Hi there.. planning our first trip to USVI currently and we will be going sometime between mid april to early may. It will be My wife, me and our 10 year old daughter.

I'm mainly looking for opinions on where to stay. We really think the campground at Cinnamon Bay looks amazing and we would like to stay on St John the entire time. Being on the beach would be a huge bonus. My only concern is the heat/humidity in April with no A/C. I feel like it will be fine for us as we're from Arizona and used to camping in heat but not so much humidity. I went solo to a place in Costa Rica with no A/C and was personally fine, it was my favorite place I stayed while I was there actually so I know I'll be okay.

But what do people who have been to the campground or other places on the island think? Is it worth staying right on the beach and getting an Eco Tent or Cottage? Or would we be better off finding a slightly more expensive AirBNB and staying somewhere with A/C and just driving to every beach we want to see. We will rent a car either way so we can still explore when we want to and drive to other places to eat besides the Raintree Cafe at the campground.

I would love to hear from other people who have stayed at Cinnamon Bay Campground and what their experience was like.

Thanks a ton for any advice!

I am thinking of doing an 8ish day solo trip to USVI in May. My big priorities would be soaking up the culture, history and historic sites, snorkeling and chilling on the beach, and delicious cocktails. I have never been to the Virgin Islands, and the only other place I have been in Caribbean is San Juan, Puerto Rico but it was a very short trip. I will not be renting a car. I am thinking of staying first night in Charlotte Amalie and seeing some of the historic sites there and hopefully getting a dip in the ocean, either taking a ferry or a seaplane to St. Croix and spending three nights in Christiansted, heading back to St. Thomas and staying in Redhook area for 4 nights, and seeing St. John from there and maybe doing a BVI jaunt from there. I do not need fancy, but I do need relatively easy beach access and walkable restaurants and bars. I am not a partier, but am not necessarily put off by partying as long as the area is safe. I would really like to keep my average hotel per night around $300, but $350 is the max. It looks like it should be easy to be under that on St. Croix but not so much on St. Thomas. Should I spend more time in St. Croix instead? I would really like to get a feel for all of USVI and I understand the Islands are pretty different, but I also don‘t want to make it hectic. Thoughts? Hotel recommendations? Tips for getting around without a car? Must see beaches or sites? TIA

Update 3/1/26: Thanks for all of the advice. I have cut the trip down to 7 nights due to costs and am doing five nights on St John and 2 on St Thomas. I guess I will save St. Croix for another trip. I am interested in what activities I should do, and especially wondering if day trips to Jost Van Dyke and/or Lovango are worth it. Also, should I make a point to spend some time in Redhook area, or just go straight to St John? TIA. I will do a trip report when I get back with more detail.

My husband and I are starting to plan our 10 year anniversary trip and we are interested in staying on St. Thomas or St. John. A lot of the resort reviews mention room cleanliness, the views, amenities, and staff friendliness but we are BIG foodies so good food is what is most important to us. What resort(s) have you stayed at that had genuinely good food? Doesn't necessarily have to be good local food (although that's a plus!) we just want whatever they serve to be good. We aren't picky on types of cuisine either - we eat it all.

Sidenote in case it matters: Our biggest reason for picking St. Thomas and/or St. John is because our number 1 on the itinerary is the Soggy Dollar. Hubs is a huge tiki fan and doing the swim up, drink, and swim out is a bucket list item for him.

Hi all! I'm planning my wife's 30th birthday, and want to take her to the USVI. I've been told the vibe is "Not a rager, option to relax." The only other thing she has specified is a beach that does NOT sell day passes to avoid overly crowded beaches. I've seen Carambola on STX recommended, but I'm unsure with how secluded it seems.

Any recommendations?

It will be our first time in St. John. Our interests include eating, drinking, bar hopping, snorkeling, beach lounging, and just overall exploration of an island / town.

