What's the best island...best spots to visit. Looking to plan a trip there this winter for the wife's graduation present. Any recommendations, we've never been?
Go pay Max some money and hang out asking for Thermosmans number http://www.chillaxincharters.com/contact.html
St. John. Rent a house off vrbo.com. Don't even bother with St Thomas. Take a day trip on a fastboat to the BVI's. Go to the Baths it's pretty cool.
My sister went to Jost Van Dyke for her honeymoon. From what she said it is the least touristy of the lot. Quiet, no cars, pretty beach, good bar...but not for people seeking wild nightlife.
Spent a week on Jost Van Dyke and a few days on Tortola and it was really cool in 2008, laid back. Think we spent a few too many days on JVD, we ran out of things to do other than to be beach bum, still had a lot of fun, but think I could have explored more on other islands. Most of the smaller islands are too small to spend several days (4+) on, however the smaller islands I find are better. I would charter a crewed boat if I went back, that way if you find a place you like you can moor for a day or more or move on. The good captains can pick up on your vibe well and will be able to tailor your trip well. It depends on what you are looking for, party or the no-problem laid back Caribbean. Places I would visit again/want to see: Devils Bay/The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Anegada, JVD (Foxys, Ivans, Soggy Dollar, etc, etc), Bomba Shack (+++ Full moon party!), Snorkeling/diving at Norman Island Best purchase: The Drinking Mans Guide to the Virgin Islands. Lots of free drinks/coupons/etc. Paid ~$20 for it and saved 10X that, and we didnt scratch the surface of what it was good for.
To me they were the same, as are most of the carribean islands. A quiet, laid back atmosphere with nice beaches.
In December I spent two weeks in the VI splitting my time between the USVI and BVI. I enjoyed the time we spent in the BVI but the US dollar is so weak right now everything costs double. St. John was our favorite place because it was in the USVI, the accommodations were reasonable, people were almost all friendly, beaches were deserted. It was a great starting point for excursions because it sits right in the middle of anything you would want to see anyway. St Thomas is kind of like being in a tropical slum. I'm a big guy so I normally feel safe anywhere. I just felt like we were being watched very closely by the locals at certain times to be taken serious advantage of, it just seemed seedy to me.
Somewhat. It just seemed to me that there were a lot of twenty somethings standing around with nothing to do but watch what we were doing. The Island was also dirty compared to others we visited in the same vicinity. It just seemed a little seedy to me. I have traveled the Caribbean pretty extensively with my wife. We make at least one trip a year to the area for at least ten days. We have been to probably 30 different islands in the past ten years so I feel like I have a good knowledge of the behaviors of the locals. We felt perfectly safe in the tourist areas, but once we got anywhere out of those areas it just made me a little nervous. My point is that if I had to pick an island to visit in the USVI and going from my experiences I would go to St John. Another Island I would never go back to is St. Lucia. Talk about sketchy!
Thats what I thought. The locals were probably wondering what you were doing there themselves outside of the tourist areas.
Got engaged in St Maarten about 6 yrs ago. Small island, about 37 miles end to end iirc. Rented a jeep at the airport and just drove around. 300+ small beaches, so we rented a dingy (sp? Small rubber boat), snorkel gear and just cruised around the island. Great jewelry shopping there.
St John's is awesome but doesnt have the same shopping or thieves and crooks as St Thomas. I would pick St. John's and ferry to St Thomas. Tortola is also very sweet but customs is more of a pain...(at least by boat anyway) I've been to almost all the islands and St. John's is my favorate. Good luck and watch for thieves is St Thomas and St Croix.
