What a nice choice to have - St John or Virgin Gorda! We alternate vacations between St John and the BVIs. They are different and we love both. Like you, a priority for us is a nice beach and great snorkeling.

Since you enjoy St John, you will probably really enjoy Virgin Gorda. The roads are not as steep as St John (with the exception of the road down to the North Sound ferry area for a short stretch) and its very easy to drive around the island.

We have stayed at Guavaberry near the Baths and Adagio villa at Mahoe Bay. We enjoyed both very much and can recommend them, depending upon whether you want a villa experience or a cottage experience. Both are within short walking distances of a beach with snorkeling.

We love the beaches and snorkeling on Virgin Gorda. Easy entry to the water and snorkeling fairly close to shore. StJ has more beaches, but we snorkeled and hung out at 5 or 6 VG beaches and enjoyed each one.

There are also other sights to see (depending upon what you like to do) - hike to Gorda Peak for a magnificent view and hundreds of butterflies, visit places in North Sound (Saba Rock is fun), Jumby party at Leverick, go to Hog Heaven for a fabulous view, explore the Baths (early in the morning without the crowds!).

Regarding restaurants, it really depends where you go. We found good, not-as-expensive places on VG where we got carryout and took it back to our villa. We enjoy eating on our private deck with a gorgeous view. We ate at some of the nicer restaurants on VG which were the same price range as StJ restaurants of the same type.

The only thing I don't like as much about VG is that it takes a bit more travel time to get there. We usually fly into St Thomas, then have to take several ferries to get to VG. Last time, we flew into San Juan, then took Air Sunshine directly to VG. We got to VG quicker, but it was more expensive than flying to STT and taking ferries. Of course, that is totally dependent upon flight schedules and prices which vary widely.

Happy trip planning!