I stayed on water island a few years ago. I absolutely hated it! It was so depressing that we hightailed it back to St. Thomas ASAP! We thought that it would be fun being on a semi-seculded island. But the beaches were very poor quality compared to STT & STJ. Snorkeling was awful. The place we stayed was horrid! We did however like the little deli that was on the island and the owner was wonderful! I would highyly suggest staying on either St. John or St. Thomas and taking a daytrip to water island to check it out. If you like it you can book your next trip there.

Water Island is definately not for everyone! I used to live there and it is really a different type of place. I love it and am going back soon with my son, now that he's old enough(3), my husband, and some friends. It reminds me of a small, rural mountain town. I've heard it described as "rustic", which is pretty true. I find the beaches on Water Island awsome, though, and on a weekday you often have the whole place for yourself. Also hiking around the back roads(okay, all the roads are 'back roads' there) up to the old WWII fort is cool. It is certainly not the place to go if you're looking for excitement, though. It is mellow and simple, and a great place to be if you like to get friendly with locals. If you're looking for luxury and pampering, forget about it. It is kind of like a "greasy spoon", Mom an Pop joint that serves up an AMAZING cup O' Joe with a side of lively conversation. You either LOVE that place and want to become a real regular or HATE it and go to Starbucks. Its just a matter of taste!

I was vacationing in STT and STJ recently and made a day trip to Water Island on the ferry. It was definitely worth the trip. Honeymoon Beach was one of the nicest out of all the beaches we went to, and we went to a bunch on both STT and STJ. There aren't many people and there are plenty of picnic tables and umbrellas right on the beach. There are a couple of people that come down around lunchtime and grill up some burgers that you can buy. Apparently, they do this regularly, but we didn't try that. We walked to the deli up the hill and it was perfect for lunch. Check the Water Island information on this website for info on that. Snorkeling wasn't anything spectacular on Honeymoon. It's mostly sea grass, but I did see a huge stingray, which was very cool.

As others have said, I'm not sure if you would want to make a whole trip out of Water Island, as there isn't a whole lot there. For me, I would rather stay on STT or STJ and make a day trip out of it, but if you're looking for a secluded island, then it would be perfect for you.

We vacationed on St John for several years b-4 discovering Water Island. St John is beautiful. But we LOVE Water Island. Over the last couple of years there has been much renovation of houses. The beaches are very nice. No need to rent a car. Most houses available for rent come with a golf cart.

Water island is a great place for small children. There are calm beaches and much harmless wildlife to entertain everyone. It is not a night life place--but there are regular activities. Heidi cooks wonderful meals on the beach Sat. nights. The deli has all you can eat pizza on Fri. Monday is a "drive in" movie on the beach where they spread a screen between two palms. It is great.

If you want to get to STT to shop there is a ferry that runs regularly.