Seeking St. Croix Advice
 

We are considering the Buccaneer for a spring break holiday with our 5 year old. If you have experience with the family cottages at the Buccaneer, I would love to hear if there is a specific cottage we should request. Plus, do folks rent a car to go into "town" for dinner (the Buccaneer runs a shuttle, will that be fine or are there other sites to see that we would want a car for)? Also, if you have been to the Buccaneer, how is the food; will we be going off the resort for decent meals?
Sorry this is so vague; never been to the USVI and having a little trouble picturing things! All advice and comments welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Mary

P.S. All the posts in Rants and Raves about the Buccaneer were glowing, if you have differing thoughts would love to hear those, as well!!

Most of the posts on USVI-On-line are in reference to St. John but there are some recent posts on St. Croix.

http://www.usvi-on-line.com/usviforum.html

I have not stayed at the Buccaneer, but have rented a house on several occasions quite near the hotel, and have used the hotel for meals, tennis, etc. The cottages seem to be spread along a hill. If you want sweeping views and want to be near the lobby (at the top of the hill), I would ask for a cottage on the upper hill. If you want to be near the beach and beach restaurant, then ask for a beachside room. The hill is a bit steep, but I believe there is a shuttle, so you would not have to walk it every day no matter which part you stay on.

The food at the hotel in my experience is very good.

If you want to go into town just for dinner or shopping, then I think the hotel's shuttle would be fine, no point to rent a car, and you could take a taxi back if you miss the last shuttle. The hotel is probably 20-25 minute drive from town. You might want to rent a car for a day or so to drive around the island, as there is a "dry side" (where the Buccaneer is located) and a more "wet" tropical side, where the Carambola hotel is located (IMO the Buccaneer is a much better resort than Carambola, but the beach on which Carambola is located is quite pretty.) There are also some mountain inland areas. It is nice to see the different parts and try different beaches. There are also some restaurants at and near Carambola that you might want to go to.

A great casual place for breakfast, lunch dinner or sunset right on the beach at Cane Bay (not too far from Carambola) is:

Off the Wall
Route 80
North Shore Road
Cane Bay
Tel: 778-4771
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.offthewallstcroix.com/

Please try to take a boat daytrip to Buck Island for great snorkelling.

While I've never stayed at the Buccaneer, I can tell you the prices at the Carambola can be about half of what you pay at the Buc. We've been to Carambola twice - they are in the process of refurbishing the rooms. I suggest a second floor room which has a vaulted ceiling. The room has a king size bed and a living room area with a sofa - I think it pulls out to make a bed, but I'm not sure. We love it there . . . the beach area is beautiful but the swimming area to small due to sea urchins. We found it plenty big enough for the number of guests. The resort sits at the end of a road so you feel secluded - unlike the Buc which is much closer to town. I also recommend a rental car - this island is great to explore!

Thanks to all of you for your very helpful advice. Off the Wall sounds like our kind of place!

Beth--thanks for your suggestion; it didn't look like the Carambola had a kids' program which is nice for us to be able to get a break, but I appreciate your suggestion.

Any other thoughts welcome!

Mary

Glad to help you out even though I am one of those in the Buccaneer's rants and raves section. First, a caveat--my family and I LOVE the Buccaneer and are very biased about its services, people, accommodations and location. But that's because we've been there five times in the past 7 years and are returning in Feb. '05.

With all that said, I am happy to offer some info. I would highly recommend that you request Family Cottage Rooms 168 or 170. Our favorite is 168 as there is almost a 360 degree view of the Carribean (Room 170 has almost the same view). Rooms 169 or 171 are also good as they are high up like the others--just they do not have as complete a view (it's a bit hard to explain). The family cottages are the least luxurious of the Bucs offerings (I've toured all their room selections) but they were just renovated a year ago and are beautifully done. The bathroom is not marble but it is clean and roomy with an extra sink outside the bathroom. We love having a separate room and t.v. for our kids. And I love sitting on the patio in the early morning hours watching the day start with a cup of coffee and a view.

The food at the Buc is quite good but we prefer to eat dinner off site. The drive to Christiansted is about 10 minutes but their shuttle does not run at night. It's probably a taxi fare of about $20 RT for four of us. The Buc has their own stable of cabs who return to pick you up after your dinner (so no worries about getting back). We enjoy trying different places for dinner. Favorites include Kendricks, Rumrunners, and Duggan's Reef (about a 20 minute ride in the other direction).

We have not seen Carambola (except from the water) but think their location is too far out of town for dinners in town every night (although they do have other choices). I don't think, from what I've heard, that your five year old would do well at their beach.

Finally, our kids have been going there since they were 1 1/2 and 4 (they're now 7 1/2 and 10) and they LOVE the Buccaneer. They feel safe there and enjoy all they have to offer. They usually meet new friends and some we still see back at home. You will find that the families who vacation at the Buccaneer are very nice.

Just one person's opinion but we can't say enough about it.

I'm happy to answer more questions so please post again if I can help.

Although I agree that the Carambola's location is beautiful (we used to swim at Davis Bay before they built the resort!), I think a 5-year-old will have a better time at the Buc.

There's a lot to see on St. Croix and if I were spending a week at the Buccaneer, I would rent a car for maybe three days to do some exploring.

Buck Island is a must-see (you won't need a car for that).