We have vacationed on St. John, St. Thomas and other Caribbean islands. we are considering St. Croix for our April vacation, but don't hear much about that island....any advice??

I have only heard it referred to as St.Crime. That is all I know.

If you can afford to stay at the Buccaneer, go to St. Croix. It's a great resort.<BR><BR>If you go to St. Croix, visit Buck Island.<BR><BR>The beaches on St. Croix aren't as nice as many other islands. There is excellent scuba diving and pretty good snorkeling. Good island for golfers also.<BR><BR>Like St. Thomas, there are crime issues. You need to be careful where you go after dark and avoid isolated locations in the daytime.<BR><BR>It's larger than the other VI and less densely populated than St. Thomas.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

Responses like that of xxx above are hardly helpful, especially since they contain no first hand knowledge. St. Croix is a fairly well-kept secret, but has a great deal to offer. There are two superb golf courses and some of the best diving and snorkeling in the Caribbean. In addition, St. Croix has numerous excellent restaurants, also some of the best in the Caribbean.<BR><BR>It's true that the beaches are not as long and lovely as many other islands, but there are quite a few that are shorter and lovely. You also won't find the crowds that you would at better publicized islands.<BR><BR>As far as crime goes, I've been there 20 times. I stay in town, I do walk around at night and I have never had a single uncomfortable moment. Of course I exercise a lot of common sense, ask questions and heed advice, but I've been able to go every single place that I might ever have wanted to go without fear.<BR><BR>E-mail me if you'd like more info - I have a list of over fifty web sites related to the island.

Comments by XXX contain no firsthand knowledge. Excuse me, but I have a friend who owns a condo villa. They purchased it many years ago. She offered the accomodations to us some time ago. Her only advice was she didn't think it wise to go there alone with children. The crime was somewhat higher then when she and family had purchased. You don't even know me or are you qualified to comment on someones &quot;knowledge.&quot; You people make me laugh with your &quot;I can walk around at night down dark barely lit streets and I never left unsafe.&quot; Get real!

Uh, xxx, having a friend who owns a villa gives you SECONDhand knowledge at best, certainly not FIRSThand knowledge (unless you actually availed yourself of the use of that villa).

Precisely Tonya. xxx is just typical of the posters that we do not need on this site. And by the way xxx, if you would take the time to carefully read Joanne's post, you would note that she did not mention anything about &quot;walking around at night down dark, barely lit streets&quot;. She simply talked about walking around at night. Joanne's response was certainly informative and well-balanced and was based on her experience whereas yours was nothing more than a one-liner based on no experience at all and signifying nothing.

Did Reef Survey on St. Croix several years ago. Stayed at Sebastions, just down the road a couple hundred feet from the Bomba Shack, then stayed on Cane Bay Beach. Great reefs off of Cane Bay for snorkeling. Hike up through the sub-tropical rain forest and visit the beer-guzzling pig at a bamboo-walled pub. We stayed at the Hibiscus Beach Inn on the ocean beach. There was a vetinerian living next door who raced horses(big pasttime on St. Croix) and my wife rode his horses, for free, up and down the beaches for no charge! One was the decendent of Seatle Slew. The town of Christiansted was historic, and we enjoyed the walks and Dutch architecture. Would go back again. Robert

Agree with cdt---went to Buccaneer last year with husband and kids (3 and 7) and a great time was had by all. The beachside dubloons were as nice as most we've seen in the Carribean, the service was excellent and friendly and you can't beat breakfast each day on a hill overlooking the sea. Crime is definitely an issue, as all the local constantly warned us, but using good sense, we were able to go out of the resort and have a great time. E-mail me if you have specific questions.

Just got back. We watched a drug deal go down right in front of the cops. The cruise ships have pulled out since April so the locals are desperate for tourists. The local parks dept was awsome and the beach we were at was part of the park. We enjoyed ourselves but even the local officers warned us to stay in groups and on the recommended streets.<BR><BR>They will be getting 1 ship every other week now and the locals are really trying to make a good name with the companies again. The largely catholic population even opened stores on sunday am for us. The store owners ran the shops. The employees were all singing in church and it was a lovely sound.....

