You may want to consider St. John. St. John is the smallest of the US Virgin Islands and 3/4 national park. And only a 20 minute ferry ride from St. Thomas. The reason I am suggesting St. John is because of Cinnamon Bay campgrounds. The cottages are affordable and you can stay right on the beach! You can always go over to St. Thomas for sightseeing day trips. Just another option to consider.

http://www.cinnamonbay.com/

Just so you know the drinking age is 18 in the usvi.

08 sponsor:

For that large of a group, Bolongo may be your best bet. Understand that whenever you research a vacation spot there are bound to be both positive and negative reviews, with the negatives usually outweighing the positives because it's human nature to dun rather than praise!

I think that Bolongo will suit your group very well. The resort is family-orientated, restaurants are right on-site and they have loads of activities and watersports. The location is perfect for a group, the beach is lovely and, if your group decides either collectively or divided wants to go off-property to explore more of the island (or St John) your needs will be catered to.

STJ is gorgeous but, for a group such as yours I wouldn''t recommend Cinammon Bay campgrounds as an option and I don't think I'd really recommend anywhere on STJ for such a large chaperoned group (sorry hjb, just my personal opinion!) Oh, and NOT Emerald Beach as compared to Bolongo.

You'll have a great trip - and keep the kids out of trouble. Cheers!

STT Resident I understand completely. That is why you are a STT Resident and I on the other hand a STJ Resident. 🙂 I just thought the kids would have less of a chance for mischief when they are smack in the middle of a National Park. I agree 100% with your choice Bolongo over Emerald Beach, absolutely! Which ever island is chosen they are sure to have a great time in paradise.

I agree with STT on both Bolongo and STT being the best place for a bunch of kids. They will have a lot more to do on STT in general and if they decide to take a side trip to STJ that would be nice.

What is your reasoning for Bolongo Bay over Emerald Beach? Activities? Restaurants? Location?

hjb: Cheers, dear! I understand from whence you come and admittedly it's hard for me to backtrack to that age group. When I was 17 I was hitch-hiking through Europe but times have changed for true.

Don't misunderstand me - frankly I would rather walk into the whirling blades of a helicopter than volunteer as chaperone to 17 students from Oklahoma who have JUST reached local drinking age and whose hormones are running rampant.

I think that after sundown which in May will probably be about 7:00PM, all the students should be tethered together with a long leash attached to their chaperones...

08sponsor: All kidding aside, let us know how the planning goes. If any of the involved students are interested in local history, I know that poster Ronnie on this forum can offer some suggestions, as can I. Cheers!

I prefer STJ to STT, but if I had a group of teenagers on a senior trip, I'd take them to STT. That's more their speed, whereas STJ is mine.

As far as places to stay on STT, I have heard more good about Bolongo than I have bad. I'm sure it'd suit your group well. It seems like there's plenty to do there.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a sailboat big enough for that type of group. Maybe you'd be better off with a different type of boat. I know there are boats that size taking groups about because I've seen them. I'm sure someone will have better suggestions.

I think that your group would enjoy Bolongo Bay as well. You might want to check on Secret Harbor as well as the snorkeling is better.

Posted by: ls (IP Logged)
Date: Today, 04:50PM
What is your reasoning for Bolongo Bay over Emerald Beach? Activities? Restaurants? Location?

Simply all of the above as posted! Emerald Beach is on the road to the airport. Its locaion is rather removed from the mainstream and although it has a nice beach, affordable accomodation, a restaurant and some room serviice, it's not a place I would either recommend to a first-time visitor or to a group excursion visit such as this OP is seeking. Cheers!

Bolongo has: 3 restaurants, a dive center, watertoys including jet skis, a large catamaran that can take you all on day trips, a central location... Those are a few reasons I would pick it above the other spots on St Thomas.

If they are into camping, Cinnamon would be good, but the logistics are tough.

