Hello Everyone!

Sorry for the delay on our trip report. Re-adjusting to everyday life after 3 weeks in Heaven was more difficult than I had expected. We have learned so much over the past few months from everyone on this board, and we wanted to share our experiences and advice with all of you in return. I know my husband Michael has been posting some thoughts on our trip already, and I hope you all forgive me if I duplicate anything he discussed already.

First of all let me just say – WOW! This was our first trip to St. Croix and we absolutely fell in love with it. The island, the people, the low-key way of life, truly touched us and made our honeymoon all the more special. We met so many wonderful people and saw so many amazing sights – I doubt mere words will be able to express our gratitude and awe. The island is picture perfect on a daily basis. Every vista is breathtakingly beautiful. The island actually looks exactly like the postcards you see, it is that beautiful. Even rainy days were romantic in their own way.

Resort & Wedding - We were married and honeymooned at the Buccaneer Resort. We chose the resort based upon the outstanding reviews it received on tripadvisor.com (another wonderful resource). I must say we were not disappointed. It was fantastic! The resort is so large that you never feel cramped or bothered by other guests and it is immaculately maintained. I could not have imagined a nicer place to stay. The grounds are lushly landscaped and one could be content never leaving them and not feel deprived. They have tennis, golf, a spa, shopping arcade, nature trails, jogging trails, exercise room, restaurants and beaches – wonderful beaches! (In fact, during our entire three week stay, we visited just about every beach on the island, and I have to say the Buccaneers beaches were our favorites.) During our stay, our room was upgraded twice! Once before we even arrived, our wedding coordinator, Candy, upgraded us to a Great House Suite. Which we thought was amazing, until three days after we arrived we were upgraded to an Ocean Front Doubloon Suite due to pending construction around our Great House Suite. Now that rocked! They also have 2 gorgeous pools. I preferred the smaller pool. It is tucked away and several times we had the entire pool to ourselves for the entire day. Bonus!

The entire staff was friendly and helpful throughout our stay. In particular, Patricia & Babylon, two of the nicest people we met on the island. Always smiling and happy with wonderful tips on things to do and people to see. I also want to give a special thanks to Ric. Not only did he teach me – an aquatically challenged person - to snorkel but he gave us some wonderful advice on moving to the island. He is also hysterically funny – you must all stop by and meet him. What a doll! Thank you again, Ric!

As I said, the rooms and facilities were amazing. We could not have asked for anything better. The breakfasts, which are included, are awesome. It is not a muffin and coffee and be on your way deal. They provide a lavish breakfast spread at the Terrace Restaurant that we never grew tired of. We did have lunch at the Mermaid Restaurant on Mermaid Beach and that was as good as breakfast. Plus it is so convenient! Just roll off your lounge chair and saunter up the beach for drinks and munchies - what is not to like! The dinners at the Terrace Restaurant are leased out and not nearly as good. I think we only ate there once and decided not to go back. The shrimp was overcooked and rubbery and there seemed to be an issue with keeping food warm.

For any potential brides, we used the Buccaneer Resorts planner, Candy. She was WONDERFUL! She made everything so easy and it was exactly as we had requested. We were completely happy with our experience. The venues available, the photographer, the minister (Louise won our hearts, definately request her!), the cake - all of it was well worth every penny. We were very pleased with the entire experience. I had originally contacted two other independent planners on the island, before going with Candy. We actually saved just about $400, by going through the hotel. Which you brides know, is a good thing. She was very honest and I was completely thrilled with our wedding experience. I would highly recommend her and the Buccaneer. I also took the time to visit the spa - another wonderful idea if you are staying there. The massage therapists are so good, I can't remember the last time I was so relaxed.

We agree we could not have chosen a nicer place to stay. Granted, it is EXPENSIVE to stay there, but we felt it was worth it. The facilities and staff were consistently accommodating and exceeded our expectations.

We also took the time to scope out other hotels and resorts, for future visits. Carambola was of course gorgeous, but very far removed from the main part of the island, we felt anyway. It also had some of the roughest waves crashing to shore that we saw on the entire island. And we never actually saw anyone go in the water there, I am assuming for that reason. We were in touring mode that day and didn’t have the foresight to pack our beach gear, or I could have provided a more personal description. Like I said, gorgeous, but we felt that it would be too difficult for us to navigate our way back to that resort at night after dinner and possibly a little rum.

