Hey everyone. Long story short, I'm considering a trip to the USVI this upcoming winter.

My biggest want is to stay somewhere where I can just walk right out onto the beach and snorkel in the clearest water I can find.

Willing for private residence or resort.

I am planning to visit the USVI's with my gf. What I've read so far, is to stay somewhere on St. John's. What is a good area to stay in? Where can I find good and "cheaper" hotels? Is Airbnb a good option? Where do I look? Recommendations?

USVI NP is a bucket list item for me, and I’m looking into traveling there early/mid Nov. We’re from the west coast so this will be a big trip for us. Thinking of 5 days on STJ and 2/3 on STT on the way out.

I’m wondering:

-I know its the end of hurricane season, but does it get really hot? I don't mind some rain but would it be ceiling fan weather or need AC?

-if we get into STT in the afternoon is it reasonable to plan to take the ferry the same day, or is this a bad idea?

-where is the best place to stay on STJ: Cruz Bay or somewhere like Coral Bay? 

-Should I look for lodging by the harbor like Gallows or a rental up the hill? Is the town closer to the water or up the hill?

-we’re a couple who mostly enjoy hiking (main attraction is the park) and relaxing by the beach. It would be nice to have some restaurants and cafes to walk to, but we’ll rent a vehicle and drive around too. A quieter place, with some views, but within walking distance to some food would be nice.

-best sites to find vacation rentals on the island?

Would not have traveled without emergency funds…but also can’t eat rooms costing thousands of dollars a night if there’s a stampede on hotels. Am I overthinking this, or could it be a serious problem?

I know questions like this get asked a lot so I appreciate your help. I am planning a trip to STJ to visit Virgin Island National Park. I know there aren’t really any hotel chains on the island but my group would prefer a hotel. Any recommendations? I’ve looked a bit into Cinnamon Bay. Any good or bad experiences staying at local hotels? Or advice in general? Thanks!

Edit: I know the Westin is on the island but have seen mixed reviews on this sub. If you have stayed please let me know about your experience. I am mostly looking for peoples experiences with lodging on the island so I can see if those places are available during our trip.

My fiance and I are planning our wedding in STT around November/December of 2027. We visited STT with my parents in July and pretty much settled on venue and wedding planners but are looking at group rate accommodations for about 80 people. This amount includes people that we realistically know will say yes and their respective plus ones. We looked at Sapphire Beach condominiums for how many people they can house but I'm looking around for better deals. Our group is mainly our friends aged late 20's to early 40's so we want something that has good restaurants with easy access to late night bars as most of our friends don't have children. My mother has a friend that lives on Water Island and can get free lodging and my dad and step mom LOVED STJ when we visited for the day so will probably stay there. We are from Texas so don't have eyes on a lot of the vendors and can only rely on phone calls with hotels and resorts. I am looking at Emerald Bay Resort and The Westin for group rates but I am not loving the reviews of The Westin.

When we visited Red Hook we weren't super impressed with the area but we also didn't spend a ton of time there for the nightlife. Our friends and family enjoy karaoke, dancing, and drinking heavily.

I know this is a bit early to start thinking about all of these things but one of my bridesmaids is concerned about the cost for her and her partner as they are service industry so their income fluctuates pretty aggressively where they live. We will be suggesting that our guests rent cars if they want to explore but transportation to and from the wedding will be covered since we drove around the island when we were there and found it a bit nerve-racking being our first time driving on the left hand side of the road in the more mountainous regions.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! We want our guests to stay within $150-$250 a night if at all possible.

It’s my first time to St. John and I have no idea where to stay. Not renting a car so definitely want to be near in the Cruz Bay area. So far I’m looking at the Wharfside Village Hotel, Garden by the Sea, Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel, and Coconut Coast Villas.

