alicefe

I have read the recent posts about St Croix but am still not sure which part of the island would be best for us. I am planning a 10 night stay in February with my DH. Most important for us is a beautiful beach with good swimming and snorkling off the beach and shade and lounge chairs on the beach. We also want a nice pool and a medium high end room with a water view. Night life, fine dining, golf and shopping are unimportant. We plan to rent a car, if necessary. The best options seem to be Carambola, the Buccaneer and/or Chenay Bay. I would be interested in specific info on which beaches are the best for swimming and snorkling - i.e not alot of seaweed and/or rocks. I was all set to book Carambola until I read a few posts saying that only 1/2 the beach is swimmable. Also, does Chenay seem rundown or "tired" compared to Carambola or the Buccanneer?
Thanks in advance for any help.

HowardC

Carambola--Very nice property but a little remote. Has just been taken over by Mariott and is undergoing a remoleling which should be finished soon. Off beach snorkeling is quite good and you are about 5 min from Cane Bay beach where the snorkeling is also very good. Some fun beach bars and restaurants in the Cane Bay area.
Chenay Bay. Nice resort--Accomodations are in sort of cottages that have been remodled and have kitchenettes. Lovely infinity beachfront pool. Not sure about off shore snorkeling.
Buccaneer--Also a very nice resort. Actually has two beaches and two restaurants. Tennis courts on site and golf course nearby
If you go to Luxurylink.com and Caribbean auctions Buccaneer has an auction packager which I won. Stayed in a Dubloon suite which was lovely. Have also stayed at Chenay Bay. Check Skyauction.com for a Chenay Bay auction Both are closer to Christiansted than Carambola. You will want to do a Buck Island snorkel trip out oF C'sted. Definitely worth renting a car to explore the island. By the way we moved to St Croix three years ago

alicefe

Thank you for this info. Based on this, it sounds like all of these options would work for us (assuming Chenay has off beach snorkling). I like the idea of being a little remote so I am leaning towards Carambola but I will check prices at all of them.

tejana

I would highly recommend a car wherever you decide to stay in St. Croix. It is a great island for exploring, and a car will really help (don't worry, driving on the left is really easy as long as someone is riding shotgun). We started out (about 15 years ago) staying closer to C'sted, but we've been staying at the Carambola for about 10 years, and love the North Shore area. It is definitely remote, so I don't always recommend it to people for their first visit on the island, when you probably want to see and explore the whole island. It is about 40 minutes from C'sted and 25 minutes from F'sted, but it is a wonderful place - surrounded by mountains and nestled in a beautiful cove with a stunning beach. You are correct that only about half of the beach is good for swimming (the rest of the beach is beautiful, but there are sea urchins and fire coral pretty close to shore), but the beach is so isolated that it is NEVER crowded, and the people that are real swimmers just use the "good" entry area as a starting point, swim out about 20 yards, and do laps the entire length of the beach. If you are serious snorkelers or even beginning divers, this is the spot on the island where the wall is closest to shore, and it is very easy to swim out to the wall for an amazing snorkelling adventure, or to swim out to a wall dive. Plus you are only 5 minute away from the Cane Bay area, with a great beach and some terrific beach bars.

There really are no wrong answers - People love the Buccaneer and Chenay, and both would be good choices if you plan on spending more time in C'sted. Most people will tell you that the best snorkeling is on the North Shore (Carambola, Cane Bay), but you would be hard pressed to find BAD snorkelling on the island.

tejana

oh, and I forgot to mention - February is a wonderful time to visit, as the humpback whales are migrating and you can occasionally see them passing by just offshore.

bradykp

what about st croix in november/december? is weather nice? i'm looking at the marriot property there.

tejana

We go down for Thanksgiving every year, and the weather is usually terrific. We laugh every time we are in teh car listening to the radio for the weather report - every day is a variation of "partly cloudy, chance of showers, 85 degrees." It is funny to see how many ways they can try to say it without repeating themselves.

Naveron

I think a 10-day stay on St. Croix is too long. There's not enough going on. I think for 5 days, it would be okay. Reports about 1/2 the beach on Carambola being unswimmable are only partly true. The resort is situated on a sizable stretch of beach and it's never crowded. It does get it's share of wave action though. There is not much going on in either Christiansted or Frederiksted. You definitely need a car, no matter which property you choose. St. Croix has a definite rural feel about it.

jecrow

Carambola is okay, but it is just okay. I checked out other properties when i was there, the Buccaneer is the fanciest but to be honest St. Croix is DULL DULL DULL.

loungestx

I don't find it dull at all. I stayed almost three months last winter and there was plenty to do as well as days of just laying on the beach. I also found it a lot less commercial than most of the cruise ship stops I visited on a cruise last winter. If what you are looking for is a line of shops to buy a real Rolex next to shops selling fake ones than no there isn't any of that. The night life is limited but there is some. It is an island and that is what it feels like. I don't understand why people who want to relax go to an island and then don't relax.
There are amazing restaurants with Jazz, blues and steel pan nights, crab races, trivia, beach buffets and BBQ's also ruin rambles, garden and house tours, yoga, eco events, golf, tennis, off road exploring, hiking and beaches!
Buc has the best sit on the beach in a chair and go for a swim beach.
Carambola is closest to good snorkeling.(ask for a updated room)
Chenay is probably the best priced.
Divi has a casino (a small casino)
Have fun.

alicefe

Thanks you all for these replies. I don't think we will be bored on St Croix as we just want to relax, read, swim and have casual meals. Are the upgraded rooms at Carambola pretty comfortable or more basic? Four star type quality is what I am looking for with a beach view. I would be happy to pay for the Buccaneer if it is more luxurious and the beach is better if the snorkeling off the beach is ok.

loungestx

If Snorkeling is one of your main interests, probably the Carambola area would be better, but...I think it would be a good idea for you to look at some private villas as these can be far nicer to stay in and you can make some casual meals. Ask Margy Z about villa recommendations as she tours them for fun. Not sure if she is here but she is on Tripadvisor.
Have fun!