My husband and I have narrowed our search to the Virgin Islands as a place to take his granddaughter for her 13th birthday next June. Our main interest for this trip is to stay at a place within walking distance of a restaurant and a beach that provides shade and good snorkeling. Here are our thoughts so far...

USVI:
--St. Thomas seems to be a little too crowded for the kind of getaway we have in mind.
--St. Croix we haven't heard much about, other than the Buccaneer Resort and snorkeling at Buck Island.
--St. John sounds like it would be beautiful and I know it probably has the best snorkeling of any of the VI. However, after reading a particular post of a Fodorite whose opinion I trust, I'm not sure I want to stay there. If we do, Gallows Point and Caneel Bay are at the topmost of our budget, and we definitely don't want the Westin. I'm not sure at this point whether the convenience of being at a resort with lots of beaches/snorkeling to choose from outweights the convenience of being within walking distance of Cruz Bay for restaurant variety. Either way, we're pretty sure we don't want a villa because we don't want to have to cook or get in a car every time we want to eat a meal.

BVI:
--My husband has already stayed on Jost and would prefer to try someplace new, but this is not a deal breaker.
--Virgin Gorda has the most overall appeal for us. We'd love to stay at Biras Creek, but since the 13-year old is considered an adult for the rates, it is beyond our means. Little Dix for some reason doesn't do much for us, even though it's the sister to Caneel. That leaves us with Nail Bay, Leverick Bay, and Mango Bay for hotel/condo/villa communities that are on a beach and have a restaurant within walking distance. I like the location of Leverick Bay on the North Sound for water sports availability, but it gets fewer good reviews than Nail Bay. However, the same Fodorite who posted about St. John also gave a warning about Nail Bay, so I'm cautious.
--Anegada is a an island we'd like to explore by a daysail rather than by staying there.
--Tortola would also be good. The Long Bay Resort has new management now, which might turn it around, so I'd consider staying there. I prefer the look of the Sugar Mill Hotel, however.
--I will have my first experience driving on the left in Nevis this fall, and I will rent a car for my trip next June. However, I don't want to stay in a place that will make me feel as if I've been on a "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" type of drive every time I leave the accommodation to explore.

If you're still reading this lengthy post, I'd love to hear your your experiences at these places or suggestions about new places to consider. In my heart I'd prefer to stay ON a beach rather than just near one, but that is certainly negotiable. Virgin Gorda has captured our imagination the most of all of the US/BVI, but I know that wherever we choose we'll love it. We've never traveled to anywhere that we've not had a wonderful time. Thank you in advance for your posts!

Wow! You guys are GREAT grandparents! I have some thoughts?.take them for what they are worth. I am curious about what this ?Fodorite? you make reference to wrote about STJ and Virgin Gorda. Anyway?.Gallows Point on STJ is a great choice?.although you?d have to drive or taxi to the beaches of St. John which has benefits as you?ll want to go to many more than just one, assuming if you stay at a place on a beach, you?ll be spending the majority of your time on that one beach. The rooms have a small villa feel and it is awesome to throw open the doors and windows and allow the breezes to blow through the place as most units are right on the water! All the restaurants of Cruz Bay are an easy walk (flat) from Gallows Point. The beaches of STJ are beautiful! We stayed at the Sugar Mill on Little Apple Bay for a couple of nights two years ago. Not much going on there?.very small, but nice beach?.but a beautiful little resort, nonetheless?.great views and a nice bar. The restaurant is one of the tops in the Caribbean, from what I have read?.and we did have a very good dinner there! More of an adult place, though, in my opinion. Walking distance to the infamous Bomba Shack, but not very appropriate for 13 year olds! Also pretty close to Cane Garden Bay?.most popular beach on Tortola. Jost Van Dyke has a place called the Sandcastle that is near the top of our list as places to stay before we leave this earth. The Buccaneer on STX is really quiet?as most of the island is. Divi has a resort on the east end of the island on Grapetree Bay where the Grapetree Resort used to stand before Hurricane Hugo took it out in 1989. I kept thinking with a 13 year old that St. John is your best bet, though?..but I don?t know a whole lot about Virgin Gorda. Only have been to the Baths on a day trip. Anguilla would be an excellent choice for you as it is flatter than STJ for much easier driving and the beaches are the tops in the Caribbean?.excellent choice for children?.as Grand Cayman is. Anyway?.just my two cents.

