St. Croix?
 

What is St. Croix like? I don't see alot of people talk about it on this board.

St Croix is very much a working class island. They have a big oil refinery and sugar industry. I was not at all impressed by St Croix, but I was only there once. They had a devasting hurricane in 1989 and still blame their poor economy on it! There are lots of more desirable islands to visit.

Lacks nice resorts.<BR>Crime is reported to be worse than St. John.<BR>Not a popular place for the US tourist.

Kamel, almost all the islands have worse crime than St. John. I am sure you ment St Thomas.

We used to visit St. Croix when our relatives had a house there (free place to stay!). Unfortunately, they sold it.<BR><BR>I think the two biggest reasons the island doesn't get more tourists are (1) beaches that are OK but not outstanding; and (2) crime reputation. I've found that people on St. Thomas claim crime is worse on St. Croix, and vice versa. In reality, I think it's about equal. Not as safe as some islands, but not the "jungle" some people would have you believe.<BR><BR>Compared to St. Thomas, St. Croix has more elbow room - about the same population but with considerably more square miles. Slower-paced. Hilly, but not as steep as the other Virgins. Nice tropical vegetation, although drier on the east end.<BR><BR>In my opinion, the Buccaneer on St. Croix is better than any resort on St. Thomas and I would stay there in a minute if I could afford it. Other than that, it's hard to find a decent hotel on a good beach. Buck Island is a wonderful place. I understand that scuba divers really like the "wall" on the north side of the island. Good island for golfers (an 18-hole course at the Buccaneer and a better one several miles west of there).<BR><BR>The oil refinery is a non-issue unless you go out of your way to find it (in case you're homsesick for Aruba).<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

I love St. Croix, but I do not believe that it gets as much publicity from the USVI tourism bureau. To comment on some of the other responses (and add a few of my own):<BR><BR>- Yes there is a huge oil refinery, but you really do have to hunt for it - you only see it when going to/from the airport. There has been no sugar industry on the island since the 1930s. <BR><BR>- The island itself is very much recovered from hurricane Hugo (1989) but people persist in reminding others about it, so the economic damage continues in that respect.<BR><BR>- There are several extremely nice, upscale resorts: The Buccaneer, the Carambola, the Divi, and Villa Madeleine, as well as numerous nice mid-priced hotels.<BR><BR>- It't true that the beaches are not as long and beautiful as on the other USVI, but there are enough nice ones to keep most people happy.<BR><BR>- Statistically crime is actually worse on St. Thomas, but on both islands it is largely local on local. The recent pullout by Carnival Cruises from St. Croix cited crime as a factor, however the crime involved crew members looking for drugs and women in known areas where no tourist practicing the same reasonable precautions as at home would go. The real reason was the governor's renegging on an agreement to allow the cruise line to build a large pier and mall on St. Thomas. That island is too popular to drop from the itinerary so St. Croix was dropped to "punish" the USVI government and to use as leverage.<BR><BR>- Lots of open space and a widely varied terrain (desert, rain forest, flat grasslands, mountains). Population is much lower than St. Thomas, with more than double the space.<BR><BR>- Some of the best diving and snorkeling and diving in the Caribbean, which for some reason is not publicized by the government.<BR><BR>- Some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean.<BR><BR>- Shopping is less than St. Thmas (what place isn't?), but enough to keep me happy. <BR><BR>- Not as close to other islands as St. Thomas and St. John if you want numerous day trips.<BR><BR>- Numerous historical sites and museums, which I always appreciate in a destination.<BR><BR>I've been to St. Croix 19 times. If you'd like more information please feel free to e-mail me.