruins. The national park headquarters in Cruz Bay will provide maps and info about hiking trails, beaches, and snorkeling. On Tortola, the best beaches are at Smugglers Cove, Brewers Bay, and Cane Garden Bay. The first two offer great snorkeling. <BR> <BR>The trouble with finding a hut on the beach is that generally speaking beachfront property is expensive so not many huts are built there. But here are a few possibilities for staying near the beach and not spending a fortune. <BR> <BR>St. John: Gallows Point Resort where we stayed has downstairs harbor view suites for $145 a night off season & they give Triple A members a 10% discount. Their website:http://www.gallowspintresort.com. There is a decent bed & breakfast near Frank Bay (near Gallows Point) named Garden by the Sea Bed & Breakfast. It overlooks Frank Bay. Their website: http://www.gardenbythesea.com. On St. John's North Shore at Maho Bay, there is the Maho Bay Campground which has small houses/tents that overlook Maho Bay Beach. They are nice but economical. Their website: http://www.st-john.com/maho. There are several good restaurants/bars in Cruz Bay and several wonderful beaches nearby. <BR> <BR>Tortola: The Villas of Fort Recovery Estate where we stayed have oceanfront 1 bedroom villas for $145 a night in the off season. Other places on Tortola which are even more economical include Frenchman's Cay Hotel (near Sopers Hole), Elm Beach Suites (right on the beach at Cane Garden Bay), Sebastian's on the Beach (at Little Apple Bay-do not stay in the real cheap rooms across the road from the beach), and Coconut Point Vacation Apartments (at Carrot Bay). All these places on Tortola are right on the beach. For info & pictures go to the following website: http://bviwelcome.com and click on Lodging, then select Tortola and scroll down to these places. I believe they all have links to their websites. Cane Garden Bay has several restaurants/bars to choose from. All these places are not far from Tortola's West End which has shopping, restaurants/bars, and the ferry dock for St. Thomas/St. John. <BR> <BR>There is one other thing to consider. September is the peak of the off season in both the USVI & the BVI, which means it's less crowded then. It also means some places are closed. This is more true for Tortola than St. John. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. Let me know if I can be of farther assistance. Have a wonderful trip no matter where you go. <BR> <BR>Regards, <BR>Ray

Ray Snow

Nicki, <BR>Correction: Gallows Point Resort's website of course is as follows: http://gallowspointresort.com <BR>Sorry, <BR>Ray

Ray Snow

Nicki, <BR>Maybe on the 3rd try I'll get it right! <BR>http://www.gallowspointresort.com <BR>Stupid me! <BR>Ray

anon

for the "hut on the beach" might want to explore Vie's on St. John. Problem is that altho it is "off season" and the rates are cheap, many, but not all close Sept/October due to the possibility of hurricanes. You pay your money, you take your chances!

Nicki

Thanks for your input Ray! I think we're going to do St. Johns...I can't wait!

Karen

Nikki - <BR> <BR>Ray is right; you will love St. John. It's a wonderful little island with remarkable beaches and some very nice hiking trails. The snorkeling is premier and the waters crystal clear like most of the Carribbean, but St. John is a little jewel nesteled there and surrounded by so many wonderful BVI as well that make for great day trips. White Bay on Jost Van Dyke is one of the prettiest little beaches you could hope to find. Have a great time. We have always rented a villas. You are charged according to the number of people and not the number of bedrooms, which can make for a reasonable trip and a very nice villa with pool and hot tub is not difficult to find especially out of season. <BR> <BR>Good luck and enjoy!