steviegene

Hi all,

Still trying to plan a trip in the end of Feb/beginning of March - mostly stuck on where to go. We are a couple in our late twenties going on a last hurrah (since we have a baby due in July).

We have chosen the Caribbean but are only going for 4 nights, so we need a relatively easy flight that isn't too long/complicated/overly expensive.

I had originally thought about going to Jamaica, but decided that it doesn't really have what we want - as we want to do more than relax, we love snorkeling and there doesnt seem to be much in that area. The only place we have been to in the Caribbean is St. John, (which was wonderful, and probably spoiled us for other islands). We loved St. John for the snorkeling, cute and charasmatic downtown and variety of beaches around the island. We liked getting in our car and exploring.

So I thought about going to St. John again, but there are very few places to stay for just a few nights that don't cost a million bucks. We are pretty picky about our accomodations - we like a place with a comfortable atmosphere and beautiful furnishings, but don't want to spend more than $350-400 a night.

So heres what we want. We tend to be pretty active travellers - (though I know we may be a bit lower key with the pregnancy). We want plenty to do (easy hiking, sightseeing and options for day sailing trips), nice scenery, an interesing downtown and good snorkeling (important).

I am seriously considering St. Croix. We found a beautiful B&B that meets our accomodation requirements.

So Im wondering what anyone thinks of St. Croix. I am in the midst of research, but would love opinions. Especially in comparison to St. John. Would you consider it really touristy, secluded, low-key, etc.?
Do you think it may meet our needs in terms of activites and such?
Any info would be very very welcome and appreciated!! thanks!

ejcrowe

I think St. Croix could meet your needs. In terms of snorkeling, do a search here for Buck Island, which is a site where you can go for a half day or full day snorkel tour. It gets a lot of raves, so if you're worried about missing the snorkeling on St. John, read up on Buck Island.

steviegene

Thanks for the reply!

I am also just beginning to think about Virgin Gorda. Does anyone have a comparison of this island and St. Croix?

doug_stallings

The snorkeling in Virgin Gorda (particularly around The Baths) is superior to anything but Buck Island in St. Croix. But the deluxe resorts on Virgin Gorda are pretty expensive. Guavaberry Spring Bay is pretty nice and next to The Baths but definitely not luxurious. OF the two islands, Virgin Gorda is much more expensive than St. Croix.

steviegene

Thanks for the reply! Its kind of slow here on the Caribbean board lately. I appreciate the information!

Do you think Virgin Gorda is worth the extra expense?

Ive found St. Croix to be a little-talked-about island.
Do not many people visit there or something?

Is there any off-beach snorkeling there at all?

virginia

hi, in 2001 carnival cruise lines said they had experienced several crimes committed against crew & passengers on st.croix. as such they stopped scheduling stops there. others speculated that as there is more crime on st. thomas, and as carnival did not stop going there, that it had more to do with how much money they were making using the 2 ports.
in any event this bad pr hurt the st. croix travel industry and to this day they rarely recieve ships.
currently crime on st. thomas still exceeds that on st. croix.
i can't help you with hotel or snorkel info as i have not been to st. croix yet. however if you can afford virgin gorda i do know the snorkeling there is much better than st. croix. on the other hand your trip is quite short and you will use a lot of time getting to vg in that you would have to fly or ferry from tortola or st. thomas.

steviegene

Thanks for the info, but from what I've read the crime stats on St. Croix are vastly overstated. The crime rate in St. Thomas is actually higher.

Mostly I am looking for information about whether I will like St. Croix - or if I should keep searching. Basically I started out thinking we would definetly go to St. Croix, and now Ive totally confused myself. Mostly because its difficult to find information on St. Croix and what it is like. (for example, Is St. Croix really built-up? I just recently read in a Fodors guide that "its as easy to find a McDonalds as Caribbean fare". That does not appeal to me at all. I dont need total seclusion, but want a caribbean feel! )
Im still thinking about St. Croix, but am now also considering Virgin Gorda or St. Lucia instead.


Maybe I should start a new thread.
But if anyone can help, heres what Im looking for.

1. A "use-your-common-sense-and-you'll-be-safe" island with good snorkeling opportunities.

2. A place where we can drive around and explore, go from beach to beach, or site to site, enjoying the views and stops. Would be good if the island had a variety of activities or things to see to keep us interested. (But I will be 5 months pregnant at the time which does limit our activity level somewhat).

3. A short total travel time from NYC - that is relatively affordable (under $650 a person). (we only have 5-6 days total - so dont want to spend 2 travelling).

4. A pretty island, which is not too commerciallzed, built up or overwrought with condos/hi-rises on the beach, etc.. But still has a (preferably picteresque) town/towns for places to go at night for dinner/drinks.

6. Opportunities for a day-sail day-trip.

laplaya

I'd look @ Virgin Gorda & Tortola.. lots of great reviews of these British islands.

