Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
St Thomas
POP 52,200
Includes ยป
Why Go?
Most visitors arrive in the US Virgin Islands via St Thomas, and the place sure knows how
to strike a positive first impression. Jungly cliffs poke high in the sky, red-hipped roofs blos-
som over the hills, and all around the turquoise, yacht-dotted sea laps. Dizzying cruise-ship
traffic and big resorts nibbling its edges make St Thomas the most commercialized of the
Virgins, but this is also a fine island to sharpen your knife and fork. Curried meats and hot-
spiced callaloo soup fill local tables. Bars pour tropical drinks high and low, from coconut-
cake martinis in a mountaintop bistro to cold beers in a parking lot tiki hut. Visitors who
make the effort to move deeper into the island will find opportunities for surfing, kayaking
through mangrove swamps and getting face-to-face with sea turtles.
When to Go
Mid-December through April is the dry and sunny high season, when prices and crowds
max out. Late March sees extra action courtesy of the Rolex Cup Regatta during the fourth
weekend. The whopping, party-hearty St Thomas Carnival fills the streets from mid-April
through early May. Stormy weather starts in August, though this month also hosts two not-
able shindigs: the Texas Society Chili Cook-off and the USVI Atlantic Blue Marlin Tour-
nament, a mega-lure for sportfishers. May and early December are good shoulder season
months for bargains and decent (if wet) weather.
