2026 Central Travel Guide: must-see attractions, popular food, hotels, transport & travel experiences (updated in February)

St. John usvi #catamaran #yacht #sailing #bvi

Exploring the Virgin Islands was like stepping into a tropical dream 🌴☀️. If you’re planning a Caribbean getaway, cruising is hands-down the easiest and most scenic route — Norwegian Cruise Lines is my pick for their top-notch freestyle options. Food and sightseeing on the islands aren’t cheap, so here’s my hack: stick to the cruise buffet! It’s tasty, diverse, and saves serious $$ while still letting you enjoy everything from fresh fruit to island-flavored dishes. Must-See Spot: Virgin Islands Location: St John 00830, USVI The highlight was watching the sunset: calm sea, a sky drenched in orange and gold, and coconut trees lining the shore — total postcard vibes. The best views were on deck, and every evening felt magical with nature showing off (bring your phone/camera for those sunset shots!). You’ll spot plenty of other trees and untouched scenery too, making strolls around the islands feel like a nature lover’s paradise. Getting Around: Most ports offer shuttles to beaches or hikes. Taxis are everywhere, but walking is safe and super scenic if you’re up for it. Download maps in advance for offline exploring. Food Recommendations: On land, grab local seafood or island-fresh smoothies if your budget allows, but don’t miss the buffet on the cruise for variety and cost-saving. Pro Tips: Save up for sightseeing (tours and water activities can be pricey), pack sunscreen and a good hat, and bring USD for little expenses — almost everywhere takes it. #CaribbeanCruising #VirginIslandsViews #SunsetSeekers #NatureVision #TravelSmart

The most beautiful national park in the Caribbean, covering 2/3 of St. John Island, with 70% underwater area. World-class snorkeling beaches + historic sugar plantations + hiking coral reef ridges, three days with 100% no regrets! Day 1: North Shore Beach Highlights + Sunset Sailing 09:00 Take the ferry from St. Thomas to Cruz Bay 09:40 Arrive at Cruz Bay Visitor Center: buy tickets and get stamps, rent a car or take a taxi, pick up free maps – 20 minutes 10:10 Trunk Bay Beach: one of the world’s top ten most beautiful beaches, 95% chance to snorkel with sea turtles – 2 hours 30 minutes ★ The park’s top beach 13:00 Maho Bay Beach: longest white sand beach + calmest waters, snorkeling + relaxing – 2 hours 15:20 Cinnamon Bay: doughnut-shaped bay, underwater coral + abundant fish – 1 hour 30 minutes 17:00 Return to Cruz Bay 17:30 Cruz Bay Sunset Sailing Tour: watch the park’s most beautiful coastline sunset – 2 hours 20:00 Overnight in Cruz Bay Day 2: Underwater Trail + Reef Bay + Historic Sites 07:30 Reef Bay Trail round trip 3.5 km: best morning light, overlook the park’s most beautiful bay clusters – 1 hour 30 minutes ★ The park’s top photography spot 09:20 Underwater Trail Snorkeling: the park’s own snorkeling trail, sea turtles + stingrays + octopus everywhere – 2 hours 30 minutes ★ A must-experience in life 12:10 Lunch break 13:00 Annaberg Sugar Plantation: 18th-century ruins + the Caribbean’s most beautiful windmill – 1 hour 14:20 Peace Hill Trail round trip 3 km: climb to see Caribbean Sea + British Virgin Islands dual sea views – 1 hour 30 minutes 16:10 Return to Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay for a second snorkeling session – 2 hours 19:00 Dinner in Cruz Bay Day 3: East Side Hidden Gems + Ultimate Island Snorkeling Finale 07:30 Salt Pond Bay Beach: the most pristine and quiet beach, sea turtles + deserted sand – 2 hours 10:00 Ram Head Trail round trip 4 km: park’s easternmost point, cliff sea views + historic sites – 2 hours 12:30 Lunch break 13:30 Island Charter Snorkeling: boat tour to Waterlemon Island and Leinster Bay, 99% chance of sea turtles + 90% stingrays, top underwater park – 3 hours ★ The strongest finale of the trip 16:40 Boat returns to Cruz Bay 17:00 Take the ferry back to St. Thomas, ending a perfect three days In three days, conquer the true highlights of Virgin Islands National Park: one of the world’s top ten beaches + underwater trail sea turtles + Reef Bay sunrise + sugar plantation history + ultimate island snorkeling. Smooth rhythm, 2-3 snorkeling sessions daily, every shot is a Caribbean postcard!

