St. Croix info please
 

My fiance and I are heading to the island in Feb for 9 days. We are staying at Mill Harbour for 7 of them but need a place to stay for the last 2 nights of the trip. We are using frequent flier miles to get there and back so we have to stay 2 extra nights - Darn!! Any thoughts on a different place to stay and/or on Mill Harbour would be great. We are both 30ish and fairly active. Scuba diving will be our main activity. Thanks for any help.

If you're both divers, you might enjoy spending those 2 nights at one of the hotels on Cane Bay: The Waves At Cane Bay or the Cane Bay Reef Club. These are not fancy places. Not expensive either. Popular with divers due to proximity to The Wall.

A more upscale choice would be the Divi Carina (the one with a casino), and nicer yet is the Buccaneer. Or you could stay in town for less $$ - the Caravelle is a good choice there.

Definitely do a day trip to Buck Island.

cdt, Thanks for the info. I'll look into the dive hotels but the casino sounds like it could be fun. We may be finished our diving by then b/c it will be the last 2 nights of the trip. Buck Island is def. on my list of trips to take while on the island. Do you advise having a car for most of the trip? I am going to check with the dive shops about pick-up and return shuttles. Thanks again!

I may be biased on the car question, because I like having a car everywhere I go (although I didn't rent one in Jamaica).

St. Croix is larger than many other Caribbean islands (e.g., St. Thomas or St. John), and it's nice to have a car to explore. If you're going to check out various restaurants, you'll find that most are at least a few miles from your hotel.

Mill Harbour is a fairly short distance from Christiansted, but the Divi and Cane Bay are farther out (in opposite directions).

I would recommend a car for at least half of your stay. Fortunately, rentals tend to be cheaper than they are on non-U.S. islands.

By the way, one other moderate hotel that people seem to like is the Hibiscus, which I believe is quite near Mill Harbour.

Thanks again cdt, I am going to book the hotel and car soon. I'll post another reply just in case you are curiuos and then try to give a report after we get back.

I always stay at the Caravelle on the waterfront in downtown Christiansted. It provides wonderful access to the shops, historic sites and wonderful restaurants within walking distance. If you are not 'scuba'ed out by that time there is a terrific dive shop - St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventure (SCUBA) - on site, and the trips for Buck Island depart from a site less than a block away. The staff at the Caravelle is fantastic.

I too think you will want a car for part of your stay. I recommend GoldMine car rental - his cars are new and clean, his rates are the lowest on island, and he is easy and flexible to work with.

Joanne, thanks for the info. I will be calling the goldmine company for the car. I saw a recomendation for them elsewhere - maybe your's??. We are still deciding on the amount of diving we'll do and what the last 2 days of the vacation will involve - just lounging by the pool or some stuff in town. The Caravelle does look nice - thanks again.

If you want a place that's out of the way, stay at the Carambola Resort - beautiful location at the end of a road on the northern coast. Beach is nice, swimming area small due to sea urchins, but adequate for swimming. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. If you're there on a Friday, go to their Pirate's Buffet - what a spread of food!! Definitely rent a car - it was nice exploring the island. The casino/hotel is also located away from the main towns. The casino is very small.

We took Joanne's advice and stayed at the Caravelle for 3 nights and loved it. It's moderately priced and right on the boardwalk in Christiansted so there's lots to do and see right there. The restaurant at the Caravelle was excellent (great bar too!) and you're within walking distance of everything. We also took a great trip to Buck Island (also recommended by Joanne) on the Trine, a small trimaran. Very fun and reasonably priced! Buck Island is gorgeous. The dive trip operators take off right in front of the Caravelle. We loved it!
Sharon

Thanks very much for all the info and suggestions Beth and Sharon. A couple of days right near the town sounds pretty good. Other's have mentioned the pirate's buffet and I think we'll make a reservation the sunday we arrive. Has anyone here ever stayed at the Mill harbour condos or even been to the place? My parents liked it and they travel quite a bit.