I recently moved to DC after spending about two years living in Saint Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands. It became a regular occurrence when family, friends, and even distant acquaintances would ask for tips on what to do while here. I wrote up a guide I kept on Google Docs, but figured it’s worth sharing publicly, too.
It’s beautiful in STT, so you made a great vacation choice. There’s great culture, history, food, activity, drinks, and, of course, weather. So make the most of it.
If you live in the VI or are a regular visitor, you will absolutely identify gaping holes in my guide. I also don’t cover any boating or BVI ideas.
I am in no way saying I tried everything, hit every beach, or attended every special event. But this should be a good starting point for anyone planning to visit.
Before you come
TripAdvisor is the popular tourist attraction list in the VI; Yelp hasn’t really caught on. Download the app to your phone and have it at the ready.
Request to join the What’s Going On St. Thomas? Facebook group to keep up to date on events, why the power’s out (seriously), where traffic is bad, etc.; it’s also good for asking open-ended questions like “who’s the best boat captain to hire?” Plan to unfollow the group after you leave. It can be a dramafest.
Review my Dos and Don’ts post for some helpful tips before you arrive, once you’re in STT, and when you leave. Don’t forget to do this.
Travel and accommodations
I generally fly American Air (MIA, CLT, JFK), though STT is also serviced by Delta (ATL, JFK), Spirit (FLL), United, and JetBlue (FLL, SJU). If you see a layover in San Juan via JetBlue, avoid it for your own sanity; many will last for hours and hours.
I have no recommendations on hotels. I lived in the VI; I didn’t vacation there. I liked the Marriott the one time I stayed there, but it’s pretty expensive.
I suggest you rent a car. It’s pricey, but I think it’s hard to get around the whole island the way you should without a vehicle. Taxis and safaris get expensive for tourists, even if you do discover the dollar cabs.
Let’s get going
Alrighty, I split this up into various themed days. Take my guidance, mix and match, ignore it, no worries on my end. Just make sure to have a good time, be respectful, and spend some money.
Day 1: Totally Tourist Day
Morning
Spend some time exploring and shopping in Havensight Mall at the main cruise terminal. Havensight has great jewelry, watch, souvenir, and alcohol shopping, plus very good restaurants and bars in or near the mall. I suggest Jewel House, ask for Kabeer.
Park for free in the massive parking lot. Locals do shop here (especially at the grocery store called Gourmet Gallery), but we generally avoid it when ships are in town. You shouldn’t.
Grab a postcard and mail it from the Havensight Post Office.
Take the SkyRide up to Paradise Point and check out the amazing view and have a couple Bushwhackers.
Lunch
Stop at Tap & Still for great local burgers and fries (the funnel cake is amazing) or The Smoking Rooster for our version of BBQ, which is surprisingly good. Both have draft beer; Tap & Still carries some stateside beers and Smoking Rooster carries STT-brewed Frenchtown Brewery beers.
Both restaurants are in Havensight. If you can’t find them, just ask a shop owner how to get to either of them.
Afternoon
Go to Magens Bay Beach. It’s the beach everyone wants to go to and does go to. It costs a few dollars per vehicle and per person to enter if you’re parking, or the cost of a safari ride and entry.
There’s a bar and restaurant available for food and drinks on the north end of the beach; you can also rent lounge chairs there. You can bring your own stuff, too. No glass containers allowed.
Prepare to share the beach with a lot of tourists/cruise passengers. But it’s not terrible. The south side is more of the local side. There are pavilions that are available to rent and most Sundays the beach is packed with parties for little Johnny’s 8th birthday, Amber’s first communion, Bob and Jane’s 50th anniversary. You can always smell great food and hear good music.
This is an afternoon beach. If you go in the morning hoping to get a tan, you won’t: the sun is behind you (and the trees) at that time of day.
Dinner and drinks
Go to Red Hook. If you skipped it at lunch, try the original Tap & Still for a local Five Guys-like experience, and one of the few places that serves draft beer on the east side. Or try Fish Tails if you want American entrees with a seafood flair (plus non-seafood options too). They also have sushi. One of my favorites. Then grab some drinks at Duffy’s Love Shack and dance in the parking lot afterward.
Day 2: Get a Feel For the Locals Day
Morning
Spend some time exploring and shopping in historic downtown Charlotte Amalie. “Town”, as it’s known, has great jewelry, watch, souvenir, and alcohol shopping, plus very good restaurants and bars within a block from Main Street (Dronningen’s Gade, pronounced GAH-duh).