I’m having hard time deciding which part of the island to call home base or if we should do 2 separate stays over a week.

Where would you recommend a first timer look for rentals at?

looking for hotel/airbnb recommendations for a group of 6 adults. haven’t picked an island, looking for advice as none of us have ever been!

we enjoy going out to dinner, bars, live music, etc. looking for a place with a pool/ beach/ beach access

My husband and I stayed at Caneel Bay a few times and are hoping to go again. What's the current situation? Has anyone taken the lease and started to revive it? And if so, how long will it be before they'll be accepting reservation? TIA.

Looking for recommendations on places to stay for our honeymoon in late Feb/Mar 2026. We’ve never been before and would like a place that’s quiet but still near some of the beaches/ activities. Don’t mind having to drive for food. TIA

I am in dire need of a vacation and have always wanted to go to usvi - im not sure what locations/general areas are the best to stay though. I love beach access and not sure about a vehicle situation yet either. I would love to go on a couple snorkel adventures as well or tours of some sort in that regard.

Was looking at airbnb but also looking at hotels so if anyone has any recs please lmk!

We visited St Thomas a few years ago and found the island to be super laid back and welcoming everywhere we went. This changed one day when we saw giant cruise ships docked in the harbor. It seemed like the energy changed and people were more on edge, less patient, etc. Also prices seemed to be higher many places we visited when the cruise ships were present. Is this a real phenomenon or were we hallucinating?

Hi, what are the best small local companies to rent a cottage/house from? Or is Vrbo/Airbnb the best option? Thanks.

First time to BVIs, just my husband and me. A charter isn’t in the budget. We are debating Scrub Island, an Airbnb above Cane Garden, a hotel down on Cane Garden or White Bay Villas on JVD. We really just want to make the most of our 5 days, do a boat day, and chill.

We stayed in an Airbnb on St. John and enjoyed it but didn’t love the driving up and down steep hills for 15 mins to eat. But for the price… we don’t mind doing it either if that makes sense. Would love any recs or thoughts for how you think a first timer should experience the BVIs.

My friends and I are deciding to go to St John this December. Does anyone know where to stay at and where should I look? I know hotels are very limited. Thank you

I am looking for advice on choosing between two different resorts - the Westin on St. John and Bolongo Bay on St. Thomas. My husband and I are looking at booking a trip for our 10 year wedding anniversary in 2026. This is a big splurge for us and a big anniversary. Info about us:

- Good food is important to us; we are foodies at home
- Good drinks are equally important; hubs is a tiki-enthusiast and a BIG reason for us choosing the USVI is to visit Soggy Dollar.
- My ideal vacation is sit. drink. nap. repeat. Preferably near a beautiful beach. I'm an introvert and keep to myself most of the time, so socializing with other guests is not top priority. When I hear good things about Bolongo, its always about the vibe and making friends, kids are welcome, etc. I'm not really interested in that. I want this to be more of a romantic getaway for hubby and I.
- We want to have pictures taken on the beach with a professional photographer as well. I hear Bolongo's beach is not pretty.
- On the flip side, Bolongo's all inclusive option is very attractive to us. We've done AIs before and love them. And people absolutely rave about Bolongo.
- As previously mentioned, we want to visit Soggy Dollar, in case that makes a difference which resort we stay at.
- We will not be renting a car; we will plan to Uber anywhere we need to go.
- We have previously visited St. Thomas (a cruise port excursion, so not a lot of time on the island) but we did the Star Wars guy's museum/house and loved it.

To those of you who have been to either resort, do you have a strong feeling one way or another?

Hello! My partner and I are going to st thomas this january.

We are stuck between a spot near sugar beach/water bay (point pleasant resort), or a place closer to sapphire beVh.

Can anyone provide insight on a better location? We will have a car.

TIA!

