Birdie

I have been to Maui, Barbados, St. Martin, and St. Barths but St. Croix is now my favorite. I don't know whether it is my stage of life or the fact that I really needed a vacation but I fell head over heels in love with the island. It just has the right combination of charm, beauty, rusticism, and flavor without a lot of artificial glitz.

The Buccaneer played a large part in my love affair with the island. Comfortable and lovely, the Buccaneer has one of the friendliest staffs I have ever encountered. Michael, the bartender, greated everyone by name each night. Maria, the return guest manager, made sure every detail of your excursions was arranged. The waiters talked about the source of the salad greens and the fantastic Cruzan music scene.

We had two adjoining oceanside deluxe rooms, each with their own patio and picture window overlooking the sea. We slept to the sound of the waves.

The food at the Buccaneer restaurants was very good. With two teens, a complimentary breakfast buffet is a must. And they have grits!! We had dinner at the Terrace twice and had excellant food both times. The Mermaid has good sandwiches and salads for lunch and is steps from your beach chair.

One aspect of the Buccaneer that attracted me was the fact that they had 3 beaches. We actually only used Mermaid. It is a beautiful palm tree shaded beach. We never had trouble finding a chair or shade.

My two guys played golf at the course which they termed "a quirky little course". Whatever that means. I took a lesson with Don at the tennis courts which has helped me win in my home league for two weeks straight now, hooray.

We had three dinners in town. Maria recommended Savant and thanks to the fodorites here I knew to make resies at Bacchus and Kendricks. We thought the food at Savant was highly overseasoned. After we had spicy burgers at Cane Bay, we thought it was just an island thing until we had the fantastic food at Kendricks and Bacchus. My salmon at Kendricks was as good as any meal I've ever had. Sure, it could have been the rose-colored glasses I was already viewing the island through!We also had lunch at Duggans. A beautiful view and good food.

We took the Big Beard catamaran from the Buccaneer dock to Buck Island. What a fabulous place that is. The snorkeling at Buck Island is breathtaking. Schools of Blue Tang, barracudas, gorgeous coral makes the trip worth it. The Big Beard crew was very friendly and fun. It was only a half day and after I heard the description of the full day, I'm not sure the full is worth the extra cost. Both seem to offer the same amount of snorkeling time.

Another day was spent at Cane Beach. While the snorkeling isn't as wonderful as Buck Island, it is very good and you can see quite a few great fish. It's fun to watch the scuba divers head out to the Wall which is very close to the beach there. Cane Beach is a fun beach you can easily spend the day at. There are three beachside restaurants/bars there, one which even serves breakfast.

Birdie

Hit post too soon. Just wanted to add that we were planning our next trip to the island as we flew home and look forward to returning.

seasweetie

Thanks for posting your report, Birdie! I have been considering St. Croix for a while - partly because you don't hear a lot about it!

travelerfromtx

Sounds wonderful! Great trip report, thanks for posting it.

lovethecape

Thanks for the report Birdie. We'll be at the Buccaneer on St. Croix in 1 week. I will try to post a short summary when I return.

greenie

Great report. I've always want to visit STX and now you're report really intrigues me.

Wow grits in the caribbean! That's wild. We're from Atlanta and never see grits outside the south nevermind the carib...wonderful!

Is the sail to Buck Island a long one? or is it pretty short?

Did you rent a car?

Peace, Greenie

Birdie

Greenie - They use the motor with the sails up on the way over to the isand to speed up the trip. Then only sail power on the way back. The crew was very good about engaging the passengers in conversation, there are snacks and drinks aboard, and the view is lovely. I want to say that it was 45 min over and more back. Can't say for sure though.

We rented a car for two days. We were only on the island for 4 full days and 2 half days and the Buccaneer has a lot to do right there. We rented a Taurus size and had it picked up and delivered to the hotel.

lovethecape - let me know if I can answer any questions.

travelenthusiast

Thanks for the great trip report. The Buccaneer sounds very nice. How large of a resort is it?

Birdie

Big enough to offer a lot but not huge. Even during Easter week it wasn't crazy with tons of people. Go to www.thebuccaneer.com for more info.

ccrosner

Birdie--
Thanks so much for sharing your love of St. Croix and the Buccaneer with Fodorites. Of course, I have long been in that camp but it's always fun to hear others' reviews of both.

You definitely crammed a lot in during your stay. And I'm glad you had the chance to meet Maria who is a real gem! On our last day at the Buccaneer in February, she called my children on the phone and asked them to come see her. Then she took them to General STore and bought each of them an expensive present!!! Too sweet. Too bad that she steered you astray with Savant (many love it but our children don't) but you were right on with Kendricks and Bacchus.

Lovethecape....have a WONDERFUL trip. I'm jealous. And let us know if you have any last minute questions.

SuzieTrue

Research for next year's spring break.

lovethecape

Thanks Birdie and ccrosner 3 days to go! I'll report back.

caribtraveler

Enjoyed the trip report. Thanks for posting. We'll get to St. Croix one day.