Two Words, One Answer.
Virgin Islands
 The Best of St. Thomas and St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands (Best of St. Thomas & St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands) $14.95 As far as travel guides go this one is not bad. You are provided with facts, hotels, places to eat, and etc. However, the guide does little to help make suggestions on things that you MUST do in order to maximize your trip...there are no example daily itineraries or "don't miss activities". AS others have pointed out there is much less detail given on St. John. Part of this is do to St. John being much less populated and developed. If you are spending multiple days on St. John you may need an additional travel guide. What you are given is a collection of interesting facts that will help you enjoy your trip. My suggestions - Snorkel a Secret Harbor Visit St. John's Trunk Bay Eat at "The Herve" Eat at the all-you can-eat buffet on Wednesday night at the Marriot's CoCo Joe's if you are into Jewelry - bring some extra $$$ for the (alleged) deals in Charlotte Amalie  Fodor's U.S. and British Virgin Islands 2009 (Fodor's Gold Guides) $16.95 For the price, you cannot beat it! Between the few books available, I found this to be the most informative.  Top 10 U.S. and British Virgin Islands (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides) $14.00 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. |
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