Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
enjoy rich coffee, tropical
juices, fruit smoothies, and
pastries as well.
Laundry & Dry Clean-
ing
The major hotels pro-
vide laundry service, but it's
more expensive than a
Laundromat. For dry clean-
ing, go to
One-Hour Mar-
tinizing,
Barbel Plaza,
Charlotte Amalie (
&
340/
774-5452
).
Mail
Postage rates are the
same as on the U.S. main-
land: 28¢ for a postcard
and 44¢ for a letter to U.S.
addresses. For international
mail, a first-class letter of
up to 1 ounce costs 98¢
(75¢ to Canada and 79¢
to Mexico); a first-class
postcard costs the same
as a letter.
Maps
See “Visitor Infor-
mation,” earlier in this
chapter.
Newspapers & Maga-
zines
Copies of U.S. main-
land newspapers, such as
the
New York Times, USA
Today,
and the
Miami Her-
ald,
arrive daily in St.
Thomas and are sold at
hotels and newsstands. The
latest copies of
Time
and
Newsweek
are also for sale.
St. Thomas Daily News
covers local, national, and
international events.
Virgin
Islands Playground
and
St.
Thomas This Week,
both of
which are packed with visi-
tor information, are distrib-
uted free on the island.
Police
The main police
headquarters is at the
Alex-
ander A. Farrelly Justice
Center,
8172 Sub Base,
Charlotte Amalie (
&
340/
774-2211
).
Post Office
The main
post office is at 9846 Estate
Thomas, Charlotte Amalie
(
&
340/774-1950
), and is
open Monday to Friday
7:30am to 5pm and Satur-
day 7:30am to noon.
Safety
St. Thomas has an
unusually high crime rate,
particularly in Charlotte
Amalie. Don't wander
around town at night, par-
ticularly on Back Street.
Single women should avoid
frequenting Charlotte Ama-
lie's bars alone at night.
Guard your valuables. Store
them in hotel safes if possi-
ble, and make sure you
keep your doors and win-
dows shut at night.
Taxes
The only local tax is
an 8% surcharge added to
all hotel rates.
Telephone
All island
phone numbers have seven
digits. It is not necessary to
use the 340 area code
when dialing within St.
Thomas. Numbers for all
three islands, including St.
John and St. Croix, are
found in the U.S. Virgin
Islands phone book.
Tipping
Tip as you would
on the U.S. mainland—15%
to 20% or so on a restau-
rant check, and a few dol-
lars a day for housekeeping
services in a hotel.
Toilets
You'll find public
toilets at beaches and at
the airport, but they are
limited in town. Most visi-
tors use the facilities of a
bar or restaurant.
Transit Information
Call
&
340/774-7457
to
order a taxi 24 hours a day.
Call
&
340/774-5100
for
airport information and
&
340/776-6282
for infor-
mation about ferry depar-
tures for St. John.
Weather
For emergency
(hurricane and disaster)
weather reports, call
Viet-
ema
at
&
340/774-2244.
3
WHERE TO STAY
Nearly every beach on St. Thomas has its own hotel, and the island also has more
quaint inns than any other place in the Caribbean. The choice of hotels on St.
Thomas divides almost evenly between places to stay in Charlotte Amalie, and grand
resorts along the East End that front the fabulous beaches. There are advantages and
disadvantages to both, and your choice becomes a matter of personal taste.
Say you're in St. Thomas for shopping and you want to be near the best stores, the
widest choice of restaurants and bars, and nearly all the historic attractions. Chances
are you'll elect to stay in Charlotte Amalie. And if you're looking for budget accom-
modations, or a choice of moderately priced inns, you'll need to be in or near Char-
lotte Amalie. The downside to staying here is that you'll have to take a shuttle over to
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