Park for free next to Emancipation Gardens Park or in the makeshift parking lot outside of the Post Office. Technically there’s a two-hour parking limit; I don’t think anyone checks.
It’s in Town that you’ll really notice the Danish influence, if only by the street names. The architecture is amazing, especially if you wander into the old alleys and hallways. Most of the buildings that span from Main Street to the Waterfront used to be butchers in the late 1800s to early 1900s and actually dumped their garbage (…butcher leftovers, people) in the harbor before Veterans Drive was built up.
So take advantage of the history. Try the historic walking tours.
For shopping, I like Caribana for the general souvenir, but I especially enjoy Waterfront Trading Company for local crafts, artwork, carvings, and even food and spices. The owner and employees are really great. There are two locations; one’s on the waterfront, and the other is just off Main Street.
When you get thirsty, try Palm Passage. There’s an open-air courtyard in the building with a central bar that’s covered in case it rains. There’s high-end shopping in the mall too. It’s a classy experience overall.
Lunch
Stop at Gladys’ Cafe in the Royal Dane Mall. I will point you nowhere else because Gladys’ place is by far the best experience I’ve had food- and service-wise when in Town.
It can be hard to find. Feel free to ask any local shop owners how to get there. They’ll point you the right way.
If you’re with a group, everyone should order something different and share! I suggest kalalloo soup (KAH-luh-loo), chicken roti (roh-TEE), curry chicken, stewed chicken, stewed oxtail, and she does great work with fish. She usually has tuna, chicken, and lobster salad served in a fresh avocado bowl.
Look forward to being serenaded by Gladys, which is especially a treat at Christmas time.
Afternoon
Go to Hull Bay Beach. It should be reasonably quiet. The ride up will take a bit, but it’s worth it. Follow these directions on Google Maps. Stop at Drake’s Seat on the way for an incredible view of Magens Bay (included as a stop in the directions).
Hull Bay Beach also has a very large bar and food place to eat called the Hideaway. But feel free to bring your own stuff. Do not leave garbage. It’s a locals beach. They will beat the shit out of you for doing so (as they should). Hope you like dogs!
Dinner
Rum Shandy’s got some killer burgers and they usually have live music. They also serve Frenchtown Brewery beer, which is brewed right next door. Try the saison! Then bar hop to Pie Whole, Epernay, and Hook Line & Sinker. These spots are also worth it for dinner, if you don’t like Rum Shandy’s menu. No trip to STT is complete without a stop in Frenchtown.
Day 3: Adventure Day
Morning
Hike the Magens Bay Trail, a one-mile nature trail that takes you from near the top of one of the local hills down 300-or-so feet to Magens Bay Beach.
Park your car or get dropped off by a Safari. Just know that you’ll have to flag a Safari when you’re done.
Going down is the easy part, but beware if it’s slippery; if it just rained, wait for another day.
Use the beach as a halfway point and either rest or go for a dip. You already know Magens from a previous day, so check it out from a different viewpoint. Make your way back up and prepare to work out dem legs.
Lunch
You’re gonna be sweaty and gross, so sit-down probably isn’t in order. Also, you just did something healthy, so let’s stick with that theme. Try these on your way back to your hotel instead.
Fruit Bowl, Gourmet Gallery, and, inexplicably, Giant gas station all have really good salad bars. Each has its own local concoctions to through in on the side of your salad.
If you want something a bit more filling, Urban Eats has great food for take-out. I’m a phan of their pho.
Afternoon
Let’s keep the adventure going. You’ve got a number of options, from extreme to not-so-much, whichever is your preference.
Hike to Mermaids Chair: If you’re not tired from the morning hike, try going to Mermaids Chair, all the way on the west side of the island. You end up on a two-sided beach that faces both the Atlantic and the Caribbean, with Puerto Rico in the background. A great trip. Not so much a hike as a long walk, but definitely an elevation gain. Bring some snacks and water. Entry is free, but you have to sign your life away to get through the gate initially. Be prepared to be some of the only people there. The steep walk and extreme west-end location turn a lot of people off.
VI EcoTours: Try out kayaking and snorkeling in one of the beautiful mangroves near the east side of the island. They offer great multi-hour tours that are both a good workout and an educational experience. You can schedule and purchase online, unlike most retailers on-island. I usually did so the day-of, based on what the weather was.
