The US Virgin Islands Alive! 2nd Edition (Hunter Travel Guides)

337 Pages·2006·7.42 MB·English

by  Douglas Greenberg Harriet Greenberg

St. Thomas St. John St. Croix
(cid:2) (cid:2) (cid:2) U
US
Eachislandhasitsown
beat and each offers a
S
differentexperience.St.
Thomas and St. John
have scores of hotels, VIRGIN
restaurants and shops. V
St.Croix,bycontrast,is
more relaxed and low-
I
key. This is the best
guidetothemall. R ISLANDS
(cid:1) Hundreds of places
to stay are de- G
scribed, based on the authors’ personal experiences – from posh
resortstopicturesqueguesthouses–plusanastonishingnumber
ofdiningoptions.
I
(cid:1) Sailing, diving, deep-sea fishing, golf, tennis and a host of
N
otheractivitiesaredetailedforeachisland.
(cid:1) The finest shops and best buys in this duty-free paradise, de-
scribedbyauthorswhoareexpertsonwhattobuyandwhere.
(cid:1) The best beaches, romantic getaways, nightclubs, enter-
tainment,walkingtours. I
(cid:1) Festivals,events,antiquesandcrafts,museumsandgaller- S
ies,townwalksanddrivingtours–thisguidehasthemall!
L
The Alive Guide series was founded by Arnold and Harriet Green-
A
berg, who also serve as series editors. The Greenbergs established
the world-famousbookstore,TheCompleteTraveller,locatedin
NewYorkCity. N
HUNTERPUBLISHING
D
130CampusDrive
Edison,NJ08818USA
(cid:1)800-255-0343
US$16.99 S
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:3) (cid:6)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:7)(cid:1)(cid:6) (cid:5)(cid:4)(cid:8)(cid:1)(cid:1)
Printedonrecycledpaper
ISBN1-58843-584-9
Harriet Greenberg & Douglas Greenberg
www.hunterpublishing.com
The
US VIRGIN
ISLANDS
!
E
V
I
L
A
2nd Edition
Harriet Greenberg & Douglas Greenberg
HUNTER
HUNTERPUBLISHING,INC.
130CampusDrive,Edison,NJ08818
(cid:1)732-225-1900;800-255-0343;fax[phone]
[email protected]
www.hunterpublishing.com
UlyssesTravelPublications
4176Saint-Denis,Montréal,Québec
CanadaH2W2M5
(cid:1)514-843-9882,ext.2232;fax[phone]
TheBoundary,WheatleyRoad,Garsington
Oxford,OX449EJEngland
(cid:1)01865-361122;fax[phone]
ISBN1-58843-584-9
©2006AliveTravelBooksLtd.
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmayberepro-
duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy-
ing,recording,orotherwise,withoutthewrittenpermission
ofthepublisher.
Thisguidefocusesonrecreationalactivities.Asallsuchac-
tivitiescontainelementsofrisk,thepublisher,author,affili-
ated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility
forinjury,harm,orillnessthatmayoccurtoanyonethrough,
or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was
madetoinsuretheaccuracyofinformationinthisbook,but
thepublisherandauthordonotassumeandherebydisclaim,
liabilityforlossordamagecausedbyerrors,omissions,mis-
leading information or potential travel problems caused by
thisguide,evenifsucherrorsoromissionsaretheresultof
negligence,accidentoranyothercause.
MapsbyKimAndré,©2006HunterPublishing,Inc.
Coverphoto,TrunkBay,St.John,courtesyofthe
USVirginIslandsDepartmentofTourism
1 2 3 4
Contents
Introduction 1
TheAttractions 1
TheUSVI–AnOrientation 3
Inter-IslandTravel 7
USVI–SpecialEvents 10
USVIDivisionofTourism 11
GettingHere 12
GettingReady 14
EntryRequirements 14
USCustoms 14
CanadianCustoms 15
MoneyMatters–Tipping 15
Climate 15
ElectricCurrent 16
TimeZones 17
Newspapers/BroadcastMedia 17
Mail&Shipping 17
Telephones 18
InternetAccess 19
Holidays 20
ThePeople 21
Language 21
TraditionalFoods 22
Flora 23
Fauna 24
Packing 24
PackingTips 25
GettingMarriedintheUSVI 25
TerritorialCourts 26
WeddingPlanners 27
ACapsuleHistory 27
TheIslandsToday 29
Crime 30
iv Contents
St. Thomas 33
GettingHere 34
GettingToYourHotel 35
GettingAroundtheIsland 36
IslandTours 39
ACapsuleHistory 39
Carnival 41
Orientation 42
CharlotteAmalie 43
KeyStreets 43
Frenchtown 46
SubBase(CrownBayMarina) 46
Bluebeard’sHill 46
HavensightMall 47
SightsAroundTheIsland 47
CoralWorld 47
TutuPark 47
RedHook 47
ScenicPoints 48
SunuptoSundown 48
TheBestBeaches 49
MagensBayBeach(Northside) 49
MorningStarBeach(SouthShore) 49
CokiBeach(Northeast) 50
VessupBayBeach(EastEnd) 50
SapphireBeach(EastEnd) 51
SecretHarbourBeach(EastEnd) 51
GreatBayBeach(EastEnd) 51
HullBayBeach(Northside) 51
LindberghBeach(Southwest) 52
