Atlantic Ave Magazine November 2023

TRAVEL
The Unbelievable
U.S. Virgin Islands!!!
BY LISA MARIE
1,100 miles away lies an American tropical getaway.
The Virgin Islands of the United States, formerly
the Danish West Indies were sold to the U.S. by
Denmark in 1916. They are currently an organized,
unincorporated United States territory in the
Caribbean, therefore requiring no passport to travel.
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The islands consist of three main islands: Saint Croix, Saint
John, and Saint Thomas, along with many other surrounding
smaller islands. Traveling to St. Thomas or St. Croix is
not as expensive as you might think. Spirit Airlines offer direct
flights from Ft. Lauderdale to St. Thomas or American Airlines
from Miami.
With a steady temperature averaging 80 degrees and white
sandy beaches on turquoise blue water, the USVI are a place not
to be missed. Each of the islands is unique. St. Thomas is the most
cosmopolitan of the three, giving the feeling that it’s the largest;
it’s not, St. Croix is, although it is the territorial capital and port
of Charlotte Amalie. St. Thomas offers its visitors a huge array of
attractions from churches, museums, classic island architecture
and shopping. Their ethnic diversity offers diners an array of eating
experiences to bring those taste buds alive. Accommodation
selection is vast too. You can choose from 5 star all-inclusive hotels
like The Ritz-Carlton to colorful and picturesque Bed & Breakfast’s
such as At Home in the Tropics.
Now let us island hop to St John. From Red Hook, St. Thomas it
is a short 15-20 minute ferry ride and from Charlotte Amalie will
take around 45 minutes. If you hired a car while on St. Thomas
you can take one of the car barges traveling from Red Hook to
Cruz Bay, St. John. For more information on ferry times and prices
visit www.vinow.com/stjohn/getting_there/.
St. John is the smallest of the three islands and nearly twothirds
of it is a national park. There you can take a 2- or 3-hour
National Park guided tour to experience this paradise of sub-tropical
forests, hundreds of species of plants, including bay rum trees
and orchids and lots of tropical birds. If a guided tour is not for
you, visit www.stjohnusvi.com for all the information needed to
check out this island on your own. St. John is also renowned as
a ‘reader’s paradise’ with its spectacular secluded beaches, turquoise
waters, colorful coral and tropical fish. Even though this is
the smallest island there is still a vast array of accommodations to
choose from. Luxury resorts, condos, cottages, guest houses and
the world’s leading eco-resorts and campgrounds.
Now we are heading to St. Croix, the largest of the USVI. Unfortunately,
there are no ferries offered to St. Croix from either
St. Thomas or St. John. The best option is to fly from St. Thomas
round trip on www.seaborneairlines.co. The island is only 22.7
miles long and 8 miles at its widest point, but the landscape is
surprisingly diverse. The two main towns are Christiansted, renowned
for its historic yellow buildings, architecture, cobbled
streets and history, and Frederiksted, the smaller of the two. You
could see all that St. Croix has to offer in a day trip or you could
stay a few days and relax on their gorgeous beaches, play a game
of golf, indulge in some glorious water sports or try your luck at
the casino! For further information on the ‘Unbelievable Virgin
Islands’ check out www.vinow.com and gather all the knowledge
you need on where to stay, where to eat and what to do.
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