Tree Limin Extreme zip line: Ride through the jungle like a bird on this hour-or-so long ropes course. It’s not just one zip through the woods, either. The guys at Tree Limin have done a good job of making it an experience and adventure. It costs around $125 per person if I remember right. Pricey, but worth it, with amazing one-of-a-kind views of Magens and the north side.
Sky dive. You’ll never have a better view on the way down than in the Caribbean. The staff is awesome. They harness you up at Brewers Beach, then take you to the airport where they take off and spiral up over Pillsbury Sound (the sound between St. Thomas and St. John). Then you take the leap and land in the middle of the local racecourse. (Costs around $250 per person plus $100 pp for photos/video; let’s face it, why would you not get the photo evidence of your dive?)
Caribbean Buzz helicopter tour: See the islands the way the birds do. They offer tours and the opportunity to fly the helicopter. The views are incredible and the opportunity to fly is even better. They also have options where they’ll fly you to a deserted beach with lunch, leave you there, and pick you up when you’re ready. Trips are several hundred dollars but it’s worth the splurge.
Dinner
Try Greengo’s Cantina. Great tacos and drinks. And you can stop in the Greenhouse for more drinks after.
Day 4: Fancy day
I couldn’t come up with a better name for this. Sorry.
Morning
Start your day with a delicious drink and snack at Badass Coffee in Yacht Haven Grande.
Next, walk across the hall to get a massage at Sugar and Spice Salon. They do great work. I’ve only had one massage in my life, and it was there. I highly recommend it.
Or, if that’s not in your budget, go to the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef and use their pool and beach. They also have a spa if you’d like to try that out on Fancy Day.
Drive or get dropped off, but just walk in. If you have confidence, nobody knows you’re free-loading. They have two pool decks. One’s up top with the main building, the other is down a long set of stairs to the beach. Sorry if the free-loading rubs you the wrong way. Buy some drinks or snacks to make up for it. They’re still making plenty of money.
Lunch
Fresh Bistro at Yacht Haven Grande. I can’t count how many times I’ve been to Fresh, and every time has been good. Sit by the water.
Afternoon
Beach it somewhere out east, like Lindquist.
Dinner
I’ll toss three options out at you; you pick which one you want. You can try The Ritz-Carlton, if not just for the experience. Check out their beach and pool, too. Then there’s Thirteen, a classy establishment in a surprising area. Food is great. And of course you can try Grande Cru at Yacht Haven Grande, Fresh Bistro’s big sister. They have the best-value steak I’ve had on-island. If you’re eating inside, bring an extra layer; their air conditioning is bananas cold.
Day 5: Ex-Pat day
Though technically we’re not ex-pats — we’re still Americans living in America — there are places I regularly see folks I know didn’t grow up in the VI. Here’s a taste of what mainlanders seem to like to do.
Morning
Check out Coki Beach on the east side. Just note that there’s a good amount of blatant recreational marijuana use at Coki, so if that bothers you, check out another beach. And if you get bored, it’s a perfect opportunity to try out Coral World right next door.
Lunch
Try eating at Mafolie Hotel’s restaurant. The food’s pretty good and reasonably priced for lunch (overpriced for dinner), but you’re really going for the view.
Afternoon
Work your way up Crown Mountain to Mountain Top. It’s a place we all hit at least once. Home of the banana daiquiri (so they say), the largest souvenir store on-island, and it’s got an insane view of Magens Bay out back.
And if your knees are up to it, make your way back downtown and climb up 99 Steps, one of the great examples of the step street in STT. Step streets kept (and still keep) houses connected when the hillside was too steep for a road.
Happy hour
Stop in to Fat Turtle in Yacht Haven Grande. $3 domestic beers and $3 rum drinks 5–7 pm every day if I’m not mistaken. It also turns into a nightclub on Fridays and Saturdays after around 11 pm if you’re looking to dance.
Dinner
Don’t leave STT without trying out The Pie Whole in Frenchtown. Great pizza and one of the few places that serves Frenchtown Brewery beer on draft. Note: Parking sucks, be prepared.
After dinner
You’ve got to try Sib’s on the Mountain for some great drinks and late-night food. As is well-known here, you can’t go to Sib’s and just have one. Plus, very easy parking.
Day 6: Saint John day
You do not want to come all the way to Saint Thomas to skip out on Saint John. STT is beautiful; STJ is more so. STJ is a smaller island and has something like 7,000 residents compared to the 50,000 of STT.
