The Poojer Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 what are the best weather months, cheapest times, is one island better than the other..just general info, nothing specific. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 http://www.virginisles.com/ Plenty of other links if you google it. Check out the British VIs too. I once spent a week sailing out of Tortolla. It was a great time....the VIs are beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 yeah i am looking there, but i am looking for personal experiences, preferences etc... http://www.virginisles.com/Plenty of other links if you google it. Check out the British VIs too. I once spent a week sailing out of Tortolla. It was a great time....the VIs are beautiful. 515348[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBill Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 yeah i am looking there, but i am looking for personal experiences, preferences etc... 515387[/snapback] I have lived in the US Virgin Islands for the past year and a half on the island of St. Croix. A good web site for tourists to go to is www.vinow.com. That should serve as a good starting point, with links to other sites. The nicest islands for tourists is probably St. John. It is also the most expensive and hardest to get around. St. Thomas has the most "touristy" things, and is the easiest to get to via air travel or cruise ship. St. Croix is the quietest of the islands and probably the most "run down'. Having said that it is also probably the least expensive to visit, the most relaxing, and the has the most "natural" appeal (except for the oil refinery), and is the largest island. (although none of them are very big) Airfare this time of year is expensive, most flights will go through San Juan, as direct flights from the mainland are less frequent and more costly. It is hard for me to give an objective assessment regarding visting the VI, because living in a place and visiting a place are two very different things. Having said that, there is no bad time to come, the weather is beautiful year round. Today is sunny, gentle breeze, and 85 degrees, just like yesterday, tomorrow, six months ago, and six months from now. Lots of wealthy snowbirds are starting to come here now, so it is a bit more crowded than in the summer months. At the same time, there is more to do now than in the summer. Christmas time is a big deal on St. Croix with a three week long carnival. To those for whom such things are important; no open ontainer laws, tax free liquor, and cigarettes, and duty free jewelry. Spectacular sunsets, blue caribbean water, and its all part of the US, so no passport is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 cool, you got room for 5 at your place, that would really help with my budget!!!!! , any recommendations on lodgings, I am not one to pay alot just for a place to sleep, i would rather have my money to do fun things, so the best hotels aren't important, as long as they are easy to get to and from the beaches I have lived in the US Virgin Islands for the past year and a half on the island of St. Croix. A good web site for tourists to go to is www.vinow.com. That should serve as a good starting point, with links to other sites. The nicest islands for tourists is probably St. John. It is also the most expensive and hardest to get around. St. Thomas has the most "touristy" things, and is the easiest to get to via air travel or cruise ship. St. Croix is the quietest of the islands and probably the most "run down'. Having said that it is also probably the least expensive to visit, the most relaxing, and the has the most "natural" appeal (except for the oil refinery), and is the largest island. (although none of them are very big) Airfare this time of year is expensive, most flights will go through San Juan, as direct flights from the mainland are less frequent and more costly. It is hard for me to give an objective assessment regarding visting the VI, because living in a place and visiting a place are two very different things. Having said that, there is no bad time to come, the weather is beautiful year round. Today is sunny, gentle breeze, and 85 degrees, just like yesterday, tomorrow, six months ago, and six months from now. Lots of wealthy snowbirds are starting to come here now, so it is a bit more crowded than in the summer months. At the same time, there is more to do now than in the summer. Christmas time is a big deal on St. Croix with a three week long carnival. To those for whom such things are important; no open ontainer laws, tax free liquor, and cigarettes, and duty free jewelry. Spectacular sunsets, blue caribbean water, and its all part of the US, so no passport is needed. 515596[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gross Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 I'd say if you want to be "around it all," stay on St. Thomas (that's the island you'll fly into). If you want to get away, stay on St. John. If you really want to get away, stay at Estates Concordia on St. John. Be sure to rent a car. Cheapest I'm guessing is late Summer months (also hurricane season! ). That would be it in a nutshell... