US Virgin Islands

[zoebartlett]

On my never ending quest for a great honeymoon spot, I decided to look up the US Virgin Islands of St. John, St. Thomas, and St. Croix. Has anyone been to these islands? They all look beautiful! If you have visited more than one island, which one did you like the best? Why?

We''re looking for a spot that is relaxing yet has plenty to do. I would love to hang out by the beach or pool much of the time, but my FI would be very bored if that''s all we did. We''re hoping to find a spot that has much to offer -- a mix of nature, history, welcoming/friendly atmosphere, places to visit and sights to see, as well as just lounging around.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[treysar]

I chose St. Thomas as my honeymoon spot. We actually rented a house and a car, rather than stay at a hotel


We loved St. Thomas because it had plenty to do, and when we wanted that remote, desolate island feeling we could hop on a ferry over th St. John.

There were a ton of activities to do on St./ Thomas - we went on dinner cruise, snorkel adventures, kayaking tours - you name it. There are at on of restaurants and great shopping. (And a lot of JEWELRY!!)

St. Thomas isn't QUAINT - I need to make that clear. They have a home depot and a Kmart - it's not like being stranded on an island BUT there are plenty of beaches to choose from that all feel that way . Plus, depending on where you stay you can get a real island feel, or if you stay in the city (Charlotte Amalie) you would get more of a town feel. It's up to you.

I'm happy to answer any questions that you have.

www.beachtops.comwww.beachtops.com

 

[treysar]

http://www.beachtops.com

That''s where we stayed - it''s in a part of St. Thomas called Red Hook, overlooknig St. John.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I''ve been to all of those islands. There are more things to do (and more shopping) in St. Thomas than any of the other islands.

 

[asscher_girl]

Hi Zoe, I lived on St. Thomas a couple of years ago after I graduated from college. St. Thomas is way more like a "city" so it can be busy. What time of year are you going? Season goes from Nov. to May and on the days when there are 5 or more cruise ships, you probably don''t want to be downtown as it gets really packed. If you do stay on St. Thomas, I''d stay in Red Hook. It''s on the other side of the island and really nice over there. There is a Ritz in Red Hook. Or if you want to rent a house, the North side is very beautiful, especially the Megan''s Bay area. Megan''s Bay is a beautiful beach. 2 of my friends bought a house in that area and we went down and stayed with them last year. It''s a great vacation location. If you do that though, you''ll need to rent a car. Oh and they drive on the left side of the road down there.

St. John is way more laid back than St. Thomas. Its easy to go to both islands though. The ferry ride from Red Hook St. Thomas to Coral Bay, St. John is 15 minultes long and from Charlotte Amalie (downtown St. T) to Coral Bay, St. John is about 40 minutes.

St. John is really really beautiful. They have some amazing beaches. The most famous ones are Trunk Bay, but my 2 favorites are Hawksnest Bay and Cinnamon Bay.

Oh and if you have time you should take a trip over to Jost Van Dyke. That is part of the BVI''s. It is amazing over there. It''s a very small island, I think only 150 people live there year round. We use to rent a boat for the day and cruise over there. It was awesome.

Let me know if you have any other questions. The virgin islands are like my second home and my FI and I hope to retire there (or hopefully sooner than that

 

[surfgirl]

We went to St. Croix when I was a kid and it was lovely. I think it''s less developed than St. Thomas but I''m not sure what it''s like nowadays. Have you considered other islands? Like St. Kitts/Nevis, Antigua, Barbuda? What are you wanting to do while you''re there (aside from the obvious...

)

 

[onedrop]

The USVI has a special place in my heart because we got married there! I have been to both St. Croix and St. Thomas and like all the other posters said, St. Thomas is the more busy and happening f the three islands. We got married on St. Croix which is much more laid back than St. Thomas, but maybe not quite as picturesque as the other two island unless you are around the coast or in an area near the bays. I found the Cruzans to be very, very nice and hospitable and diverse. There isn't a whole lot to do on St. Croix, but our resort was GREAT. We stayed at and had our wedding at The Buccaneer, which I have heard is one of the best resorts on the island. We had issues with one of the airlines losing our bags as did some of our guests and the staff there bent over backwards to take care of our needs. The grounds are gorgeous and the rooms are quite nice. We loved it so much that we are planning to return for our 1st anniversary.

 

[zoebartlett]

Thank you so much for all the tips and replies! I appreciate you taking the time to write as much as you did. I talked to my FI about it again and he mentioned that he''d prefer not to go to a tropical location.

At first he said he was fine with it but then after he gave it more thought he decided he''d rather go somewhere else. Now we need to figure out where.

 

[treysar]

How about California? Then you can enjoy the beach as well as a bunch of other things!! I love LAguna beach, San Diego, even San Francisco!

 

[Nicrez]

Have you considered New York...

Or California's wine country... San Diego, Carmel and La Jolla are some of my favorite places in the US... GOOD LUCK!

 

[Skippy123]

California is nice. Hubby and I did a trip from San Diego up to Monterey area. I loved Santa Barbara and San Simeon and saw the Hearst Castle; it all was wonderful!!!

 

[zoebartlett]

Actually, I have considered CA, specifically, the Carmel, Monteray areas, or the Napa Valley. I''ve been to CA (San Diego, LA, Santa Barbara, and Montecito) before but there''s so much more that I''d like to see someday. I suggested it to my FI, and his response? "I''d be happy to consider it but I really was thinking of something more wordly." SO, I guess we''re back to looking into the QC area, Ireland again (a different part though than where we''ve been), or northern Italy. At the rate we''re going, we won''t ever go on a honeymoon...we''ll just TALK about going on a honeymoon...forever...without deciding.

 

[Skippy123]

oh, how about Romantic Como and Venice? They are close to each other.