STJ is about two-thirds national park and barely developed. It’s super laid back and chill; there’s a reason it’s known as Love City. To get there, you have to take a boat, either the people ferry or the car barge. Most of us go out of Red Hook, though there’s an additional people ferry out of Town (I’m not sure where those people park, though).
The people ferry runs pretty much every hour, the car barge has a different schedule (see here). The ferry is $14 round trip for tourists, the barge is $50 round trip. The barge gives you the ability to drive on the island and might be cheaper if you’re taking a group. But you’re at the mercy of the barge schedule and potentially limited space on the way back.
I usually take the people ferry. You get dropped off in Cruz Bay on the west side of STJ. Cruz Bay sports a number of shops, restaurants, bars, a beach, and the National Park Service headquarters.
Turn your phone onto airplane mode once you get out of Cruz Bay. Otherwise you may get whiffs of the British Virgin Islands signal, and you’ll be paying international rates (and may not even realize it). Not fun!
Morning
This is my preferred morning in STJ, though there are so many other options if this doesn’t meet your needs.
First, pack a water bottle full of your favorite liquor and another with your favorite mixer. Plan to enjoy these at the beach. Pack a hiking bag with some snacks, water, and your towels.
Park in Red Hook or take a Safari to the Ferry Terminal. Grab the people ferry to Cruz Bay Terminal, STJ. Once in STJ, if you want breakfast, the omelets at Cruz Bay Landing are excellent.
Hike from Cruz Bay to Honeymoon Beach on the Lind Point Trail. It has a great look-out point over Cruz Bay harbor. Start at the National Park Service HQ and go from there.
Hang out at Honeymoon Beach. VI Ecotours offers a beach day pass that includes chairs, hammocks, stand-up paddle boards, snorkel equipment, kayaks, lockers, and bathrooms all day for $50 per person. This is totally worth it and I suggest doing it. Hit the food shack for cups with ice (for free) to mix your drinks and enjoy.
When you’re ready, walk down to Caneel Bay Resort and grab a Safari to Mongoose Junction. Enjoy the stops on the way back (which is why I don’t suggest hiking back, plus you might be a bit tipsy).
Lunch
Go to The Tap Room on the second floor at Mongoose Junction. Enjoy good pub food and Saint John Brewers freshly brewed local beer. Stop in the Brew-tique first, spend some money there, and you’ll get a pass for a free pretzel with purchase of two beers in the Tap Room.
I would send you nowhere else.
Afternoon
Use your STJ day to have fun and party a bit. Shopping at Mongoose Junction is excellent. Roam for a bit.
Then walk back downtown. If you want to do some shopping, Saint John Spice Shop is my favorite store in Cruz Bay. It’s on the second floor near the ferry dock. Just ask around. Someone can point you there. Roam downtown and bar hop for drinks.
Woody’s Seafood Saloon has $1 Coors Lights starting at 3:00 pm every day. Don’t miss out. Best deal in town.
Joe’s Rum Hut has great drinks and some cool novelty shirts to take home with you.
Longboard has good drinks and snacks too.
If you want to schedule anything else during the day, contact Colby Thompson. He runs a concierge service on STJ and can get you in contact with almost any service and offer suggestions and ideas to make your visit that much better. Tell him I sent you: Colby [at] mountainstoseavi [dot] com.
Dinner
My favorite way to eat dinner on STJ is to hop to a new restaurant for each course of the meal. Try Umami for a sushi appetizer, The Beach Bar for a great pub-food entree, and Waterfront Bistro for a nice dessert.
Grab the ferry home any time on the hour. Last one is, I think, at 11:00 pm. It’s amazing to look up at the stars on your ride home because there’s basically no light pollution.
Parting thoughts on STJ
You should spend another day here; one day just doesn’t do it justice. Pick a new beach, doesn’t matter where. Trunk Bay offers a very cool underwater trail for snorkelers. Cinnamon Bay is just gorgeous.
Try hitting up the east side. Coral Bay can be beautiful and it’s likely one of the most remote spots in the United States. You can always try Skinny Legs for a good meal.
Conclusion
Saint Thomas is so worth visiting, there’s no question about it. I hope you can put together a good starting point for your visit. This by no means is meant to be prescriptive, but it should give you some rough guidance on what to consider, do, eat, etc. Feel free to leave any comments if you’ve got other suggestions or questions.
Note: All media are copyright © Matt Wade and may not be reused without permission. You can find the above photos, plus more, on my Flickr page.
