Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
$1600 duty-free allowance in the shops. In the evening, swing by
Frenchtown
to check out
the area's funky bistros and wine bars. The next day ferry over to the quiet fourth Virgin,
Water Island
, and walk to Honeymoon Beach to swim and snorkel.
Take the floatplane from downtown for the cool, 20-minute flight to
Christiansted
, on
St Croix
. Over the next three days drink at old windmills turned gin mills on the wharf,
play like a pirate at the big yellow fort, and poke around the art galleries and colonial build-
ings scattered around town. Motor to the
WestEnd
to visit the rum factory, botanic garden
and evocative plantation museum. Drop by
Frederiksted
for a snorkel around the historic
pier, or maybe a mountain bike ride into the spooky rainforest. Divers should set a course
for the
North Shore
to immerse at the gaping coral-encrusted wall. Just east is
Salt River
Bay
, where Christopher Columbus landed in 1493; modern-day explorers can rent a kayak
and set off for a night-paddle through the glimmering bioluminescent waters.
From Christiansted, return to Charlotte Amalie via seaplane, then head to
Red Hook
to
catch the ferry to
St John
for a couple of days. You can't beat it for snorkeling beaches
with fish-frenzied reefs to explore, and for hiking trails that wind by petroglyphs, sugar
mill ruins and feral donkeys.
Cruz Bay
makes a primo base thanks to its festive bars and
restaurants, which plate up everything from Italian gnocchi to Mallorcan paella to West In-
dian barbecue.
