| Author | Message | ||
     mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 469 Registered: 10-2001 |
maybe another wonderful caribbean island that's not impossible to get to for a 4 night stay (just grown-ups)? Would like: nice beach, snorkeling, good food, the quiet sounds of nature (not DJ's) and some privacy if possible. Loved St. John's but am interested in something new. Anyone have a hotel/resort/villa recommendation? | ||
| Oldstone Citizen Username: Rogers4317 Post Number: 884 Registered: 6-2004 |
tortola, the sugar mill...not a tremendously upscale place like on st. john or virgin gorda, but easy to get to, not over run with tourists and QUIET. www.sugarmillhotel.com | ||
| Captain Stemmy Citizen Username: Lapnlu Post Number: 56 Registered: 10-2004 |
St. Lucia is wonderful, it's like going to hawaii without the long flight. Tropical rain forest, white sandy beaches, friendly locals. Tons of different places to stay depending upon what you are looking for. | ||
| James Mindnich Citizen Username: Jrm Post Number: 7 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Biras Creek Resort on Virgin Gorda - a slice of heaven: quiet, secluded, amazing food...great snorkeling trips, little hiking trails all around.. You have the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Caribbean on the other. VE, but worth it. | ||
| mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 6602 Registered: 5-2001  |
I would opt for Virgin Gourda, gorgeous beaches and the Baths are awesome - it's closer than St Lucia and you can take the ferry to St John's, Tortolla, Jost Van Dyke, St Thomas, etc. I loved St Lucia but there is no direct flight and it took all day to get there. It's also a very big island, so you would have to rent a car. Good luck! | ||
| Kibbegirl Citizen Username: Kibbegirl Post Number: 722 Registered: 5-2003 |
We honeymooned in St. John and Virgin Gorda and it was amazing. Mr. Kibbegirl has a better recall than I do, but the resort is owned by the Rockefeller family and only allowed a few "huts" on the island for dwelling tourists. If someone knows the name so I don't have to awake Mr. Kibbegirl, that would be great! There was no radio and no t.v. in any of the huts and it was awesome. It was just plain awesome. We crave to go back but it's not for the kids at all. | ||
| Arsenal Citizen Username: Arsenal Post Number: 106 Registered: 8-2004 |
Another vote for the sugarmill hotel. We had a wonderful time there for our honeymoon and as Oldstone mentioned very quiet and peaceful. They have their own beach, which we never saw another soul at, and pool etc. No TV in the rooms, so if you are an addict please keep that in mind. We took a trip to Virgin Gorda and thought it was spectacular. | ||
| MC0218 Citizen Username: Mc0218 Post Number: 10 Registered: 5-2006 |
We were in St. Lucia for our honeymoon in December and it was wonderful. No, there isn't a direct flight, but we flew into Puerto Rico then to the island, and it wasn't bad at all... We stayed at 2 different resorts, but based on what you described you're looking for, I'd recommend Ti Kaye Village. VERY peaceful, lots of privacy, wonderful food, etc. The beach is small, but nice and clean...and the water is incredible. I'd recommend an Ocean Front cottage with a private plunge pool. AMAZING. www.tikaye.com | ||
| Camnol Citizen Username: Camnol Post Number: 450 Registered: 3-2005 |
I've only stayed on Virgin Gorda. I mentioned this in another thread, but when we went without the kids, we stayed at Little Dix. It was just beautiful and very peaceful. Great snorkling and you could ask to be dropped off at any of the beaches on the island, including the Baths. We just let them know when we wanted to be picked up. Word of advice for the Baths--try to check the cruise boat schedule before you go there. Wonderful place, unless it gets too crowded. We took the kids this year to the Bitter End Yacht club on Virgin Gorda. Great vacation if you have active kids. It's not the place to go if you want quiet and great beach. It is the place to go if you are into activities and boating. The kids had sailing and windsurfing lessons, there are excursions every day (Norman Island was a great one). We had a great time, but I missed Little Dix. | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 471 Registered: 10-2001 |
These are great recommendations. We are actually seriously considering Tikaye and Biras Creek, in fact, that's why I narrowed it down to VG and St. L. MCO218 (you need a nickname  ), Can you tell me more about Tikaye? For instance, did the beach get too crowded when other boats came in? Did the beach vendors detract from your feeling of calm and privacy? Kibbe, are you thinking of Caneel Bay on St. John, or somewhere in virgin gorda. We've stayed at Caneel bay and we're actually looking for something along those lines, but perhaps a smaller place. Finally, we are looking into a place in Negril, Jamaica, Sunset at the Palms. Perhaps not as perfect as tikaye or biras creek, but easier to get to (direct), and flights out of Newark instead of JFK. Anyone stayed there? Thanks so much for all the helpful ideas. having trouble deciding where to vacation is a GOOD problem! | ||
| MC0218 Citizen Username: Mc0218 Post Number: 11 Registered: 5-2006 |
