TRAVIS TRAVEL TIPS
By Marie Delgado Travis
"American Paradise: U.S. Virgin Islands"
Some time ago, I promised an article on the Caribbean islands. This is a "Promise Kept" article, then. I'll start with the U.S. Virgin Islands (principally, St. Thomas and St. John) and we'll island-hop our way south in a future issue.
I begin by reiterating what I said in a recent article. Many people who visit the Caribbean do so by taking a cruise ship from Puerto Rico. My own opinion is that if you merely go from the airport to the dock and take the cruise without staying on the island of Puerto Rico for a few days, you are probably missing the best of the Caribbean. But then, my parents are Puerto Rican, so I admit I'm a bit biased.
Almost all of the cruise ships visit St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands. I am very sorry to say that I have encountered some of the rudest persons in the world there. And that's quite a feat, being a native New Yorker.
St. Thomas, of course, is a duty free port, famous for its shopping (liquor, cameras, jewelry, etc.) A taxi driver once tried taking off with our shopping items, as soon as I paid him. He knew full well they were in his trunk. Fortunately, there was a vigilant guard at the dock, who stopped him before he could get away.
On a more recent occasion, I had a reservation at Bluebeard's Castle, but was unaware that there was also a new resort by that name. When the cab driver at the airport asked "Which one," I didn't know. I didn't have the reservation form handy, so I suggested that he take me to the nearest one and I would check at the front desk. If it happened to be the wrong one, he could drive us to the other.
It's a very small island, so the entire process would take no more than a half an hour of his time. He was playing cards with the other idle drivers anyway. So I didn't think it was a huge imposition. In fact, my husband and I would get to see a bit of the island that way, worst case scenario.
The cab driver refused saying "If it's the wrong one, how do I know you're going to pay me to take you to the other hotel." He could have easily kept one of us in the car as ransom and presumably have our luggage in his trunk, while the other popped into the hotel for a moment to check. Of course, we planned to pay for his service! I became so angry that I insisted that my husband rent a car.
It turned out to our advantage. We learned through our hotel, which turned out to be the new resort, not the original Bluebeard's Castle that if you travel at night in St. Thomas, you should arrange for the same taxi driver to pick you up, since taxis are scarce at night. There are also some gypsy drivers riding about the tourist areas, who pose safety issues. Although we had to deal with driving on the left side of the road, we at least had the freedom of going where we wanted, when we wanted.
I was at Frenchman's Reef during Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Our floor (the top one of the hotel) was practically blown away. We were fortunate that our room was spared and we were allowed back at our own risk. After a few days, I began to note that everything was "Don't worry-be happy-no problem, mon" at the hotel, despite the fact that less fortunate tourists were sleeping in a conference room and still wearing the night clothes they had on when we were forced to evacuate our rooms. Every night there was another "Post-Hurricane Party."
It finally dawned on me that they weren't in any rush to see us leave, because we would probably be the last tourists they'd have for a while. We decided to become proactive in trying to leave the island and made our way to the airport on the same day it reopened. We were able to get out on one of the first flights.
The majority of the fellow hotel guests were stranded there for a few more days. Since computers down, their airline reservations were worthless and everyone was trying to get off the island at the same time. They were eventually evacuated by ferry to Puerto Rico about a week after the hurricane.
This is not to say we wouldn't stay at Frenchman's Reef again. It's an impressive property. But we probably wouldn't want to be there during the hurricane season again (June-November, especially the peak hurricane months, August-October). See
That year, there was little violence after the hurricane. I admired the St. Thomas people's stoic determination to get back on their feet as quickly as possible on that occasion. In the aftermath of later hurricane (I believe it may have been Andrew), there was widespread looting along Main Street, the shopping district. The situation became so bad that the National Guard was called in to restore order and cruise ships were diverted to St. Croix for many months, while St. Thomas recovered.
That said, St. Thomas has a number of attractions I would recommend. We enjoyed Iggie's restaurant at Bolongo Bay resort and sitting outdoors at the Bar and Grille at Magen's Bay Beach, site of a beautiful beach and famous golf course, Mahogony Run.
I understand that the Agave Terrace in the Point Pleasant Hotel has a beautiful view, but is pricey and food reviews are mixed. St. Thomas' Frenchtown and Waterfront areas house many restaurants. Sadly, my old favorites (The Chart House and Sebastian's) are long gone. So do check www.fodors.com and www.frommers.com to see what's trendy.
A sunset catamaran cruise from the area near Sapphire Beach is one of the most romantic trips you could possibly take. There are many cays (keys or small islands) in that area, making the view truly spectacular. Arrangements for sunset sails can be made through your hotel concierge.
The view from Drake's Seat of Magen's Bay Beach is also to die for and included in open air bus tours of St. Thomas. I understand that Mardi Gras Festival on the island of St. Thomas is quite a sight, with Afro-Caribbean costumes and street dancing to steel drum music.
I also enjoy shopping at the Havensight Mall, rather than Main Street. It's closer to where some of the bigger ships dock. There is also a K-Mart within walking distance, which I've been told has the lowest prices on liquor.
We've also enjoyed Coral Reef, an underwater aquarium. A small but cute beach called Pineapple is situated right next to the aquarium, so wear a swimsuit under your clothes. But do watch your valuables, as you would back home.
A great thing to do in St. Thomas is to go to Red Hook Bay and take an inexpensive ferry ride to another U.S. Virgin Island, St. John's. St. John's is much less developed than St. Thomas, because three-quarters of the island is U.S. National Park.
There is even an underwater park at Trunk's Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Snorklers will find a large variety of sea life in its crystalline waters. You'll find information on Trunk Bay and other U.S. National Park attractions on the island, including Coral Reef National Monument.
From the ferry's landing point, Cruz Bay, you can take an open-air bus tour around the entire island and the guide can either leave you at Trunk Bay or take you back to catch a return ferry. The shopping village of Mongoose Grove is an easy walking distance from Cruz Bay. It has a variety of colorful shops and restaurants.
St. John's makes a perfect day trip, but it is also a great place to stay. It has a wide range of places to stay from camp grounds and cabins, e.g. at Maho Bay, or one of my past favorites, Cinnamon Bay.
It's a pleasant hike from Cinammon Bay to the Annaberg, a former sugar plantation. If you choose to stay at a camp site or cabin, bring along mosquito repellant. After a rainfall, the mosquitoes can be very aggressive, especially at nightfall.
My camping days are over, fortunately. Today I would much rather stay at one of the island's two luxury hotels, the legendary "Rockefeller resort," Caneel Bay or the Westin Resort there.
Unlike my experiences at St. Thomas, I have found the people of St. John to be friendly and helpful. Their Friday Fish Fries and Reggae Parties are quite fun.
The third major U.S. Virgin island is St. Croix. Since I only visited once and only for a couple of days, I will reserve my commentary until a future visit. My first impression, however, was that its waters were an amazing blue, the shopping was quite good (especially fashions and Cruzan Rum).
I have heard that there have been safety issues and I find it strange that it is not a more important cruise destination.
In a future article, I'll briefly discuss some of the other Caribbean islands--some French, others British or Dutch. One of the advantages of visiting the U.S. Virgin Islands is that, currently, U.S. citizens do not require passports to visit those islands, English is spoken and U.S. currency is used.
For more information on American Paradise, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, see http://www.usvi.net/
MARIE DELGADO TRAVIS is an award-winning writer. She writes poetry and prose in English and Spanish. The opinions expressed are strictly her own. She looks forward to having the opportunity to give St. Thomas a more favorable review in the future. See her website: www.MarieDelgadoTravis.com
