USVI-On-Line

St Croix trip report
March 6-20
Part 1:http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/f ... hp?t=15986


Part 2:

Wednesday March 10 had weather that was beginning to turn around and get nice. After another great breakfast by Curt, I called Gecko ATV Adventures and booked an afternoon ATV excursion. We took off for Frederiksted and met our guide, Seth, at about 1:00pm. We drove up to Rainbow Beach, where the ATV’s are kept (across the road from Rhythm’s). After a short safety talk, blah blah blah, we were off! Curt & Melissa were on one machine, Holly on another, and Tami and I on the third.

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We made a couple stops along the way, Colorado native Seth did an excellent job telling us about the island and what we were seeing.
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Northshore
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West end & cruise ship pier
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After we had climbed to one of the higher points on the island, we drove down through the (sub tropical) rain forest – amazingly contrary to the dry, cactus laden east end of the island. The three hour tour ends at Rhythm’s, where we had refreshments and a late lunch/early dinner.
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Later that evening, after some time in the villa’s pool to fully rinse the dirt and mud off from the ATV tour, we walked over to Mahi’s, the restaurant/bar at the Chenay Bay resort for a few drinks and a few dishes from their app menu.


Thursday March 11 still didn’t have the best weather, but we made the best of it. We did an east/southeast end of the island tour, spending a lot of the afternoon at Ha’Penny (“Hey Penny”) beach.
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We then went out to Point Udall, the easternmost point of all of the US territories. Someday, I’m going to actually care what time it is enough to try and tell the time by the sun dial monument…
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Food porn alert: Thursday night we ate in downtown Christiansted at Bacchus, an absolutely incredible place with unbelievably decadent food. We ate there last year, and will each and every year we visit…
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Friday March 12 was another slow morning around the villa. We then took off for the north shore and Cane Bay, after a short shopping trip in Christiansted for T shirts for people back home, and Crucian hook bracelets from Sonja’s. Lunch was pizza at Off the Wall, on the east end of Cane Bay, and was very very good. Toes were in the sand here…
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The rest of the afternoon was spent at Cane Bay beach, finished off by drinks and sunset at Eat, an interesting, ‘upscale’ beach bar & restaurant on Cane Bay
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Saturday March 13 – St Patrick’s day parade day, and finally a bright sunny day. St Patty’s is the biggest party of the year on St. Croix. We were thrilled to be there for it and be a part of it!!
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Not many pics after the parade – back to the villa for pool time, sunset, and passing out!


Sunday March 14 was around the villa for most of the morning after an extra special greasy breakfast from Curt – just what the doctor ordered! We then headed for Shoy’s beach, which is by the Buccaneer resort, only a short drive from the villa. It was somewhat busy since it was Sunday and it was a nice day. Since it was Holly’s last full day, we then made another stop at the Schooner Bay market for her special requests for our late lunch back at the villa – grilled chicken and mac & cheese. Although no food porn pics, it was fantastic!
Tami’s sister Erin was the guest for the second week. Her flight arrived at about 8:30pm, and after getting her picked up at the airport and to the villa, we picked up some pizzas from the Cultured Pelican and took them back to the villa for all 6 of us to share.


Monday March 15 was Holly’s last day. After hanging around the villa & pool for the morning, we got her to the airport at about 12:30.
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From there, we went on further west and spent the afternoon at Rhythm’s. Again. A Celebrity cruise ship was in port, so it was cool to see the increased bustle of Fredriksted and the west end. After planting ourselves on the beach, we started chatting with the sheeple near us – as it turns out they too were from Iowa… Dinner was steaks and cheesy potatoes back at the villa. No food porn again, sorry!


Tuesday March 16: Curt’s breakfast, and a hike to Jack’s bay. The hike was much easier than last year’s trek to Isaac’s bay (the next beach to the east of Jack’s) since it was more of a maintained trail, but Jack’s was actually a bit of a disappointment due to the shallow rocks & reef making entry into the water all but impossible…
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Dinner that night was at Kendrick’s, another fabulous place in downtown C-sted. While some tables are inside, ours was in the courtyard of what were Danish government buildings.


