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.....just wondering if anyone's been?? Thinking about it for an anniversary trip next winter and was wondering if it's as wonderful as it sounds and how difficult the logistics were getting there. Thanks!!

When you go, make sure you make it to the soggy dollar bar and have a painkiller for me.

tjtryon wrote:When you go, make sure you make it to the soggy dollar bar and have a painkiller for me.

me too!

i haven't been there in over 5 years. i heard it isn't what it used to be. of course it was pretty much nothing then...which is fine for us. we're not in our 20's ( or 30's either) anymore. if you quiet, relaxation then that's the place. say hi to foxy for me.

If you can wait until November I'll give you a first hand report, if not check out this site:

http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/ ... &Board=bvi


The folks here are extremely knowledgeable about the BVI and are more than willing to share what they know. The info here made it easy to plan the trip (expensive, but easy!!)

To answer your question as best as I can now though, you can't fly directly to Jost. Most people fly into Tortola and take a ferry, or I believe there is a ferry from St. Thomas too. The ferry from Tortola is on the opposite side of the island from the airport and I think the taxi ride costs around $40/person and takes roughly an hour. A lot of people choose to stay on Tortola for a night or two and then catch the early ferry.

I don't think the logistics are that hard, but there are several steps involved. It's not the type of place you want to go for a long weekend, a week or longer stay would be best. I think a lot of people split their time (as we are) between two or more of the island. Just don't be too ambitious, the purpose is to relax, or as they say in the BVI, "Limin"

painkilllaaaaaassss LOVE the Soggy Dollar! We just did a day trip to Jost (from St. John) and it was awesome. White Bay is one of the most amazing beaches ever..that water!
There's more "to do" on St. John; Jost is quieter (I think like 200 people live there in total) so if you're really looking to get away from everything, great place to go!

Thanks so much for all the info! I just discovered traveltalkonline yesterday. Seems to be several locals that post there regularly and have good info. I had heard it was kinda tough to get there but, aren't all places that are worth travelling to?? My hubby and I are planning our 10 year anniversary trip and are kind of on the fence between Jost, Anegada, and perhaps, Anguilla. The more secluded, remote and laid back, the better. Good snorkling is up there as a consideration, as well. We are going for about 12 days, we figure. I have been checking out tripadvisor.com and was thinking of staying at Sandcastle on Jost and then taking some day trips via ferry or charter to some of the other out- islands. I think Tortola and Anguilla may be a little too populated for our liking. I had heard there is some day trip traffic to consider on Jost but it sounds like just enough to provide some pretty amusing entertainment while we're there. I really like the idea of not having to pack anything but bathing suits, a few shorts and tees, and a couple hats.....and flip flops for when we feel like dressing up!

McGee, which islands did you choose for your stay? I would love to hear about your trip when you return! I wish we were going this year (sigh).

anguilla!!! aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh. the sand there is like pancake batter. it isn't bright white but it is sooooooooooo soft. if you go, visit silly cay for lunch.

we went there for our 5 yr. anniversary. it was actually 8 yrs later because of hurricanes during those years.

if your looking for quiet anguilla is quiet but not too quiet. for our 10 yr we went to turks & cacios. the snorkeling there is better than the caymans and it is very relaxed. go now while it still great, before it gets spoiled.

Bubba Phan,

This trip is Tortola, Jost, and then Antigua. The BVI are just my wife and I then we are meeting 3 other couples on Antigua.

In the past we've done Tortola and VG but never Anegada---That will be next trip.

12 days is a decent time. If you desire you can easily enjoy several islands. a few things you mentioned I want to respond to. Please keep in mind I'm not an expert but here are my two cents...

Tortola isn't "crowded" It's crowded compared to Virgin Gorda, Jost, or Anegada, but compared to Aruba it's downright deserted. Basing your vacation on Jost and ferrying to other islands is possible but difficult. I believe most of the island ferries leave out of Road Town (roughly mid island) and the Jost ferry leaves from Sopers Hole, the west end. Getting from Sopers to Roadtown can take an hour or so and would need to be timed with the ferry schedule AND taxi service. We ran into this problem when we were staying on VG and wanted to go to Jost. It was doable just very impracticle and we chose to not stress ourselves out.

Of course if you have the means, you can also hire water taxi's and then it doesn't really matter where you stay. My brother, who has a tad more disposable income than I do, used water taxi's and helicopters to visit the different islands.

Being a parrothead you gravitate naturally toward laid back beach bars and funky hotels, but for a 10th anniversary trip don't rule out Biras Creek on VG for a portion of your trip. VERY quiet, VERY exclusive and VERY romantic.

bubba phan wrote:.....just wondering if anyone's been?? Thinking about it for an anniversary trip next winter and was wondering if it's as wonderful as it sounds and how difficult the logistics were getting there. Thanks!!

