Trip Summary

Thanks for following me this week, as we visited the US Virgin Islands.

It is important to remember the islands were devastated in the 2017 hurricane, all resorts were destroyed and needed some level of rebuilding.

We stayed at St Thomas, which is the capital of the three islands, St Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The airport is on the west end of the island where the cruise ships dock. The resorts are on the East end of the island. It is only about 28 miles from east to west and 3 miles north to south. They drive on the left, but left drive cars on all islands, that was a surprise. The city of Red Hook is on the east end of the island, where the boat shuttle goes to St John, which is only a few miles from there. I would recommend taking a tour first thing when you get there, you can catch those near where the cruise ships land. The ships are there on Tuesday and Thursday, so it will be crowded those days.

We got a day at St. Johns, it is where the nicest beaches are. The island is about 2/3 national park, which is interesting. The Rockefeller's started buying up the island, and got that purchased. They donated it to the part service when the taxes were due with the condition they could build an exclusive resort in the park and avoid those taxes while still making money on the resort. The resort was for the very well to do with prices about 2500 per night. It was totally destroyed in the 2017 hurricane. We will stay here next time if we come back.

We did not make it to St Croix, which is 40 miles south of St. Thomas. It is confusing how to get there. The ferry is slow and takes a couple hours. I searched for others and found very little on the internet, but heard there is a hydrofoil that is very fast.

If you really want to snorkel, I would recommend taking a snorkel from the islands. This is a beautiful place to snorkel, but it is a ways from the beach to the coral. I was exhausted by the time I swam out to it, the cruises will drop you out near the coral, so much easier. They have a six hour cruise that visits several sites with lunch.

A lot of US Navy personnel get murdered in St Thomas. Not my idea of a safe place.

We made one trip down there and I'm not sure of a couple of the islands. Seems ferries ran when they felt like it and if not enough paying customers not at all. We had to get back to the one island for our plane home and the ferry wasn't full so didn't leave. We ended up taking a ferry to another island then another ferry from there. In and out of customs several times.

When?

I did some research after your comment.

The murder rate is very high per capita, but most seem gang related.

I lived in chicago, so just need to watch where and when.

Here is one .
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/19/us/slaying in st thomas stains image of an american paradise.html

I had seen that, it was 25 years ago.

A couple different times, I spent a winter at NAS Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico.

Weather wise, that impressed me as being the way to spend a winter.

I was in Rosy Roads a couple of times as well- beautiful weather, scenery. Also Salinas. Totaled a jeep in San Juan tho. Always wanted to go back to PR.

I had an instructor from there He said my name is Sgt Roebuck and I am not with them I also am from the Virgin Islands and I am not a virgin so for todays subject----------

David,

Thanks for sharing with us, your vacation photos of a really beautiful corner of the world.

We charted a private sail boat that took us fro water island ( the 4th island) and took us out and I got to snorkel with big sea turtles. It was a blast.

David, good to hear you had a great trip, thanks for sharing your photos.
My wife and I were there in the late 1980s before it became a very popular vacation destination.
Like you said the beaches on St. Johns were great especially Cinnamon Bay beach it was like snorkeling in a tropical fish tank.
Very unfortunate that the 2017 hurricane did so much damage.

David,
Glad that you had a good experience in St. Thomas. I would like to just add to anyone going there to be extremely street smart. I owned a home there in the Peterborg Area for ten years and got very well acquainted with the local customs and carried a .357 with me whenever I left the house. Notice that all cruise ships get their people back on board and leave before dark.

Can't remember if it was St. Thomas or St. John that had a zoo. Took a bus out there, not much of a zoo, mostly just indigenous small animals and birds in cages or enclosures made of chicken wire. When we got done, we went to a building for refreshments, and they urged us to buy from their selection of used paperback books. Turns out that's how they get money to keep the zoo going. I bought some books just to help them out, and could see other tourists were doing the same. As flimsy as the cages were, I'm sure it was all wiped out in the storm.

Thanks for your trip updates David g....

I spent time South of you in St Lucia......

Bob....

On a scale from 1 to 10, how would you rate St. Thomas as a safe place to travel?

It would rate it at 8, just places not to go.

I do understand the fears, but I have lived in Chicago, Saint Louis, Albuquerque and Minneapolis. There are places we did not go on the island, and kept on the main roads at night, The people are extremely poor, and anytime there is a wide poor to rich gap there all be crime. I did not feel unsafe at any time.

An 8 would be at least as good as any major American city, and probably better than some.

I would drop trust in my driving to 1, felt most unsafe there.