I’m a self-proclaimed lover of snow, cozy sweaters and mountains…but the warm weather always seems to pull me back in and completely change my mind. There’s just something about palm trees, sunshine and 80 degrees — and who can say no to that, especially in the dead of winter?!
I recently got the chance to take a dream trip to St. Thomas and island hop through the Virgin Islands on a private yacht. It was hands-down one of the most unique, adventurous & beautiful vacations I’ve ever gone on.
Prior to this, most of my beach trips had centered around a hotel or resort (occasionally we would rent a boat for a day to fish, snorkel, etc). But spending a whole week on a yacht was a totally new experience for me, and honestly super cool.
While definitely smaller + simpler than a cruise liner, the yacht gave us a ton of flexibility with what we could do and allowed us to go to islands we couldn’t have accessed while on a larger ship. Our captain could pull right up to any beach we wanted to visit, we could swim + snorkel right off the boat, eat our meals on deck & stay in the waves until sunset. We totally customized our itinerary, and I really felt like we got a true taste of the Virgin Islands!
One of my favorite stops was an island called Virgin Gorda. We spent an entire afternoon at The Baths — a beautiful beach, completely covered in natural boulders. The best part? The boulders formed interconnected tidal pools, tunnels + caves all over the island which were so fun to explore. The main cove was absolutely breathtaking as well, and the view from the top of the rocks (far left) looked like a postcard.
I don’t know about you, but the highlight of any tropical vacation for me is always a good sunset. There’s nothing quite like ending a day in the sun with peaceful waves & pastel skies. Because we were often docked away from the shore in the evenings, we had the most breathtaking view of the endless blue water. And as a bonus, the stargazing was insane — on the clear nights the constellations were so bright.
Aside from a few exceptions, most of the photos I have from the trip are taken at sunset. I was seriously so distracted during the days swimming, snorkeling, exploring + of course enjoying some quality book time on the deck — the way a true vacation should be!
There was always so much to do at each of our stops, and lots of cool things to see — whether on a kayak, paddle board or in the water. One of the most exciting parts for me was getting to swim right next to a sea turtle. We also saw reef sharks, colorful fish, barracuda & collected tons of beautiful shells to pack in our suitcases for home.
*Side note: I’m such a book nerd, so when we docked at Norman Island, or otherwise known as “Treasure Island,” I was geeking out. The island & its caves were the inspiration for Stevenson’s book, which I thought was super cool! We also made stops at “Dead Chest Island” and a couple other places that totally reminded me of Pirates of the Caribbean.
I may or may not be in denial that we’re back home to cold + snowy weather again. The Virgin Islands were absolutely dreamy, and I am already (mentally) planning a trip back to these pretty islands and crystal blue water. Until next time!