Fujian Pingtan Travel Guide | Hidden Gem with Beautiful Scenery and Few Crowds 💓💓 🌴Pingtan, an island in Fujian province, is like a hidden pearl with its unique charm. If you're longing for an escape from the hustle and bustle to embrace nature, Pingtan is definitely your perfect choice! Here you'll find crystal-clear waters, soft sandy beaches, spectacular windmill fields, and mysterious "blue tears" (bioluminescent plankton). Every scene will captivate you and make you reluctant to leave. Now, follow this guide to start your Pingtan journey! 🚗Transportation Guide 🚅- High-speed Rail: Take the high-speed train from Fuzhou South or Fuzhou Station to Pingtan Station, about a 1-hour journey. The station is conveniently located in Pingtan's urban area. 🚌- Bus: Island buses connect major attractions like Longwangtou, Tannan Bay, and Changjiang Bay. 🚢- Ferry: You can take ferries from Xiamen, Quanzhou, and other places to reach Pingtan while enjoying the sea views. ⚓- Transportation on the Island: 🚘- Self-driving: Highly flexible, convenient for stopping to enjoy scenery, but parking can be difficult at some attractions during peak season. 🛵- Electric scooters: Available for rent everywhere, great for experiencing local culture, but beware of strong UV rays during peak season, and they have limited battery life and speed. 🛺️- Charter car: Good option for group or family travel, customizable itinerary, hassle-free, but more expensive. 🚍- Public bus: Economical but less flexible; remote attractions may require multiple transfers. 🚖- Yiba Travel: WeChat mini-program "Minyun Yixing," can reach most places but with fewer vehicles and longer wait times during peak season. 🚕- DiDi: Convenient within urban areas, starting fare 10 yuan, higher costs for rural attractions, and may be unavailable in some areas. 🏠Accommodation Recommendations 🎏- Near Longfengtou: Close to the beach, convenient for watching sunrise, well-developed facilities, many dining and shopping options. Such as Pingtan Jin Yongya Pavilion Resort Hotel (Longwangtou Beach Branch), offering first-line sea views to observe "blue tears"; Pingtan Haoxiang International Hotel (Longwangtou Beach Branch), with a gym and swimming pool downstairs. 🎏- Near Xihang Road: Convenient transportation. 🎏- Near Cuiyuan Middle Road: Convenient for daily life, experience local atmosphere. 🎏- Featured Homestays: 🎏- Captain's Homestay: Fishing-style granite exterior, warm in winter and cool in summer, where you can listen to waves, enjoy sea views, and feast on seafood. 🎏- Pingtan Yi Su Exquisite City Villa: Villa-style homestay consisting of three buildings, located in a bustling yet quiet area, with both classical and modern decoration styles. 🎏- September Beautiful Stay: Themed around "fishing, woodcutting, farming, and reading," stone houses paired with wooden furniture, full of island life atmosphere. 🎏- Beigang Century Stone House Boutique Homestay: Natural wood and pure white decor, simple design, rooms with independent character, plus seafood, barbecue, and a music bar. 🍱Food Guide 🎉- Seafood Feasts: - Adi Special Seafood Restaurant (Pingtan Tannan Bay Branch): Enjoy fresh authentic seafood by the sea. - Lin's Kitchen Fujian Cuisine (Pingtan Branch): Chinese-style decoration, authentic Fujian cuisine. - Hometown Nostalgia Fujian Folk Cuisine (Xihang Branch): Exploring special ingredients from Fujian, preserving traditional cooking techniques. 🪅- Special Snacks: - Grass Swallow Hero Stewed Grass Swallow: Taste the special stewed grass swallow, plus creative drinks like grass swallow ice cream and fruit jelly. - Tan-style Fried Buns: Popular among locals, fresh ingredients at affordable prices. - Auntie Chen's Oyster Pancake: Must-try fried specialty when visiting Pingtan. 🎊- Other Cuisines: - Lanthai Southeast Asian Cuisine: Full of Southeast Asian flavor, offering pineapple seafood shrimp fried rice, tom yum seafood soup, etc. - Wenhai Seafood Cuisine: Elegant environment, fresh dishes, sea urchin eight-treasure rice, Wenhai oyster sauce eel worth trying. - Qiqing Bullfrog Fish Head: Famous Chongqing brand, signature bullfrog fish head, unique secret spicy pot base. 📸Attractions 🪄North Route - Longfengtou Beach: One of the largest beaches in China, with flat and spacious shoreline, fine white sand, perfect for beach volleyball and other activities. Facing east, it's an ideal spot for watching sunrise. There's also kite surfing, seaside restaurants, and at night you can enjoy barbecue and DJ music. - Immortal Well: 22 yuan entrance fee, featuring cliffs and other natural landscapes, panoramic views, black reef rocks great for photos, generally open from 8:00 - 18:00. - Beigang Village: Filming location for "Where Are We Going, Dad?", rich in historical and cultural heritage, listen to the "singing stones", free admission, open all day. - Most Beautiful Island Ring Road: Enjoy endless ocean views and windmill fields along the road. - Mirror Sand: Super popular Instagram spot, known as Pingtan's Little Iceland, a black sand beach photo hotspot. - Changjiang Bay: Beautiful sunset views, enjoy an entire bay of orange sea sunset, full of atmosphere. - North Bay Ecological Corridor: Beautiful scenery, overlooking the sea and windmill fields. 🪄South Route - Houyan Island: The closest place to Taiwan, many photo spots, perfect for photography, free admission, open all day. - Tannan Bay: White-gold sand beach, good environment, many seaside activities including swings, free admission, open all day. - General Mountain: Large grassland, cattle herds visible on the mountain, located on the south side of Haitan Island, facing Taiwan across the strait to the east. - Dafu Bay: Small white bridge quietly lying on the sea, away from urban noise, romantic and beautiful. - Elephant Trunk Bay: Unique sandbar landscape resembling an elephant's trunk, only visible during daily high tide, excellent for drone photography. - Moon Bay: Blue water, fine clean sand, fewer visitors, a more secluded beach. ⚠️Tips to Avoid Pitfalls ✅ No need for guided tours, just follow travel guides. ✅ Avoid black taxis near airports and stations; choose DiDi or licensed taxis. ✅ Haitan Ancient City and Taiwan Town are overly commercialized, not highly recommended. ✅ Prioritize electric scooters for rental; bicycles are challenging for long distances and hills. ✅ Elephant Trunk Bay is best visited with a drone; otherwise not highly recommended. ✅⚠️ Definitely use sun protection; UV rays are strong by the sea. ✅ Compare prices when renting vehicles during peak season to avoid being overcharged. ✅ Check tide times before beach combing and wear proper protective gear. ✅ Watch for taxi drivers taking detours; use map navigation. ✅ Be aware of hidden costs for beach and sea activities; compare prices.

