usvi-on-line
St. Croix $399 - 4 days w/ air!
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California Girl
St. Croix $399 - 4 days w/ air!
I just got my Travel Zoo VIP e-mail and there's a great deal to St. Croix! Wish I could take advantage of it!
http://vacations.travelzoo.com/caribbea ... mail_top20
http://vacations.travelzoo.com/caribbea ... mail_top20
Thanks for the heads up on this offer. We booked our getaway to STX last night. The price was right and I definitely think we'll need some sun and warmth come Oct. if this summer doesn't start soon in New England. This will be different from our usual STJ trips as we are staying at a resort (Carambola) and STX I hear is a little busier than STJ. Any hints about the island and favorite places would be appreciated. We are still going to try to plan a trip to STJ in the spring but we just couldn't wait for our tropical fix.
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California Girl
Awesome!khud - Are you renting a car? Carambola is a very pretty property but a bit far "out there" on the north shore of STX. Along that coast is the Cane Bay Beach, Columbus Landing and the Salt River for kayaking. If you are divers you can dive "The Wall" at Cane Bay. For eats: Off The Wall Beach Bar at Cane Bay, Bogie's, The Waves, Rowdy Joe's - all east of Carambola but on the same road. Carambola is the end of the line going west on the North Shore Road (80). You will need to come back east and go south to head into F'Sted to the west or C'Sted to the east.
Here's a good resource for beach info and planning: www.gotostcroix.com
I have a six part trip report with pictures posted here on my April trip to STX - search under Margy Z. There are a few pix taken on the north shore and at Carambola Happy to help - post or PM me with questions.
- Margy
Here's a good resource for beach info and planning: www.gotostcroix.com
I have a six part trip report with pictures posted here on my April trip to STX - search under Margy Z. There are a few pix taken on the north shore and at Carambola Happy to help - post or PM me with questions.
- Margy
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California Girl
I knew that I could count on you Margy Z. I had remembered reading your trip report and was hoping that you'd have some tried and true spots for us. We will definitely be renting a jeep to get around the island. The location of Carambola is a plus for us as we like 'out of the way'. We have never stayed at a Caribbean Resort and look forward to being able to leave our room and walk down the beach. We love to snorkel so hopefully the snorkeling off the beach is good. I am beginning to familiarize myself with the layout of STX and reading reviews to pick up tips. We are trying to do this trip as cheaply as possible and not being able to cook in our room is problematic. We'll probably hit the market and stock up on stuff for breakfast and lunches that will fit in our mini frig. We will not have time to 'do' STX like we'd want to but this trip is more about relaxation and less about seeing it all. As it gets closer to Oct. I will be PMing you with questions. Thanks.
khud
We stayed at Carambola 5 years ago...oh my god it's been 5 years??? Anyway. I loved it. It is a very secluded resort. I would try to get a unit on the beach & on the second floor. Second floor has cathedral ceilings. We were a few feet from the ocean..screened in porch. It is not your standard hotel room. Kind of cabin like, all wood, shutters, etc. We did not eat there much. Hubby has done numerous trips to STX for business so he knew his way around. We went off for breakfast & dinner most days. Lunch was cheese & coldcuts stored in the mini fridge with the coke for my cruzan rum :)or we also went to "off the wall" for lunch. All locals, great view. For breakfasr we went to a little place just down the road from the Gentle Winds condos. It is attached to a dive shop on a canal. Excellent breakfast, not far.
Not too many cons...no cell service, you are in a valley, work out room sucks.
PM me for link to my pics if you want
We stayed at Carambola 5 years ago...oh my god it's been 5 years??? Anyway. I loved it. It is a very secluded resort. I would try to get a unit on the beach & on the second floor. Second floor has cathedral ceilings. We were a few feet from the ocean..screened in porch. It is not your standard hotel room. Kind of cabin like, all wood, shutters, etc. We did not eat there much. Hubby has done numerous trips to STX for business so he knew his way around. We went off for breakfast & dinner most days. Lunch was cheese & coldcuts stored in the mini fridge with the coke for my cruzan rum :)or we also went to "off the wall" for lunch. All locals, great view. For breakfasr we went to a little place just down the road from the Gentle Winds condos. It is attached to a dive shop on a canal. Excellent breakfast, not far.
