Suggestions help

Travel discussion for St. Thomas
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Coach
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 21, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: texas

Suggestions help

Post by Coach »

I will be traveling to St. Thomas towards the end of June for my honeymoon. My finace has never been out of our state and I want to make this the best trip possible. Does anyone have travel tips or suggestions of cant miss things to do or places to go here?
She has never been to a beach either so snorkeling, and possibly swimming with dolphins will be on top of the list. Any suggestions of best places to go?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Joppa
Posts: 433
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 6:07 pm
Location: NH

Post by Joppa »

I just pass through St.Thomas on my way to St.John so I have nothing to offer about St.Thomas. With that said, you should take the ferry over to St.John for a day. If you have a car you car take that over too. If you take the people ferry, you could hike the Lind Point trail. This will bring you to 2 absolutely beautiful beaches, and then ends at Caneel resort where you could Taxi back to town. If you bring a car you can drive to many beaches and stop at the overlooks for photo ops.
I don't know if you have passports but you will be just a boat ride a way from the BVI's. If you don't have them you should see if it's not too late to get them. Your fiance could leave the state and the country in one trip.
I'm sure others will chime in here for advise on St.Thomas. Have a great trip.
Connie
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Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:20 pm
Location: Philly burbs

Post by Connie »

She's never been to a beach??? WOW is she in for a surprise.

First, where are you staying on STT? Are you renting a car?

There's so many things to do, but the first thing you should do when you get off the plan to get your luggage is to get the maps and books on STT and STJ. They are free.

As the one poster stated, a trip over on the ferry to STJ is a must. You can either go on the people ferry or the car ferry. If you do have a car, take the car ferry over, buy only one way, not round trip so you can come back and get on any ferry that is right there.

Snorkeling is the big draw in the Islands, so you can spend every day snorkeling a different spot.
"Paradise...it's a state of mine"
Exit Zero
Posts: 1451
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:50 pm
Location: virgin islands

Post by Exit Zero »

Paradise Point has a good celebration on Wed. evenings - go for sunset.
A daytrip to Water Island - ferry leaves from Crown Bay Marina
A day sailing on one of the fine sailboats out of Red hook
An early morning visit to Charlotte Amalie - on Sat morning they have an interesting market , but any day is nice as you walk the streets - admire the colonial architecture - watch the stores open - see the town come to life as the cruise ships arrive.
Walk from restaurant to restaurant in Frenchtown and pick one for dinner.
A half day kayak trip through the Mangrove Lagoon.
Watch the Rising Stars Steel Orchestra practice at the Panyard on Long Bay.
Have a picnic on Magens Bay.
Visit Smith Bay Park - a beautiful beach!
Coach
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat May 21, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: texas

Post by Coach »

first, thanks for your help!
second, yes shes never been to a beach...her family never had the opportunity to get to do things like that. so Ive been working and saving trying to make this the best trip possible.
I will definitely take your advice and try your suggestions!
PA Girl
Posts: 4485
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:55 am

Post by PA Girl »

Exit Zero wrote:An early morning visit to Charlotte Amalie - on Sat morning they have an interesting market , but any day is nice as you walk the streets - admire the colonial architecture - watch the stores open - see the town come to life as the cruise ships arrive.
We spent two days in Charlotte Amalie last summer on our way to STJ and enjoyed doing the above. We were up and moving before anyplace openned and walked around downtown, had breakfast and went to Blackbeard's Castle and continued the walking tour afterwards. If you are at all into historicall buildings, you will like it.
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mrscaptainjay
Posts: 439
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:27 am
Location: Saint Thomas, USVI

Post by mrscaptainjay »

Everything on the list above.

You definitely need to hit the beaches since she's never been.
Magen's Bay - beautiful beach, watch the cruise ship schedule and go on a "no ship" or 1 ship day. It can get crazy when there are 2 or more ships in port. They have chair and water toy rentals, nice bar, ok food.
Secret Harbor and Sapphire Beach - pretty much the same description but since its farther away, less cruise ship traffic, plus they both have decent snorkeling.
Smith Bay - no facilities, no cruise ship traffic, bring your own chair, cooler and food and just chill

There are several others, but these are my favorites. There are also some resorts that you can go to their beach and then go to dinner since you're there, Wyndham Sugar Bay, Ritz, Elysian. Also, go for drinks at Island Beachcomber on Lindbergh Bay. Nice view and laid back atmosphere. But since it's right near the airport, you get some airplane noise.

Take a safari ride to tour the island, stop at the overlooks, Mountain Top, etc. Or, if you're renting a car, drive around and explore.

Restaurants - sooo many to choose from. Anything in Frenchtown, fun places in Redhook, Thirteen, Havana Blue, three to choose from in Yacht Haven Grande while looking at all the beautiful yachts, so many more I can't even think.

But most of all, relax and enjoy. :-)
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mrscaptainjay
Posts: 439
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:27 am
Location: Saint Thomas, USVI

Post by mrscaptainjay »

I had forgotten about this site. Take a look at the St. Thomas historical tour.
http://islandtreasuremaps.com/index.php
LauraD
Posts: 204
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:41 pm
Location: Edegewater, Florida

Post by LauraD »

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Please do not let your honeymoon be ruined by sunburn. I see you are from Texas, but the sun is much stronger in the islands. I am from Florida with a decent base tan and I still slather on the sunscreen. Have a great time! Laura :D
You must be the change you want to see in the world
kellog24
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Feb 12, 2010 10:59 am
Location: West Texas

Post by kellog24 »

Congrats to you two! We will be there the last week of June as well for my sister's wedding. My husband and I were on island about a year and a half ago for our first trip, and we can't wait to get back! Where are you staying...and are you renting a car?

Here's kind of a rundown of what we did....
Day 1 we took a trip down to Charlotte Amalie to do some shopping. We ended up taking a safari bus tour of the island for $25/person. This was a great way for us to see the island. Tour lasts 2 hours. Then we spent the evening on our hotel beach.
Day 2 we spent beach hopping. We started early at Magens Bay (got there around 9am) and moved over to Coki Point Beach in the afternoon. Definitely plan your beach days around the cruise ships. Look into the cruise ship schedule on this website or vinow.com.
Day 3 we took the ferry out of Red Hook to St. John. It's a 20 minute ferry ride that costs around $6/person if I remember correctly. Once on STJ, we took a $25/person tour again with a taxi driver and got to see all the STJ beauty. After that, we found a little hut in Cruz Bay that had hiking trail maps. We took one of the trails to Honeymoon Bay and spend our entire afternoon there. It was amazing! Hiked back to Cruz Bay for dinner at Morgan's Mango...delish! We dined in our swim suits with cover-ups. No need to look fancy.
Day 4 was spent on a boat trip with Stormy Petrel & Pirate's Penny. AMAZING! Hopped on the boat at some marina (can't remember now). It took us to STJ to pick up a few more people and then onto The Bath's at virgin Gorda. They cleared customs for us and then lead us though The Baths. From there they took us for lunch on Cooper Island, and then on to snorkel The Caves. This was the best money we've ever spent! It was my favorite day by far! We came back and had a fancy dinner at Herve that night.
Day 5 was travel day for us...filled with the depressing thought that we were leaving this beautiful island!

Hope that's not too much info for you! Have a blast.
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