Wednesday March 17 was shopping in C-sted, and another trip to Cane Bay. The waves were fairly strong that day, so while we tried to snorkel out towards the wall, it was just a little too rough. My 13 month old Olympus 1030SW waterproof camera decided not to be waterproof at about this time, too… saltwater is not friendly to electrical & battery contacts. Since I had downloaded pics recently to the laptop that we had taken along, I think I only lost about 100 pics from Tuesday and Wednesday…
We then tried to go to Rowdy Joe’s for lunch and homemade ice cream, but I think we caught them when they were closed between lunch and dinner. So it was back to Off the Wall for sandwiches and calzones enjoyed with our toes in the sand (when they weren’t in the hammock!).
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Back to the villa, fat and happy, and a walk to the beaches just a few hundred yards from the house. The girls had picked up a sea glass hunting habit and needed another fix…
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Thursday March 18 was Erin’s last day, so it was breakfast, pool time, and another trip to the airport for her 1:30 flight. After that, we spent some time with a realtor friend looking at a few condos that were for sale… Hmmmm…. Late afternoon lunch at the villa, and more pool time. Dinner was at Savant, which is just east of downtown C-sted. They also have seating inside or out in a courtyard – we chose the latter. Very cool atmosphere with palm trees and other greenery; candles, torches, and white X-mas lights; and despite the mosquitoes, we had a very nice dinner.


Friday March 19, last full day; weather was hot with clear sky and light breezes, as it had been most of our second week. We had yet to get out to Buck Island, so this was the day. A call to Captain Mike of the Jolly Roger set us up on the half day sail. We checked in at about 9:30, waved to friends back home watching us on the webcam, and then sailed out of the C-sted harbor to Buck Island at about 10:00am.
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First stop was on the west end beach of Buck Island, a wide stretch of super soft sand. Tami and I walked the beach while others tested their snorkel masks and fins. A longer stop here would have been nice, but the reef and coral grotto on the east end of Buck beckoned.
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We snorkeled about an hour, somewhat following the underwater trail markers (similar to those at Trunk Bay). No cool underwater pics, due to the aforementioned waterproof camera not being waterproof…
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After loading back up, it was time to sail back to C-sted. The cooler was opened, drinks were shared by all. A nice breeze pushed us to 8 or 9 knots, and we were back and tied up at 2:30pm. Captain Mike and First Mate Sarah did a great job; the tour is similar to those offered by others, such as Big Beards, but the Jolly Roger typically takes fewer people and was much more personal.
Another drink or two on the boardwalk, more time on the webcam while talking and texting people back home watching us online (who were telling us to just stay in St Croix, as another 6 inches of snow was falling in Des Moines) , finished up by a late lunch at the Fort Christian Brew Pub. After only snacking there last year, we were pleasantly surprised with the menu and food this year. I had a mahi sandwich that was fantastic!
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Saturday March 20 was breakfast of toast and cereal (Curt got the last day off), packing, one last dip in the pool, a few more Presidente Lights, and a goodbye to our villa. With plenty of time before we needed to be at the airport, we scooped thru C-sted, amazed at the bustle due to the cruise ship people (Royal’s Adventure of the Seas was in port in F-sted). We then went on over to F-sted for a drive by, again amazed at the difference when a few thousand extra people are around. Then it was one last trip to the airport, and simply locked up the Explorer and just left it in the airport lot for the Centerline folks to retrieve.
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After a couple visits to St Croix, we’ve really fallen in love with it and the people. So much so we are working with ‘our’ villa’s owner regarding another visit in 2011. With 13 cruises to our credit, we have visited a fair number of islands, including a few day trips to St John. We completely understand why so many people love it (as we do too). St John is arguably prettier overall, but to use a cliché, St Croix is real – real people with real lives and jobs, surrounded by multiple hues of blue water and white sand beaches. We get a feeling of ‘home’ when we’re in St Croix, and think it is truly a place where we think we could fit in one day and make our home - to live, work and play.

