Virgin Islands Books

Cruising Guide to the Virgin Islands, 13th ed

Nancy Scott; Simon Scott

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not very in depth guide 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This guide only gives basic information about cruising the Virgin Islands. It's not much better than the free guides that are given out and supported entirely by ads. It only gives information on islands where a commercial interest has supported the write up. It only gives a mention of islands or anchorages where some one is collecting a fee, so if there is a secluded spot that is free you won't read about it here. It doesn't provide any critique on establishments so you won't know if you are walking into the best restaurant on the island or a complete dump. I don't know if there are better guides for the Virgin Islands but it is a poor example of a cruising guide.

Editorial Review:

Completely revised and updated with full color sketch charts, these guides have been indispensable companions for sailors and visitors to these islands since 1982. Includes a free 17" x 27" color planning chart covering the Virgin Islands from St. Thomas to Anegada. Anchoring and mooring information and fees. Customs, immigration and National Parks regulations. Particulars on marina facilities and the amenities they offer. Water sports - where to go and where to rent equipment. Shore-side facilities, restaurants, beach bars, shops, provisions, Internet connections. Alphabetical - by island - Directory of goods and services. Everything you will need to help make your vacation an enjoyable and memorable experience in a concise easy-to-use format.

The Best of the British Virgin Islands: An Indispensable Guide for Anyone Visiting Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Anegada, Cooper, Guana, and All ... (Best of the British Virgin Islands)

Pamela Acheson, Richard B. Myers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Invaluable! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This is a super guide for anyone visiting the BVI, either on a sailboat or not. It is about as accurate as it can be, considering signs fade and fall down. We have been there 6 times and always used the previous edition, and this new one is even better. If you are going there--buy this book.

great for traveling to BVI 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great book for traveling to the BVI - if you are sailing i would recommend a BVI sailing book instead!

Great Book 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

A Fabulous book, obviously written by someone who knows and loves the islands. Thank you for helping make the most of our vacation.

Editorial Review:

Brimming with insider hints and local information, this new edition of a trusted travel guide tracks all the newest hotels, resorts, and villas on each of the inhabited British Virgin Islands, along with the best restaurants, coffee houses, and beachside bars. The most spectacular scenic drives, deserted beaches, hidden snorkeling spots, and historic ruins—and the best locales for live, local music—are also revealed, and detailed information is provided for activities from horseback riding and nature walks to boat charters and boutique shopping.

Fodor's U.S. and British Virgin Islands 2008 (Fodor's Gold Guides)

Fodor's

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Editorial Review:

Make a splash in calm turquoise waters, savor rum-kissed French toast at a hilltop B&B, hook a giant marlin on the high seas, step back in time at a colonial plantation home —Fodor's U.S. & British Virgin Islands 2008 offers all these experiences and more! Our local writers have traveled throughout the Virgin Islands, to find the best hotels, restaurants, attractions and activities to prepare you for a journey of stunning variety. Before you leave, be sure to pack your Fodor's guide to ensure you don't miss a thing.

The San Francisco Chronicle sums it up best —"Fodor's guides are saturated with information."

-New compact trim size make these guides even more portable
-Two-color interior design makes it easier to find the information you need
-Fodor's Choice Ratings flag must-see sights and hidden treasures
-Hotel and restaurant reviews cover all budgets
-Plus multi-day itineraries to help you build the right trip for you and/or your family

Frommer's Virgin Islands (Frommer's Complete)

Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

One hundred or so islands make up the Virgin Islands group. Some are governed by the U.S., some by the British, and all offer green hills, the best temperatures in the West Indies, and some of the lowest humidity levels in the Caribbean. So if the answer to your Caribbean vacation question is the Virgin Islands, the next questions are where in the Virgins, and what to do once you get there. Toward that end, Frommer's Virgin Islands guide delineates the differences, in character and topography and overall ambiance, between the various islands, helping you select the destinations that suit you (and your budget) best. First, there's the choice between British and American, then there are criteria such as deluxe versus rustic, hopping nightlife versus quiet isolation, pristine beaches or vibrant snorkeling. The "Best Of" section further aids selection, with lists of exceptional beaches, snorkeling, dive sites, golf courses, restaurants, nature walks, honeymoon resorts, and places to get away from it all. Once you've chosen your island, you have but to browse the specific chapter to see hotels, dining, and sights, outdoor recreations, shopping, and nightlife. There's a brief history of each island, a look at the flora and fauna, and an essential Fast Facts page listing details such as area code, currency exchange, doctors, newspapers, and liquor laws. Why lug along a huge Caribbean tome? The slender Frommer's Virgin Islands volume offers more detailed information for less. --Stephanie Gold

The Best of St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (Best of St. Thomas & St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands)

Pamela Acheson, Richard B. Myers

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

so so 3 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The information is good, and seems thorough, but the presentation is lacking...not a single photo, and the maps look juvenile.

This Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book is wonderful... Helps you plan your trip... So glad I found it!

The Best of St. Thomas and St. John,U.S. Virgin Islands 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 3 people found this review helpful.

The book was some what informative. The price of taxis in the islands is very high.Coral world was not what I thought it would be as in the book.There was nothing there.I don't know when the author was in the Virgin Islands last, but there are things I would not recomend.Like shopping for jewlery and other things were very expensive. We were in the Islands from 7/29/07 to 8/05/07. We were told this was their off season maybe this is why things cost more. Overal the book did give some usefull tips.Ann Morris

Editorial Review:

Completely updated with the latest information on resorts, restaurants, and shopping, this new edition covers St. Thomas as well as nearby St. John and describes the unique charms of each. Including information on intimate inns, beachside bars, breathtaking scenery, exhilarating boat and snorkel trips, elegant outdoor dining, jazz clubs, and a variety of cuisines as well as ice cream stands, this book covers the best of the islands. Also included is practical information for getting around the islands with ease, shopping tips, and the special “gems” of the island that might otherwise be missed.

