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Trunk
Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, is part of a
national park.
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ST THOMAS, U.S. Virgin
Islands — Many travelers think they know St. Thomas from
a cruise ship stop.
That's like ringing the
doorbell and believing you've seen the house.
St. Thomas looks better now
than it has in about 15 years. It struggled for a decade
to recover from Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and the downturn
after 9-11. Now, it seems buoyant and in better shape than
some places back home. Sister island St. John remains
pristine, most of it a national park. I have not seen
St.Croix, 40 miles to the south, but 21 years after
Hurricane Hugo flattened it, it survives vibrantly.
Existing under the radar of
most Americans, the U.S. Virgin Islands attracted only
600,000 overnight visitors last year as the U.S. mainland
economy ailed.
The upside for tourists?
The USVI suddenly is nearly as affordable as Florida. I
paid $306 round-trip airfare from Detroit and rented a
condo near the beach on St. Thomas for $165 a night.
It's as if Nordstrom
suddenly has Sears prices.
So without disparaging
Florida's many attractions, here are 12 reasons I
recommend visiting the Virgin Islands this year.
1. The water and vistas.
Did you ever buy Navajo turquoise jewelry? That's the
color of the water here. And the water temperature is 80
degrees in February. That's not gonna happen anywhere else
in the U.S. except Hawaii.
In the Virgin Islands, the
hilly vistas rising out of the sea are what you dream
about in winter. It's your screensaver back home.
2. The weather. Unlike
Florida, USVI temperatures rarely vary from daytimes in
the 80s and nighttimes in the 70s. The air is clear. Your
hair suddenly feels moist, and your skin looks good.
Steady trade winds from the
east keep temperatures from sweltering. If it rains, the
wet stuff generally yields quickly to blue skies.
3. Cheaper flights. Despite
a decline in the number of visitors, there were more
airplane seats last year, due to heavy lobbying by tourism
officials. That means deals.
On busy holiday weeks, it
might still cost $600 round-trip, but if you are flexible
with dates or days, you can find round-trip airfare for
half that.
I paid $306 round-trip,
flew out of Detroit at 6:30 a.m. through Atlanta on Delta
and was in St. Thomas by 1:30 p.m. Detroit time.
4. No passport or jet lag.
It's a U.S. territory, which means you need only a
driver's license and a birth certificate. And time here is
only one hour ahead of Eastern time, so there's no jet
lag.
5. The beaches, snorkeling,
sailing and scuba. It's not an exaggeration to say that
you can walk off the beach and snorkel amid schools of
tropical fish. The diving is good, too. Beaches? My
favorites on St. Thomas — Coki and Sapphire — are so
pretty they seem like you've walked into a photograph. On
St. John, Trunk Bay is shaped like a giant smile. Busy or
empty, beaches are everywhere, all with fine white sand
and velvety water — and no jellyfish.
6. Interesting side trips.
Side trips? From an island? Florida may have Disney World,
but the USVI is ferry distance from the stunning British
Virgin Islands (Tortola is an hour from St. Thomas, Jost
Van Dyke 45 minutes). Plus, St. Thomas and St. John are
only 15 minutes apart on the ferry for just $6 each way.
Want traffic, stores, lots
of people and dining? Choose St. Thomas. Want to see
nobody? Choose a remote beach on St. John. Want a
combination of the two? Try St. Croix. There's also a lot
of history on these former Danish islands that gives them
a cultural richness beyond palm trees and pirates.
7. Hotels and rental units
really, really want you. Many resorts have "buy two
nights, get one free" promotions similar to the U.S.
mainland. Also, look for travel packages that include
airfare and lodging.
Meanwhile, do not be put
off by high prices ($250-$600 a night) you see quoted on
hotel booking sites. Go straight to the hotel/resort site
for deals or scout out specials. Better yet, rent a condo
or villa.
8. You can actually drive
around. At many Caribbean and Mexican resorts, tourists
are warned not to leave their resorts or drive. While the
USVI has its share of crime (mostly drug-related), it is
fine to drive around on your own on the islands, taking
the same precautions you would at home. That gives you
more freedom.
The tricky part? Driving an
American-style car on the left-hand side of the narrow
winding roads. It took me only five Virgin Islands visits
to get good at it.
9. The Virgin Islanders.
Personally, I very much like the strong personality of the
people here. Talkative, opinionated and direct, they also
represent a place where manners and "Good
mornings" still count.
I also like the sailing
crowd and the quirky wrinkly skinned U.S. transplants, who
for their own mysterious reasons have gone native.
10. The exotic yet familiar
atmosphere. Folks in the USVI speak English and use the
dollar. You'll find American TV stations in your hotel,
and your cell phone will get a good signal. There's even a
K-mart on St. Thomas. Still, this is the Caribbean, and
efficiency is a relative term.
"If you require speed
and order, stick with Florida," says David Bello,
owner of Fair Wind Sailing School in Red Hook, St. Thomas.
"This is the U.S., but it's not the U.S."
11. The shopping. St.
Thomas is famed as the biggest tax-free, duty-free
shopping hub in the Caribbean. And because it attracts
lots of artists, "we have been trying to get us known
as an art destination. We have 80 potters on the three
islands and painters galore," says Ruth Prager, owner
of Gallery St. Thomas in Charlotte Amalie, which
represents 27 artists.