Not too many cons...no cell service, you are in a valley, work out room sucks.
PM me for link to my pics if you want
Yeah, that email caught our eye, too. But once we added in the xtra for flying out of Dallas and taxes etc., we got a terrific deal in Punta Cana, AI, for a week!
Carombola has a very nice beach and facilities (we did not stay there, just used the beach). We had a villa just down the road. We spent many hours at a place on Cane bay called "spratnet". Clarence is the owner and will talk your ear off. Good drinks, cold beer, and he does a pig roast on Sundays for, I think, $14 per person. It was fun and there was live music. Since we had the villa, we cooked most of our meals in. However, if you read Marg's TR, she talks about a gas station that serves roti - they were honestly the best roti I've ever had. Cheeseburgers in Paradise (on the hwy going east) is OK. I found most food to be relatively affordable, especially compared to STJ. The grocery prices are comparable to home. It may be worth it to bring a cooler with you for your beverages, etc. Joe's was wonderful - great food, but a little expensive. Lobster Trap (?) was terrible. Off the Wall was great one night (nachos) and bad the next time. Nate's in C'stead was very good (appetizers). We spent a lot of time at the Brew Pub in C'stead. We went to two places in F'stead - can't remember the names right now. They were OK.
If you are driving, please remember to wear your seatbelt. We got pulled over in F'sted going 2 miles/hour looking for a parking spot. One of the passengers did not have seatbelt on. Ticket=$50!!
but, don't worry about having a beer while you drive!!
Have fun.
Island is really easy to get around (we brought our GPS). There were so few people there (May 31-June 9). Most beaches were completely empty; restaurants empty as well. For siteseeing we went to Botanical Gardens, tour of Fort, Cruzan tour, and the park at the far east end of the island. We toured the Governor's house and made a trip to see the drinking pigs - hillarious!!! Found a place in the rain forrest where a guy makes furniture and other things out of the fallen mahogany trees. Nice side trip and bought a beautiful cutting board.
All in all, we would go back (especially w/a deal like you got), but if was between STX and STJ, STJ would win.
Carombola has a very nice beach and facilities (we did not stay there, just used the beach). We had a villa just down the road. We spent many hours at a place on Cane bay called "spratnet". Clarence is the owner and will talk your ear off. Good drinks, cold beer, and he does a pig roast on Sundays for, I think, $14 per person. It was fun and there was live music. Since we had the villa, we cooked most of our meals in. However, if you read Marg's TR, she talks about a gas station that serves roti - they were honestly the best roti I've ever had. Cheeseburgers in Paradise (on the hwy going east) is OK. I found most food to be relatively affordable, especially compared to STJ. The grocery prices are comparable to home. It may be worth it to bring a cooler with you for your beverages, etc. Joe's was wonderful - great food, but a little expensive. Lobster Trap (?) was terrible. Off the Wall was great one night (nachos) and bad the next time. Nate's in C'stead was very good (appetizers). We spent a lot of time at the Brew Pub in C'stead. We went to two places in F'stead - can't remember the names right now. They were OK.
If you are driving, please remember to wear your seatbelt. We got pulled over in F'sted going 2 miles/hour looking for a parking spot. One of the passengers did not have seatbelt on. Ticket=$50!!
but, don't worry about having a beer while you drive!!
Have fun.
Island is really easy to get around (we brought our GPS). There were so few people there (May 31-June 9). Most beaches were completely empty; restaurants empty as well. For siteseeing we went to Botanical Gardens, tour of Fort, Cruzan tour, and the park at the far east end of the island. We toured the Governor's house and made a trip to see the drinking pigs - hillarious!!! Found a place in the rain forrest where a guy makes furniture and other things out of the fallen mahogany trees. Nice side trip and bought a beautiful cutting board.
All in all, we would go back (especially w/a deal like you got), but if was between STX and STJ, STJ would win.