Divi Carina was nice too. The grounds were not a lush as Buccaneer or Carambola, but they were lovely and the facilities seemed very clean and comfortable. The beaches there were VERY nice. A lot of sea grass, but we didn’t feel that was a problem. They are also a bit removed from the main part of the island, but MUCH easier to find than Carambola. They are on a better lit and more traveled road, so we felt it wouldn’t be an issue staying there, provided you had a rental car. Plus they have a casino! We are not high rollers, but we went twice. After a total of 6 hours of nickel slots, we only lost $23.10. Not bad considering we drank WAY MORE than that while we were there. It is a fun night out, regardless of your betting skills. There is music, free drinks, bells and whistles going off, everything lit up. Not usually our sort of thing, but on a rainy day or boring night, it was fun.

I have to say, we were very impressed with Chenay Bay Resort. It is not big, not overly fancy, but absolutely charming! The grounds are well kept, the facilities very nice and they have a serene beach, just across from Buck Island. Lots of sea grass, but tranquil waters for those of us timid snorkelers, and further out, quite a bit of sea life for those adventurous snorkelers. The views were stunning and the staff we encountered extremely friendly and accommodating. We toured the rooms and though a little small, they were very nice and all came with cooking facilities, which we thought was a plus. The cost was a bit more reasonable than the other resorts we looked at, which is why we are considering staying here the next time we visit. We liked it that much!

Beaches/Snorkeling/Scuba - We visited just about every beach during our stay and I have to say the beaches at the Buccaneer were some of the nicest. For those of you that are aquatically challenged, such as myself, there is wonderful snorkeling to be had at the Grotto Beach and at Chenay Bay Beach as well. Both have calmer and shallower waters for those of us who don’t like to stray too far from shore. But you can swim out into deeper waters at both and see some amazing sights. My husband took a particular liking to the point that separates the Grotto Beach and the Mermaid Beach at the resort. The sea life and coral in that area are spectacular. He spent many, many hours floating out at sea making friends with all the giant fish’s that live there. (Note, for extended hours of snorkeling, use lots of SPF on your back!)

Snorkeling is a definite for any visitor to the island. A must do for all. Practice off the beaches on island – then head out to Buck Island for a day long trip. Definitely do the all day trip. We booked ours through Big Beards and it was priceless! In fact, if you have the time and funds – go twice. It is that good. The sights you will see are amazing. The fish, the coral – my vocabulary cannot do them justice. They must be seen to be believed. You will meet Sammy the 6 foot stingray, who loves to be pet, and see countless hundreds of exotic fish that look like floating rainbows. Colors you could not have imagined existed on living creatures - creatures that are just as interested in you as you are in them. They have no fear of you and allow you enter their world and swim along as if you are one of them. Amazing! Big Beards crew was charming and funny and the boat was lovely too. After a day of snorkeling on the Buck Island Reef they take you to “Big Beards Private Beach”, which I think is actually Coakley Beach, for a BBQ. If you are lucky, you may even be treated to a showing of the Mongoose Circus while you dine. The crew have taken to stringing up leftovers to the trees, which is the signal for all the brave little mongooses to run and jump with glee as they devour hamburgers and hotdogs, much to our amusement.

We also tried scuba diving with SCUBA (St. Croix Underwater Blue Adventures). Iahn was our drive instructor and he is so kind and patient, I would highly recommend requesting him. We had 2 pool sessions then headed out to two separate dive sites off the island. I chickened out of the actual dives, but Iahn and Captain Kenny were very understanding. My husband though very much enjoyed the dives.

Sights - We would highly recommend renting a car. We used Judi of St. Croix and were very pleased with our rates and service. We had a Toyota Echo, which got great mileage, handled well on the curvy and winding roads and took a pretty good beating off road as well. Driving on the left side is easier than you think. We both became quite adept in a short period of time. Navigating the island in general is a little more challenging. Road signs and maps are sort of a joke on the island. I am pretty sure the natives rearrange them, delete some, add others, nightly, just to keep the visitors on their toes. Beyond decorating the side of the road, they are of little use. When asking for directions, no one references them. You have to get used to directions like “Go up the big hill. When you see the white tree go left, but not all the way left, the little way left. When you see the shanty, keep going. When you see the other shanty, you know the one, go right for a little ways. You can’t miss it.” Believe it or not, if you do follow these directions, you will get where you are going. Strange but true. We actually used three different maps all at once to navigate. Tear out the one in the phone book, grab one of the small fold out ones at the airport and take the city maps out of the St. Croix This Week Magazine. That is your only hope. Between the three of them, you will be able to figure out where the heck you are and not miss anything exciting. I you do rent a car, plan on at least two days of just driving around and seeing the sights. Don’t worry about getting lost, you ARE on an island you know!

