New things to do

Hi! We have been to BVI 5 times now. We love it. This is our first trip over Christmas. Is there anything new or off the beaten path that we should try? I feel like we have done most of the standard stops, but would love to know if there are any secret jewels that we might have missed. Our last trip was March 2015. The first time we visited, we spent a lot of time at Smuggler's Cove and we haven't gone back. That is one that I am adding to my list this year. Any ideas?

If you are going with kids, or not, I would recommend touching base with Gumption at Sea It Clear. Based out of North Sound.

Will you be land based or on a boat?

I like walking the beach and looking at shells and urchin skeletons at Key Bay. Its on the south of Peter Island.

We are in the same boat. 6th time there and looking for something new. We have never done Anegada before so that's on the list. And probably Foxy's for New Years. Otherwise, probably just the usual spots are good enough

I wonder if we should make a list of what we consider "the usual" stops because I wonder if we are missing something cool?

For us -

The Bight
Cooper Island Beach Club
North South
Anegada
Marina Cay
Trellis Bay
Cane Garden Bay
Great Harbor (JVD)
Diamond Cay

Any suggestions for places to overnight that I've missed? We generally do eat dinner on shore, so we have avoided places without restaurants.

You can make "the usual places" seem different by trying different restaurants...

I'm really looking forward to my upcoming trip since it'll be my first in quite a few years where it's just me and my wife. That's a lot less people to worry about making happy.

We are with kids (17,15,8), and on a boat...this will be their fourth time with us. We usually do Pirates bite and the caves
Sandy Spit
Cooper Island
Peter (the resort for dinner)
Jost (soggy and Ivans, been to Foxy's twice)
We've done the baths but skipped it last time
We've done the Indians most trips
We've done Anegada a few times but may skip because the "Christmas Winds" scare me. (I just read about that yesterday)
We've done Saba Rock and the other one right by it

We have not done the Fat Virgin (good?)
Never been to Scrub Island or Monkey point
Have not done Wreck of the Rhone (will it be to windy)

We are considering going backwards this year to help with crowds? We may start at Jost and end on Christmas Eve at Cooper Island since we really like that restaurant.

We've never been to Diamond Cay. Maybe that is something we should check out.

Diamond Cay is pretty quiet but IMO there's still plenty to do there. There's always turtles right around the small mooring field. You can hike to the bubbly pool. Both Sandy Spit and Cay are close by. B-Line and Foxys Taboo.

If you take a ball at Marina Cay, or a slip at Scrub, you can take your dinghy up between Little and Great Camanoe. It is definitely a " get wet" day as there are innumerable small beaches and areas of interest.

- Definitely give Fat Virgin's Cafe a try. Excellent value and my teanage crew in June loved the food.

- Scrub Island is worth a visit especially if it coincides with a Full Moon Party so that you can take the free ferry to Trellis Bay. Kids will enjoy the multilevel pool and hot tub.

- Monkey Point can have excellent snorkeking if there is no strong north swell. In June the cove was full of bait fish and dozens of tarpon. No baitfish when we visited 2 weeks ago. You also have the nearby overnight mooring balls by the Guana island Resort. Comfortable if no north swell. Nice sundown views.

- Wreck of the Rhone snorkel was a highlight for my 11, 16, 20 year old niece and nephews in June.

On/near JVD:
- Hike to the Bubbly Pool by Diamond Cay.
- Hike the mountain road from White Bay to Great Harbour, then take the coastal road back to White Bay - 3 hrs with a stop at Foxy's.
- Try dinner at Ali Baba's. Ate there for the first time 2 weeks ago and thought it was excellent.
- Try dinner at Sydney's Peace & Love. Ribs are excellent, and lobster is as good as you get on Anegada.
- Nearby Sandy Cay has NPT day moorings and there is an interesting 30 minute hiking trail around the island.

- At the Baths, make sure to snorkel out to the point on both sides of Devils Bay. Lots of interesting underwater rock formations and tunnels.

- Spend the night at Leverick Bay marina and catch the Michael Bean show. Rent a vehicle for an island tour including stops at Hog Heaven and Coppermine Point. Can also hike down to the Baths if the swell is too high to moor and dinghy ashore. Good opportunity to reprovision in Spanishtown.

- Visit ST JOHN! Beautiful beaches, great snorkeling, plenty of mooring balls ($26), visit the Annaberg Plantation ruins (short hike from Leinster Bay), hike to the petroglyph rock carvings (pre-Columbus) and nearby rum distillery ruins. Spend a few hours checking out the shops and bars in Cruz Bay. Also a handy spot to reprovision.

Anyone try the canopy tours on Tortola? We are heading back down in 2017 and kids are hoping to do the zip line.

Thank you for the suggestions! There are several things we have not done:) We do go to St. John and plan to again. I love BVI, but if I could only go to one island ever again, it would be St.John.

correct that going to different restaurants can make it seem like a totally different island. Recently did a 2 week trip with 2 groups, each x 1 week. We stopped at many of the same islands but it seemed different island to me due to resturant/bar selection.
For instance, JVD with Great Harbor and Foxxy's... spend go out and come in White Bay ...seems different... go out and come around to Little Harbor and eat at Sydney's Peace & Love...