coldboston

Hello everyone!
I'm a first time poster and I need some advice on my upcoming honeymoon in janurary 2013 in st thomas. We are staying in st thomas for 2 weeks in a villa rental. We already booked and figured st thomas for a good base to see surrounding islands also. So what i'm wondering is:
1. what other islands are good for day trips? we are already going to the baths on VG.

2. we would like to spend possibly 2 nights on a neighboring island. maybe st. croix(maybe stay at the buccaneer and visit buck island?)
or vieques are also options? I don't know if any of the BVI or St john are worth staying 2 nights because we are already going to be just a short ferry ride from them in st thomas, but definately not out of the question. Any advice on this would be much appreciated.

3. Any advice on the smaller st thomas islands would also be appreciated.

Things we are looking to do:

1. White sandy beaches

2. snorkeling

3. great food

4. not going to rent a car because we're renting 1 on st thomas.

5. Authentic local scene

6. aviod cruise ship crowds for the most part.

coldboston

forgot to mention that my fiance and I like to be active or we can just chill out on the beach so any reccomendations would really help.

Thanks again

RoamsAround

From St. Thomas you can easily visit the following by ferry:

St. John, Water Island, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke (all are worth visiting even if only for a day trip).

Go to either of these websites for schedules:
http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/
http://www.usvi.net/usvi/ferry.htm

suze

St John for sure. It's the most obvious and easy day trip from St Thomas.

blamona

All the ones RoamsAround mentioned would be great and actually easy to get to from St. Thomas.

St. Croix is actually a flight away (or a long nondaily ferry) and not quite as nice as the aboved mentioned.

eastenderusvi

In January, the best place to avoid cruise ship people is at your villa.;-) There is a car ferry from St Thomas to St John, so if you rent from one of the companies that allow you to take your car, you can have ready transportation there.

If you are taking a day charter to the Baths, you will probably stop at one or more other of the British Virgin Islands. This would include boats such as Breakaway, Pirate's Penny and Stormy Petrel, etc. Some like the ferry, but a private charter gives you better service and commentary on what you are seeing.

Water Island is a good choice for a nearby trip. You might want to rent a boat with a captain (at American Yacht Harbor or Sapphire Marina) and visit some of the smaller islands and cays around St Thomas.

Have a wonderful time planning and a great visit!

xkenx

Best snorkeling on the north shore beaches on St. John. Particularly Hawksnest and any of the 7 beaches of the Caneel Bay resort. If you stay a couple nites on St. John, there is plenty of exploring. Staying at Caneel is paradise on earth.
171 rooms scattered around 170 acres, no development in sight(inside the National Park), and 7 tree-shaded white sand beaches with wade-in snorkeling.

suze

I don't know if this would be too rustic, or if you'd want to stay an overnight or two, but Cinnamon Bay campground on St John has very economical accomodations with snorkeling nearby www.cinnamonbay.com

wliwl

Jost van Dyke for sure. Drinks at Foxy's and Soggy Dollar.

Have you considered doing a charter boat trip? Our favorite is Palm Tree Charters and he will pick up in St Thomas. He'll help you pick out greats food/drink stops, great snorkel spots, and great swimming spots. Pricey, but it is an amazing day.

sarabaudo

We took a day trip to the BVIs aboard one of the Breakaway charters. Our itinerary was the Baths at Virgin Gorda, snorkeling, and then to Jost Van Dyke. Amazing!

I also highly recommend St. John. The beauty of the beaches is breathtaking.

coldboston

thanks for all the replies. definately going to check them out. has anyone stayed at sebastians on the water in tortola? or sandcastle in jost van dyke? thinking of doing a night at each.

eastenderusvi

Check to make sure there isn't a minimum stay. Sandcastle is the hotel where the Soggy Dollar Bar is. Very nice once the day trippers have left. Sebastian's is close to the West End of Tortola, would be my second choice. If you want to experience the Full Moon Party at Bomba Shack, though, it is front row!