Puerto Rico, the Spanish, U.S. and British Virgin Islands (Street's Cruising Guide to the Eastern Caribbean)

M Street

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

THE book on cruising the Caribbean 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Don't go without this detailed review of every harbor you might want to visit. And get the Imray Iolaire chart that goes with this book. This combo is all you'll need!

Editorial Review:

Street’s Guides are the result of his forty-four years of Caribbean experience— his first guide to the Virgin Islands (1964) has been expanded over the years to cover the entire eastern Caribbean. These guides give the mariner all the information needed to safely cruise the area, not only piloting information but also interesting background information on people, places and history.

“In the beginning was the word and the word came from Street. Since 1964 all other guide authors have followed in Street’s and Iolaire’s wake, avoiding the rocks and shoals Street and Iolaire discovered.”
—Patience Wales, Editor, Sail

Diving British Virgin Islands (Aqua Quest Diving Series)

Jim Scheiner

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Essential resource 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

If you're planning a bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands and would like to head off to dive sites on your own then this is the book you need. The book contains dive site locations, mooring locations, skill requirements, weather considerations, site layouts, suggested underwater routes, and dive descriptions. We arrived in the Virgin Islands with a bag of dive books and this is the one that we used over and over again!

Best available dive guide to the BVI, IMO. 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

We're divers who have visited BVI several times, and we think Jim Scheiner's bok is the best guide available for diving the islands. - Jim and his wife Odile are accomplished videographers and photographers with a shop at Baskin in the Sun's location in the Prospect Reef resort in Tortola, and they have extensive knowledge of the area- they're passing some of this knowledge on to visiting divers. - My only wish is they'd expand the book in its next edition, as there are so many interesting BVI dives sites!

Editorial Review:

Information and photographs on the marine life and underwater terrain of over 50 of the best dive sites in the BVI.

Top 10 Virgin Islands (EYEWITNESS TOP 10 TRAVEL GUIDE)

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

British and US Virgin Islands Top Ten Series 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As a DK travel book fan, I felt very dissapointed with this book. It was too superficial and did not give you meaninful or added-value comments for a trip planning. Save your money, buy something else.

Good basic "best-of" guide 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I took this on trips to both the USVI and the BVI, and found the information to be accurate and helpful. The restaurant reviews were pretty much spot-on. The DK Top Ten guides are intended to quickly cover the basics, rather than offering a lot of in-depth information. This one packs a lot of helpful, interesting information into a small, light, pocket-sized book. It's certainly good enough to keep you from ever being hungry, thirsty, or bored in any of the major Virgin Islands. However, due to the format, the book can't go into great detail about these many varied and culturally different islands. For more in-depth info, I recommend Harry S. Pariser's Explore the Virgin Islands, which has a more personal, in-depth, Lonely Planet-type attitude. I'd like to give it 4.5 stars for what it is -- a quick best-of reference -- but I do recommend consulting other sources more specific to the island(s) you plan to visit.

Yachtsman's Guide to the Virgin Islands, No 13, 1997

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Must Have for any BVI Sailor's Library 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This was our first BVI Sailing guide and is still one of our most used. It is an excellent resource with maps, great insider's tips, and recomendations. The best part are its maps which cleary show where mooring balls, channel markers, and other navigational aids are lcoated in the most popular anchorages. We highly recommend this book to all who sail the BVI.

Great guide 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We have several copies of this over the years. Our first copy from 1986 we still use as we have annotated it with dive sites, nav info etc...

These books are just about the same as having local knowledge. You can stare at a chart forever, but you won't get the detail that you find in these hand drawn maps and local nav knowledge that you can use.

As with all of these guides, they only show you the anchorages that MOST people go to. There are many others that you have to be a chart wiz to figure out (and I'm not going to tell....).

Editorial Review:

Originally compiled in 1968.A Great planning guide for Charter and Cruising.Including Eastern Puerto Rico,Vieques,and Culebra and updated at every printing.Including full color arial photographs, Original hand drawn charts,tips on what to do ashore, diving, fishing, and stargazing information as well as a galley guide of easy to prepare island dishes and lots of local information.

Lonely Planet Virgin Islands

Randall Peffer

List Price: $15.99 By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 21 new & used starting at $0.01

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Somewhat Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
23 of 23 people found this review helpful.

We used this Lonely Planet guide book on a recent trip to the US and British Virgin Islands as well as Explore Virgin Islands by Pariser. We learned about both through online reviews and bought both on Amazon.com. Pariser's book was better; the maps are easier to use. his tips on how to get along with the locals were informative. We wanted more on the ecology from lonely planet, but turned to explore virgin islands for that. All in all, Pariser's guide had more info not found elsewhere.

Comprehensive! 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

I have read 4-5 guides to the Virgin islands, and I believe this is the most comprehensive. They give the most detailed info about ALL aspects of travel to St Thomas, St John and the British VIs. I particularly appreciate the honesty re: potential problems (bad neighborhoods etc) and the solid advice on how to be smart and not have to worry. There are interesting tidbits about archeology, flora and fauna, native patois (even how to pronounce common Caribbean foods, sayings) etc. The maps are detailed, the beach and touring site descriptions are thorough, and directions are given for all. Definately worth buying & the only guide I'd buy if I had to chose.

Editorial Review:

Kick off your shoes and follow this guide to the Virgin Island's best - from St Thomas' sizzling calypso bars to St John's vast tropical park to tiny Norman Island, where the Treasure Caves hold secrets of pirates past. Discover the delights of island-hopping, whether you're on a budget or not.