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Islands

Anegada

If you like solitude and a beach vacation in paradise, then Anegada is for you! This flat coral island is encircled by miles and miles of incredible white sand beaches, coral reefs and shallow sand flats so perfect for bonefishing. There are empty, virgin beaches as far as the eye can see. There's nothing much to do except swim and snorkel, fish, take walks on the beach, watch the ocean's changing shades of blue, read and nap, or take a drive along sandy tracks to the Cow Wreck Bar or to the Big Bamboo for a sumptuous fresh lobster feast... what Anegada is famous for! This little island is a step back in Caribbean time. The population is about 200 and there is only one tiny village, The Settlement. Phones are few, and there's only one major social center, the Anegada Reef Hotel, which beckons sailors to its lively bar and its weekly buffet and jump-up. Crime is fairly unknown here - the gates and fences everywhere are only to keep the cows and goats out of the gardens! Although there are a couple of small shops in The Settlement, we highly recommend that you arrange in advance with us to have your own Caribbean villa provisioned before your arrival. There are no ferries to Anegada, but there is one scheduled airline (Clair Aero) serving Anegada from St. Thomas and Tortola, and there are also some relatively inexpensive charter flights available. Book a day of bonefishing, or just hang out and enjoy the island's peace and quiet in a once-in-a-lifetime Caribbean locale. Anegada is the dream vacation for wanna-be castaways.

Anguilla

Tucked away in the northern Caribbean lies a small wonder?Anguilla! Anguilla is a tiny island with a big reputation. With a population of some 12,000 people, Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory, 16 miles long, and 3 miles at her widest point. Boasting 33 white sand beaches with crystal clear waters, a contemporary international style, extraordinary vistas, world-class accommodations and mouth-watering cuisine, Anguilla is the culmination of your search for the idyllic tropical escape. The island is a retreat for couples, families and singles, offering accommodations for the most discerning traveler. A plethora of choices await you. Visiting art galleries, touring historic sites and museums, horseback riding, dancing to island beats, excursions to our undersea world, sailing and snorkeling, or quiet days basking in the sun and enjoying the simple pleasure of sunset strolls. There are beaches to match every taste. Many are secluded and quiet, a few are a little busier, some are perfect for gentle walking and others are coves that could have been designed for diving, snorkeling and romantic picnics. They are all unspoiled and spectacular. Inland, you?ll see saltwater ponds that are home to great blue herons and snowy egrets. Visitors to Anguilla savor its carefully-preserved tranquility and serenity. The islanders on this self-governing British colony are determined to preserve its relaxed, stress-free atmosphere -- and those magnificent beaches. You will find it hard to get lost on Anguilla. There?s only one main road ? called, aptly, The Main Road ? with tracks branching off to the superb beaches and bays that sun worshippers, swimmers, divers and nature lovers never want to leave.

Puerto Rico

Beneath a leafy canopy in El Yunque National Forest, we paused to listen for the croaks of Puerto Rico's tiny tree frogs. Then a gaggle of children in matching uniforms rushed past us, giggling and shouting. As remote as this Caribbean rain forest may seem, it's close enough to San Juan for school field trips. One of the largest islands in the region, Puerto Rico encompasses mountains, underground caves, coral reefs, white-sand beaches and a rain forest big enough to supply water to most of the island. But it's also heavily developed -- San Juan is a big city with a bustling business district, the Caribbean's largest convention center, glitzy resorts and casinos as well as one of the most stunning colonial zones in Latin America. This mix of urban and natural attractions is just one of the reasons Puerto Rico is such an appealing destination. Another is the fact that the island, which is a self-governing commonwealth of the United States, exists in two worlds. Most islanders have either lived in the U.S. or have relatives there. Yet they still hold on to island traditions: You'll see whole extended families on outings to museums, the theater and the park. You'll see men playing dominoes at well-worn outdoor tables. U.S.-style fast-food restaurants abound in Puerto Rico but so do brightly painted roadside stands selling rice and beans. Even the language reflects the island's easy biculturalism: English and Spanish are both official languages, although Spanish is more commonly used.

