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Favorite thing: A few things that I didn't quite realize when we were booking this trip which may be helpful:
* The water is not purified so you cannot drink tap water. My boyfriend and I went through around 9 gallons of water in a week.
* The island pretty much shuts down in September. The locals/homeowners use this time to make repairs to their homes, boats, etc.
* If you are renting a vehicle, make sure you get a jeep! Despite reading several reviews that said otherwise, we thought we would be fine with a car since we were staying on paved roads, but even the paved roads got pretty dicey in some areas. We were careful enough but managed to lose a hubcab and get more dents/scratches on the car.. it was in pretty bad shape to begin with.
* Streets are not marked very well! Make sure you have some good maps! Also people drive crazy! The streets are very windy.
* We shopped in St. Thomas on the way over as we heard it was cheaper, but I was not prepared for paying literally double what the groceries would cost in the U.S. at Kroger, Publix, etc. $7-$10 for a gallon of milk. We shopped at Food Centre on the way to Red Hook ferry.
* If you rent a car on St. Thomas and take the ferry over, it's worth it to pay the extra $4 to buy a one-way ticket each way so you dont have to wait for the same ferry company to take you back that you took on the way there. There are a few that operate at different times.
* The north side of the island gets a lot more rain than the south side. We stayed near Coral Bay and it only rained a couple times over the week, during the night. The one day we spent at Cruz Bay it was raining/sprinkling off and on all day. This was our experience in August which is rainy/hurricane season. Not sure how it is during peak season.
* Coral Bay is a lot smaller than Cruz Bay... everything is fairly spread out so there isn't much of a little town area to walk around like Cruz Bay.
Updated Aug 31, 2009
Favorite thing: Snorkeling around the island (Quai) off Cinnamon Bay, St Johns (but don't stay there if it's buggy) or snorkeling off Saphire Beach St. Thomas.
Fondest memory: The snorkeling around the island off Cinnamon Bay, was unreal. Thousands of fish (you'd feel like you were snorkeling through a blizzard of tiny silversides, large green turtles with gentle eyes allowing us to swim with them, six foot tarpon swimming benignly past us, turquoise and orange parrot fish, colorful angel fish, truly amazing; bathtub temperature water, as clear as a swimming pool. Could see 50 feet down. Also snorkeling off Saphire Beach St Thomas was spectacular. I had never snorkeled before and probably spent 6 hours a day in the water. I'd go back in a minute. So would my husband and college age kids.
Enjoyed lunch and beer at Woody's in St John, an American hole in the wall with Red Sox posters on the wall, and excellent grilled fish.
Written Oct 20, 2008
Favorite thing: I loved the tropical plants and flowers
Beaches were very beautiful. I was there in the summer in the 1970's. Very hot, but not unbearable.
Lots of poverty there though and our motel room was broken into while we were in it - nothing taken though or any injuries
Updated Oct 20, 2007
Favorite thing: Take them back to slap their travel agent silly for booking a trip to The Westin- St. John! Dirty, run- down, over priced, and full of gloids from other planets, or at least they seem so. Just NOT a good value or appealing resort at all.
Fondest memory: Leaving The Westin.
Written Aug 12, 2004
Favorite thing: Mountainous islands sprout from expansive sapphire waters like great bulges of green fuzz rimmed by the most minuscule sliver of white-sanded beach. This was among the vistas I experienced after flinging open the door to my villa's balcony and gazing out upon the remarkable landscape before me: sunbathed crags struck violently by foamy waves, silhouetted hillsides framing billowing white sails, the swift wind gently caressing the nearby palm fronds while hastening the progress of the clouds above; a swift change in the aerial landscape played out a vast chess match amongst the heavenly bodies jostling above.
Written Jun 15, 2003
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Favorite thing: When I stayed I found a place that had a bar be que every Sunday right on a coconut palm lined beach, 'Kathy's Fancy". I wonder if they still do that now? It was great, swim and eat, rest under a palm tree, very nice.
Fondest memory: There are many as I returned yearly for a long time. I guess watching the Rashtamen cutting coconuts from the tall palm trees at Pelican Cove and then opening them for my children was a thing to remember.
Written Feb 25, 2003
Favorite thing: St. Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands about 80 square miles. A fun place to visit with many different aspects to the island. Old historical buildings and new hotels, beautiful beaches and a lot of sail boats. I stayed there in 1982 for several months with my family. It was nice, and a wonderful place to take a family to visit.
Written Feb 25, 2003
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Favorite thing: New Years at Foxies BVI.
The nice thing about living in the VI is the boat trips to other Islands: Sandy Key, Norman Island, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda...
You can walk around the entire Island of Sandy Key in Five minutes, Jump Naked of the "Willy T" and recieve a free tee shirt, Go visit with Foxie on Jost Van Dyke at New Years for the wildest party in the world then calm your head with a painkiller from the Soggy Dollar but your gunna have to swim for it, or to just relax in the baths on Virgin Gorda and what ever you do -- do not forget your mask & snorkle.
If you do make it to St Thomas the one trip that you must take is the Eco-tour guided Kayak trip through the only remaining VI mangrove lagoon.
Fondest memory: Most of the People are brutily Honest and freindly and they look out for each other
your never homeless or with out food or drink in the Islands
Unless your a psycotic crackhead freek who speaks in tungs to the lamp post, strips off all your clothes and takes a stroll down the water front.
Then no one will want to go near you!!
Back to the question of ---
My fondest memories in St Thomas have to be:
1. the photo shoot at sunrise on Saphire Beach with my best freind Brooks
2. The drum circles and camping trips to Neltyberg and Stumpy
3. The shooting star that fell from the sky out of the big dipper as My freind Amber and I stood ankle deep in the waves at Hull Bay saying goodbye to our Freind Chris Adams.
Written Feb 25, 2003
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Fondest memory: Dancing on the ship was fun while it was rocking back & forth. Fortunately, all the old
people were on a different part of the ship that night, so we got to take over the Nightclub. The DJ played all my cd's I brought down from my cabin. We got to dance
to Iggy Pop while the ship swayed back and forth!! The waiters brought us Greyhounds and I danced all night!!!!
Written Sep 7, 2002
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Favorite thing: Trunk Bay is a gorgeous expanse of white sand beach that you usually have to get to
by a bus tour. There is an underwater snorkel trail that you can follow that's kind of
like a hiking trail with markers and explanations. I think it's one of the largest in the
carribean.
Written Sep 7, 2002
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Reviews and photos of U. S. Virgin Islands attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for U. S. Virgin Islands sightseeing.
Trunk Bay is a gorgeous expanse of white sand beach that you usually have to get toby a bus tour. There is an underwater snorkel trail that you can follow...
132 members live in U. S. Virgin Islands
Q: Hello all, We are a couple in the mid 20's and are on vacation next week. We found a pretty sweet airline promotion that brings...
A: long question short answer, USVI includes St Thomas, St John, and St Croix. all beautiful, with a more commercial front in St Thomas main street. once there why not try...
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