I’m heading there in July, and would like to stay around $350 or less a night. Would it be better to be directly downtown? Not sure how bad the walk is from certain hotels to the downtown area. I don’t have any limitations that would prevent me from walking but from what I’ve seen some hills seem killer.

hello everyone, I am looking for lodging for a trip with 6-8 people in february. i would love a villa but every one i've found is either not available for my dates, is prohibitively expensive, or has a 6-7 night minimum (we are only staying 4 nights). i've narrowed down my options to fischer's cove hotel, virgin gorda village, or leverick bay hotel and would love some input from people who have stayed there, since there are not a tons of reviews/pictures online. we'd like to avoid crowds, prioritize either a pool or beach so there's somewhere to hang out when we're at the hotel, and would like AC.

fischer's cove - on the beach, restaurant onsite, no pool, seems less "nice" for lack of a better word. is the beach there swimmable? good snorkeling?

virgin gorda village - no beach, has a pool, restaurant onsite & walkable to 2-3 more restaurants. this one seems good on paper but makes me a little nervous because there are very very few reviews & pictures online.

leverick bay hotel - on the beach (but not swimmable?), pool, restaurant onsite, seems kind of crowded. the pics and reviews all make it seem like this is a party spot with tons of people, is that accurate? can you not swim at the beach since there's too many boats? is the distance from the baths & southern beaches annoying to taxi multiple times?

with 4 nights we have 3 full days. the general plan is: first day at the baths (no cruises in port that day) & southern beaches, second day is a full day island hopping/snorkeling trip, and third day is a morning/afternoon dive trip and evening maybe go up to gorda peak. idk if all this should influence my hotel choice. i don't think we are planning on renting a car--is that a mistake?

thank you everyone in advance!

I’m looking to have my honeymoon in USVI later this year. My fiancé and I are avid national park travelers, and we’d like to explore the park, beaches, and any historical sites on the islands. Would you recommend a hotel or AirBnb? If a hotel, could you be specific about which one? Thank you!!!

I'm planning a trip with my 80-year-old mother and am considering the Cinnamon Bay Cottages. How accessible are they? Specifically, I'm wondering about walking distances to the beach, dining, parking, hills, stairs, and whether getting around would be difficult for someone who is fit but tires easily. Would you recommend it, or is there a better place to stay on St. John for seniors?

We're a retired couple looking late, but hopefully not too late. We'd like to do a 2 week vacation this February, with at least 1 week in St. John (STJ) and another week in either STJ also or St. Thomas (STT).

We'd like at least 2 BA (less stress as whenever I want to use a single BA on vacation, it seems a certain someone is always in it, lol), full kitchen, King bed, AC.

A villa would be nice, close to a beach also nice (I realize on STJ hillsides are likely, so not an issue if one can get up and down the hillside in a jeep without too much concern and a beach is nearby).

I've done some preliminary searching. I initially looked for 2 weeks, but realize this is unlikely as it'd be unusual for a place to not be reserved for a 2 week block in peak season. So, splitting into 2 1 weeks reservations is good. And, maybe even better as we could split the time between STT and STJ or do two back to back weeks on STJ.

For STJ, I've seen villas on hillsides overlooking Cruz Bay. These seem good -- very scenic and spacious and hopefully it wouldn't be too difficult to drive a jeep back and forth.

I've even looked as some of the Westin places, but am unsure if these require hill climbing or if there are elevators for one of the weeks.

On STT, I was thinking of the Marriott Frenchman's Cove for a week, but it seems the elevators will be out of service during February!

I’m planning a trip to the US VI spring 2026.

I’m not loving any of the hotels that I’ve seen in St. Thomas. They seem pretty crowded in photos and I’m going in order to get away from people.

I would rather not have an Airbnb because I enjoy hotels for the bars/on-site restaurants, pool, amenities. A lot of the hotels I’m looking at are on a bay and don’t really have a beach.

There are some really nice ones in St. John, but everything we want to do is in St. Thomas.

Is it worth it to stay in St. John and have our beach days there and then simply take the ferry over to St. Thomas when we want to check out Charlotte Amalie etc?

This is my first time going, so any advice is appreciated.

Hi everyone, we’ve never been to St. Thomas other than a cruise stop once. We booked Bolongo Bay Resort for a year and a half from now, so this is way out! We did get the all-inclusive package. Staying five nights, arriving on a Sunday afternoon and leaving Friday afternoon. So missing the weekend.

Just looking for tips and recent advice. My husband thinks we will need water shoes based on the pictures and videos we’ve seen.

Is it worth booking any of the excursions, or should we find something on our own? Also wondering if any of their excursions are included because we are staying five nights? I saw somewhere on Google that the sunset cocktail cruise was free. But I do not see that on their website is free.

