Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
duty-free prices. St. Croix has fewer shops, but
most are branches of the best on-island estab-
lishments.
All three islands promise starry nights, limbo
shows, steel and reggae bands and exotic foods,
such as fungi (foongee) and kalaloo - and they
deliver. If you are starting to think that these
sibling islands are three peas in a pod, think
again. Each has a distinct personality and a de-
voted coterie of fans. St. Croix, the largest of the
three and separated from the others by 40
miles of sea, has retained much of its Danish
character. With rolling hills and wide open
spaces, it is picturesque and its colorful capital,
Christiansted, is low key. St. Thomas is cosmo-
politan and sophisticated, with major hotels, a
bustling commercial center and daily traffic
jams. But five minutes from downtown there
are sugar-sand beaches and quiet coves. Tiny
St. John is arguably the Caribbean's loveliest
island. Its unique character has been preserved
by the National Park, which encompasses more
than half its acres. The island's best-known re-
sort has seven beaches, all of which are open to
the public.
The US bought the then Danish West Indies in 1917 for $25
million - an astonishingly high price, almost $300 per acre.
In retrospect, it ranks with the deal Peter Stuyvesant got
when he bought Manhattan Island for wampum.
The USVI - An Orientation
Where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic,
1,100 miles southeast of Miami, you'll see 100
blips bunched in the dazzling blue waters be-
tween Puerto Rico and St. Martin. Part of the
Lesser Antilles, these are the Virgin Islands -
both United States and British. From the air a
