The Cruiser's Guide to St. Thomas
Written: Jan 31 '07 (Updated Jan 31 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful beaches and lush landscape, great open-sided taxis
Cons: High-pressure sales in downtown area, waaaay too many ships docking some days
The Bottom Line: Hooray for sun and sand!
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| chelledun's Full Review: St. Thomas |
When I think of St. Thomas, I think of lush foliage covering interesting hilly landscape, beautiful beaches, and extremely aggressive diamond salesmen. This much-visited Caribbean island has become a frequent port of call for Caribbean cruises doing both eastern and southern itineraries. As Caribbean islands go, St. Thomas seems to be the prototype, offering the exact kind of attractions that foreign visitors flock to enjoy. I have been fortunate enough to visit St. Thomas three times, each for a day.
General Information
Located in the Caribbean Sea, St. Thomas is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. As one of the most popular cruise ship ports of call, it can easily have a half dozen ships in port on any given day. This is NOT a good thing, if you are there on that day. Choosing an off-season itinerary typically helps to avoid this problem. On our recent January cruise, "only" one or two other ships were in port, and the island did not seem as crowded on my previous spring break time cruises. St. Thomas lies just a short jaunt from St. John, and most cruise ships stopping here treat the islands as a pair and offer excursions to both. The island’s capital, Charlotte Amalie, is home to the largest shopping district. Ships docked at the Havensight pier can access Charlotte Amalie easily via a few dollar taxi ride or fifteen minute or so walk.
An additional shopping area for tourists is currently under construction at Crown Bay port, where some large cruise ships have now began to dock. Currently, the Crown Bay port offers little to linger for, and you will need to get yourself a ride to see anything if you have not booked a private or ship excursion and do not wish to pick one up at the dock. Expect to pay about eight dollars for a taxi ride into town for two people, and about $8.00 to $10.00 per person from town to one of the island’s beaches. It is extremely easy to get a taxi on this island. I recommend the wonderful open-sided vehicles to allow for some island breeze and plenty of photos
Common cruise excursions at this port include island tours, snorkeling trips at the beach, Coral World, and ferries to St. John. A word to the wise – St. Thomas is such a well-developed tourism port that booking an ship’s excursion is really, truly unnecessary. You will get a much cheaper rate and most likely a higher quality experience by either booking with a private tour operator or just using a taxi to get where you need to go. On our last trip we used Godfrey Tours V.I. for an island tour and transportation in town and the beach, saving over 50% off ship rates for an island tour alone. I have also seen various other St. Thomas tour companies highly recommended on cruise web sites message boards. Just do a google search and see what you come up with.
Beaches
As with any beach-filled Caribbean island, dozens of activities are available on St. Thomas. Visitors can scuba, snorkel, parasail, jetski, kayak, or engage in any other activity one does in the water. I’ve visited three of the main beaches and found Megan’s Bay to be the most beautiful. Be sure to get a jaw-dropping view of this beach from a high elevation even if you aren’t able to visit it. My family spent a relaxing day here several years ago and enjoyed the calm waters and people watching. We actually saw some totally nude swimmers, which I think is technically…not allowed. I think Sapphire Beach is almost as beautiful, and it seems to be less crowded than the others despite the giant resorts built along it’s waters.
For a little bit of everything, head to Coki Beach. This beach is not as large or beautiful as either Megan’s or Sapphire, but its varied activities make it a great pick for a family or the easily bored. You can rent a lounger, enjoy some music, purchase a drink, or take a break from the sun and spend some time at nearby Coral World with your children. While Coral World is a bit overrated as an aquarium, it offers great shower and toilet facilities for sunbathers if you are willing to pay for admission. We snorkeled at Coki Beach one year and found it a good pick for beginning snorkelers. While the beach is pretty protected, the reef bordering it invites a variety of aquatic life. You’re guaranteed to see, at the very least, some pretty fish with a minimum of effort.
Worth noting – when thousands (literally, thousands) of tourists are in port, these beaches may be far too crowded for the needs of a serious snorkeler or underwater photographer. In such a circumstance a ferry to the less visited island St. John may be a good option. You can catch it at Red Hook Bay for just $6.00 round trip.
Downtown Charlotte Amalie
I have to be completely honest – I do not love this main shopping district of St. Thomas. While Caribbean vendors can be a bit aggressive on most of the islands, I find St. Thomas to be a whole different level of “hard sell.” In my opinion, the situation has gotten markedly worse over the last ten years since our first visit. Vendors will solicit you for tours on the outskirts of downtown, and cajole you to come into their shops on the inside. On our last trip, we were approached by one or more vendors approximately every three feet. I had one woman grab my hand and stamp it with a three square-inch stamp containing the name and address of her store which really, really did not want to come off for the rest of the week. Once you enter a shop, you will be approached by seven people asking to help you and putting pieces of jewelry into your hands to try. Personally, I even get annoyed by overzealous clerks at Express, and I would never buy anything under these high-pressure circumstances.
If you can handle the heat, practically everything you could ever wish to buy at a cruise port can be found in the downtown stores. Popular items include duty-free liquor, fragrances and makeup, purses, and diamonds, diamonds, diamonds. Diamonds International is the biggie, and seems to have some kind of partnership with the cruising industry as the store has been much-hyped on every ship I’ve ever sailed on. The stores, though, have generally become homogenized and Americanized, with many featuring the same merchandise or items that are interchangeable with those sold on other Caribbean cruise ports or in the United States. I guess my point is that I find the island shopping experience to be somewhat overrated in general and suggest heading straight out of town to enjoy the truly beautiful portions of St. Thomas.
Other Island Sights to See and Things to Do
If you are new to St. Thomas or touring with someone is, an island drive tour is a must-do at least once. You will not only enjoy some wonderful vantage points from the island’s lush hills but also develop an appreciation for the skilled drivers who maneuver open-sided taxis over these roads on a daily basis. Organized tours typically make a stop at Mountain Top. This tourist oriented shopping area offers beautiful views of Megan’s Bay and a bar that makes fabulous banana daiquiris. Even if you don’t typically like banana or daiquiri, you will most likely find yourself with one in hand. Additional fabulous views can be had from Drake’s Seat. According to island lore, Sir Francis Drake used this very spot as a vantage point to keep an eye on all the maritime action below. Fort Christian, located adjacent to downtown Charlotte Amalie, is an old fort that can usually be toured. It was under serious renovation and closed during our last visit, but should open with new museum exhibits soon. If golfing is your goal, Mahogany Run Golf Course offers 18 holes of play. I don’t know how good the golf is, but I imagine the setting is unbeatable.
Even if you’re only in port for a day trip, its fun to check out the resorts enjoyed by overnight tourists and fantasize about a longer trip. Personally, I find myself oriented more toward the older or more cozy looking hotels than the modern luxury ones. I love the look of Bluebeard’s Castle Resort, a historic hotel built around a 1600’s fortress. If we ever stay in St. Thomas overnight I will have to stay here just because it’s so cool. Hotel 1829 downtown is also chock-full of history, having been in operation since – you guessed it – 1829. Don’t worry, those seeking more traditional luxury accommodations have their pick of Ritz Carlton and Wyndhams.
Overall…
St. Thomas is a very nice Caribbean island and offers something for every vacationer. While the high-stress downtown Charlotte Amalie shopping area is not my personal cup of tea, I do very much enjoy this island’s national beauty, efficient transportation, and relaxing beaches. You can't go wrong with a cruise port stop in St. Thomas. Get yourself a banana daiquiri and enjoy your day.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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