St. Barth

Saint Barthelemy, commonly referred to as St. Barth (pronounced Bart), is a little piece of paradise located close to St. Martin/St. Maarten. Known for its sophistication and exceptional privacy, St. Barth is the perfect hideaway retreat. St. Barth is special and is for the discriminating traveler looking for a unique experience. It is not for those who seek casinos, high rise hotels, crowded beaches, golf, and "all inclusive" resorts. A 747 cannot land here. You will arrive by boat or commuter airline. As soon as you set foot on St. Barth, you will begin the experience of a lifetime. You are invited to sit back and enjoy sunny days, balmy nights, warm Caribbean waters, white sandy beaches, fabulous cuisine, chic boutiques, glorious views, and much more. The memories that you bring home will prompt you to begin planning your next vacation to this enchanted island. The island was named for Christopher Columbus' brother, Bartolomeo, and it has evolved into a charming mixture of French and Swedish heritage. Narrow roads wind along the mountainous terrain, offering dramatic views of spectacular beaches and the sea. Gustavia, named for an 18th century King of Sweden, is the capital of St. Barth. The narrow lanes house shops offering exquisite perfumes, haute-couture fashions and designer watches, all at duty-free prices. Dining in St. Barth offers a wide selection from a waterfront cafe to a mountainside gourmet French restaurant overlooking the sea. Evening entertainment is laid back and casual; enjoy a piano bar, an intimate club or a walk in the moonlight. Lazing in the sunshine on one of St. Barth's 22 beaches is another option. Any way you choose, you are sure to feel relaxed and rejuvenated by this beautiful Caribbean island.

St. Croix

Just 40 miles south of St. Thomas lies St. Croix, USVI, the largest of the three Virgins. Renowned for its rich historic, architectural and cultural charm, St. Croix has scores of ruins and restorations of sugar cane mills and plantation Great Houses everywhere. While you enjoy the peace and beauty of St. Croix from your vacation rental home, there are walking tours, hikes, and horseback rides which meander through this historic past. Not as mountainous as sister islands St. John and St. Thomas, St. Croix's topography and landscaping are varied, from rolling hills to lovely, uncrowded beaches and arid cactus-covered plains, to a lush, green rain forest. Christiansted is St. Croix's main town, featuring charming alleyways, courtyards and streets dotted with excellent restaurants, shops, Fort Christiansvaern, churches and buildings showcasing classic West Indian architecture and history. Just off St. Croix's northeast coast is Buck Island Reef, a National Monument with wonderful snorkeling from perfect white sand beaches. On the north shore you can dive the world-famous Cane Bay Wall with its spectacular coral and sea life, and continue on to the west and the small town of Fredericksted. The Cruzan Rum Distillery, Estate Whim Plantation Museum and St. George Village Botanical Gardens are also some of the interesting attractions to enjoy while on St. Croix. This island is also home to three golf courses (Carambola, Buccaneer and The Reef). St. Croix is also the only U.S. Virgin Island which has a gambling casino - you can try your luck at Divi Carina Bay Casino during your villa vacation; the Divi also offers free live entertainment in the upbeat Showbar there. A rainforest lies in the northwestern portion of St. Croix, with a cool lushness all its own. Great mahogany, sandbox ("monkey-no-climb") and turpentine trees grant gentle shade to a riot of vivid flora. In the rainforest is the famous Domino Club, featuring its beer-drinking pigs - not your usual Caribbean tourist attraction, but hilarious nonetheless, and not to be missed while on St. Croix! And the easternmost point in the United States of America is Point Udall, St. Croix - the sun rises here first! St. Croix is still a relatively-undiscovered island, not yet overrun by tourists and with few cruise ships visiting. It's a secret favorite of many longtime Caribbean travelers, with lots to see and do, lovely Crucian vacation villas, and tremendous beauty and history to offer its visitors.