One of our favorite sights was the Whim Plantation. They covered many aspects of the history of the island that we were unaware of, and gave us a renewed appreciation and understanding of St. Croix’s great history. And if any of you are Antiques Road show buffs, there are some Duncan Fife pieces there that will make you drool! The Lawatez Museum is also worth the trip. The tour is conducted by a member of the family that actually lives there, which lends a warm and special connection to the history of the place. It is also a very picturesque location on the island. Just remember to wear bug spray, no matter what time of day you go. It is just off the rainforest and the gnats are voracious!

We went horseback riding through the rainforest with Paul & Jill. This is also a definite must for all visitors. Paul and Jill provide a lovely, leisurely tour of the West end of island, through the rainforest and including a romp through the surf on Fredricksted Beach. Jill lead the tour, she is an island native and knows just about everything about the ruins, the flora and fauna you will see on the trip. Afterwards, Paul and Jill allowed us to pick some fresh local fruits from their orchard. We recommend the yellow limes – perfect in any rum drink! It was a lovely way to spend the day, just remember to wear long pants and bug spray.

Speaking of rum, no trip to the island would be complete with out a tour of the rum factory. It is rather interesting how they make the rum - smelly but interesting. Our tour guide Lucy was a riot and quite fond of the product she represented from what we could tell.  The tour doesn’t take very long, and is worth it if for no other reason than the free samples at the end! As I said, Lucy enjoyed her job, and she provided us with ample samples. I don’t think we met a bottle of Cruzan Rum we didn’t like. In particular, the flavored rums – yummy!

Right down the street, so to speak, is the Botanical Garden. If you are junior botanists like hubby and I, this is a lovely stop. I think we were the only ones there the day we went. I got the feeling it is a bit over looked by many tourists, which is a shame. It is quite lovely and the people that work there are very passionate about the native fauna and have much to share. If for no other reason, stop by and walk off all the rum you drank on the tour and take a pretty picture! Support the local gardens! There are also lots of sugar mill ruins in the gardens that make for lovely photos.

Also, do not miss the chance to see the amazing views from Point Udall. It is a fun drive with lots of scenic spots along the way, so pack a lunch and go. It is worth the trip. We cannot encourage you enough to go out and explore this amazing island. Rent a car, drive from end to end, see everything there is to be seen. We put 857 miles on our rent a car and enjoyed every minute of it. We also spent many hours just walking up and down the streets of Chrsitensted, getting to know the shop keepers and learning all we could about the island. Day trips to different beaches or just to see the views from different parts of the island, are wonderful. (Lots of the beaches were completely deserted and tranquil.).
We never felt comfortable enough to unlock the car doors and get out in Fredericksted. Sorry. Calls us chickens, call us what you like, but I spend enough time in downtown Chicago to know better than to get out of the car in that bad a neighborhood. It was quite disappointing. We made several trips to that end of the island and every time tired to find an area we felt safe enough to get out and do some exploring, but it never happened. Now we did feel comfortable in the surrounding areas, just not downtown Fredricksted. I know there are plans to revitalize the area, which we wholeheartedly support, but for now, we stayed away. Just about every day we got the local newspaper, the St. Croix Avis, the Police Blotter lists one crime after another in that area. If you just really NEED to walk around in downtown Fredricksted, please leave all jewelry, cameras or camcorders in your hotel room and keep cash to a minimum. Also, DO NOT lock your car doors! This was advice from our rental car company. In a thieves mind, if you lock your car door, then you have something to hide and they will break the window, rummage through your car and be gone within seconds. Never leave anything of value in the car and leave the doors unlocked. (Don’t worry, car theft is just not an issue on the island. After all, just how far can they go on an island that’s only 24 miles long?)

Shopping - Well, Christenhead is smaller than my usual shopping realm of downtown Chicago, but I did find a few really adorable stores I wanted to recommend. For any of the ladies looking for stylish island wear, you must stop by Hotheads. They had the cutest clothes on the island, I thought anyway. Very girly, sparkly kind of things. Another favorite stop for gifts and clothing, The Royal Puntacana. We picked up a several gifts and a few things for ourselves in this eclectic little shop. For stationary, postcards, calendars, etc… we loved Catch of the Day! Stop in to say hi to Salsa the cutest little dog on the island!

