This island chain, made up of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke, and 50 smaller islands and cays, are perfectly tailored for a luxury vacation – but particularly one on a super high-end motor yacht.
There’s really no better place to get a luxury yacht charter started than Crown Bay Marina in St. Thomas, which is just five minutes from the airport. Once you & your guests have settled in and relaxed (we think an ice-cold island beverage will help things), then your yacht will glide out of the marina and start its trek along the coast of St. Thomas. You’ll be crossing the channel to the island of St. John and anchoring for the night in the breathtaking Francis Bay. And if you want to go for a night swim, go right ahead!
So far, your yachting adventure has been in the US Virgin Islands – but that changes today. In the morning, you’ll make the short trip to clear customs at Sopers Hole, which is the primary entry point to the BVIs. We’d recommend strolling around the wharf and doing a little window shopping while you’re there. Once the customs piece is out of the way, you’ll cruise on over to Great Harbor on Jost Van Dyke, where you’ll be anchoring for the night. One hot spot that we recommend you don’t miss, is “Foxy’s”. Just trust us on this one!
Following a relaxed, delicious breakfast, you will hop on the tender for a short trip to Sandy Cay, owned by Laurance Rockefeller. This beautiful botanical garden, which has a path around it, is famous for its white sand beach. Some have called it the perfect place for a beach picnic (which of course your crew will have all set up for you). Depending on the time of year, you might see humpback whales migrating or sea turtles as they get ready to bury their eggs (you can always tell this is happening by the give-away tracks that the turtles leave in the sand).
Then it’s back on the yacht, heading over to Norman Island. This island is famed for its caves, which happen to provide a world-class snorkeling venue. After seeing all of fish you can imagine, you’ll likely want to head to the yacht to freshen up. Then it’s just a short tender ride to Willy T, a 1993 replica of an old trading schooner that’s one of the best floating pubs in the world.
The morning of your 4th day is an ideal time to do some snorkeling or, if you’ve feeling adventurous, to explore “The Indians” with your scuba gear. After perhaps getting a little tuckered out, you’ll head on over to Road Town, Tortola, where your yacht will dock overnight – that’ll give your whole party ample time to explore the many shops & pubs in town.
If you enjoyed Pusser’s Road Town Pub the night before (and maybe enjoyed it a bit too much…), then a quiet (yet delectable) breakfast is just what the doctor ordered. Shortly after the meal, your captain will set sail, figuratively speaking, for Virgin Gorda. Once there, he’ll anchor off the world-renowned “Baths” – these are massive granite boulders and the product of ancient volcanos. Fortunately this formation provides tons of grottos to swim & explore. Then it’s on the Bitter End, where you’ll be anchored for the night.
Following what’s sure to be a morning of extremely cool activities, you’ll be heading on over to Peter Island, featuring Deadman’s Bay, a truly “can’t miss” beach. There’s also phenomenal snorkeling in Great Harbor. After that, we’d suggest making your way to Peter Island Yacht Yacht, which is very upscale, and very worth going to.
Now’s the time to say goodbye to the BVI, ’cause you’re heading back to the US Virgin Islands. But hopefully this will make this less difficult – the cruise over to St. John is shockingly gorgeous, and you’ll be anchoring at Caneel Bay as soon as you get there. This bay is part of the Virgin Islands National Park, which has largely been leased to the Caneel bay resort. And what a resort! Formerly the site of a 17th Century sugary factory, it’s now home to luxury travel seekers, who can’t get enough of the sugary sand of Honey Moon Beach.
After what has almost surely been the yachting adventure of a lifetime, it’s back to Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas. Our only recommendation for this, your final day, is to take a quick taxi ride over to Charlotte Amalie, so that you can sneak in some duty-free shopping before you and your guests fly home!
