St. Thomas and St. John
You can find just about everything in accommodations from $45 a night at a small
inn to $850 for a suite in a luxury resort, depending on the season.
Our largest hotel, Marriott Frenchman's Reef,
commanding the harbor entrance, has completed a spectacular $45 million dollar renovation.
Adjoining it, Marriott Morning Star Resort is a cottage-like
colony bordering the beach. The Westin Resort, St. John,
allocated $20 million with stunning results. Both hotels are among the most sought-after
in the Caribbean.
The elegant Renaissance Grand Beach Resort
covers 34 tropically landscaped acres and edges an inviting cove-like beach. Two
restaurants, two spacious swimming pools, a watersports center and kids' club add to the
enjoyment.
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, is one of
the most beautiful hotels in the Caribbean. Magnificent, too, is its setting on a white
sand beach with views of other Virgins beyond. The Wyndham Sugar Bay
is all inclusive. Bluebeard's Castle sits atop a manicured hill overlooking Charlotte
Amalie. Built around a tower that provides its name, it has a time-share plan. They also
manage Elysian Resort at Cowpet Bay.
Emerald Beach Resort borders a shimmering
beach at Lindbergh Bay, moments from the airport. Nearby is Carib Beach Resort. Island
Beachcomber has guests who come back year after year to its 48 rooms-- for the beach, its
casual lifestyle and nearness to town.
Unhurried Colony Point Pleasant, hillside
enclave of villa-style units, catches the northside view of an endless chain of islands
and gives you a Toyota free for four hours of touring.
Small inns, some full of West Indian charm, are more often in town
or on the surrounding hills. Island View's rooms are high on
Crown Mountain. Mafolie Hotel is another with a breathtaking
view of town and harbor. You are on the edge of Frenchtown at the Admiral's
Inn. Blackbeard's Castle borders the tower that, legend says, pirates once
used as a lookout. Their restaurant ranks with the island's finest. Nearly Hotel 1829 on
Government Hill has one of the island's most charming bars.
Condominium living is spacious and usually means a beach thrown
in--like Cowpet and Anchorage (both
near the Yacht Club), Sapphire (with a lively childrens'
program) and Secret Harbour. Mahogany Run's
condos overlook the golf course or a sea view.
There are dozens of private villas--with or without pools--renting by the week or month.
On St. John, the luxury trade head for Caneel Bay
Resort spread along 7 lovely beaches, or the Westin Resort,
St. John, with its gigantic swimming pool. Cinnamon Bay in the
National Park gives a choice of tents, one-room units or bare sites. Tents at Maho
Bay lean more to comfort. At adjacent Harmony you stay in cottages--each an
environmental concept in the use of recycled materials. |
     
St. Croix
St. Croix has many choices of accommodations: perhaps a room at a small guest house in
town, a furnished condominium by the sea, a time-share unit, an historic inn with period
furnishings, a private villa or a suite at a luxury resort on a beautiful beach. The price
range is equally wide: from around $35 to near $300.
The leading hotels of the island are the Buccaneer
Hotel, just east of Christiansted and the Carambola Beach Resort
and Golf Club at secluded Davis Bay on the north shore. Both resorts offer
golf, tennis, watersports, shops, health spa, a sandy beach and several restaurants.
Tennis, pools and restaurants are available at beachfront hotels
like Hibiscus Beach Hotel, one of our newer properties west of
town. Schooner Bay in the eastern part of Christiansted overlooks the harbor and has a
pool.
In town our charming small hotels like centrally located Kings
Alley and newly redecorated Danish Manor are popular and convenient to restaurants and
shopping, as is the remodeled Holger Danske Hotel, overlooking
the harbor. Hotel on the Cay is on its own little island in Christiansted harbor.
Breakfast Club, a cozy B&B in the upper part of town, also overlooks the harbor and
offers excellent rates. Near town, historic Hilty House Inn is
unique and charming. Right on the beach is elegant Sugar Beach,
which also has a pool and a tennis court. Next door, Club St. Croix
boasts tennis courts, a pool and a beachside restaurant. Colony Cove
is beachfront with a lovely tropical garden and near a reef with fine snorkeling. Tranquil
Tamarind Reef, east of Christiansted, has a beach and pool, tennis and
croquet. Dive enthusiasts flock to the friendly Waves at Cane Bay
in a lovely setting on the north shore or comfortable, air-conditioned Cane Bay Reef Club
next door.
For a conference or retreat, Rattan Inn
provides banquet facilities and lodgings in scenic and historic surroundings in
mid-island.
Frederiksted offers comfortable and central accommodations at the Frederiksted
Hotel on the waterfront, and near town at Cottages by the Sea.
Renting a car would be your best bet for exploring the islands. Most companies
will deliver a car to your hotel.
Avis...............800-331-1084
Budget..........800-472-3325
Hertz.............800-654-3131
Olympic........800-344-5776
The busses are somewhat new and have airconditioning but run an irregular
schedules. Taxi cabs are also a traveling option. Most drivers will provide you with a
tour if requested. All cabs are unmetered so its a good idea to discuss price and distance
before agreeing to a ride.
Ferries frequently run between the islands and the fares are resonable.
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