Do you prefer group trips or a solo couple trip?

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:51 pm

My husband is my best friend. I enjoy his company and we are made for each other.

We once went to STT with 12 people and then the next year with 9. Although I love my friends, I was the person who set everything up and it was very stressful.

If I had to pick, and this is personal, it would be just myself and my husband.

I know people on STT and we try to get together on STJ with people from this forum. That's perfect for us.

ColumbiaSCTraveler · Post by **ColumbiaSCTraveler** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:02 pm

Our 4th trip in 4 years is coming up soon. And...we're going solo...again. We LOVE it! We've talked about taking others with us, but we just can't seem to ever invite anyone...

wisnowflake · Post by **wisnowflake** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:13 pm

we went the first time solo and then the last five times with another couple. The cost savings is so extreme when traveling with more that it makes more trips possible. If cost savings were not a concern, maybe another trip alone would be ok but I do enjoy both.

Beachnut513 · Post by **Beachnut513** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:25 pm

We're more into just the 2 of us going! We always meet people and have a lot of fun with strangers! When we go home at night it's just us again.

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:53 pm

While we have introduced friends to StJ we prefer a solo couple trip.

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:06 pm

I prefer to travel with friends when visiting St. John. We've found a few couples that are "low maintenance" and for me it really makes the trip a pleasure! We enjoy each other's company, however we don't have to be together every minute. It's never boring and one of us always seems to come up with something to do! I will say there was one trip with one couple that was somewhat of an issue - they've not been invited back!

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 1:06 pm

Thanks everyone

Think a trip with just my husband and I will be in our near future

augie · Post by **augie** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:21 pm

While we cherish our alone time together on STJ, it's also a place that we love to share with like minded people. Our last trip was the first one where we shared a villa (with forumites that we did not know before we met on STJ, no less!), and we had a blast.

We've done two trips with our youngest son, and will be bringing him and his older brother (who has not been yet) for their Mom's birthday celebration in June.

We have some friends that we have known forever, and have just recently started getting together once a month, rotating between households, for dinner. We have invited them to come and join us in the fall, but in the email invitation we included Rick G's rule for STJ group travel.

That didn't scare any of them away, so we'll see. All I know is that come late October, Eagle Ray Lover and myself will be back on the rock, and we may be alone, or have up to three couples joining us!

melmd · Post by **melmd** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:43 pm

We have done both and I have to say I prefer going with a group. We've been together for 18 years and married for 10 so we have had plenty of alone time

I enjoy our alone time together at a resturant or beach but I like to come back to the villa and spend time with a fun gang whom I love to share STJ with.

Diana2 · Post by **Diana2** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:47 pm

We've done solo and family (with grown childres) trips and trips with friends. The best way is to go down a couple of days before everyone else and stay a few days longer than everyone. That way we have the fun of going with others and also then we can appreciate some time with just the two of us. I like having the best of both worlds

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alw1977 · Post by **alw1977** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:50 pm

I've done 4 group trips and countless couple trips with my husband. When I think back, I always enjoy the solo trips more because I can do exactly what I want to do when I want to do it. I usually end up being the group trip planner, responsible for villa selection, itinerary coordination, etc. That can weigh on you if some of your friends aren't happy with their room, etc. You feel responsible.

That being said, some of the best days I've ever had are the private boat charters we always do on group trips. It's a bit steep for our budget when it's just the two of us.

Barney&barbara · Post by **Barney&barbara** » Tue Feb 28, 2012 7:07 pm

I would love to have reall really good friends who don't complain and "get it" but we don't so it's always just the two of us and we always have a great time...always

Need2GetAway · Post by **Need2GetAway** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 1:29 pm

They are entirely different trips.

We go just the two of us and it's wonderfully romantic. Really quality time together. We just got back from our 30th wedding anniversary celebration there.

54b · Post by **54b** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:20 pm

Four trips thus far...first one we went with 3 other couples...last 3, just my wife and I...our next trip will be with one other couple and kids.

With a group, it's much more social, lots more time sitting around talking and laughing versus going and doing. You'll likely spend a lot more time at the villa simply because it takes longer and it's harder to organize bigger groups of people. You'll also likely eat more meals at the villa too as you can designate nights for certain couples to cook. And again, it's easier than getting the group organized to go out.

But you can have the best of both worlds, as long as you have more than one rental car because you can always sneak away just the two of you for a date night or excursion.

More pros for going with couples...

1) Easier to afford a charter boat trip to the BVIs
2) Afford a nicer villa if splitting the costs
3) When you go to the beach, always someone there to stay with the stuff while some go out snorkeling
4) Safety in numbers

Our favorite trip was with the group, but we've obviously enjoyed going as a couple too. I'd say if you really like the people you'd be traveling with and like spending lots of time at the villa, the group's the way to go. If you more the adventurous romantic, then go the one couple only route.

For those that haven't experienced both kinds of trips, I'd say a good litmus test is whether or not you like to go out with other couples or just the two of you on New Years Eve. Same kind of dynamics apply to both I think.

Kentuckygirl · Post by **Kentuckygirl** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 7:46 pm

We are approaching our fifth trip. The first time, it was just the two of us, and we fell in love with the island. We completely "got it"! Next trip, we went with a big group...8 couples, two villas. Most everyone loved it. There were a couple people that probably didn't really get it. Third trip we took our 3 kids and had a ball! They love it too! (Thank goodness!) We decided then to come back for 8 tuff miles last year (another solo trip). Like others have said, it's a different kind of trip. We see more new things, and really just get around faster when it's just the two of us. Our upcoming trip will be another big group. We have 3 families in our villa, plus another family in a nearby villa. I do plan to eat in more. It takes forever to get that many people moving!
So at this point, we love both, they're just different kinds of trips!

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