A tropical paradise right in America’s backyard, St. Thomas and the Virgin Islands are the perfect sunshine-escape during those chilly winter and rainy spring months. Whether traveling as a couple or family, there is tons to do around St. Thomas (and St. John!) and will be a vacation for the books. Here are a few recommendations to help with your planning purposes.
Car Rental:
Definitely recommended (there are plenty of taxis throughout the island, but they can get pricey as each ride is $6 a person no matter where you go). We rented a car through the local company Paradise Rentals which was a perfectly seamless experience. They picked us up from the airport to bring us to our car, and we dropped the car right at the airport for someone to pick up on our way off the island. Five star experience.
Where to Stay:
We opted to stay near Red Hook, away from the hustle and bustle of busy downtown Charlotte Amalie. It was a short ~20 minute ride from the airport and main town, and Red Hook has tons of great shops, restaurants, bars, etc. to keep you entertained!
- Cowpet Bay: The best (and most protected!) harbor we came across.
- Airbnb in Cowpet Bay East or Cowpet Bay West Villages
- Our 3 bed/ 3 bath was AMAZING with great views and priced well! Cowpet Bay Villages are a part of the Elysian resort and get access to the beach and pool/ hot tub. The two restaurants on property, Caribbean Fish Market and Sangria’s were also great dinner and lunch spots respectively.
- Club Wyndham Elysian Resort
- Ritz Carlton
- Airbnb in Cowpet Bay East or Cowpet Bay West Villages
- Secret Harbour
- Secret Harbour Beach Resort: While we didn’t stay here, it was our other favorite beach and bay on the island. Also a very well protected cove with a beautiful sandy beach and a great restaurant on property called the Sunset Grille.
Where to Eat:
- Best Sunset: Sunset Grille (Make sure to get a reservation for dinner early (5:30) at Sunset Grille to watch the most beautiful sunset on the whole island! The food is also amazing – you won’t be disappointed.)
- Best Local Fish: Caribbean Fish Market
- Best Lunch:
- In Red Hook: Hook’d (get the seared ahi tuna it’s incredible)
- Driving the Island: Sib’s on the Mountain (also the oldest standing restaurant/ bar dating back 100 years!)
- Best Coffee Shop: Lattes in Paradise
- Best Pizza: Senor Pizza (which delivers!)
- Best Italian: Pesce
- Best Sushi: Raw
- Honorary Mentions from Locals (that we didn’t get to try!)
- Agave (people rave about their Mexican cuisine)
- Island Time Pub (known for their pizza)
Things to Do:
- Take the ferry to St. John for a day:
- We took the car ferry right from Red Hook so we could drive to the beaches of the National Park on St. John (Cinnamon Bay was beautiful! Though if you ask a local, every beach on St. John is beautiful, so you can’t pick a bad one to visit for the day.) but you can also get the high speed ferry right from Red Hook to explore Cruz Bay and take a taxi to the beaches.
- Walk through Cruz Bay and up the short street to the Mongoose Junction for the best shopping of both souvenirs and island essentials, amazing sandwiches at the local deli, fresh beers and seltzers at St. John’s Brewers, and e
- Have happy hour at Woody’s (world-famous) and you might even spot Kenny Chesney who’s a regular!
- Go on a sunset boat cruise:
- We did the Sunset Boat Cruise from Sapphire Beach Marina which was phenomenal! Flat fee of $100 a person pays for the cruise, booze, appetizers, history of the island, and an epic sunset from Christmas Cove.
- Try out a half-day charter fishing boat:
- Not for the faint of heart, Captain Chris Berry of Reel Livin’ Charters takes guests 16 miles offshore to catch everything from Wahoo to Mahi to Black Fin Tuna. The boat is 39’ so you feel safe amidst the 6+ foot swells, and as a local, Chris knows all the best spots to catch fish. We ended the 6 hour adventure with 75 fish caught!!
- Head to the top of the mountain and Magen’s Bay:
- Get out for a drive! Take the coastal road to the Northside of St. Thomas to see the resorts and beaches of the island. Spend some time at what locals dub the most beautiful beach on the island, Magens Bay, but make sure to get there early as it’s a busy beach! There’s also a $5 a person charge to enter the beach and park. But with a great beach bar and fresh pina coladas, it’s worth hanging out here for a while.
- After a few hours spent at Magens Bay Beach, drive up to the Mountain Top to stumble upon the island’s hidden gem: a massive souvenir shop and bar world-famous for its banana daiquiris! Plus the views overlooking St. Thomas from the back patio of this place is just breathtaking.
- In need of lunch or an early dinner? Head to Sib’s on the Mountain. It’s the oldest standing bar/ restaurant on the island, family-owned for 100 years, with delicious ahi tuna nachos, grilled salad wraps, guava painkiller cocktails, and much more. Plus, for all you sports fans, it’s a local favorite wateringhole for Rob Gronkowski (Gronk) and his girlfriend Camille Kostek who has a house on the island, so you just might see them there!
- Explore Charlotte Amalie:
- I saved the island’s capital for last as we didn’t do much exploring here. It’s a busy place with lots going on, serving as the cruise ship port. But, it also has tons to do that I’d be remiss to mention. Some things we were looking into doing here were:
- Learning the local history at Fort Christian
- Shopping at the Havensight Mall cruise terminal
- Trying local beer at Leatherback Brewery
- Driving past Charlotte Amalie to Mermaid’s Chair on the far west of the island
- I saved the island’s capital for last as we didn’t do much exploring here. It’s a busy place with lots going on, serving as the cruise ship port. But, it also has tons to do that I’d be remiss to mention. Some things we were looking into doing here were:
