Virgin Islands in January?

Working on various options for our 40th and my wife expressed and interest in Kauai. I’m not thrilled with the super long flights from MN to Hawaii so I’m exploring other beautiful destinations. Prefer mid January because MN sucks that time of year but possibly as late as Feb if there is much diff in island weather. Assume not. Looked at some places on St John perched up on hill with terrific ocean views and the terrain looks interesting. Don’t really care about beach access unless the island long walkable beaches somewhere. My wife is no longer a distance walker with a disability that makes her good for about 1/2 mile tops. I on the other hand tend to hike 4-6 miles a day locally and do mountains out west but, I can suppress and settle for less exercise for a week. Open to other Caribbean suggestions as long as they’re not flat and boring. Prefer some mountains mixed in.

The BVI is known for its sailing trips. Have you looked into chartering a boat and doing some island hopping? Lots to see and do on the different islands. Just a thought.
We used these guys and had a ball.

Super interesting idea but… I get really queasy when I can’t see land while in boat and the seas are even remotely choppy.

I used the wrist bands for the first couple days and then took them off. You are always in sight of land, but if water isn’t your thing, being on a boat is probably misery.

St Lucia is known for it’s mountains. Other than that I can’t say I know much about it.

I love St John. The views from the top of Bordeaux mountain are amazing. It is very lush and green and hilly/mountainous . A great island for hiking there are many well know hikes and as the majority of the island is National Park some of them are even led by park rangers.
In terms of beaches St John has a lot of relatively small ones as they are all based in coves. Trunk is it’s most famous. Very, very few houses are on the beach so you need to rent a car and drive to each one. The snorkeling on St John is amazing and very easy as everything is close to shore.
It is an expensive island as everything has to be brought in by boat. (there is no airport). Food particularly is expensive and the restaurants are just OK IMO.
Lots of villas to rent all over the price range. Best to use one managed by an on island company. I would ask very specific questions about Hurricane damage. The island was devastated last year and has not fully recovered. It’s a wonderful place. Not the easiest to get to as you have to take a ferry from St Thomas but well worth the effort.

B.

I would second what George said regarding storm damage. The issue with both the USVI and BVI is that tourist areas/destinations have been or are being reconstructed, but much of the basic infrastructure is still not up to what it was before the storms. We stayed here: Romantic, Open Air, Waterfront Retreat for 2 - Estate Hansen Bay in July of 2018. Beautiful modern home off the beaten path, views of Tortola, Norman, even Virgin Gorda when the haze lifted…But you are about 20 minutes from Coral Bay and an hour to Cruz Bay. So if you want solitude, this house is for you, otherwise maybe look closer to Cruz Bay…Chocolate Hole has some great homes. We chose not to do any VI trips this year due to the storms, but look forward to getting back next spring.

I don’t pay much attention to the hurricane events as I don’t live anywhere near those areas and national TV coverage is so
24/7 over the top that I lose track of where they happened. Good to know about VI damage issue. The other thing I’m running into is $800 plus airfares from Minneapolis to there. I have a really hard time paying more than $400 air unless I’m going to Europe. I have no business travel freebies to cash in either.

What about Portugal or Spain?

With this latest information, you might want to look into Bermuda in late February or early March. Otherwise, pretty much anything in the Caribbean from MN will be up there in airline $$$.

Craig -

Where are you trying to fly into? I am seeing as low as $377 to STT on ITA, but it varies a bit depending on what your dates and length of stay are. I didn’t look at specific itineraries, but those prices may have bad connections/layovers as well.

Peter Island. You’re welcome.

Still closed.

I have traveled to the Caribbean countless times. Airfare has steadily increased. Heading to Grand Cayman next month which is big time off season (hurricane). Airfare is still $600+. There luckily have been some wonderful mileage deals I got 3 of these $600 tickets for 67.5K total miles.

Try heading down during the Holidays. We are going to Bonaire and tickets were more expensive than Europe with no miles options that I could find

George

We’ve visited St Croix a few times. Beautiful uncrowded beaches and surprisingly good food. They’re pretty much back to normal now but check TA for updates on places to stay. Easy flight from Miami.

Minneapolis to STT and back for a 7 night stay in mid late Jan to end of Feb timeframe. I have no business points and I am connection adverse id more than one stop.

Looks awesome but I’m a renter guy when I’m staying more than a couple nights and like the extra room and privacy. Plus my wife prefers cooking to eating out.

I’d do that in a heartbeat but so far my wife has is low down her list. Its the 40th so I’m trying let her lead on the destination she prefers vs my top choice. But yes, I’m eager to go there. Wish she was too.

I’m also kinda of looking at Maui or Kuai again since the airfares might be somewhat better.

If Hawaii, definitely do Kauai over Maui. Less built up.

St. Lucia is a great choice in the Caribbean if you don’t like flat land. Stay at Sugar Beach Resort. Nestled between the Pitons with a pretty beach and calm water. Just lovely.

Saw Portugal mentioned. Just got back from a 2 week stay in the north of the country. Stunning. Douro River Valley is prettier than Napa.