Ahhh Bacchus & Off the Wall..two of my favorites!

Thanks so much for the trip report and pics. STX has been on our list for a while. It looks like a beautiful island and sounds like there are plenty of nice beaches and places to eat. Are there places with good snorkling right off the beach anywhere on the island, or do you have to go to Buck Island? Buck Island sounds great, but we are looking for other snorkeling that doesn't require a boat trip.

I seem to recall reading about a National park there with kayaking. Have you been to the park on your previous trips?

Since I can tell you truly love STX, I wanted to ask your thoughts on the crime situation in the USVI. I just read an article in the St John Source about the homicides to date in 2010 (11 on STX, 9 on STT), which is pretty high compared to my hometown (I live in Virginia in Washington, DC suburbs). From your report, you seemed to feel safe hanging out in C'sted and F'sted since you went out to eat and shopping. You also drive through the countryside to various places (which is something we always enjoy). Any thoughts on the crime situation there?

thanks

The best snorkeling, in my opinion, is at Buck Island, then my favorites were Isaac's, Cane Bay, and the area around Pull Point, which was just a short walk from our villa.

We saw kayaking on the west end, at Rainbow beach, and from the Chenay Bay resort - a few people ventured out to Green Cay, a small island just off shore from the resort. The entire Buck Island area is National park - but I'm not aware of kayaking out there. It would be a good spot since the south side of Buck is fully protected by reef, but I know the park service is quite strict.

I had read plenty about crime as well - we basically tried to be aware of our surroundings at all times, especially at night. I think if you wanted to find trouble, you certainly could. There are areas in Des Moines that I know could be trouble at night - the same goes for St Croix.

We loved going for drives, just exploring. Never felt unsafe. We have yet to spend a lot of time on the north shore, around Carombola and the tide pools - next year!

tcltcl - have you used rental agencies on STX? How did you find "your" villa? On of the things we like is to stay on or very close to the beach

It seems like we shopped all the agencies last year to find the 'right' villa, and actually found this one on VRBO. I appreciated dealing directly with the stateside owner (except for the little issue with the key last year).

Great report! We love Off The Wall at Cane Bay - really nice owners from Wisconsin. I really liked your comments about the people of St. Croix – that’s how we feel, too.

Just jumping in about the kayaking - there is a really cool evening kayak trip up the Salt River, enjoying the phosphorescence –you can even see it on your blades. You can rent kayaks for your entire stay and some folks kayak from near Solitude out to Buck Island – I would think you have to be pretty experienced, though, because of the reef systems, you need to navigate Long Reef and Sneaky Reef. Lots of kayaking at Tamarind Reef at Green Cay.

We are returning to the same villa as last year, too. Island Time – just east of the St. Croix Yacht Club. For managed villas, Marti Gotts at Vacation St. Croix is our go to person: www.vacationstcroix.com.

We are down to two weeks to return now and getting antsy to just be there.

Thanks for the trip report!

- Margy

Your trip reports brought back some great memories from our only visit to STX in 2006. It is good to know that "things" haven't changed too much since we were there... Buck Island, Cane Bay, Kendricks, Rum Runners, the waterfront webcam, the Schooner Bay market, Sonja's etc...

We stayed in Christiansted; your mention of your many trips to the airport reminded me of the roads, traffic and confusion we felt between the two - my least happy memory. We hope to return one day - still have to see Point Udall.

What an exciting birthday... just the travel would have made for a special event. You did it right!

Thanks for taking the time to share the St Croix experience.

Thanks for the great report. Looking forward to our first visit in November.

there is a national park on st. croix: Salt River. It's a nature preserve and one of the largest mangrove estuary around. . It's on your way to North Shore, and you can also access it from (private area) Judith's Fancy. There's kayaking there and it's simply magnificent.