I just read the same negative comments about St. Maarten, so I'm going to post the same message here. Before I start, thank you to those who defended the place. EVERY island has something wonderful to offer. What everyone needs to remember about the Caribbean, is that these places are nodifferent than anywhere else. They were not put there by God solely for people to vacation. Paradise is not perfect. Governments and politicians are in charge, who make decisions based on greed (just like the US). The islands have the same social ills as anywhere else. People live there, raise their families, struggle to make ends meet and save up to take vacations so they can get away from it all, just like people on the mainland! When you travel anywhere else, you travel wisely, don't you? Well, it should be the same in the Caribbean. I know when we're on vacation it feels like time stops, but it doesn't. The same problems that plague the world plague paradise - no matter what island you go to, except for maybe St. Barth's (but @$10 for a bottle of evian, they can keep it) What I'm saying is, St. Croix really is no worse than the majority of the other islands in the Caribbean. There are great people and horrible people all living within close proximity of one another. When you go to the Caribbean, enjoy the food, the people, the beaches, the music, etc, but just be smart!

As someone who has been to nearly every major island in the Caribbean as a business traveler for the past 25 years, I can tell you that there are stark differences as you travel from island to island. Some have lots of social ills and crime issues, and you have to watch your back and be very careful where you go. Some do not.

When did they move Bomba's to St. Croix? Seemed to have misssed that tidbit. <BR>St. Croix has taken many hits even recently for the crime situation and it is a problem but for the most part does not impact on the visitors. It's a lovely rural island with great restaurants and good golfing. Buccaneer is a wonderful resort.

Want an amazing magical experience on St. Croix? While there, sail over to Buck Island. AWESOME! Clear water and beautiful white sand beach! While there you can snorkel, go for a short hike, have a great picnic, swim with sting rays, and stand amazed at how beautiful this world can be. Not to mention feel the sea breeze in your hair while sailing over. It makes you proud of yourself and think that all that hard work back in the real world was worth it. <BR>BUCK ISLAND IS A MUST!<BR>There are many places in St. Croix where you can hike to seculded beaches, swim naked, snorkel, sun bathe. It's a special island. I've been three times this year....just can't get enough. About crime, as with any destination even in America's hometowns, use common sense, be aware of your surroundings, and I would advise to walk about with someone at night. <BR>Carambola is nice, behind it is a great hike, It's unpublished so you may not read about it but if interested I can give you directions. It will carry you through a forest then through fields of tall grasses on top of a mountain then down to tidal pools where you can swim. My cousin and a bestfriend live there so they are able to show me these great places. Also, there is a great little outdoor bamboo bar hidden in the rainforest where you can get great drinks and watch pigs drink nonalcoholic beer straight out of the can! Ask for a mammawanna drink while there but if you do, make sure someone else drives!<BR>Enjoy your trip!

Make your own decisions - try reading this link - (Virgin Island Daily News.<BR>www.virginislandsdailynews.com

In general I am a defender of St. Croix, but in regard to Melanie's praise of &quot;secluded beaches,&quot; it should be noted that tourists have recently been mugged while visiting such locations (more than one incident).<BR><BR>I was comfortable going to secluded beaches when I first visited St. Croix 28 years ago but I would be more cautious today.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

be adventurous. give it a try. what the hell, fool!

i was there with my husband over a year ago and would not return! We stayed at the Carambola Beach resort...which was awful ... it was dirty and run down. THere is not much to do on the island....besides lay by the beach/pool. Have since been to places that blow St. Croix out of the water. I hear St. John is fabulous! Or try Aruba ... or if you can Hawaii...is one of the most magical places i've ever been.

unfortunately Amy you didn't really get to experience St. Croix. Carambola's long financial difficulties and its conversion to a time share didn't do much for the property which is rather isolated from rest of the island. There is beach and water activities, some gambling at the Divi, really good restaurants, some duty free shopping and an island to explore. At one time Carambola was one of the premier resorts in the Caribbean but no one has been able to recapture its reputation from the RockResort days. Let's hope that the new owners and elimination of that timeshare crowd does turn it around.

I just returned from St. Croix on Sunday. I read all the crime stories as well. We stayed for two full weeks in a villa home. We shopped for groceries, etc. most every day. Went to the holiday parades and visited different beaches daily. I had no one offer me drugs or never felt afraid. (A trip a month prior in Nassau I was offered drugs twice in 10 min) The house we stayed in was open air and would be very very easy to break in to. Unlike St. Thomas or St. John, you do see many local islanders (vs. transplants) in the downtown areas. You see homeless and lots of garbage about (unfortunately). You also see project type housing. There are a few nice resorts - Bucaneer and Carambola. I did not stay in the rooms but went to their restaurants and beaches several times. The Divi Resort is also okay and their villas are nicer. The casino is small and is full of the local islanders but they seem friendly. Many of the restaurants are owned or staffed by transplated folks from the States. I have been to numerous islands and would probably not choose to go back to St. Croix but it has nothing to do with crime. I just believe there are truly more beautiful islands - and I haven't seen them all yet.<BR><BR>Theresa