BTW, the drinking age is 14 in OK, as I understand! 😉

Hello,

There are day charters that can accommodate your group, for example New Horizons http://www.newhorizonsvi.com and Fury http://www.usvisailing.com. Bolongo has Heavenly Days, a catamaran day charter. It is not a 6 pack but I am not sure of their passenger capacity so you'd need to check it out to make sure its an option.

Here are some ideas...

The guided historical tour at Blackbeards is a good choice, its just above downtown. You can plan on sampling some local dishes at a Caribbean food restaurant like Cuzzins on that same day. Cuzzins is downtown. There are other historical sites downtown as well, and lots of shopping.

You could look into the Reef Bay guided hike on St. John; with the size of your group you would need to reserve in advance as they fill up quickly or maybe they would do a special tour just for your group. Its through the National Park Service.

Watersports; snorkeling, snuba, scuba, parasailing, kayaking, windsurfing, fishing.

Paradise Point on St. Thomas has Sunset Happy Hour that is a lot of fun. There is happy hour at other bars and restaurants too.

Bolongo Bay has a Caribbean Show that is entertaining.

Sapphire Beach on Sunday afternoons has live music, usually a band that plays Caribbean music.

What did you have in mind for getting around?

--Islander

I assume you are joking about the drinking age in OK. That 's one of the biggest draws for these teenagers to the Virgin Islands. I just want to keep them busy doing other things so they won't have that much time to sample the alcoholic delights. I am really excited about visiting St. Thomas and the other Islands if we can get to them. I just want to make sure the kids have enough spending money to have a good time while they are there. We are trying to plan excursions, a day out sailing, the tram ride to the top of the mountain and Coral World are three that we know about, so they will get out and see the Island. The Best Western Emerald Beach was quite a bit less (cost) than Bolongo Bay so we were trying to check it out.

I hear BW Emerald Beach is great for a night stay, if you arrive late or your flight out is early, but it is not a place you would want to spend your whole vacation. It is at the airport (the front overlooks the runway) and it is approx $6.00 per person into town each way and more to the other beaches and that can add up fast for the kids.

Pia

We're planning on renting vans for the week. I'm a little nervous about driving on the left side of the road. I'll make my husband do the driving. I hate to admit it but the 18 year old drinking age is a lot of the appeal to go to the Virgin Islands. They had originally wanted to go to Cancun. However, our school board won't let us go anywhere that requires a passport. The first travel agent we spoke to said she didn't think there would be a lot for 18 year olds to do in the Virgin Islands. We (ls & myself) were concerned about that and wanted to try and arrange plenty of activities. Thanks so much for your help.

Hello 08sponsor & Is,

How long is the vacation, how many days?

--Islander

Tho Emerald Beach is a nice facility, I too, agree that Bolongo is better situated for your needs! Most activities will be out on the East End and it would be a lot more driving from West of town, not to mention the traffic thru town to get anywhere! Have you looked at other resorts? I suppose Frenchman's Reef would be too expensive, but would also fit the bill. Just a thought! If the Reef is too pricey, go with Bolongo!
I DO have to tell you, keeping the kids from the alcohol here will be difficult to say the least! It is EVERYWHERE! Heck, our teenage girls ordered Virgin Colada's at Duffy's and got the real 'ting! They were excited at the fact at first, then realized they didn't like them! Whew! Of course the waitress apologized for her mistake.
There are plenty of activities, Islander did a great job for suggestions and there also is the Eco-tour as well!
Have fun and Enjoy! 🙂

If you will send me an email, I will put you in touch with a hotel general manager here on St. Thomas who personally books large youth groups at an incredibly good discounted rate. It's right on the beach, restaurant on site and she has youth athletes and other young adult groups in there ALL THE TIME.

Earlier this year there was a youth baseball tournament here on island and she had like 5 different teams all week, not one complaint.

Good luck to you...........................I have a brother who lives down in Durant by the way.......................

We willl be there for 5 nights.