Trip Coach: January 23, 2007

The BVI has a reputation of being a little more upscale than the USVI, and the islands are less Americanized. I hope that helps.

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Levittown, PA: Hi, my friends and I (early to mid thirties) are hoping to go on a vacation to one of the virgin islands in March. We are looking for an all inclusive that has a beautiful beach, good food, decent shopping, and above all--nice atmosphere! There are so many places to go and i was hoping you could tell me which you'd pick to go to. (i'm hoping to spend about $1500 or less per person). Any help or suggestions would be so appreciated. Thank you

Susanna Henighan: Dear Levittown,

Here are a few ideas that you could check out:

The Sugar Mill on Tortola is a charming little hotel, with great food and a lovely small beach right across the road. It routinely wins awards for good service. Its atmosphere is laid-back, but clearly upscale. (There is very little shopping nearby, however).

The Hotel on the Cay on St. Croix is located on a tiny island in Christiansted Harbour. There is a nice beach on the island, and tons of shopping is a VERY short ferry ride away. There is a restaurant too, but you might want to eat some of your meals at Christiansted's fabulous restaurants. The atmosphere is festive and welcoming.

On St. Thomas try Marriot Frenchman's Reef (1-888-236-2427), which offers inclusive pacakages, has a nice beach, and is close to Charlotte Amalie's famous shopping. This is a large resort, but it offers some attractive package deals, and the air link to St. Thomas is very good.

If you want something really unique, check out Cooper Island in the BVI. They have a handful of villas, a good beach, watersports centre, and restaurant. This is a real get-away.

And, since you asked, I would choose The Sugar Mill simply because it is a small hotel, and the food is excellent.

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Duarte, CA: Do they use american dollars there?