Caribbean - St. Thomas, St. John, Virgin Gorda, and the Virgin Islands

Caribbean - St. Thomas, St. John, Virgin Gorda, and the Virgin Islands (6/2-6/13/2019)

Tranquility on St. Thomas - Shappire Beach

St. Thomas and the surrounding Virgin Islands offer an amazing Caribbean experience with both developed beaches with facilities as well as pristine white-sand beaches that actually do look like the postcard-perfect photos you see. The islands have year-around warm weather with both upscale and budget accommodations and dining with activities ranging from relaxing tranquility (see photo) to exciting adventures.

Snorkling at Indians off Norman Island

Good passenger and some car ferry service to different islands and day-trip boat excursions make St. Thomas an excellent base to explore other beautiful Virgin Islands (see below for more about this).

Map Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands consist of both U.S. and British owned islands (see map). Some of the more popular are: U.S. (St. Thomas, St. John, St, Croix, and Water Island) and British known as the BVI’s (Virgin Gorda, Tortola, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke – passports required). Most people speak English and the U.S. dollar and major credit cards are accepted. Dress code is casual and cell phones work – check with your provider about roaming charges.

Enjoying Warm Calm Turquoise Water 
- Paradise!

Many of the amazing beaches of the Virgin Islands are located within protected bays and have very gentle waves (see photo). A tradition of the Virgin Islands is standing in 82-degree turquoise water with a cool drink in hand enjoying life with friends (including newly met ones).

Because the Virgin Islands have about 40 islands to enjoy, this blog post addresses some the more popular ones.

Things are Calm Now -
Pat Enjoying Warm Turquoise Water

Uncharacteristic for the Virgin Islands, in September 2017 two category 5 hurricanes (Irma and Maria) crashed though leaving a lot of damage in their wake. When we visited in June 2019 much of the islands were back up and running offering a very enjoyable experience with plenty to do. Cruise ships have returned and more new restaurants, excursions, and even hotels are coming back on line.

St. Thomas

St. Thomas is the main Virgin Island as far as development and population but don’t let that hold you back – it is beautiful with modern tourist comforts.

Beautiful Megen's Bay - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

The beach at Magen’s Bay is everything you can imagine a Caribbean beach could be – a beautiful cove of palm trees lining a sandy beach with warm calm turquoise water surrounded by green mountains (see photo) – absolute paradise! Beach chairs and snorkel gear are available for rent and there is a nice beach restaurant, changing rooms, and showers. There is a $5/person fee to visit St. Thomas’ Magen’s Bay – well worth it! Travel Tip: Try to visit Magen’s Bay when there are no cruise ships visiting because it can get crowded - local newspaper publishes cruise visits. Walk to the left for a less crowded experience.

Coki Beach from  
Buddy's Beach Shack - St. Thomas

For those wanting a more ‘local’ experience, we enjoyed a visit to Coki Beach (see photo). The beach is beautiful with some beach shacks where we tried the jerk chicken. It can be combined with a visit to Coral World located here. People warned us to keep a close watch on our possessions while visiting Coki Beach.

Sapphire Beach - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

We stayed on St. Thomas’ east end at Sapphire Beach – a favorite of ours (see photo). It is a smaller beach but packs in pure enjoyment with its nice beach, sapphire-blue warm water, snorkeling, and great views of other Virgin Islands. Beach equipment and snorkeling gear is available for hire. We especially liked the Sapphire Beach Bar open 11-5 offering good food and drinks at reasonable prices – the music is free. Try the fish tacos – we went back several times for these delights.

Red Hook - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Near St. Thomas’ Sapphire Beach is the small town of Red Hook. Red Hook has a lot to offer – ferries to other Virgin Islands, fun day-trip fishing and boat trips, good restaurants, nightlife bars, grocery store, and shopping.

Cooper Island Beach Bar

We took a boat day trip with Stormy Pirates leaving out of St. Thomas’ town of Red Hook and so glad we did. We visited the Baths on Virgin Gorda, had nice snorkeling at the Indians rock formation off Norman Island (see photo), and an upscale lunch at Cooper Island Beach Bar (see photo).

