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"Fodor's guides are always a pleasure." -The Chicago Tribune
"Teeming with maps and loaded with addresses, phone numbers,
and directions." -Newsday
Experienced and first-time travelers alike rely on Fodor's Gold Guides for rich, reliable coverage the world over. Updated each year and containing a full-color foldout Rand McNally map, a Fodor's Gold Guide is an essential tool for any kind of traveler. If you only have room for one guide, this is the guide for you.
Let the world's smartest guide enrich your tripVivid descriptions evoke what makes the Virgin Islands unique - Local experts show you the special places - Thorough updating keeps you on track - Practical information gives you the tools to explore - Easy-to-use format puts it all at your fingertips
Choose among many hotels and restaurants in all price categoriesStay in beachfront resorts and bungalows, hillside inns and villas, or jungle-shrouded campgrounds - Dine in candlelit terrace restaurants, gracious creole cottages, beachside cafes, salty-dog saloons - Check out hundreds of detailed reviews and learn what's special about each place
Discover the unexpected on and off the beaten pathTake in the most beautiful beaches on St. Thomas, St. Croix, St, John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island, Anegada and more - Plan a dive, sail, or charter-boat vacation - Find great sources for duty-free goods, local art and handicrafts,and island jams and spices
Go straight to the facts you need and find all that's newUseful maps and background information - How to get there and get around - When to go - What to pack - Costs, hours and tips by the thousands
This excerpt, from the
Pleasures and Pastimes section, gives you a taste of what The U.S. & British Virgin Islands have to offer and the sights and scenes that make them a great place to visit.
Beaches
With their warm, clear days, unspoiled sandy strands, and beautiful turquoise water, the Virgin Islands are a beach bum's paradise. Even if you're not a connoisseur, a day or two at the beach is central to a complete vacation here.
Your accommodation may border a beach or provide transportation to one nearby, but you have other options. You could spend one day at a lively, touristy beach that has plenty of water-sports facilities and is backed by a bar and another at an isolated cove that offers nothing but seclusion. Of course, these beaches are just jumping-off points to the underwater world.
In the USVI, public access to beach waters is guaranteed but land access to them isn't, effectively restricting some areas to resort guests. On St. Thomas, Magens Bay is among the prettiest (but also the liveliest) public beaches, and Hull Bay is the only place to surf. St. Croix's west-end beaches are popular, and the calm waters of Isaac Bay, on the more isolated east end, can give you a stretch all to yourself.
Nowhere in the BVI will you find crowds to match those at the most popular USVI beaches, but Cane Garden Bay on Tortola probably comes the closest. Apple Bay and Josiah's Bay, also on Tortola, are good for surfing, and Long Bay (West) is quieter.
Historic Sites
Columbus, pirates, European colonizers, and plantation farmers and their slaves are among the people who have left their marks on these islands, all of which are benefiting the tourism industry, a relatively recent development.
In Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Fort Christian (1672), Blackbeard's Castle (1679), the Synagogue of Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim (1833), and the Danish Consulate (1830) are some noteworthy sites that give glimpses into the town's past. St. Croix's countryside is dotted with ruins of plantation great houses and sugar mills. St. John, too, has several plantations in varying degrees of decay.
Die-hard sightseers will find less to keep them busy in the British Virgin Islands. Numbering among historic sites, however, are Tortola's Mt. Healthy National Park, an old plantation site, and Copper Mine Point, the ruins of a 400-year-old mine on Virgin Gorda.
Watersports
Whether you charter a boat or head out on a day-sail, traveling by boat is an efficient and relaxing way to see the islands. Wrecks and reefs make the islands as interesting underwater as above. For tips on how to plan a trip that involves sailng, scuba diving or snorkeling, see "Exploring the Waters of the Virgin Islands" in chapter 4.
This excerpt, from the
Pleasures and Pastimes section, gives you a taste of what The U.S. & British Virgin Islands have to offer and the sights and scenes that make them a great place to visit.
Beaches
With their warm, clear days, unspoiled sandy strands, and beautiful turquoise water, the Virgin Islands are a beach bum's paradise. Even if you're not a connoisseur, a day or two at the beach is central to a complete vacation here.
Your accommodation may border a beach or provide transportation to one nearby, but you have other options. You could spend one day at a lively, touristy beach that has plenty of water-sports facilities and is backed by a bar and another at an isolated cove that offers nothing but seclusion. Of course, these beaches are just jumping-off points to the underwater world.
In the USVI, public access to beach waters is guaranteed but land access to them isn't, effectively restricting some areas to resort guests. On St. Thomas, Magens Bay is among the prettiest (but also the liveliest) public beaches, and Hull Bay is the only place to surf. St. Croix's west-end beaches are popular, and the calm waters of Isaac Bay, on the more isolated east end, can give you a stretch all to yourself.
Nowhere in the BVI will you find crowds to match those at the most popular USVI beaches, but Cane Garden Bay on Tortola probably comes the closest. Apple Bay and Josiah's Bay, also on Tortola, are good for surfing, and Long Bay (West) is quieter.
Historic Sites
Columbus, pirates, European colonizers, and plantation farmers and their slaves are among the people who have left their marks on these islands, all of which are benefiting the tourism industry, a relatively recent development.
In Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Fort Christian (1672), Blackbeard's Castle (1679), the Synagogue of Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim (1833), and the Danish Consulate (1830) are some noteworthy sites that give glimpses into the town's past. St. Croix's countryside is dotted with ruins of plantation great houses and sugar mills. St. John, too, has several plantations in varying degrees of decay.
Die-hard sightseers will find less to keep them busy in the British Virgin Islands. Numbering among historic sites, however, are Tortola's Mt. Healthy National Park, an old plantation site, and Copper Mine Point, the ruins of a 400-year-old mine on Virgin Gorda.
Watersports
Whether you charter a boat or head out on a day-sail, traveling by boat is an efficient and relaxing way to see the islands. Wrecks and reefs make the islands as interesting underwater as above. For tips on how to plan a trip that involves sailng, scuba diving or snorkeling, see "Exploring the Waters of the Virgin Islands" in chapter 4.
