This was our 4th time to the islands and the most incredible trip of our marriage! Even after breaking a toe and sun poisoning, this was the most incredible experience. There is so much natural beauty and adventure, this is truly a trip of a lifetime, and I am so thankful to get to experience such a place. During our trip, as I shared photos and videos, we got so many questions from friends back home that I started taking notes throughout our time to help me remember each days adventures. I'm glad I did! Journaling while on vacation helped me really soak in everything we were doing. If you're anything like me I wanted to make every day count and make as many memories as I could!
These are the to-do's that we would recommend you plan for:
Day 1. You'll need to fly into St. Thomas and arrange the Ferry or private boat to take you to Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands. (you'll need your passport and cash for customs/taxes arrival/departure days from BVI) You'll need transportation from the airport to the dock also:) We missed the ferry by 5 minutes and asked our water taxi captain if he could take us to Jost, for a fee, and we got it worked out. If you've never been to the BVIs, there aren't a lot of rules as far as boats so go with your gut on this one! Damien, our captain, was the nicest! It was dark and he was fast, for my comfort level, but I trusted the process and we made it fine. ha!
We stayed at White Bay Villas and it was perfect! Taxis will pick you up at the top of the hill to take you 5 minutes down to "town". You can walk from the Villa down a trail to White Bay Beach down to Ivan's, Soggy Dollar and One love.
We recommend breakfast at Ali Baba. Lunch at Soggy Dollar. Dinner at Foxy's.
Day 2. We rented a private captain for the day (9-4) with Island Time Adventures to take us to Virgin Gorda. It'll take about 40 minutes one way. You'll need to have yourself and belongings waterproof. We wore our swimsuits, brought a towel and a drybag for phones, cameras, money, etc.
We started at the baths of Virgin Gorda. You'll swim from your boat to the baths. You'll walk the trail through some caves, water holes and come out with a small snack shack and a nice swimming area. You'll have to swim out to the boat to leave so only bring what can get wet!
From there, our captain took us to have lunch at Pirates Bight. About 15 minutes from the baths.
After lunch we took a 10 min ride to Normans Island (aka Treasure Island) and did some snorkeling.
We headed to the legendary Willy T's barge to jump off and have a drink.
We headed back to White Bay for dinner. Our captain took us right up to Soggy Dollar for drop off which was perfect!
Day 3: We would head to St. John for the rest of the week. We spent the morning on the beach until about lunch. After lunch we had a taxi take us to the Ferry Dock to head to St. John.
You'll arrive in Cruz Bay and will need transportation or walk to your accommodations. This time we stayed at Grande Resort and would recommend 10/10! It was perfect! Walking distance to most everything. Spacious and everyone is so nice!
We went to Morgan's Mango for dinner. You will need reservations. Andy had this booked months in advance! So the earlier the better!
Our favorite place to hand out and people watch would be Woodys or the Beach Bar. Both walking distance. Fun atmosphere and great drinks!
Day 4: Kekoa Sailing is my all time favorite! This was our 5th time on this boat and it never gets old! There is a YETI documentary of the story behind Kekoa on youtube. I highly recommend watching and booking a day with them.
We stopped twice for some snorkeling. The second time is Little Saint James Island (right in front of Jeffrey Epsteins compound). As creepy as his place is, the water beside it is beautiful and calm!
We got back from sailing just in time for dinner & shopping. Mongoose Junction is a great place for find souvenirs. The market on the square right at the dock is my favorite place to shop.
Day 5: Our last full day we explored the rest of the island. We rented a Jeep (Mr. Piper Jeeps) from the same place we have in the past. They are super friendly and work with you for drop off and pick up. Highly recommend them! We spent the morning at Cinnamon Bay, Maho crossing and Trunk Bay.
We had lunch at Skinny Legs with shopping in the gift shop. They have the BEST BURGERS!
After lunch we went up to Windmill Bar to have a drink and look out over the island. They do charge for parking so make sure you have some cash.
We started back down the mountain to Cruz Bay for dinner. We ate at Hightide and walked to The Beach Bar for drinks and live music.
There isn't a bad place to eat or hang out on this island, these are just a few of our favs! This trip was more than I could've hoped for. With the past few years testing all of us physically and mentally, a getaway for Andy and I was much needed. We really had the best time just the two of us. I am forever grateful for how hard he works for our family and enjoys seeing the world with me.
If you have the opportunity to visit the Virgin Islands, it truly is a core memory place. The nicest people everywhere we turned, amazing food and the scenery is just breathtaking.
XOXO,
Kristal
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