St. John

From St. Thomas, you can take the ferry to St. Thomas's smaller and laid-back sister island, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, an island 20 minutes away in time but light years away in ambience. This popular Caribbean island has only two major hotels, but offers hundreds of vacation villas, from basic rental cottages to super-luxurious villa estates. Spend some time poking around the many interesting and artsy shops that line the streets of Cruz Bay, St. John's main hub. Don't miss shopping in Wharfside Village and Mongoose Junction, St. John's beautiful island-style malls, plus many other varied shops and galleries. Cruz Bay can be lively at night too, offering some excellent restaurants and watering holes from casual to very upscale, and live music and dancing. Take a drive via scenic roads out to Coral Bay, a small village where you'll enjoy funky bars, a few quaint shops and horseback riding. You can continue eastward to St. John's pristine east end for its spectacular views and crystal-clear waters: Coral Bay, Hansen Bay and Privateer Bay beyond play host to incredible sunrises and unspoiled nature. And of course, on St. John, watersports abound: SCUBA diving, snorkeling, sailing, power boating, beach lounging and swimming. 5,000 acres of St. John is designated as a Virgin Islands National Park (courtesy of the late philanthropist Laurence Rockefeller). National Park lands occupy a full three-fifths of this 9-by-5-mile Caribbean island, keeping it relatively tranquil and pristine. With over 20 hiking trails, miles of fabulous beaches, and with easy access to the British Virgin Islands via ferry, St. John is the ideal place for vacationers seeking the fable and aura of seafaring explorers, pirates and undersea life. Explore the stunning National Park beaches of Hawksnest Bay, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay and their sugar-white sands and clear, shimmering blue waters. The Virgin Islands National Park's Rangers offer hikes, seashore walks, historic, cultural and snorkeling tours, bird watching and informal evening lectures to visitors. Leaving the town area means ascending high into St. John's hills; Bordeaux Mountain offers a cool bird's-eye view of the British Virgins Islands, plus a portion of the famous Reef Bay Trail, to the Reef Bay Estate Great House. There are other historical monuments to explore, including the Windberg Estate, the Frederikdal ruins, and the restored Annaberg Plantation (a National Park site). For a very small island, St. John offers lots of action-packed, fun days and nights for the young at heart. But should you want to sit quietly by your vacation villa's private pool and simply relax with your loved ones, this is also the perfect place to be. St. John and St. John's villas truly have it all.

St. Martin/St. Maarten

The smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations, St. Martin/St. Maarten has been shared by the French and the Dutch in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years. The border is almost imperceptible and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. There are four boundaries, Bellevue/Cole Bay, French Quarter/Dutch Quarter, Terres Basses/Cupecoy and Oyster Pond (both French and Dutch) testifying to centuries of peaceful cohabitation and the treaty that made the arrangement possible. All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. Small cafés and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole the atmosphere remains very relaxed. On the other hand, St. Maarten with its busy cruise port and bustling commercial district has long been an active center for trade and tourism. More developed and at the same time more informal, it is very Dutch in flavor and still has strong ties with fellow compatriots in the other Netherlands Antilles. Between the two different cultures in St. Martin and St. Maarten, vacationers will be able to find just about every kind of activity they might want for a perfect holiday in the sun. Located midway through the chain of islands in the Caribbean, just as the Antilles begin to curve to the south, St. Martin/St. Maarten is sunny and warm year-round, averaging 82 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and just 2 degrees cooler in winter. The island is buffeted by cooling trade winds that keep things temperate all year long. Average annual rainfall comes to about 45 inches, most of which occurs around late summer and early fall.

St. Thomas

St. Thomas is the sophisticated U.S. Virgin Island with lots of action, attractions and activities, and a booming Caribbean real estate market. You won't be bored for a moment. St. Thomas has a good number of cosmopolitan five-star restaurants, many of them open to tropical breezes and the view. But don't forget to sample the native cuisine - fresh local fish and dishes like fungi and kallaloo. Spend your days at any one of our many palm-fringed beaches, rising from your beach chair or towel only to paddle about in the azure sea. Use a mask and snorkel to spy on the exotic undersea world that surrounds St. Thomas. Or don a scuba tank for an adventure down into the deep. Sail or windsurf to any of the offshore cays that dot the horizon, or practice your putt at our seaside Mahogany Run Golf Course. Roam the narrow streets and alleys of historic Charlotte Amalie, a small and sophisticated Caribbean capital which since the 1600's has enjoyed her share of island travelers. Take a few minutes from your search for that perfect piece of duty-free jewelry or original island art to absorb a bit of the island's history. The old stone buildings that now house an almost unimaginable array of merchandise once served to store the necessities of a plantation economy. Camille Pissarro, born above one of the Main Street stores, left a legacy found in the plethora of Caribbean art for sale here. Trek up the 99 Steps to Blackbeard's Hill where you will find Crown House, now a private residence, but when Denmark ruled the Virgin Islands, the home of several governors. Directly above are Blackbeard's Castle, built by the pirate Edward Teach, and the old Lutheran parsonage. Only a few of our private villas are located on their own beach (all beaches in the U.S. Virgin Islands are public), but St. Thomas is a small Caribbean island, only 4 by 14 miles, and it will only take you a few minutes to drive to any of our many and varied white sand beaches - what the Virgin Islands are famous for! Many vacation rentals are ON the water, but are set on cliffs overlooking the ocean and cannot truly be called "beachfront". All of our Caribbean villa rentals have captivating ocean views - the U.S. Virgin Islands are also known for their incredible sea views, especially St. Thomas's sparkling harbor and town vistas, and St. Thomas's incomparable "down-island" views of St. John and the myriad British Virgin Islands beyond. You'll be dazzled!

