Our Girls Trip Weekend in the Virgin Islands (Exactly What We Did Each Day!)
I just got back from doing a girls trip to the Virgin Islands with four of my friends from college / post-grad who all live in different places, and all have babies now, and it was one of those trips where everything just worked. Easy, fun, beautiful, and just good for the soul.
It was my first time traveling away from my kids, and it was actually so great. Yes, they missed mama but dad had it handled and they did great. And I came back feeling so rejuvenated, so happy to have had some time for myself and my friends, it was so great.
We took FOREVER to decide on where to do a girls trip. Like, seriously, we had been talking about it for months (maybe years) before we finally pulled the trigger. We finally decided we all needed it, and decided to base at the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas, and use it as a jumping off point to explore the islands together. (the British Virgin Islands is one of my favorite places on earth, and I hadn’t explored enough of the USVI before this trip!!!)
Here’s exactly what we did over our weekend in case you want to copy our itinerary or any of our recs!
Day 1: Arrive, Beach, Girls Dinner at SAILS
We all flew into St. Thomas and were at the hotel within 25 minutes or so, which is one of the biggest reasons I love this destination for a girls trip.
We checked in, threw on swimsuits, and immediately went into full vacation mode:
coconut margaritas, laying on the beach, and yapping for hours like no time had passed.
For dinner that night, we wanted easy – so we went to SAILS on property, which is exactly what you want on night one. Cute, casual, right on the water. Think fish tacos, cocktails, more yapping.
This night we ended up in the pool & hot tub on property late too because it’s open 24/7!
Day 2: BVI Boat Day (The Best Day!!)
This was the highlight of the trip!
We booked a private boat with Trident Charters (I cannot recommend them enough!! Book through this link or please let them know I sent you!) and did a full British Virgin Islands boat day. It was everyone’s favorite part of the trip.
Our BVI day trip boat day itinerary included stops at:
- Sandy Spit (a must!!!! soooo beautiful, a sand bar in the middle of the ocean and clearest water ever)
- Turtle Bay (we saw so many turtles!)
- Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke (heaven on earth)
- Willy T’s (THE famous floating pirate ship bar… chaos in the best way)
- Cruising between islands, dancing on the boat, and having the time of our life
This is the day that makes the trip. It’s that “how is this real?” Caribbean, moms-away-from-our-kids-having-a-carefree-blast-like-we’re-in-college-again energy all day long.
Check availability and boat options for the exact charter we did with the best rate using the ‘book now’ link below! We were on board Stardust!
This night we played it low-key after a big day and ate on property at Coconut Cove.
Day 3: St. John Day + Dinner + Drinks
We spent the morning at breakfast and the coffee shop on property (such good iced lattes, which MAKES a hotel IMHO… is there anything worse than when a hotel doesn’t have good coffee?), then it was time to get going for another big day.
We knew we wanted to explore St. John for one of our days and were debating ferry vs private boat for the day, but we had so much fun that we decided we’d do a half-day charter, and did a second boat day in the USVI, which is a totally different vibe.
We taxied to the boat marina and hopped on another boat to cruise around St. John, which is basically one big national park with a strip of beach bars and some goooorgeous homes, and the vibe feels super relaxed.
We spent the afternoon at Lime Out (a really fun floating taco bar, with VERY good tacos and very good margaritas), basically you float in a floatie with your friends and they deliver you margs and tacos, it’s so fun, casual, and very Margaritaville-vibes.
We swam in from the boat and didn’t bring anything with us – no phones, nothing. Then we proceeded to have about 4 rounds of margaritas floating on our big floatie laughing and talking and just being fully present together… it was the best.
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then we had our half-day boat drop us in Cruz Bay instead of going straight back.
From there:
- Walked to Beach Bar for drinks
- Dinner at Longboard (get the poke bowls, they were so good)
- Went out at DRINK which was a really fun vibe (ask for bartender Milton!!! he’s the BEST)
Then we took the ferry back to St. Thomas, which was so easy. This is one of the best little tricks of the trip! boat one way, ferry back. or do a full day charter, but the ferry was really great and easy too.
The key to remember for a trip to the USVI
The biggest thing to understand about St. Thomas is this:
It’s not about the hotel (to me at least!) It’s about what you do from it.
The Ritz is a great, easy home base, but the magic is:
- getting out on the water
- exploring the BVI’s and St. John
That’s what turns this into an unforgettable trip!! The BVI’s in my opinion are seriously some of the most beautiful islands in the world – so bring your passport and do the day trip!!!! You’re SO close!!!!!!
Traveling with 4 Girls vs a Big Group
We all couldn’t get over how nice it was to travel with just the four of us versus a bigger group of girls. With bigger groups (like a bachelorette party, etc) it just gets more… complicated. Everything is more complicated, everything takes longer, everyone has their own agendas, their own budgets etc etc and when you have a smaller group where everyone is more or less on the same page, you can all share ONE hotel room (huge) and it just feels easy and simple. 10/10 recommend doing a small girls trip vs a big one.
Would We Girls Trip or Group Trip to the USVI or BVI’s Again?
100%!!!
For a girls trip or group trip, the USVI or BVI is such a sweet spot:
- pretty easy flights
- not-complicated logistics
- fun, safe, not crazy pricey for everyone but still feels elevated
- a mix of relaxing, going out, and staying in
Our thoughts on the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas
It was great for what we needed!! Good food, good drinks, a good beach and pool, easy taxis to get around. We also did club level which was so nice to have for drinks/snacks/breakfast. I wouldn’t say it’s the most luxurious hotel in the world, so it’s good to level expectations (if you read online reviews, manyyyyy will tell you it’s more Marriott-level than Ritz-Carlton level) but it’s nice! We really only hated one thing – the tragic plastic beach chairs.
The room was spacious and great and had a gorgeous view of the ocean.
I think if you’re using this as your jumping off point to get around the islands and explore, it’s the perfect home base for a group!! I’d also definitely come back as a family (there’s a pool with a waterslide that my toddler would eat up)
How to Get Free JETSET Perks If You Want to Plan This Trip
This is exactly the kind of trip I love helping plan because the difference between a good version of this and an amazing one comes down to the details:
- the right hotel room
- the right boat + crew
- the right itinerary for your group
When you book through me, I’ll handle all of that super easily – and I don’t charge a fee to book your hotel or boat for you. Plus you’ll get VIP perks at your hotel (upgrade when available, daily breakfast for 2, $100 resort credits, etc.).
If you’re thinking about doing a Virgin Islands trip or booking the boat we did or hotel we stayed at, email me here and I’d love to help get you the very best rate + free JETSET perks.
One more thing…
Trips like this always remind me how important it is to actually take the time. To book the trip!!!!! To bring up the trip idea in the first place to your friends! And then to actually DO IT. to step away from everything, be fully present, and just be together. No schedules, no rushing, no responsibilities, just laughing, talking for hours, and feeling like yourself, with girlfriends who love you. It sounds simple, but it’s not something we do enough!!!!! and it matters more than we think.
What I Packed for the USVI!
