USVI-On-Line

We are getting married in St. John this July. We will be on island for about 10 days before and after the wedding spending time with family and friends. After everyone leaves, we are planning on staying an extra week for our honeymoon. We can't decide if we want to stay the whole time or try Tortola for 4 or 5 nights of our final week. We have been to St John three times in the past and love it. We will enjoy staying the whole time but also want to explore too. What is everyone's thoughts/comparison for people who have been to both?
Thanks!!

There are a lot of beatiful islands,but St. john beats Tortolla everytime imo.
Now if you want to surf get someone to take you to cane garden bay in Tortolla by boat then go to jost van dyke and take in the' bubbly pool'.

I personally would consider Virgin Gorda but not Tortola. I have not really explored or toured Trotola well, but I would prefer VG. Or even a private Villa on Jost.

We have stayed on Tortola a few times in a large group. Hubby and I wouldn't stay there as a couple..It just doesn't feel as safe as some of the other islands. I'm with the others, I would consider VG or Jost...
I'm curious about why no one hardly suggests Peter Island? I don't know much about it..so just wondering~

We have stayed on Tortola a few times in a large group. Hubby and I wouldn't stay there as a couple..It just doesn't feel as safe as some of the other islands. I'm with the others, I would consider VG or Jost...
I'm curious about why no one hardly suggests Peter Island? I don't know much about it..so just wondering~ (I would be 100% happy staying on STJ the whole time and just taking some day trips to Jost, VG or Tortola.That would be great too)

We've stayed on Tortola several times and we enjoy it as much as St John (meaning we love both places!) Here are some thoughts (just my opinion from our stays there).
- Tortola has much more of a West Indian culture than St John.This gives Tortola a different feel and charm.
- Tortola is very scenic with tall mountains and beautiful beaches. Some of the roads are *very steep* and winding, even more than St John. We enjoyed driving to the different beaches and seeing the beautiful vistas, but you have to be comfortable driving on these kinds of roads.
- There are several very good restaurants on the island, and a number of local places to eat that have great West Indian food. One restaurant is cantilevered on the side of a cliff with an awesome view down the coast of Tortola. Great place for sunset.
- There are several beautiful beaches and one with excellent snorkeling right off the beach.
- We went on a day charter a couple times for sailing and snorkeling through the BVIs. There are many small uninhabited islands and the scenery on these trips was breathtaking.
- The main town (Roadtown) is very busy and we normally don't go into town unless we really need something. We did see two interesting sites - old Main St with classic old Caribbean architecture and the very small botanical garden
- There aren't any resorts, per se, on Tortola. We stayed at Sugar Mill and had an excellent experience there. They have a gourmet restaurant on-site and its outstanding.

Since someone mentioned Peter Island Resort (PIR), I'll chime in since we've stayed there 4 times. Some years we stay in a villa on St John and some years we go to PIR, which is definitely a resort experience. PIR has a gorgeous beach (Deadmans Beach - hate the name) and lovely landscaped grounds. They have another beach on the other side of the island (20 min ride in a van) that is secluded and has excellent snorkeling. The staff is very friendly and accommodating, food is great, and its just a really nice, relaxing experience. There is a dive shop on premises, which makes it very convenient for diving or snorkeling trips. Lots of hammocks for two around the property. We find it to be a really romantic place. You can take their ferry to Tortola to go exploring as it runs often throughout the day and evening if you want to see Tortola.

We've been to Virgin Gorda and enjoyed it too. It has stunning beaches and great snorkeling. (As you can tell, snorkeling is very important to us.) VG is very quiet and laid back compared to Tortola.

You have a fun choice to make! It depends upon what you enjoy doing too. Happy trip planning!

Thanks everyone for your responses!
Aqua girl, I just looked into Peter Island Resort and it looks amazing! Did you do the meal plan when you were there?

For 2 of our trips to PIR, we got a 7-day package on Luxury Link that included the meal plan. At those times, the LL package included the meal plan. This year the LL package only includes daily breakfast, plus the gourmet wine dinner (which is a great culinary experience). One year, we got a package deal through the resort that included the meal plan.When we had the meal plan, we really enjoyed it, and its a lot of food. You can order appetizer, salad, entree and dessert. It was fun to get appetizers that we wouldn't normally order, but since it was included in the package we tried different things.

This past trip in Oct, we used AA frequent flier miles for the room, and the meal plan was not included. We decided not to pay for the meal plan because its so expensive and its more food than we can eat. Given the menu prices (very expensive resort prices!), we figured we could eat for less than paying for the meal plan. It turns out we did eat for quite a bit less every day without "skimping", and we had plenty of food. The lunches at the beach restaurant are usually big portions. If you enjoy a big breakfast, they have an extensive breakfast buffet, including omelets to order, a dozen types of fresh fruit, cheeses, pastries, breads, cereals, etc, etc.

So this is a long winded answer to say "it depends". If you have hearty appetites and like to try different things, the meal plan is probably worth it. Its also less hassle since all your food is already paid for. (You just add a tip.) Some people just get the MAP plan which includes breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner.

I just checked LL and they don't have any packages listed for July right now, but you can check in a month or two to see if they will post one. Peter Island has a special on their website - stay for 7 nights, pay for 5 for this summer.

As you can tell, we love Peter Island. Each time has been a special experience for us, and the staff really works to make your visit special. The spa is a very nice experience as well.

Let me know if you decide to go and I can share some more things about activities if you would like.

St John would be my first choice. Then i would choose Virgin Gorda or Jost. Especially the Pink House on Jost or Little Dix on VG.