The Caribbean - 10 days between BVI and USVI

My wife and I were thinking about staying for a week on the Sandcastle at Jost Van Dyke this coming May. Then maybe a couple of days before and a couple of days after in some of the nearby islands. Any suggestions?

Our first thoughts were to stay two days in St Thomas (or St John) on our way in and two more in Tortola on our way out. Any better options? We basically enjoy secluded nice beaches and nature. No need for night life or shopping areas. No need for real fancy hotels either, any clean small hotels will do.

As for the Sandcastle, any first hand reviews? Is a week too much to stay there? Is it easy to take day trips to other islands?

thanks, we really appreciate your help.
FR

I haven't been to Sandcastle in years and we didn't stay there (sailed in). I have found that the BVI's are much more laid back (read that as slow drawn out hellos, waits for meals, etc.) which takes some getting used to if you live in a busy place. We always would stay on St. Thomas for 2 days to get used to the somewhat slower pace and then do BVI's. I prefer the BVI's BTW. JMHO, Linda

I am not a tremendous fan of TripAdvisor but I got curious. I knew they changed management a couple of times since I was there but apparently the newest management is really very awful. You might want to check it out. Linda

If secluded beaches and nature are your prefernces, then St. John should be your choice over St. Thomas (or Tortola). About two-thirds of the island is a US national park. Unspoiled beaches line the north shore.

My personal preference is for Mahoe Bay on Virgin Gorda, BVI

Branson just bought Mosquito Island. Very curious to see what he does with it - it used to have a wonderful resort. When we'd sail in to VG we'd always make a right and go in there, anchor out and dinghy in for dinner. One year we were "shooting the dogs" in our bare boat sailboat when I called ahead to order dinner (they would tell you what they had that night and you'd order ahead). There was a storm coming in and a charter called Twisted Sister heard our call but hadn't been able to reach the resort themselves. We relayed their order for them and had a fun evening with the captain and the people who chartered the sailboat.

My personal preference is for Mahoe Bay on Virgin Gorda, BVI

Mine is also for Virgin Gorda, but the place I like is the Guavaberry cottages on Spring Bay - right next to and very similar to the Baths.

IMHO, Virgin Gorda and St. John are BY FAR the nicest of the islands which are developed for Tourism.

Thank you all for your kind answers. I'm not a fan of TripAdvisor either, but I must say what I read there about Sandcastle freaked me out a little. I think that based on that and on what I'm reading here, I might change this to 5 days in Virgin Gorda and 5 days in St John. Would it be easy to take a day trip to JVD from either one?

cheers
FR

Be aware that both St. John and Virgin Gorda are very quiet, unspoiled islands. If you are interested in any significant shopping or nightlife, you should spend a day or two on either St. Thomas or Tortola for those purposes. St. John and Virgin Gorda are both all about unspoiled beaches, and great snorkeling and dive sites - but that's pretty much it. When I go to the Virgins, I usually spend a couple of days on St. Thomas or Tortola, and most of my time in St. John or Virgin Gorda. But I think 10 days in JUST St. John and Virgin Gorda would get a little boring. You probably need to fly into/out of St. Thomas or Tortola in any case, as they are the only Islands with commercial airports. So you may as well overnight there.

Be aware that both St. John and Virgin Gorda are very quiet, unspoiled islands. If you are interested in any significant shopping or nightlife, you should spend a day or two on either St. Thomas or Tortola for those purposes. St. John and Virgin Gorda are both all about unspoiled beaches, and great snorkeling and dive sites - but that's pretty much it. When I go to the Virgins, I usually spend a couple of days on St. Thomas or Tortola, and most of my time in St. John or Virgin Gorda. But I think 10 days in JUST St. John and Virgin Gorda would get a little boring. You probably need to fly into/out of St. Thomas or Tortola in any case, as they are the only Islands with commercial airports. So you may as well overnight there.

thanks, that's some great advice. We have very little need for shopping or nightlife, but we do enjoy going to a local restaurant in the evenings that is not on the hotel we're staying. Is that possible in either St John or VG? Nothing fancy, just some good honest food and a cold local beer. Other than that, we're basically nature people and will be happily on the beach all day long. Should we rent a car in either island or can we walk to places?

thanks
FR

thanks, that's some great advice. We have very little need for shopping or nightlife, but we do enjoy going to a local restaurant in the evenings that is not on the hotel we're staying. Is that possible in either St John or VG? Nothing fancy, just some good honest food and a cold local beer. Other than that, we're basically nature people and will be happily on the beach all day long. Should we rent a car in either island or can we walk to places?

thanks
FR

There are certainly a handful of good restaurants other than at the hotels on each of the Islands. I'd say that you'll need either a car rental, or to take taxis to get around the Islands. If you stay by the best beaches, you'll be looking at at least a couple of miles to the various restaurants, and some of the most unspoiled beaches will definitely require driving to get to - especially on St. John. Virgin Gorda is more compact, but it's still a bit of a haul between the town and the best beaches.

Would it be easy to take a day trip to JVD from either one?

It wouldn't be unheard of. It'd be easier to do it from Virgin Gorda, unless you do it as a stop between St. John and Virgin Gorda. IME, Customs/Immigration in JVD is the quickest and easiest in the BVI (Tortola's the worst)