Tortola

Tortola is the grandest of the 50 or so islands and cays that make up "Nature's Little Secrets", the British Virgin Islands. The capital, Road Town, is by far the busiest place to be on any shopping day, as cruise ship passengers, visitors and residents mingle among a variety of shops and restaurants. The J.R. O'Neal Botanic Gardens offer an enjoyable short course in the tropical herbs, plants and flowers of the island. The B.V.I. Folk Museum displays Arawak Indian treasures and documents more recent history, such as the wreck of the H.M.S. Rhone. In the mountains above, a rainforest sits within the Sage Mountain National Park. On some evenings, Quito's in Cane Garden Bay offers food, drink, live music and reggae dancing by the sea, and the monthly Full Moon Party at Bomba's Shack further along the coast is legendary. But watersports are the main attraction in the British Virgin Islands, of course! Fabulous yachts out on day sails cruise Sir Francis Drake Channel, power boats speed past the out islands, and scuba-diving and snorkeling trips abound here. No jet skis are allowed here, keeping Tortola's beautiful beaches quiet and sublimely relaxing. You can leave your Tortola villa just for a few hours or for the day to experience some exciting adventures, like swimming with dolphins! Our Tortola villa guests are usually beach lovers, seeking out Cane Garden Bay or Brewer's Bay and gentle surf, white sands and tall, shading palm trees. Those who wish to "hang ten" head further west to the surfers' choice, Apple Bay. The West End beaches Long Bay and Smuggler's Cove are relatively serene, with incredible white powdery sand and calming sea views. Soper's Hole on Tortola's West End is also a great place to debark, with a ferry dock, shops and restaurants. The northern coast of the island is mainly residential; the East End/Long Look area has the feel of a small outpost town with a number of local eateries and stores. Most easterly lies Beef Island, where Tortola's small airport and a smattering of peaceful residences are reachable via a small bridge. We have many Tortola villas to choose from, from small vacation cottages to large villa estates, from modest to lavish - and Tortola's West End is only a 45-minute scenic ferry ride from St. Thomas. Tortola's ambience often takes you back to the Caribbean the way it used to be, and polite, kindly locals have a ready smile for their visitors.

Virgin Gorda

Virgin Gorda is the perfect beach retreat for many island sun lovers and connoisseurs. Although just a scenic 30-minute ferry ride away from larger and busier Tortola, its sister island Virgin Gorda is less developed and a lot slower-paced, and a very popular anchorage for charter yachts and power boats, big and small. Its spectacular white sand beaches are edged by turquoise seas and wondrous coral reefs for snorkeling and diving. Especially memorable are The Baths, a famous and much-photographed locale where immense boulders are scattered along stunning beaches, creating magical beachfront and underwater grottos - a truly exotic landscape that you can explore. The Baths are not all that tiny, idyllic Virgin Gorda has to offer. Once on Virgin Gorda, visitors discover striking differences in topography, flora, and even climate. Spanish Town (Virgin Gorda's only town!) is the shopping and dining center; the Copper Mine, over 400 years old, remains a popular stop in the southeast. Imposing cactus plants pepper boulder-strewn landscapes just outside of Spanish Town on the way to the white sand beaches and snorkeling reefs at Nail Bay and Mahoe Bay. Hikers may decide to take on Gorda Peak near the center of the island, a rugged trail that leads up to 1,359 feet above sea level. A 360-degree view of sapphire blue waters and verdant hills and valleys is the reward to the most intrepid! And a jaunt to the North Sound area and Leverick Bay lends itself to diving, snorkeling and boating pleasures. Saba Rock and the Bitter End Yacht Club are popular pit stops for both sailors and island visitors. The South Sound area has its own charms, particularly vibrant coral reefs, privacy and lots of greenery. But Virgin Gorda's real allure lies in its relaxed and tranquil ambience - you can kick back at your Virgin Gorda villa and just enjoy a simple villa vacation away from the hustle and bustle, surrounded by sun, sand and sea and family or friends; there's no pressure here at all to "see everything" and "do everything". British Virgin Islanders are friendly, and as in many small communities, life on Virgin Gorda is more tranquil, simpler, and islanders here are helpful and welcoming. It's not hard to find your way around or get local knowledge - on this little island, everybody knows everything - so stop in the village to chat. Greet the smiling Virgin Gorda folks with a "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" and have an interesting conversation! Virgin Gorda can be reached via scheduled ferries from St. Thomas via Tortola, or by small aircraft flights from San Juan or St. Thomas... and it's well worth the trip!