Sorry for all ? marks...not sure what happened.

If you stay at Mango Bay or on St. John, you will definitely need a car. The restaurant near Mango Bay is Italian and very good, however, also very expensive. Most people who stay there cook in, or hop in their car and drive 15 to 20 minutes to a restaurant for dinner. There's a definite plus to having a kitchen with a kiddo along.

Nail Bay is fairly spread out and many of the accommodations are up the hill. There's a little snorkeling off the beach, but you'd need a car there too and it's about the most remote spot on VG. Whether the road to there will ever be decent, I don't know!

If you stay in the North Sound at Leverick or Biras, most of the good snorkeling is not right off the beach and you'd need a little boat to explore nearby reefs.

Virgin Gorda is one of our favorite islands since it DOES have lots of snorkeling places, beaches, the mountainous area to the north and valley to the south.

Having a 13 year old who has been to St. John several times I would recommend a villa. they don't want the same place every night. They want to experience alot of activities and they want a pool at the villa to "hang out". Gallows Point is also a great idea because it is walking distance to Cruz Bay. A 13 yr old, especially if its a girl will appreciate a trip to St. Thomas for the day to do shopping

I probably have no right to respond here because I haven't been to St. John yet, but given your criteria, I can't imagine what someone would've said about St. John that has turned you off. The only negative reports I've ever read about St. John are from people who prefer a more hectic pace. If you're looking for good beaches, snorkeling, and food, I've read nothing but positive reports about St. John, and I've done a lot of research for our upcoming trip.

As other posters have said, Gallows Point seems like a great option for you if you do decide on St. John. My concern w/Caneel would be the lack of televisions. Obviously, you're probably hoping that your granddaughter isn't going to spend the whole vacation in front of the t.v., but if she's like many 13-year-olds, she may enjoy having it there at times.

Also, I believe driving is on the left in the USVI as well as the BVI.

Good luck with your decision. Your granddaughter is a lucky girl and I'm sure you'll have a great time wherever you choose to go.

Been to St John 3 times, stayed at the Westin. We loved it !! Not a great beach at the hotel but very relaxing and fun for 13 year olds. Also a great pool and the grounds are beautiful. We ate in Cruz Bay every night 5 minute cab ride, great restaurants for everyone. In the morning we went to the hotel store or a nearby store for fruit, rolls etc and ate out by the beach. Although you can have a morning buffet that was very good but so much food. The pool bar for lunch was very good as well never ate dinner at the hotel. We went with my niece
( 13yrs ) in 2000 and she still talks to the kids she met via e-mail. St John has some of the best beaches in the caribbean. I suggest you rent a car and see the island. St Thomas is also good for a day trip and the Westin provides free daily transportation by boat. We also stayed at Long bay in Tortola twice. We enjoyed are stay there as well took a few day trips by ferry to Jost,Virgin Gorda. Not alot for kids to do there very quiet hotel. Not a great beach at the hotel very rocky, but a beautiful beach within walking distance Smugglers Cove snorkel right off the beach but also very quiet.

We went to St John and a few other island with my nieceKate and she is still begging her parent to buy a house in St John.

Have fun where ever you go but I really can not believe anyone woud have negative things to say about St John.

ML

Thanks for all of the input so far, folks. This particular granddaughter would love to do a little shopping for her family on the trip, but the kind she has in mind would be inexpensive local crafts, which I hope would mean we wouldn't have to make a special excursion anywhere. I'm not worried about having a television set because she doesn't need entertainment--she's very happy in adult company when she gets the chance, as she has little brothers and sisters at home. The only concern I have about her is that she's a picky eater, but I also hope that this trip will help broaden her food horizons. I don't want to kowtow to her and give her a hamburger or chicken fingers for every meal, but I don't want to force lobster or conch on her all the time, either. I'd love restaurant suggestions that might have a balance of menu offerings. It's also one of the reasons I was considering Caneel, as they have already told me that she could still order from a children's menu if she wanted.