The most striking feature of the Vega Islands is the simple and traditional way of life of the local residents, which has remained unchanged for 1500 years, as well as their traditional ethnic crafts. The local residents rely on fishing and processing the unique local eiderdown in a relatively closed environment to make a living. The island has fishing villages, docks, warehouses, farms, and lighthouses, as well as traces left by humans who lived and survived here as early as the Stone Age. Since the 9th century, the Vega Islands have become an important production and supply center for local duck down and feathers. One-third of the island's residents rely on this as a source of income and have made significant contributions to the development of the down processing industry. Vega Islands Port

#staycation #yachtlife #usvi

Getting there-We woke up the day we were traveling thinking we were going to St Thomas via Miami. Instead the ac was broken on our plane and we ended up in San Juan taking Cape Air to St Thomas! The 8 seater commuter plane was a wild ride, but with absolutely gorgeous views. Next we took a taxi to the Crown Bay Ferry where we experienced a sunset ferry ride to St John. Max picked us up in his his open air taxi to take us on the roller coaster North Shore road to our VRBO in Coral Bay. We rented a jeep from the VRBO property managers in Coral Bay. Attractions - The first day we saw Salt Pond Bay, hiked to Drunk Bay.The second day hiked Lind Point Trail to see overlook on Upper trail and down to Honeymoon Beach back on Lower Trail. The third day stopped at Cinnamon Bay Factory Ruins before trying to snorkel with the turtles at Maho Bay, but surf was too rough. Went to Francis Bay and Annaberg Ruins on Annaberg Historic trail. We we stopped at Trunk Bay pictured above and spent a glorious couple of hours on this beach with the panoramic view.We saw Hawksnest Bay and went to National Park Visitor Center. We spent our last day on Hansen's Bay, a private beach, snorkeling and kayaking. Hotels - Stayed in VRBO in Coral Bay Food & Restaurants - Miss Lucy's, Skinny Legs, Morgan's Mango-, Irie Pops , Columbo's Shopping - Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay and gift shop at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay