The St. Thomas - USVI travel guide.
A little History of St. Thomas
St. Thomas has been a free port since 1815 and became a major shipping center for all of the West Indies. It is now a well-known shopper’s paradise with DUTY FREE options galore! Not the biggest shopper? There’s still plenty more to be found on St. Thomas. It’s here where the most populated city and territorial capital, Charlotte Amelie, resides. Historically, Charlotte Amelie was once a haven for pirates with its deep harbor protected by Hassel Island. But now, it is one of the busiest ports for cruise ships, superyachts and even the odd liveaboard cruiser. 😉
As Jon’s parents were flying out of St. Thomas, we left St. John after a few short days and had a beautiful downwind sail to St. Thomas. We dropped anchor in Charlotte Amalie for proximity to CEKA airport. After saying goodbye, we decided to take a breath and stay awhile. We decided to do some boat work, visit with friends, and see what St. Thomas has to offer!
Table of Contents
For Cruisers
Land Access/Dinghy Docks
Land access is easy with a choice of 2 dinghy docks. At Yacht Haven Grande, there’s a dinghy dock where you can access the SHOPS at Yacht Haven Grande or the E side of the bay. The Crown Bay Marina has a dinghy dock available for use with no charge! There are some posted rules, so please be courteous so all cruisers can easily access this wonderful island!
Provisioning
No matter which dinghy dock you use, provisioning is easily walkable and close by. Yacht Haven Grande’s dinghy dock is only steps away from Moe’s Fresh Market Yacht Haven Grande and a 3 minute walk from a Pueblo Supermarket. Across the bay at Crown Bay Marina’s dinghy dock is only 6 minutes away from another Pueblo Supermarket. You can’t go wrong with either choice!
Anchoring
You’ll find plenty of places to drop the hook in Charlotte Amalie. The main issue is finding space amongst the liveaboards and superyachts. We anchored in Honeymoon Bay/Druif Bay for a few hours. This anchorage is ideally located to visit the famous Honeymoon Beach on Water Island. You’ll find it is quite crowded almost all the time, so finding a place can be quite difficult. Sandy spots can be difficult to snag without fouling your chain on the coral. There’s also several moorings for $40/night. Our first overnight anchor location was in King’s Wharf East which had great holding with 15ft/4.6m depths. After a few nights we decided to move due to the lee shore which we’re never a big fan of. After motoring around the bay, we dropped the hook further West, South of the Coast Guard station at about 17ft/5.2m. Keep in mind, we liked being this close to shore but it can be quite noisy as we were right off of the road. The price we pay for convenience!
Chandleries, Repairs and Maintenance
Island Marine Outfitters (Chandlery) National Marine Suppliers VI (Chandlery) SeaChest ACE Hardware (Repairs) Quantum Sails (Sails) The Island Rigging Company VI (Repairs) Subbase Dry Dock. We worked with “The Island Rigging Company” and had a great experience.
Best places to eat in St. Thomas
Charlotte Amalie is the most populated city of the USVI. As a result, no matter your taste in food, you’ll be able to find it!
If you’re looking for some artisanal tacos with fantastic service, take a stroll over to Frenchtown. Amongst the brightly colored framed houses you’ll find Taco Chelles Frenchtown. No substitutions are allowed, but the tacos are perfect as is! Add in a fresh squeezed margarita and you can’t go wrong!
Another winner located at the Crown Bay Marina, Scoops & Brew has delicious ice cream (gelato, sorbet, etc) and coffee options! WIth shakes, frappes and even alcoholic options, they have something for everyone!
Located in Yacht Haven Grande, Enkai Sushi Bar was exactly what the doctor ordered. We are self proclaimed sushi addicts and have not been able to enjoy any sushi for a few months. Seeing as we would eat sushi daily if we could, a few months is pure torture. With spectacular service and great food, we would highly recommend..
This restaurant was our favorite by far! Stone House Cafe is located in a historic building, the food and drinks were to die for! Do NOT skip dessert, or you will regret it. Their homemade desserts are phenomenal!!
Located in the A.H. Riise Mall, the Virgin Islands Ice Cream Company hits the spot on a hot Caribbean day. Made in the Danish style of a mix of Italian gelato and American ice cream, they range from traditional flavors to more tropical flavors like Soursop and Coconut.
At Crown Bay Marina, Tickles Dockside Pub offers great food with a gorgeous view of the marina! This open air restaurant has a full bar with occasional live music and entertainment!
Transportation
Getting around main island St. Thomas
As always, it’s recommended that you rent a car for your vacation in St. Thomas. We chose not to rent a car because so much of what we wanted to see was along the water. We dinghyed to the closest location and walked from there. We did make use of the plethora of taxis available once to give our legs a break.
To other smaller islands from St. Thomas
You’ll find multiple smaller islands surrounding St. Thomas. If you don’t have your own personal vessel, you can still gain access to these islands. A ferry runs from Crown Bay Marina in St. Thomas to Water Island. Saba island (USVI) is accessible via private charter.
Activities and Places to Visit in St. Thomas
Water Island
Located just 0.5nm from St. Thomas, Water island, or “the Last Virgin”, was owned by Denmark until it was sold to the US in 1944 and became part of the USVI in 1996. Named by the Europeans who frequented the area, because it was one of the few places in the Caribbean that had fresh water pools to refill their ships’ water casks. Now, it is primarily residential, but is one of the USVIs best kept secrets. If you’re looking for a day to decompress and explore someplace new, you’ll find Water island is the perfect place to relax.
Honeymoon Beach (aka. Druif Bay)
Is the West side of the island (Water Island), one of the main attractions. A white sand beach, with calm waters and gradual deepening waters; it’s an ideal spot to cool off. There’s also Dinghy’s Beach Bar & Grill which serves up tasty grub and even better drinks. You’ll also find watersports equipment available to rent if you so choose. The best way to explore this island is by golf cart rental at Rachael’s Rentals, just up the hill from the ferry Landing.
The bay itself is also a very popular anchorage. While rolly at times, it is very protected. But most visitors to this idyllic setting arrive via ferry from Crown Bay Marina in St. Thomas.
What started as one woman’s vision for a botanical garden for the visitors and residents alike has grown into a MUST SEE for everyone. Patsy Breunlin spent over 20 years creating this educational oasis. Walking through the 2 acres of Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden, you’ll see over 1200 species of plants. But that’s not all! You’ll find chickens wandering around and even an enclosure with tortoises. The abundance of orchids and bromeliads brings our favorite nighttime visitor, the coquí! This small frog helps keep the mosquitos at bay with the help of lizards, and even bats!
They even have the rare vanilla bean orchid! Did you know that to harvest vanilla beans from orchids takes many years, vigilant care, and as always a touch of good luck. After years of growth, the established vine will produce that elusive flower you’ve hoped for. Flowering will only last for approximately 6 weeks and hand pollination MUST take place within 12 hours of each flower blooming. If successful, you’ll see small green pods forming within a week and eventually lengthening over the next 9-10 months. Only then, will the vanilla bean be ready for harvest. If you think your hard work is complete, sadly you’re mistaken. Now, comes the long process of curing which is extremely labor intensive. Now you know why vanilla beans are so expensive!
We used one of the garden’s recommended taxi drivers to get here. At 1100 ft in elevation, we were happy with our choice! Open everyday from 0900-1600 except Mondays, a visit here will leave you relaxed and maybe even inspired. If you do one thing during your time on St. Thomas, THIS should be it!
After our visit to the Phantasea Tropical Botanical Garden, we decided to walk back to HOMES stopping at Drake’s Seat and the Charlotte Amalie Overlook along the way. While this walk was only 1mi/1.6km, there isn’t really a sidewalk. I wouldn’t recommend walking because the sharp turns throughout the mountainous island make for limited visibility. If you decide to walk it, make sure to be careful and do so at your own risk!
Drake’s Seat
Drake’s Seat is one of the best lookouts on the island sitting at 738 feet above sea level. Offering panoramic views of the North side of the island, specifically, Magan’s Bay as well as the US and British VIs. It is said that Drake sat here, looking out over the bay for enemy ships to raid or as a protective measure for his own fleet.
Drake’s Seat History: Sir Francis Drake is probably best known as an explorer and privateer for the English Empire in the late 16th century. What’s a privateer, you may ask. Well, a privateer is a private person or ship run by private persons for use during war. Essentially, legalized piracy. He was celebrated (in England) for his success in raiding and destroying many Spanish ships during the Anglo-Spanish War.
Charlotte Amalie Overlook
This overlook is just 0.3mi/0.48km from Drake’s Seat, and overlooks the South side of the island. There a beautiful view of the town, Charlotte Amalie harbor, Hassel island, and most importantly sv H.O.M.E.S.! Surrounded by the superyachts that frequent this harbor, sv H.O.M.E.S. looks tiny!
99 Steps
One of Charlotte Amalie’s National Historic Landmarks, the 99 steps is one of the more unique aspects of this city. Made out of Danish-made bricks that were once used as ballast for ships, the staircase was constructed in as early as 1679! The Danish colonists referred to these step streets as frigangs which connected the waterfront to the hillside dwellings that they favored. In addition, bougainvillea and hibiscus line this historic location, making for a very pretty picture. Originally named Store Taarne Gade or “Greater Tower Street”, this landmark is actually made up of 103 steps! If you have the opportunity to visit, make sure to wear your walking shoes!
Saba Island
Only accessible by privet boat, we spent a few nights anchored off the west side between Turtledove cay and Saba island. We had good holding and lots of privacy.
This small, rocky outcropping is found 3mi/4.8km South of St. Thomas. This island has a steep cliff of 200ft/61m and connects to Turtledove Cay via a shallow sandbar. But the best part is that Saba island is a designated wildlife reserve by the US government. Hosting one of the largest colonies of 30,000 sooty terns, Saba island is a birder’s haven. You’ll also find numerous other birds frequent its shores.
Other than birding, Saba island is also well known for scuba diving and snorkeling. 0.4nm off of Montalvan Point is Dry Rocks provides phenomenal snorkeling and nearby you’ll find a choice of shipwrecks to explore with your scuba gear. While snorkeling here, we saw and almost caught our first slipper lobster! But alas, they made their way into a small hideaway and escaped our grasp. But we were still excited to see them in their natural environment!
Conclusion
That wraps up our visit to St. Thomas. With everything we saw, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what the island has to offer. We’ll just have to go back and spend some time at each island to give it a fair shake. That being said, what we did see did not disappoint! Now, you have some baseline information about St. Thomas to start your Caribbean vacation! These islands definitely deserve a place on your Caribbean bucket list!
Is there anything else you want to learn about St. Thomas? What are you most looking forward to? Leave a comment down below!