THanks again, and please keep more suggestions coming!

Don?t have much to offer to the excellent posts above, but if you are considering Caneel, you should know that it is only about a 10 minute ride into town by taxi. There are always taxis waiting in the hotel parking lot at all hours of the day and night. You can easily find them on the streets in Cruz Bay to bring you back. Cost is fixed at $3 per person. They are not really taxis so much as multi-seat open vans with canvas roofs and open sides. They hold up to about 10-15 people, but a driver will just take the three of you if that is all that is waiting in the parking lot or in Cruz Bay. They are actually fun to ride in, and you get some nice views going over the hills into Cruz Bay.

I'll jump in with a recommendation on St. Croix. Take a look at Hotel on the Cay - http:www.hotelonthecay.com . While I have not stayed there, I know some pretty picky people who have and they had a wonderful time. It has a good beach, snorkeling and is literally a 90 second ferry ride to Christiansted, where there are numerous fun shops, excellent restaurants and historic sites. The Buccaneer is another wonderful choice.

The island is larger than STT and STJ, with a great deal to do. You can e-mail me if you want more information.

Wanted to jump in here with an ignorant question--how do you get to St. Croix? small plane? The resorts sound great, but not sure about the transportation.

Thanks,

Mary

Our commerical flight to StJohn via StThomas stopped in StCroix out of Philly.

Hi Emily!

We made a trip similar to what you are considering last fall (and it may have even been my post you are talking about. If so, I think I know what you are meaning about what I said).

I agree totally with your impressions of the USVI's - I can't comment very well on STT, because we only spent a couple of days there, and didn't get out much. We spent so much time on STJ because I thought it was just going to be amazing, but, well, you most likely read my post. People just LOOOOVVVVE it, and go on and on about it, but it just wasn't for us.

If you pick STJ, GP was great! 5 min (or less) walk to town. BUT, no beach. (Good snorkeling though.) The Caneel has incredible beaches, and supposedly good snorkeling. (I haven't snorkeled there.)

St Croix did not work for us because it was too far away to make it easily accessible for the BVI portion of the trip. I also could not find out much info about it.

Virgin Gorda was incredible! This trip was three weeks and four islands, and we liked Virgin Gorda best of all. We stayed at Mango Bay and really enjoyed it, but it's kind of funky in a way I can't describe well. I will tell you that the snorkeling off the beach there is some of the BEST I've ever done anywhere in the Caribbean, and the beach at Mango Bay is very nice as well. I could have stayed in the water there all day!

Nail Bay I did not like at all. We went there to look at lots, and the place has very little appeal and is just covered up with trucks and construction and dust and noise.

Leverick Bay looked kind of interesting, but I think Mango Bay has more of what you are looking for. There are also some neat places to eat on VG.

We have stayed at Long Bay, and I would suggest that even though there are some uneven trip reports.
The rest. was very good, and the rooms we had - oceanfront - had BIG tile baths and were right on the beach. (I've heard the rooms on stilts are kinda ratty though.)

We ate at Sugar Mill, and it was absolutely amazing and stunningly beautiful. The little cottages were cute, but the beach is across the street, small, and the water can be rough.

We stayed at Light House, and while we enjoyed it very much, I would most likely go with Long Bay if we went back. (We stayed there last in 1994 or 1995, so my impressions are kinda old!)
Lighthouse Villas not being on the beach and in a rather noisy area were negatives for me, but the place was spotless and very friendly.

