TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Recommendations

After years of reading this forum, we’re finally looking to book a yacht or possibly a house in either the USVI or BVI for 6-10 adults next year. Looking for any and all recommendations for maybe end of March/early April of. We have some experience with the BVI, my wife and I stayed on JVD back in 2014, one of our favorite vacations. Any advantages/disadvantages to leaving out of PR vs ST.Thomas? Thank you in advance.

cjrudy - That's a pretty broad ask. Are you leaning toward a charter or land based? As to your 2nd question, most folks prefer to go thru STT. Flights are usually less expensive and there are more options. The potential downside is you are stuck with taking a ferry to your final destination. The schedules can be limiting, but for most folks it works out well enough. Private water taxi is another option, cost is about double. Personally I prefer flying thru PR. Easy enough to get there from the mainland. Its the last leg that can be an adventure. The regional carriers for that leg tend to cancel flights pretty regularly.

Take a look at www.virgin-gorda-villa.com 7 bedroom waterfront villa on Virgin Gorda

If a yacht will you need a captain, cook, or are you qualified to bareboat?

Jost has some great villa options now - Glass House, Escape, Almost Heaven and Hendo’s has brand new beachfront accommodations. We’ve stayed at White Bay Villas and love it - they have a new beach club. Virgin Gorda has many options. If you decide on USVI it is St. John all the way. Many many options there - post St John questions on the St John TripAdvisor forum.

After several nightmare trips through San Juan we only fly to STT. When heading to our boat in the BVI we use Island Time water taxi or Island Birds air charter from STT.

Thanks for the responses. Haven't really decided on a house or yacht, although if it's the later it would be a crewed charter. Still in the very early stages which is why I left it very broad.

If you want a crewed charter stick to BVI options.

tpcook--which you own. PLEASE disclose your ownership if you recommend your property.

There is a pretty big difference...are you explorers as a group or prefer to stay in 1 place and possibly do a day trip or 2?

June '21 we went for 2 weeks on a bareboat charter out of BVI...if you charter than BYI is the place per mIDiver

Dec'21 we went land based for 10 days in BVI (JVD then Scrub)...the wife got tired of boating

Both great vacations but totally different experiences. I think the boat is more hassle but more upside...

IMHO I think you need to figure that part out first

"Both great vacations but totally different experiences. I think the boat is more hassle but more upside..."

So very true. With a land vacation you will relax more and see less. With a boat you will see much more. Both are great options.

Also, the "6-10 adults" is a decent question mark as to the "who" and "how many" people are going. The logistics as well as accommodations ( and usually traveler preferences) are very different for 6 vs 10 no matter where you go. I would think step #1 should be figuring out your travel group.

We liveaboard in Coral Bay, St. John November and we are sheltering for hurricane season at Humacao PR. We cruise from Puerto Rico to Grenada. The USVIs, SVIs, and BVIs have a lot to offer. The USVIs have the Virgin Islands National Park that is remarkable. The BVIs have shore passages, amenities in most anchorages, and the challenges with the mooring fields access. The SVIs have longer passages and many fewer charter yachts. We love all three.

For an opportunity to see the most variety, we prefer to start in the USVIs. Waypoints, former CYOA, is 10 minutes from the STT airport. They have captains, but not chefs, and have new Fountaine Pajot cats and Dufour monohuls. They are working to get the business licenses and work permits for the BVIs so there are USVI/BVI/SVI options. The USVI Governor and the BVI Premier had a recent press conference regarding streamlining the processes, so there is commitment to making that work. Waypoints also has a based at Nanny Cay, Tortola. Before we purchase our own boat we did five flawless charters with CYOA

There are also many crewed charters available. Friends of the forum Dirk & Sandy run impressive Yacht Le Reve. We also know the wonderful crew of Kuma Too, & and Joe. Both crews provide a fully catered experience.
https://www.facebook.com/yachtlereve
https://www.facebook.com/sailingkumatoo

Jay Penning wrote a great itinerary for cruising the USVI. Capt. Jay is a liveaboard sailor at St. Thomas and is the US Base Manager for Waypoints.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/usvicruisers/permalink/3824749230911034

The Coral Bay Yacht Club, Sweet Christine and I, wrote a Coral Bay Cruising Guide for St. John. The goal was to fill the gaps in cruising guides for the surge of charter yachts we saw with the opening of Lime Out in Coral Bay.
https://www.cbycstj.org/coral-bay-cruising-guide

Whether you charter a yacht or stay on land, it is a wonderful time to visit. We are excited to be able to cruise between the USVI and BVI again,

Cheers, RickG

Thank you for this great information Rick