I also recommend the Native
Arts and Crafts Cooperative next to Vendor's Plaza. Among
the big shops, try AH Riise, which has everything from
perfume to an official Rolex store (men's Rolex blue
Submariner Oyster watches are about $7,500).
Visitors are allowed to
exit St. Thomas with $1,600 in duty-free goods — double
that of most destinations.
12. Bragging rights. The
Virgin Islands are simply more glamorous than Florida.
It's just a sexier vacation. And no, you don't have to
tell anyone how little you paid.
———
SNAPSHOT OF THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS
Islands: St. Thomas, St.
John and St. Croix.
Cruise ships: The U.S.
Virgin Islands — especially St. Thomas — is the
Caribbean's third most-popular cruise stop after the
Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. About 1.2 million cruise
ship passengers stopped in 2009, down 12 percent from
2008. In January, 76 cruise ships paid a call, down from
89 in 2008.
Overnight visitors: About
600,000 visitors came from January through November 2009,
down 3.3 percent from 2008. The USVI has fewer overnight
visitors than Jamaica or the Dominican Republic but more
than St. Lucia, the British Virgin Islands or the Cayman
Islands. The average length of stay is 4.1 nights.
Hotels: Occupancy rate
January-August 2009 was 58.7 percent (65.6 percent in St.
Thomas; 38.8 percent on St. Croix.)
Hurricanes: Nothing major
since 1998, when Georges sank 35 boats in Charlotte Amalie
Harbor. But Marilyn devastated St. Thomas in 1995, and
Hugo flattened most of St. Croix in 1989. All things
considered, the islands are incredibly resilient.
Flights: The number of
flights to St. Thomas rose 9 percent in 2009 over 2008.
The islands spent $3 million in marketing initiatives to
encourage new flights and tourism.
(Sources: Caribbean Tourism
Organization; Smith Travel Research; USVI Bureau of
Economic Research; Travel Weekly)
———
ST. THOMAS TIDBITS
It is one of the only
places in the world where you drive American-style cars
but with British rules of the road — on the left.
Drivers are warned to "keep your shoulder to the
shoulder" to prevent crashes.
St. Thomas' tiny local
paper, the Virgin Islands Daily Press, won the Pulitzer
Prize for public service in 1995 for its series on police
corruption, an amazing journalism achievement for such a
small paper.
Charlotte Amalie, St.
Thomas' biggest city and the seat for government and
courts, was named after a Dutch queen from the late 1600s.
People argue whether it is pronounced Charlotte
"a-MAL-ye-a" or "a-ma-LEE," but the
Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists both as correct.
Busy cruise ship days on
St. Thomas are Sunday-Tuesday. Few ships arrive
Wednesday-Saturday — so that's when everyone actually
staying on the island during high season visits area
attractions and beaches. If you're there on a Tuesday you
can see the 5,400-passenger new Oasis of the Seas in port,
looking as big as an aircraft carrier.
Ceramic artist Peggy
Seiwert started Kilnworks Pottery in 1984 on St. Thomas
and became well known for her signature pieces with the
image of a lizard. She now has moved back to the States,
so fans should snap up the last of the pottery at the
still-open shop (now called Quick Pics) at 6029 Estate
Smith Bay 4H on the island's east end or in the gift shop
at the St. Thomas airport.
———
IF YOU GO:
LODGING: On St. Thomas,
check hotel booking sites for deals on bigger resorts such
as Wyndham Sugar Bay, Marriott Frenchman's Reef, Bolongo
Bay or the Ritz-Carlton. I prefer a rental with a kitchen
so you can cook some meals. Many resorts here have
privately owned condo units, so go either to the resort's
own Web site, to www.vrbo.com
or www.vacationtimesharerentals.com
where you can rent for less.
On St. Thomas, look for
deals at spots such as Sapphire Village, Crystal Cove,
Point Pleasant, Secret Harbor or Elysian. (You'll also see
lots of deals at Sapphire Beach Resort, which has fallen
on hard times. If you don't mind a boarded-up restaurant
and rather forlorn amenities, the beach is spectacular and
the location is good.)
Follow the same advice for
St. John and St. Croix. St. John lodging is the costliest
of the three islands.
TRANSPORTATION: In St.
Thomas, rent a car at the airport or on the island's east
end — but if you are nervous about driving, taxis are
plentiful, reasonable and will take you anywhere you'd
like to go.
ID: No passport needed for
entry from the U.S., but you do need a driver's license
and birth certificate or a passport. You must clear U.S.
customs before leaving St. Thomas.
SHOPPING DEALS: Watches,
jewels, cigarettes, liquor are duty-free and very cheap;
bring back $1,600 in merchandise duty-free.
BEST ICE CREAM: Stop at the
Udder Delite dairy bar at the St. Thomas Dairy near
Magen's Bay for sinfully delicious coconut ice cream.
FOR MORE: U.S. Virgin
Islands Department of Tourism: www.usvitourism.vi,
800-372-8784) or www.vinow.com
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