Sorry...I'm pretty new to this board and didn't realize I needed a nickname! LOL Ti Kaye is incredible. To answer your questions, there were NO boats that came in to let anyone out...and from what I understand, they're not permitted to on their beach. The vendors were FINE. They approached us once, we said we weren't interested, and they never bothered us again. Not a problem at all. One thing about the beach is that it is a HIKE. Going down to the beach is obviously not a problem...but going up, prepare to hike up some serious stairs (I believe it's 188 or something...LOL). So, it may not be ideal for some people, depending on their physical condition. There is a beach bar/restaurant down there, as well as restrooms, so you wouldn't have to worry about going up the steps for those things. The resort was the perfect way for us to begin our 2 week honeymoon. Being able to decompress there is an understatement. There are no TV's in the rooms, just so you know...which added to the peacefulness. And, it's inexpensive, compared to many other Caribbean resorts. Definitely book the Ocean Front Cottage with Private Plunge Pool if you go...it's awesome. The food was incredible. Breakfast is included in the room rate, FYI. Every night they had different specials and each meal was wonderful. Also, on Friday nights they bus anyone who is interested to the local Fish Fry, which is a great way to experience the culture of St. Lucia from a native's perspective. Let me know if you'd like any more info...we LOVED it there! | ||
| mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 6617 Registered: 5-2001 |
I loved Ti Kaye as well! Went there last Feb. So beautiful and peaceful, and the food is awesome. http://www.tikaye.com/resort.htm Very good snorkeling and nice views - the beach does host day cruises, and it can get crowded and noisy on those days, however you can stay up top at your plunge pool or go to the Pitons - we found a really nice gorgeous waterfall to hang out at one day and we were the only ones there. Good luck deciding! | ||
| Camnol Citizen Username: Camnol Post Number: 451 Registered: 3-2005 |
"We've stayed at Caneel bay and we're actually looking for something along those lines, but perhaps a smaller place. " Mickey, Little Dix on Virgin Gorda is the sister resort to Caneel Bay. I think it is much smaller than Caneel. But, I've never been to Caneel so I don't know for sure. http://www.littledixbay.com/ | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 472 Registered: 10-2001 |
You guys are great, thanks for your responses. MCO (or should I call you 218?) Congrats on your marriage. Glad you had a great honeymoon too. Camnol, thanks, I will look into Little Dix. and the sugarmill too. I think it may have been Biras Creek which will let you have little motor boats to explore other nearby beaches. That sounds fun; James, did you use them? MOL is a regular Zagats and Fodors for me! Thanks everybody. | ||
| Onarpos Citizen Username: Onarpos Post Number: 52 Registered: 3-2005 |
My brother lives in St. Thomas so my parents go to the VI nearly every year (at least once) and have visited most other islands. They LOVE Virgin Gorda. | ||
| patmich Citizen Username: Patmich Post Number: 65 Registered: 3-2005 |
Biras Creek does let you use the little motor boats. They are great and the staff gives you a map to all the beaches in the area. The night before you can also order lunch for your boat trip which includes some great food and wine/champagne if you want it. We stayed in an oceanfront room and the sounds at night of the Atlantic crashing at your door was wonderful. The property is spread out, so each room has their own bikes to cruise back and forth to the beach which is on the Caribbean side. We have also been to Little Dix and must say that we liked Biras much better. | ||
| Kibbegirl Citizen Username: Kibbegirl Post Number: 733 Registered: 5-2003 |
It was indeed Caneel Bay and Little Dix where we honeymooned! Great job, guys! I loved that place. Also, I know that these islands are your destination, but if you change course, try Point of Grace on Turks and Caicos. Gorgeous! Beautiful! Splendid! And not for kids. | ||
| James Mindnich Citizen Username: Jrm Post Number: 8 Registered: 10-2003 |
We did take a whaler out on a couple of occasions and tooled around the cove which was great fun. We also did a day sail to Anegada that I highly recommended. The terrain there is really cool. It is a coral island (the rest of the BVI's are volcanic), flat as a pancake, with beautiful beaches. We also took a taxi boat to.....Gun Creek.....I think it was...where we rented a jeep and "did" the rest of Virgin Gorda...visited the Baths, stopped in at Little Dix, drove around the hills, etc...and then happily retreated to the seclusion of Biras. One thing to keep in mind: you mentioned snorkeling. There are wonderful places to snorkel, however, if you visit between December and February, the "Christmas Winds" are often blowing. The normal trade winds blow from south/south east to northeast, but the "Northers" or "Xmas Winds" as the locals refer to them, blow from the north/northwest and churn up the water making snorkeling less than ideal. We visited in December and did little to no snorkeling. The romantic dinners at the restaurant overlooking the cove, hiking over to the Bitter End Yacht Club for cocktails, kayaking at the beach...i could go on and on. It was the perfect getaway. | ||
| Ken Scout Citizen Username: Lightningken Post Number: 157 Registered: 11-2005 |
Whats the best way to get to Virgin Gorda? How about St. Lucia? Everything I look at producess 11 hour+ trips? | ||
| mickey Citizen Username: Mickey Post Number: 474 Registered: 10-2001 |
Mem and MCO, We're going to try to make reservations at Ti-kaye! Thanks for your recommendations. Do you by any chance remember what cottage we should request? Or the waterfall trip, do u remember its name, and did u use a guide? Should we get the dining package? I guess we'll fly direct from JFK... Is that what you did? I'm so excited, any other tips? Thanks so much to my MOL travel agents. |