You will LOVE Nevis if you haven't already been there. The people are just fantastic, and it is our very favorite island of all. Driving will be fine. They have redone almost the whole road, and there's only really one main road that goes around the island, so it's a good place to drive. VG is easy to drive on - Tortola is not. If you do choose Tortola though, Denzil Clyne is a great guy to get a car from. I would probably not suggest Tortola for someone who has not driven much in the Caribbean - it's one of the craziest for driving we've been to with the hills and blind curves. There is some of that on VG, but hardly any, as opposed to Tortola - whew, scary!

Since you are going during off-season, if you are intrepid, you could do this...
Pick two places on each island and don't make reservations, but have your first and second choices and price quotes for each.

Fly into STT, and take the ferry into Cruz Bay at St John. (15 min.) Look around downtown for a little while and maybe have a snack and a cold drink. If you like what you see, stay for a night or two or three and then move on to Virgin Gorda or Tortola via ferry. (That's fun.) Or, if you don't like what you see, you can go back to STT and stay there for a night or take the ferry to Tortola.

Based on reading YOUR posts over the years and thinking that you've read mine, I think VG would be the best choice for you also. STJ has a lot of really good things about it too. I guess I was just expecting to be absolutely bowled over by it, but the whole experience was so diminished by some of the things we saw.

You will have a great time no matter where you chose!

Again, thank you for all of the wonderful input. Diana, I was hoping to get a response from you in particular since I've been following your posts for some time, especially about your trip last year to US/BVI.

We only have 4 nights on this trip, so we'll stick to staying on one island, with the possibility of a day trip to a neighboring one. Every time I think I have my mind made up, something else changes it. Each place we're looking at seems to be missing one of the few things we're looking for:
(1) an island that's easy to get around(2) a place to stay that is within walking distance for breakfast--it's our favorite meal of the day and we don't want to have to cook it ourselves(3) an island that has good snorkeling (4) a place to stay that is on a swimmable beach
(5) room/villa for around $250/night inclusive of taxes. would go higher if breakfast or other perks are included

So far, the places we like best in the BVI are the Sugar Mill on Tortola (which has offered a very nice package that would be hard to turn down) and one of the villas in the Nail Bay community (it has a private plunge pool, which we think would be great for our granddaughter). Diana, could you please give me more info about your impressions of Nail Bay and Mango Bay? As well as info about places you ate while on VG? And whether any of them serve a killer breakfast?

As crazy as it sounds, now my husband and I are looking at Anguilla and T&C for more options. We want a place that we'll enjoy and remember as much as we want a place that our granddaughter will be happy. Initially we looked at Coral Gardens on Provo, but the price is a little too high for us. Ocean CLub is offering us a fantastic deal that would be difficult to turn down. On Anguilla we immediately thought of Frangipani but when the extra person nightly charge was added in, it would be less expensive to stay at Cap Juluca! I love planning trips to the Caribbean, but I'm letting this one get out of control. I need to lock in the airfare for our granddaughter this week, as we're using FF miles for her ticket, which is why this feeling of urgency is descending on me.

Diana, we can't wait for our trip to Nevis. It will be the first time we've ever rented a car down there, so I figured Nevis would be one of the safest islands to try driving on the left. I'd love to hear any specific suggestions you have for us to try!

Dear EJ,

It may be too late to weigh in here...but I vote for The Buccaneer on St. Croix. I am very biased, having been there five times with my husband, and two kids (ages 8 and 10). Pre-kids, my husband and I travelled to STT, STJ and Virgin Gorda (among other islands) and would someday like to return to STJ and Virgin Gorda. But right now, with the kids, The Buccaneer is perfect for us. St. Croix is not the most beautiful island, but Buck Island is nearby with fabulous snorkeling and the Buc fits your other bill. Lovely shaded (and not shaded) beach, a nice sized pool on another beach and a delicious breakfast buffet served daily in the Main House. The grounds are lovely and the main town of Christiansted with good restaurants and enough shopping for a half day visit is 5 minutes away. If the rates work in June, you might want to try getting one of their Family cottages (Rooms 168 to 171 have panoramic views of the Carribean) so that you will have your own room and your granddaughter will have an adjoining room. Feel free to email with specific questions: [email protected]