Callaloo

For whatever it's worth, I have a trip report (old) from St. Croix on my webpage. http://islandtime.homestead.com/stx91.html. Despite the antiquity of my report, I understand that things haven't changed much in STX since then, largely because it remains less-traveled. (My BIL owned a hotel there for some years, which he only sold a couple of years ago, so we kept up on what was going on.) Based on my recollections of STX, and what I've heard over the years, it will definitely meet your wishes.

As an alternative, have you considered Puerto Rico? Yes, San Juan is urban -- but it definitely has interesting historical sites. And once you get out of the city, it's less developed. And, the principal benefit is ease of travel and dozens of options for lodging.

I would also second the votes for the British Virgin Islands, which are either a short hop from SJU, or a ferry ride from STT. Very pretty islands, relatively un-commercialized (unless you're trying to grab a mooring ball at the Baths at noon), and safe for visitors. Just avoid Roadtown when a cruise ship is in port. Virgin Gorda is a bit more sleepy than Tortola, but Tortola is plenty laid-back, and has lots of options for reasonably priced accomodations, especially in the Cane Garden Bay area.

Congratulations on your new arrival, and good luck choosing!

steviegene

Callaloo,

I really enjoyed reading your trip report!
It has been difficult finding detailed information about St. Croix. It seems like a great place, but I just keep wondering why more people aren't visiting. We also found a wonderful place to stay - which compared to some of the places on Virgin Gorda is a bargain. It alls seems a bit "too-good to be true" and Im looking for the negatives.

I noticed that you have visited a lot of islands in the caribbean. Do you have a personal favorite?

laplaya

you can read about hotel
reviews at tripadvisor.com

laplaya

you can stay at caneel in st john in june for $400/nt

laplaya

the reason less people go to st croix is cause of the perceived notion of crime..whether its true or not, do not know, but i would do research


also there are MANY other islands i would choose before st croix.

I loved Bermuda & St. Lucia, but Bermuda is best for summer.

steviegene

laplaya,

I have been to St. John and loved it, however, we cannot go in June as I will be WAY too pregnant by then. In February/March I have so far not found any accomodations that really appeal to me - that are in our budget (less than $400-500 a night). Caneel Bay would be fabulous, but is currently at $900 a night for the cheapest room.

Have you been to St. Croix and St. Lucia? Can you tell me more about them? St. Lucia is one of the other places we are considering.

Callaloo

steviegene, in general, my favorite destinations are the Out Islands of the Bahamas -- but I wouldn't go there in Feb/Mar, as they can be chilly. I really love to get away from it all, and the beaches are nothing short of miraculous.

Aside from the Out Islands, I love Grenada. But it's way too hard to get there for anything less than a full week.

I'm surprised you are considering St. Lucia -- not that there's anything wrong with it (it's beautiful and lush), but I recall it being tough to get there. Not so much the flights, as getting to your destination from the airport.

Another couple of places occur to me for you to consider that aren't too hard to reach: Providenciales (though I would go in March), and Belize. Very different from each other, but both are world-class snorkel/dive destinations. Provo is pretty developed, but Belize is very laid-back and has a wealth of non-beach attractions (the beach is just OK). You can get to Ambergris Caye fairly easily from the US, though it typically requires 3 flights, the connections are good.

laplaya

St. Lucia is a bit farther, very lush, tropical, mountains, waterfalls. Lots of small coves to swim in. Also saw goats.

Have you looked at Hillcrest or Lindholm at St. John? $167 - $220.

I bet the airfare to St Thomas is less than St Lucia.

steviegene

Laplaya, thanks for the info. St. Lucia sounds lovely - though I am hesitant due to the warning that it is difficult to get to. We definetly don't want to spend 2 of our vacation days travelling.

I am admittedly a bit of a snob about accomodations, so neither of the places you mentioned does it for me - if you know what I mean.

I did find a lovely B&B "Garden by the Sea" on St. John - which looks great, but is fully booked for almost all of February and March.

The place we are considering on St. Croix is the Villa Greenleaf http://www.villagreenleaf.com , which is my kind of place, and (in my opinion) is a deal at $350 per night - high season including complimentary breakfast, afternoon hors d'oeuvres and a rental car! They also take care of you by booking daytrips, restaurants etc, in advance if you want them to.

So, in short I love the look of this place. I have not found something equivalent on St. John or in the BVI in my price range. But Im just nervous about St. Croix.

Have you been to St. Croix?

ishkribbl

Hope this does not post twice but it did not show up the first time for some reason....

Steviegene,
I have been to St. Croix although it was a long time ago. I considered going again about a year ago and did lots of research and found great places to stay and good reviews BUT I could not find reasonable airfare that had a decent schedule since we do not live near an airline "hub". If you can get there easily- I think U.S. Air flies in- go, have fun!

laplaya

we didn't have any probs getting to St lucia. just flew there, and took a quick taxi with no probs.

the people who live there are great.

ishkribbl

steviegene,
I looked at the Greenleaf website and the packages- personally, I think the 4 night package including breakfasts, a car, and the 3 "adventures" (snorkel trip to Buck Island on a catamaran, a sunset sail and the kayak trip) sounds like a very good deal! The place looks very nice and with a car you can explore the entire island. I did not read any reviews of the place but it looks to me like you found a good place!