Travel + Leisure magazine is out with its “World’s Best Awards” and the VI Tourism Department couldn’t be happier.
Oprah might be pleased, too.
Because just as the talk show hostess made sure everybody in the audience left happy (Remember “You get a car! You get a car!”?), Travel+Leisure reader’s survey has something good for almost everybody, it seems.
In the Caribbean, Bermuda and Bahamas category, number one is Vieques, followed by Harbour Island in the Bahamas, Virgin Gorda, the Grenadines, and then St. John.
Last year St. John was third.
"St. John continues to be a top-of-mind destination,” said the Tourism commissioner. (Read the magazine's survey results here.)
The magazine has seven categories in the “Islands” category, so a lot of places have a chance to be "best". Besides the Caribbean, there are Continental US and Canada, Central and South America (including Mexico), Asia, Europe, Australia and the South Pacific, and Hawaii. And then there’s also “Top 10”, led by Boracay in the Philippines.
There's no question in the mind of the Inquiring Iguana, of course, St. John is tops. Just recently, Arthur Frommer picked the island as one of his Top 10 travel spots for the year.
I can understand why Vieques hit the top spot, it is how St John was many years ago. The island is mostly National Park, as well, and has far fewer houses for rent and resorts to clog the space. That being said, St John is special and far better than St Thomas or St Croix. Lovely to see it made the top of the list!
I’m confused. Isn’t Vieques where the U.S. Navy was doing all that weapons testing? Usually, where there is that, there is Superfund site hidden away someplace.