You need to talk to Albatross Flyer...there's an old thread somewhere...

let me look for it...

don't forget Foxy's. jimmy wrote "manana" while anchored in the bay. and kenny chesney wrote 'somewhere in the sun" about the place.

http://www.nnc-inc.com/BVI/BVI.html

http://www.nnc-inc.com/BVI2/BVI2.html

McGee, thanks so much for your input. I'm still in the process of figuring out what's do-able or not and your insights are really good food for thought. Although I realize that Tortola may be "more populated" than somewhere like Jost, I don't think I would ever refer to it as crowded.....lol. As for Aruba, yikes!! I've also been doing alot of reading on VG. Is the resort you mentioned fancy, schmancy because we are very casual kind of people? I think I saw Biras Creek mentioned on a website called scubamom.com. I'll have to take a closer look. Your trip sounds like it's gonna be a blast and I can't wait to hear about it when you return. Yeah, I was thinking more of the water taxi kind of thing. Hook up with someone, like, the day before we want to make a little trip to another locale for the day.

AF, your links are awesome! The pictures are amazing. I think you read my mind! Chartering a sailboat is something that is definitely in our future for a trip. We just wanted to go down to BVI for a stay to make sure it was the locale we would like to do that in for future consideration. Looks like that is the best of both worlds. Hubby and I are powerboaters ( ) and would love the experience of an extended stay on a blowboat and pick up some sailing skills. Although we are pretty avid snorkelers, we would love to get dive certified before making that trip and charter a boat with dive equipment, probaby a Cat.

Boy, the gears are really grinding, now!! Thanks so much for all the help!

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:don't forget Foxy's. jimmy wrote "manana" while anchored in the bay. and kenny chesney wrote 'somewhere in the sun" about the place.

It's funny you mention that. I was just reading some stuff that frequent travelers to Jost were writing about Kenny Chesney and Jimmy Buffett. They were coming down kinda hard on Chesney because his mention of Jost and Foxy's Firewater Rum and Ivan, they feel, has caused alot of undesirable attention to be drawn to the island. Good for business but bad for the vibe of the place. Jimmy seemed to be thought of fairly well for his ability to write about a locale yet not give it away so blantantly.

By the way, AB, that pic of the tire swing.....looks remarkably similar to the tree and swing on the cover of Where Is Joe Merchant. I'm blonde. Maybe I'll have to go there and take a little swing for myself ala Trevor Kane.

Bubba phan, you will absolutely LOVE The BVI's. I was there last fall, and in my mind, they are the perfect "get away from it all" destinations. It's really pretty easy to get from one island to the next if you're based out of Tortola. The ferry to Jost leaves out of Sopers Hole, and the one to Virgin Gorda leaves from the dock in Roadtown. I believe there's one from Sopers to VG also, but you'd have to make a stop in Roadtown first. Roadtown can get a little busy around 5 o'clockish......but it's really not that bad. We stayed near the West End at Fort Recovery Villas, and it doesnt take that long to drive into Roadtown from there. Sopers was about a 5 minute drive. If you're on that end of the island you have to stop at The Jolly Roger. Phantastic place for eats and drinks. Very friendly staff and reasonable prices. The owner (I forget his name) told me that Jimmy has been there and that either Mac or Fingers has also visited there. Can't remember which one he said. If I were you, I'd definately make it a point to hit VG for a day. Go early if you can, and when the cruise ship peeps start to infiltrate The Baths, head over to Devils Bay. It's a cool hike over, around, and through HUGE rock formations. The cruisers either don't know about it, or are too intimidated to take the hike. You will probably have that area to yourself when The Baths start to get crowded. If you have the whole day to spend there, just wait out the cruiser's. They all leave after about 2 hours. The beaches on Tortola are very beautiful as well. Cane Garden Bay, Brewers Bay..etc. You can usually have a beach all to yourself there too. I think we shared the beach with maybe 6 or 7 other people most times. Brewers is especially isolated, and I remember it was us, and 2 others there one day. Thats truely paradise in my own humble opinion. Whatever BVI island you decide to stay on will not disappoint you. Have fun and take lots of pics. Oh, and watch out driving on Tortola.......some of those people are CRAZY DRIVERS. Oh, someone mentioned the tire swing at Cane Garden Bay....this is me climbing it. The wife took this pic without me knowing.

This is a "typical" Tortola road going from one side of the island to the other. LOL Seriously....it is typical.

Here's another...............

i have a request... If you go to Foxy's look for a bra hanging from the ceiling and take a pix of it. it belongs to a friend

Mcgee, I'm on TTOL also..............go by the name of....you guessed it...reefdiver. All this talk about the BVI's is giving me DIF !!! I could sure use a painkiller and some "limin" time now. Sorry about stretching this page out with my one pic, if a mod wants to shrink it, please do. Here's one last pic...

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:i have a request... If you go to Foxy's look for a bra hanging from the ceiling and take a pix of it. it belongs to a friend

Albatross..........did your friend happen to lose one at The Bomba Shack too? Lot's of em hangin there !!!