Wayne & Pat at Baths - Virgin Gorda

A visit to the Baths on Virgin Gorda is a must do when visiting the Virgin Islands. This unique geologic formation of house-size boulders (or batholiths) was brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions forming a beautiful grotto and tranquil pools (see photo). Climbing though these large rocks is an interesting experience. Remember to bring your passport when visiting Virgin Gorda.

Some other fun excursions to do on St. Thomas are Mountain Top, Coral World, and zip lining. Mountain Top features spectacular views of Megan’s and other British from the 1,500-feet top of St. Peter Mountain Virgin Islands (see photo). You should enjoy one of their famous banana daiquiris – they are really good and invented here.

Coral World Ocean Park - St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

At Coral World Ocean Park (see photo), you can view life on a coral reef from the unique Undersea Observatory, feed a stingray, and have interesting experiences such as: Sea Lion Swim or Encounter, Snuba Dive, Sea Trek Helmet Dive, Turtle Encounters, and Nautilus Semi-Sub. St. Thomas’ Tree Limin' Extreme Zipline offers six zip lines and eight aerial tree platforms for a fun adventure to fly through the canopy with fantastic views.

Sunset at Secret Sunset Grill, 
Secret Harbour, St. Thomas

Pat at Slice Pizza - Red Hook, St. Thomas

Some restaurants we liked on St. Thomas: Red Hook (Italian – Pesce, Mexican – Agave, Japanese – Raw, and XO Bristol - good food and local atmosphere), Frenchtown (Hook, Line, & Sinker – great fish), and Secret Harbour (Sunset Grill - see photo). 

There are many other attractions on St. Thomas such as the capital Charlotte Amalie, Havensight dining and cruise shopping, Water Island located just off St. Thomas.

This Week Magazine

Beach Travel Tips: For ferry schedules to other Virgin Islands, checking the cruise ship schedule for the best time to visit the more popular beaches, and suggested things to do, pick up a copy of This Week magazine at the airport. Leave your valuable jewelry, etc. home so not to attract attention. Beware of the typical sun - wear cover-ups and plenty of sunscreen reapplying after swimming - try to use reef-safe sunscreen. Bring your camera and keep a close watch on it.

St. John

Beautiful St. John, Virgin Islands

St. John Island is a jewel! Two-thirds of this beautiful island has been set aside as the Virgin Islands National Park and many of St. John’s wonderful beaches are part of it. So, you can enjoy some of the Caribbean’s top rated beaches and nature hiking trails without hotels, condos, and other development – so nice!

Stunning Truck Bay Beach - St. John

Pat at Food Truck & Bar - Truck Bay, St. John

Ferries arrive and leave St. John from Cruz Bay. The beach at Trunk Bay Beach is a must first go to. It certainly lives up to its rating as one the top 10 beaches in the Caribbean - given the astonishing beauty of this incredible region of our world, that is saying a lot. Snorkel gear and beach chairs are available for rent here and there is ‘funky’ food truck and bar set up offering good drinks and food. The snorkeling is best around the rock. The other beaches below are free to visit but there is a $5/person fee to visit Trunk Bay – it’s more than worth it.

Sea Turtle - Maho Bay Beach, St. John

Other great beaches to enjoy on St. John are Cinnamon Bay where there are normally fewer people but no facilities. Maho Bay Beach has good snorkeling where you may have a chance to swim with sea turtles – lots of fun!

Francis Bay Walking Trail - St. John

Hikers will greatly enjoy St. John’s Virgin Islands National Park. At Francis Bay on the island’s north shore, a large salt pond attracts one of the most diverse bird populations. It has a boardwalk that provides for a peaceful stroll through nature. Ruins of a 18^th-century sugar factory can be explored by a boardwalk.

Ferry at Cruz Bay, St. John

Travel Tip - Getting around the Virgin Islands: Ferries and day-trip boat trips are a great way to visit other Virgin Islands. We rented a car giving us a lot of flexibly and we took it for our day trip to St. John on the car ferry – they do drive on the left side in the Virgin Islands and the roads are narrow and winding in places (don’t be in a hurry).

Our Shell Collection from This Trip

Some history: The U.S Virgin Islands are an unincorporated territory of the United States. The United States purchased them from Denmark in 1917 who used them to establish a thriving sugar cane (produced by slave labor) and trading center of the Danish West India Company. The Virgin Islands National Park in St. John was donated to the U.S. in 1956 by Laurance Rockefeller.

 

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