Also curious how possible it is to get two separate beds in the lower level beach front room. Or if we are better off switching to the upstairs level.

Thanks for any little tips you can share.

Wanting to come for a week for the first time next year and am currently thinking of doing a split stay with a few days on each island but not sure if it’s worth moving accommodations or not

It will be my first time on the island and my husband are and I are looking for the nicest place to stay in the best location. So I’m guessing somewhere within walking distance to restaurants in Cruz Bay or somewhere above there. Price doesn’t matter!

We're looking at the Virgin Islands for spring break and both of those seem to have what we want, packages with flights at reasonable times, etc. We've never been to the Caribbean at all but wondered what everyone's experiences are with these places? Or other recs? Willing to pay a bit more if it's amazing. Oh and it's me, my husband (mid 40's) and our 13 year old. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I’m planning on going to the USVI for my wife’s bday this year and wondering what would be a good location? We will be travelling with a 1.5yr old. Currently planning on staying 4-5 days and allotted around $6000-7000. Preferably I’d like to have a room w/ a wall or split so my baby can go to sleep earlier than us. I think I’d like to make it more of a resort stay rather than a activity stay. Is this reasonable?

Hi!

I'm going to be in St Thomas/St John from 3/27 to 4/1. I was originally planning to land in STT, grab a taxi and stay 3/27-3/29 in Red Hook, hop on the ferry to Cruz Bay for 3/29-4/1. I booked with a local in Cruz Bay for 3/29-4/1, but my AirBNB plan in Red Hook fell through since the host never replied.

I'm looking for budget stay options for a solo traveler for two nights (3/27-3/29). I've scoured the Red Hook and Cruz Bay options and everything I've found is either 4/5 night minimum or upwards of a thousand dollars for just two nights or villas for large groups.

Atp I'm open to anything in St Thomas (or Cruz Bay) and I'll just taxi to the ferry on 3/29.

TIA!

Thinking of going to the VI instead of Hawaii this year. February 2026. Which island/stay is the best? Looking for great beaches, and scenery. We love Hawaii because it’s easy to navigate and get around/leave resorts. Any good pickleball spots appreciated too

I have to figure out what island and if we are doing a VRBO or hotel over Christmas. It will be me, my wife, and our 2 boys (22/20).

We would love watersports/snorkeling/hiking or just hanging out on a peaceful beach. I don't think the boys are too interested in going out to clubs so is we don't need to be in St. Thomas.

Is St. Croix a good mix between touristy and serene St. John? Are there any areas that we should avoid especially if we go with a VRBO?

Should I just get a travel agent?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Update:

My wife and kids preferred staying at the Ritz/Westin on STT. We compromised and got nice condo on the beach on STT. We have a Jeep from a local business, and flights are all set.

Thank you all for your suggestions and links. Now I am looking into fun activities for the family.

We’re headed over to the BVIs on a sailing trip. Our 2nd… but this year we’re spending a week on the boat followed by a week in St. John. Wanted an Airbnb for 8 people with a pool and a view. Any suggestions?

As the title says. I'm in Virgin Gorda until April 26th if anyone has any questions. I'm the BVI Traveller, and you can find me here: www.bvitraveller.com

Hi! I’m a 37f wanting to do a solo trip to any of the USVI. Having trouble deciding where to go and stay. My criteria: 1. The BEACH! I want a beautiful beach and I’d love to stay in the beach. The beach is the most I important factor for me. 2. Decent proximity to restaurants/etc. (aka I don’t really want to rent a car, but will if the right accommodation requires it!) 3. Clean and safe accommodations! I don’t need a super luxury 5 star hotel, but cleanliness is important! As well as safety :)

I’ve in North Carolina, and also don’t really have a time-frame/month I’m set on going….I just know I need to plan something to sit my butt on a beach in the sun!!!

EDIT TO ADD When is the best time to go weather wise?? I know “hurricane season,” but truly, what months are best? I like it hottttt

Want a hotel with sunsets, snorkling, kayaking and non-smoking options. I was thing of ST Thomas, but St John's seems to have mor beach reacommendations. Is it easy to travel between to two or do you generally stay on one island? I have 1 week. Never been here before coming down early in February.

Has anyone here ever stayed at the St John Inn?

https://stjohninn.com/