Anyone been to St. Thomas???

[avl_pilot]

Just wondering if anyone has ever been to St. Thomas or any of the islands around that area?? I'm going to be traveling there at the end of the month and would just like to know what type of place it is and if there are any tips on how to get around the island quickly and/or safely.

 

[RichardRambone]

Went there probably 10 years ago and rode out a cat 3 hurricane. Beautiful place, I think we taxied around mostly and the cab drivers were nice. Plenty of reggae and drums playing. I dont remember if it was too dirty or not as I know a lot of Carribean islands are. Not much help. Sorry I was like 13.

 

[Pedro]

I went to St. Croix about a year and a half ago. Great place!!!

St.Thomas is more of a touristy place, while St. Croix ismore relaxed. Just look it up on google, there's stuff to do for all kind of budgets!

 

[shamrock]

If you have the time take the ferry over to St. John. Something like 2/3 of the island is a National Park and once you get over there you can get a taxi to some pretty nice beaches. There's a ferry that leaves from Charlotte Amalie several times a day and I want to say it's $7 per person each way but don't quote me on that. There's also a ferry from Red Hook on the east end of St. Thomas if your over that way.

I've used taxis to get around St. Thomas and haven't had any trouble. Most fares are set ahead of time. I'm cheap when it comes to hotels so I've always stayed near the downtown either in a B&B (link) or at the Holiday Inn (link) so I was within walking distance of a lot of stuff. You'll need a taxi to town if you stay at one of the higher end hotels/resorts but you can see what there is to see in town in a day so it wouldn't be that big a deal.

Magen's Bay is a nice but sometimes busy beach on the north side of the St. Thomas. Many hotels run shuttles there and back so you can avoid the cost of a taxi.

Coolest thing I did when I was down that way was renting a kayak on the beach over on St. John. Hiking around the National Park ranks right up there too if you're into that.

 

[flightcrew]

St. Thomas is beautiful. It has mountains and some of the bluest waters you will ever see. The beaches are great, the snorkeling view is fabulous and the food is wonderful. It all depends on what you want.

If you're on a cruise and it's one of the ports of call, shopping there is fun but watch the little kids. They are at the port and follow you everywhere. It all seems so innocent (them asking for money) but if you don't give it to them some have been known to get very hostile. Shopping can be an adventure in itself as I bartered for many things.

Have a wonderful time!!!

 

[avl_pilot]

Thanks for all the helpful info., this is going to be my first time outside of the lower 48 so me and my soon-to-be wife are looking forward to having a great time. We are going to be flying non-stop from CLT to St. Thomas, I can't do a cruise b/c I get sea-sick just standing on a dock.:laugh: I'm looking forward to going swimming at the beach, and we are going to stock up on patches and pills for motion sickness for the ferry rides to other islands.

 

[Chicken Taco]

One more thing to add about the cabs. If you find one that you like with a friendly driver and reasonable rates, he may be willing to give you his direct number and pre-arrange pickups with you. I did this the last time I was there and used the same cab all week. It pretty much ends up being like a private van service, and was quite convenient as long as my schedule was set ahead of time. Unfortunately I lost his card, but if I remember correctly his name was Robert Owen or similar and he did business as "The Love Cab."

..CT

 

[avl_pilot]

Thanks, I'll definetly keep that in mind while we're down their. The misses just scheduled us for something called snuba(not sure about spelling). She says it's like scuba diving, so I'm kinda looking forward to that.

 

[Way2Broke]

You will have a blast, maybe you can hop a ride on Cape Air to St. Croix for a day, or Tottolla (A laid back british VI). We let any 135 or 121 pilot jumpseat. There is so much to see and do... and alot of great drinks to be had on the beach... you know the kind with little umbrellas. "The season" is starting to pick up, so expect to pay out the yin yang if you want a super nice place to stay, but don't worry too much about that you will not be spending much time in your room. Not quite sure what a SNUBA is, fill us in when you know. You can also swim with the dolphins if you have time. If you want any good sugestions on good local places to go in St. Croix let me know.

 

[JimG]

We spent a week on St. John back in June.

Beautiful island....friendly people.

My son and I were sitting out on a rock wall at the edge of town (Cruz Bay) on the road to the north side of the island.

We were just sitting in the shade waiting on the females shopping across the street in their version of a mall.

Every other car and cab stopped and asked us if we were waiting for a ride to the north side beaches.

Seems it was a popular spot to wait for a ride, and everybody who lived there was more than happy to stop and offer a ride.

As far as seasickness....sit up top on the ferry....not as bad.

We had a poor elderly lady sitting in front of us (inside on the way back to STT) throwing her guts up from motion sickness....poor gal.

I stayed on Tortolla several years ago and enjoyed it also.

The Virgin Islands are hard to beat in the Caribbean.

 

[cargoflyr69]

never been there, but its on the to-do list.

as for snuba-ing... its a cross between snorkeling and true scuba diving. you still wear the mask, but the snorkel is really an air hose 10-20 feet long that delivers air from a pump at the surface. You wear a weight belt to make you negatively bouyant so you sing to the bottom like a rock. you typically snuba in shallow sandy areas with coral outcroping at around 10-15 feet depth. its more intense than snorkeling and you dont need the training or have the dangers of scuba. anyway thats what its about...

 

[cargoflyr69]

or just try this link

www.snuba.com/questions

 

[Way2Broke]

What is that animal, it looks like me at 4:30am. Good lord thats scarry looking. RUN AWAY RUN AWAY

 

[Hamburgler]

I went to St. Maarten last year, it wasn't that great. I much prefer some of the more relaxed islands like Bermuda (not Carribean, but still), or St. Bart's. St. Maarten was very touristy driven, outside the resort on the dutch side was a main drag with some casinos, some ok restaurants, not too impressed. The French side was "nicer" but still not great... I think it can be great, there are some great beaches, just make sure you like where you stay!

 

[avl_pilot]

Not quite sure what a SNUBA is, fill us in when you know.

We went and did snuba at St. John at trunk bay and it was great. Basically snuba is just like scuba diving, but with an O2 line attached from a small raft on the surface. It was great b/c you go w/an instructor and he/she will point out cool things and you don't have to lug an oxygen tank on your back so your really free to go and see what you want to see. You can check it out at www.visnuba.com and see what you think.

 

[fly4crabs]

Usvi

Loved St. Thomas though my favorite is St. Croix. You can rent a car but remember you sit on the left and drive on the left. Takes some getting used to. The cabs are fair and safe and will take you anywhere. The Frenchens reef is the top spot to stay in St. Thomas and the Buchaneer in St Croix. The diving is wonderful. Played golf on both islands and had a ball. The wind does blow hard near the coast so choosing a club can be a challange. Both airports are relatively small but efficient. Have never gone commercially but the FBO's are quite helpful and informative on what to do and where to go. Have fun!

 

[doug_or]

...back from the dead

Me an my brother are trying to sneak down somewhere the planes ahave seats and the air is warm this weekend. The cold front moving through FL (our plan A) means they're 0/2, but St. Thomas is batting 100. I know we can't get accomadations as cheap in STT as in FL (seeing as we had freind with a free couch), but have any of y'all found something for the budget traveler on St. Thomas or St. John?

I tried Cinnamon bay, but they were out of BYOT sites, only furnished tents for $87 a night were available.

 

[FoxJet]

Hotels

Best Hotels- Marriott Frenchmans Wharf (STT)
or Westin St. Johns (my favorite)