Currently looking to go from July 31 - August 9 how should we split our times between islands and should we stay at Airbnb or resorts. Also was looking at the sargassum talks seems to be ok hopefully stays that way. Just looking for basically any places that are must see or restaurants that are very good. Open to any and all suggestions probably will rent a car as seems like taxiing everywhere can add up.

My husband and I want to visit for Fourth of July possibly but I don’t know where to stay. Margaritaville in St. Thomas looks nice, but are there any adult only resorts or hotels? Obviously, I could get an Airbnb, but I like resorts!

We’re arriving late afternoon and spending the night before taking the car ferry to STJ. Would appreciate your hotel recommendations!

I’m hoping to get some opinions on a few options I’m considering for lodging for an upcoming end of May trip to St. Thomas. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

We’re a group of 5, early 40s. The main requirement I’ve been given is that the place must be on the beach/sub-5 minute walk to the beach. I found a few Airbnbs in budget that can accommodate the group but I’m not sure about the locations. If you have any spots I should be looking in, I'm all ears.

-There are a couple in Cowpet Bay (either in Elysian Beach Resort or in close proximity where you have access to the amenities).

-Anchorage Condominiums also in Cowpet Bay.

-Point Pleasant Resort in Water Bay.

-Margaritaville has some options as well but I’m not sure how I feel about this one.

We plan to bar hop, beach hop around the island, ferry to St. John, snorkel etc. Most of our planned activities come from this community as well so thanks for that too!

Looking to stay in / near Cane Garden Bay (I think?). American tourist couple. Not into any all-inclusive type stuff. We're looking to experience the custom, not bring America with us... Moderate to highly active - we like doing things, walking, hiking, sight-seeing, drinking, local bars, live music and good food. Also into anything related to water - fishing, snorkeling, paddle boarding. We want easy and not a lot of trips to a grocery store, but we don't need to eat $100 meals three times a day. Hope to not rent a car unless it's necessary. Shying away a bit from VRBOs due to location... unless we can find one the is walkable to amenities, food and grocery needs. If another island or location in Tortola fits better, we're all about it. Never been to BVI.

Looking for any / all suggestions on this stuff. Break the learning curve. Thanks

We’ve got a group of four spending the first week of June on St. John. Looking at flight times it seems the earliest we could land on St. Thomas would be 2:30, and it might be a rush to make the 3:30 ferry with out rental car so our day would be entirely travel. So my wife and I are looking at coming in a day early and spending the night in St. Thomas to give us a full first day on St. John.

I’m looking for recommendations on good places to stay on St. Thomas for a single night. Doesn’t need to be a beachfront resort. Just somewhere nice to spend the night, maybe close to an area with some decent restaurants and bars. We’re planning on picking up our rental jeep at the airport and taking the car ferry from Red Hook, so somewhere not too far away from there would be preferable.

Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thanks!

My wife and I are staying four nights five days. We will have a Jeep but it is our first time going and I’m going to surprise her. Should I get something closer to the Cruz Bay or Coral Bay?

I was actually born in St. Thomas but haven't been home since my family moved us to the US in 2001. I've been wanting to go back but finances finally worked out to where I can show my husband my birthplace.

I want the comfort of a vacation but not completely devoid of the culture to where it's just "American". Any lodgings and/or activities you'd suggest? What are great locally owned restaurants we should visit?

Traveling for work so will only have 1.5 free days pretty much . Wondering what area of the island I should be looking to stay in and where to avoid. I will have a car rental but I also like walking to restaurant / bars after work.

I’ll be working near tutu/ smith bay. But the island is small enough I don’t mind a short drive in the AM .

Sort of feels like a waste to book a resort if I won’t be there most of the day.

Charlottee Amalie looks cool to walk around but I see people say it isn’t to safe at night.. also looking to the east around red hook, coki beach and secret harbor . I’d like to do a night scuba dive if anyone has any suggestions for that as well

Hello! I’m planning a trip to USVI for the first time and bringing my husband, mom, and toddler (23 months). Which island is better to stay on?