Brewer’sBeach(Southwest) 52
MoreBeaches? 52
Nude&ToplessBeaches 53
Scuba 53
WesternDiveSites 54
SoutheasternDiveSites 55
NorthernDiveSites(AtlanticOcean) 55
DivingSchools/Centers 56
SeaTrekking(Snuba) 58
Contents v
BOB(BreathingObservationBubble) 58
Snorkeling 58
SailboatDay-Charters 59
PowerboatDay-Charters 61
SportFishing 62
CharterYachts 64
BareboatorCrewed? 64
BookingaCharter 65
StockingYourBoat 65
CharterOperators/Agents 65
Windsurfing,Kiteboarding&Surfing 66
SmallBoat&WaterToyRentals 67
Parasailing 67
Eco-Tours 68
ASubmarineExperience 68
Screamin’EagleJetBoat 69
Golf 69
Tennis 70
MountainBiking 70
Hiking 70
BeachVolleyball 71
SpaServices 71
Sightseeing 72
HistoricSitesinCharlotteAmalie 72
FortChristianMuseum 72
EmancipationPark–TheGrandGalleria 73
NorreGade’sSites 73
SevenArchesMuseum 74
GovernmentHouse–Hotel1829 74
99Steps–HaagensenHouse 75
Blackbeard’sCastle 75
TheHistoricSynagogue&WeibelMuseum 76
MarketSquare&Savan 76
GuidedWalks
Island-Wide 77
CoralWorld 77
TheMostScenicSights 80
Drake’sSeat 80
MountainTop 80
vi Contents
St.PeterGreatHouse&Gardens 81
FairchildPark 81
ParadisePoint 82
ExploringNearby“Virgins” 82
WaterIsland 82
HasselIsland 83
BuckIsland 83
OrganizedTours 84
OnLand 84
BySea 84
FromtheAir 84
ShopTillYouDrop 84
AShoppingOrientation 85
WhyShopHere? 86
ShoppingTips 87
WhatToBuy? 87
TheBestShops 88
ShoppingatVendorsPlaza 88
FineJewelry&Watches 91
Cameras,Electronics&AudioEquipment 93
Fashion&ResortWear 93
Linen 95
Crystal,China&GiftsfortheHome 95
Perfumes,Cosmetics&SkinCareProducts 96
Antiques&AntiqueJewelry 96
IslandGifts&Souvenirs 97
Grog&Spirits 98
ArtGalleries 98
BestPlacestoStay 99
Seasons 100
Resorts 101
VillaResorts 116
VillaRentalAgencies 119
SmallHotels&GuestHouses 119
MoreChoices 125
BestPlacesToEat 125
LocalFoods 127
WestIndianBuffets&Shows 127
MoneyMatters 128
Contents vii
FineDiningIsland-Wide 128
WestIndianRestaurants 133
Breakfast&WestIndianLunch 135
DiningNearRedHook&TheEastEnd 136
DininginCharlotteAmalie&Frenchtown 142
Lunch&LighterFare 147
Food–MoreOptions 149
AfterDark 150
Music&Dancing 151
GoodFun 152
WineBars&Bistros 153
Concerts&Theater 154
WestIndianShows 155
SunsetCruises 155
St.ThomasA-Z 156
St. John 159
GettingHere 160
FromSt.Thomas 160
St.JohntotheBVI 161
GettingAroundtheIsland 161
Car&JeepRentals 163
SpecialEventsonSt.John 163
St.JohnFestival 163
St.John’sBluesFestival 164
CoralBayThanksgivingRegatta 165
ACapsuleHistory 165
Orientation 166
CruzBay 167
NationalParkCruzBayVisitorCenter 167
MongooseJunction 167
CaneelBayResort 167
TrunkBay 169
CinnamonBay 169
MahoBay 169
AnnabergSugarMill 169
CoralBay 169
BordeauxMountain 169
SunuptoSundown 170
viii Contents
TheBestBeaches 170
NorthShoreBeaches 171
SouthShoreBeaches 173
SnorkelingNearShore 174
VirginIslandsNationalPark 174
SampleHikes 175
Mongooses 177
OrganizedWatersports 177
KayakTours 179
Fishing 179
BoatRentals 179
Windsurfing 180
Parasailing 180
Land-BasedActivities 180
TrailRides 180
BikeTours 180
Hiking/SnorkelingTrips 180
Tennis 182
Golf 182
Sightseeing 182
AnnabergSugarMillRuins 182
CinnamonBay 183
CoralBay 184
SaltPondBay 184
AHiketoBordeauxMountain 185
PastoryGardens 186
ShopTillYouDrop 187
CruzBay 187
MongooseJunction 188
CoralBay 190
BestPlacesToStay 190
Resorts 191
B&Bs 195
UnusualCampgrounds&Eco-Resorts 197
WestIndianInns 202
RentalHomes,Villas&Condos 203
Suite&VillaResorts 203
RentalAgents 206
BestPlacestoEat 207
Contents ix
MoneyMatters 207
FineDiningIsland-Wide 208
CasualDining,CruzBay&MongooseJunction 213
WestIndianDining 219
CasualDininginCoralBay 220
PicnicFare&Provisions 222
AfterDark 223
CruzBay/MongooseJunction 223
NearCoralBay 224
ExcursionsFromSt.John 225
St.JohnA-Z 225
St. Croix 229
GettingHere 231
GettingAroundtheIsland 232
TouringtheIsland 234
Inter-IslandTravel 234
St.Thomas&St.Croix 234
TripstoBuckIsland 236
HikingonBuckIsland 237
GettingThere 238
ACapsuleHistory 239
Orientation 239
Christiansted 240
King’sWharf 240
ProtestantCay 240
KingStreet 240
King’sAlley 242
StrandStreet 242
CompanyStreet&QueenStreet 242
QueenCross&KingCross 242
Frederiksted 242
StrandStreet 244
King&QueenStreets 244
CustomsHouse 244
SunuptoSundown 244
TheBestBeaches 245
InChristiansted 246
OntheEastEnd 246