Dining - This was our favorite part! We are both serious foodies, and we were a little concerned when we read a review somewhere that said ‘no one comes to the Caribbean for the food’. Well, the food on St. Croix is worth going to the Caribbean for! With a few exceptions: Pizza Mare, dear God above DO NOT eat any! and the Morning Glory Cafe, so unsanitary we cancelled our order and walked out - disgusting! I think the only real lackluster meal we had was our first dinner at The Terrace at our resort. Other than that, we ate out at the restaurants that came recommended from all your wonderful people and were quite pleased with what we found. Something important to talk about. The price of food on the island. YOWZAH! Be prepared! Whether you go to the grocery store or a restaurant, the prices are high, much higher than we had anticipated, anyway. It was bit of a shock. And, funnily enough, when we spoke to the locals about moving to the island, the number one thing they all said we should do before we decide to move – go to the grocery store! Not only are brands and quantities limited by what ships in that month, but the cost of shipping them makes a lot of things literally TWICE the price of the mainland. EEEK!! For example, we stopped by Schooner Bay Market for some snacks for the room. Granted, we later discovered that going to the Pueblo or Cost U Less, would indeed have cost us less, but this is our real life example. Bag of Doritos, Cheetos, Ruffles, Oreos, Nilla Wafers, 2 Evians = $75. (Obviously we were off our Atkins program for the honeymoon.) For a die heard Sam’s Club shopper such as myself, who never pays more than $2.99 for anything, that was bit of a shock. And eating out was also more expensive than we had planned. One adult burger, one child’s burger and two drinks at Cheeseburgers with tip was about $25. Worth every penny, but more than we usually pay for lunch. Our average tab at Rumrunners was probably $50-$60. And I would say overall, dinners for two with one drink each and tip were about $80-$150 depending where you went. I’m not complaining, they were worth it all, every penny, it was just a few more pennies than we had planned on.

There were several restaurants on the island that were every bit as good as any four or five star downtown restaurant we have ever eaten at on the mainland. The Galleon, which has sort of a Nuevo-French/Island feel was spectacular! Absolutely divine dining. The most expensive meal of the trip at close to $150, but well worth it. Tutto Bene has fantastic authentic Italian food. Every bit as good as anything you would ever get in Little Italy anywhere. We salivated every time we drove past it, just thinking about how good it was. Savant is as good as you have heard. Our meal there started off a little rough, something was seriously wrong with the calamari – it was completely inedible. But the rest of the meal – WOW!! I had a stuffed seared pork chop there that was probably one of the best pieces of meat I have ever eaten. My husband cried, the Mahi was that good! The Fort Christian Brew Pub, another delicious and conveniently located favorite. The deep fried beer battered pickles and cold micro-brew at sunset – perfection! The Cultured Pelican had the best calamari we had ever eaten, and the pasta was so fresh and delicate, chewing was optional, it melted in your mouth.

How do I even begin to describe the incredible cheeseburgers at Cheeseburgers in Paradise? Can I express in words the smell of the grill? The succulent juiciness of the meat itself? The perfect corner table behind the bar that always has shade and a breeze? As you have all said before us, it is the best burger of your life, it is paradise on a bun.

Rumrunners. Peel and eat shrimp. Sushi. Jerk pork tenderloin. Peel and eat shrimp. Peel and eat shrimp. Did I mention the REALLY WONDERFUL peel and eat shrimp? It is something so pure, so basic, so simple. It is also conveniently located on the boardwalk, so you can stop in anytime for oh, maybe some peel and eat shrimp. We ate here quite a bit, it was consistently delicious, the staff was great and got to know us, plus between the crabs and the tarpon, there is always dining entertainment. It is also, for the island, reasonably priced.

We were also big fans of Changes in Latitude, always good and reasonably priced. Excellent hot dogs, great beach, good drinks – what a way to spend the day! Sunset Grill was a real treat too. Another surprisingly delicious meal in another wonderful location. A daily visit to Bean Mon is a requirement! Our favorite was a soy Mocha mon with a side of home made butter cookies. The best coffee on the island!!

But, hands down, with out question, our favorite restaurant on the entire island, the place we frequented the most and chose for our farewell meal – Duggan’s Reef. It was the perfect mix of everything for us. The food – magnificent. The atmosphere – charming. The staff – warm and friendly. The cost – reasonable. We loved it here. We still dream about the Coconut Shrimp in the Chipolte Remaloude. We cry when we remember the succulent and perfectly prepared Fillet Mignon. Without hesitation, the single best Fillet either of us has ever eaten. And we thought, the best and freshest seafood on the entire island. We cannot recommend them enough. They are remarkable.

Sorry if we have rambled, but it was truly an amazing adventure. A place so perfect, to us anyway, that we are seriously considering moving there. It is not for everyone, if you love to party wildly and stay up all night, we think you may prefer St. Thomas. If you like big time excitement and non stop action, go to New York. But if you want to relax, slow down, enjoy life at slower and gentler pace with polite and friendly people in the most picturesque place on Earth – then you will love St. Croix. For us it was the trip of a life time. Something we will never forget and will forever cherish. Thank you all so much for all your advice and ideas. We hope our trip review and thoughts will help others discover this treasure of the Caribbean!

Pictures soon to follow!!

Lisa & Michael Smith