Vacation ideas for US Virgin Islands

[jsstevens]

My family (Wife, me, 3 adult kids, 1 12yo) are considering a vacation in the US Virgin Islands this summer. ANybody with experience and/or advice?

John

[iHenning]

Yeah, keep going further south. In the USVI stay to the tourist areas.

[Josh]

I lived on St. Croix for 2 years. Biggest of them all, but you need to rent a car to get around. St. Thomas is way too crowded for my taste, but they do have good resorts. Go to St. John, nicest of them all. If you sail, rent a boat for the week. You can then go to the BVI's and island hop. Scuba diving is fantastic.

[COFlyBoy]

In February I rented a Skyhawk on St Thomas (TIST) and flew around St Thomas and St Johns. It was only 0.9 on the tach. It is so beautiful from the air. We could see the reefs and divers under water.

[maddog52]

Originally Posted by JB1842

... Go to St. John, nicest of them all. If you sail, rent a boat for the week. You can then go to the BVI's and island hop. Scuba diving is fantastic.

I concur. Bare boat charter is a great way to see the islands. My family did it every year and we had a blast. St. John and the BVIs are definitely worth the trip.

[Goofy]

Just got back. Tried camping in the national park campground on St. John for a couple nights and got eaten alive by mosquitoes. Lovely concept - but be aware! Stayed in town the next night and forfeited the other prepaid night with the bugs.

Sailing is the best way to see the area. Have fun!

[iHenning]

Originally Posted by maddog52

I concur. Bare boat charter is a great way to see the islands. My family did it every year and we had a blast. St. John and the BVIs are definitely worth the trip.

Concur, best way to stay down island is on a boat.

[Nsconductor]

I work down there a lot. IMHO the best place to see St. Thomas from is about 20 miles east on Jost Van Dyke or Tortola. Love St. John. St. Croissant is ok, but stay in Christianstead instead of Frederickstead. Agree that you need a car.

[Ren]

I've chartered bareboat 4x in the Bvi's out of tortola. You can also get a boat with a captain. All for what you might pay for a nice resort. You'll spend 3-4 hours underway each day and the rest at a mooring in calm water. The islands are close together, the wind is steady and the navigation is easy.

You don't need a whole lot of experience to charter a boat without a crew. I dont know for sure what the rules are, they vary from charter organization. Even if you have hardly any experience at all i think there are weekend courses done by the asa you can take here and get approved to charter bareboat.

Definitely charter a boat

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Nsconductor

I work down there a lot. IMHO the best place to see St. Thomas from is about 20 miles east on Jost Van Dyke or Tortola. Love St. John. St. Croissant is ok, but stay in Christianstead instead of Frederickstead. Agree that you need a car.

Jost Van Dyke brings plenty of memories. Foxy's, Ivan's, Soggy Dollar....good times. Christiansted is ok. More to do there than in Frederiksted. I lived on my boat in Christiansted Harbor when I lived there. Loved laying in my hammock after work with a cold beer watching the seaplanes come and go. Makes me wonder why I moved to Wisconsin.