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBill Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 cool, you got room for 5 at your place, that would really help with my budget!!!!! , any recommendations on lodgings, I am not one to pay alot just for a place to sleep, i would rather have my money to do fun things, so the best hotels aren't important, as long as they are easy to get to and from the beaches 515643[/snapback] Most of the hotels on the islands have beach access, unless they are right in the middle of any of the small towns / cities (Christiansted, Charlotte Amalie, Fredriksted0 The all inclusive resorts can be expensive, brand name hotels (Westin, etc) will be more expensive. Regardless of where you stay you should probably rent a car. Remember we drive on the left side of the road here. the biggest island is only 5 miles wide at its widest point, so you are never far from the beach. You can stay at some fairly inexpensive places, but some of them are dumps, and not in real safe areas. Budget a least 100 / night per room. Eating out is expensive as well. Some activities are cheap (snorkeling, SCUBA diving), other activities can cost an arm and a leg. It always cheap to drink here, but with kids that may not be your primary activity. Beach access is always free. (with some limited exceptions) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of BiB Posted November 29, 2005 Share Posted November 29, 2005 Most of the hotels on the islands have beach access, unless they are right in the middle of any of the small towns / cities (Christiansted, Charlotte Amalie, Fredriksted0 The all inclusive resorts can be expensive, brand name hotels (Westin, etc) will be more expensive. Regardless of where you stay you should probably rent a car. Remember we drive on the left side of the road here. the biggest island is only 5 miles wide at its widest point, so you are never far from the beach. You can stay at some fairly inexpensive places, but some of them are dumps, and not in real safe areas. Budget a least 100 / night per room. Eating out is expensive as well. Some activities are cheap (snorkeling, SCUBA diving), other activities can cost an arm and a leg. It always cheap to drink here, but with kids that may not be your primary activity. Beach access is always free. (with some limited exceptions) 515685[/snapback] My main question...is anybody hiring? Man, I miss the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Poojer Posted November 29, 2005 Author Share Posted November 29, 2005 what do you do that allows you to live in such paradise? lucky...... Most of the hotels on the islands have beach access, unless they are right in the middle of any of the small towns / cities (Christiansted, Charlotte Amalie, Fredriksted0 The all inclusive resorts can be expensive, brand name hotels (Westin, etc) will be more expensive. Regardless of where you stay you should probably rent a car. Remember we drive on the left side of the road here. the biggest island is only 5 miles wide at its widest point, so you are never far from the beach. You can stay at some fairly inexpensive places, but some of them are dumps, and not in real safe areas. Budget a least 100 / night per room. Eating out is expensive as well. Some activities are cheap (snorkeling, SCUBA diving), other activities can cost an arm and a leg. It always cheap to drink here, but with kids that may not be your primary activity. Beach access is always free. (with some limited exceptions) 515685[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 So you had a previous post asking about removing crayon from carpeting, now suddenly you need to get out of the country. Hmmmm.... were you doing something with the crayons and got caught by the wife, so to make it up to her, you're taking her on a trip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBill Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 what do you do that allows you to live in such paradise? lucky...... 515788[/snapback] I work at the local hospital on St. Croix in the Strategic Planning and Marketing department on an annual contract basis. We are in the midst of developing and constructing a comprehensive cardiac center that will serve a big chunk of the Caribbean. I actually "fell into " the job so to speak. My wife moved here about two years ago to take a job as a faculty member at the University of the Virgin Islands. She is a professor in the Education Department. We get asked this question about "working in paradise" alot by pour frineds and family. In many ways it is a "paradise" (weather, environment, easygoing native lifestyle, etc,), but there are also tmes when it is like living in a third world country. The local government is amazingly corrupt, the public education system would probably not be accepted in any part of the states (not because of the teachers, but mostly because of the local governments oversight), the infrastructure is in rough shape, with inconsistent, high cost energy, and services and goods that are taken for granted in the states just don't exist in many cases. Much of this is not a big deal if you are millionaire snowbird, and there are lots of those. Unfortunately, I am not even close to being one of them. We will probably live here another couple of years (I'd like to see the project I am working on get finished) and then we will head back to the states. It has been quite an experience, one I wouldn't trade for anything, but also one I am not sure I would recommend to most people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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