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St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; December, 2003
By
Dolores Lucey
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Photo
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In search of somewhere to
celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and get some much needed rest &
relaxation, we decided upon St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. After consulting
with a local travel agent we chose to stay at the Secret Harbour Beach Resort ,
located in Nazareth Bay on the east end of the island. This resort had all the
amenities we were looking for, beachfront bar, restaurant and a dive shop where
we could rent snorkel gear. The resort also was small and somewhat secluded. It
provided the perfect setting for a winter getaway.
Leaving 18" of snow and temperatures in the teens (typical New England weather
for December), it was not hard to adapt to the 85 degree temperature in St
Thomas. We arrived late in the afternoon; it left us time to settle in and begin
to plan our week. We found that there is so much to see and do in St. Thomas and
the surrounding Islands that 5 days was definitely not enough time.
Taking the advice of a dear friend, we made our way to the beachfront bar to
make friends with the bartender. There we were able to inquire about the best
places to dine, things to do and local transportation. Following the
recommendation of Bobby, who had been living on the island for more than 13
years and working the beachfront bar at Secret Harbour for all those years, we
decided to have dinner at the "Blue Moon Cafe" located on the premises. The
"Blue Moon Cafe" is rated as one of the top 3 restaurants in St Thomas, and this
rating was definitely accurate.. Craig & Sally's Restaurant in Frenchtown
was also recommended and we plan to dine there on our next trip to the island.
We had decided not to rent a car as we were not accustomed to driving on the
left side of the road and the island is a series of narrow winding curves and
hills. As we traveled around during the week, we found that we had made the
right decision.
St. Thomas has the reputation for being the Caribbean’s premier duty-free
shopping destination. In Charlotte Amalie, downtown St. Thomas, you will find
hundreds of shops between International Plaza, Main Street shopping district and
Havensight Mall. With the Christmas season approaching it gave me a great reason
(excuse) to shop. Spending the afternoon in Charlotte Amalie proved to be a very
rewarding experience. At International Plaza we found stores ranging from Harley
Davidson to Cardow Jewelers, voted as #1 jeweler on the Island. It was here that
my husband surprised me with a beautiful diamond ring – Happy 25th
Anniversary!
The Main Street shopping district was a series of narrow side streets with one
shop after another. We found that liquor and jewelry stores were most prominent
here.
Havensight Mall, located near the cruise ship docks, was a very busy shopping
area, as there were frequently up to 5 cruise ships in port at one time
Across the street from the cruise ship docks was a sky ride to Paradise Point,
the highest elevation on the island. After the 700 foot ascent we had a
spectacular view of Charlotte Amalie Harbor and neighboring islands. It was also
here that we learned of the fourth U.S. Virgin Island. Water Island, set in the
harbor off Charlotte Amalie, is smaller and more private than its three sister
islands, St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.
When we reached the top of Paradise Point, we were able to do some more
shopping, have lunch and sip on a cocktail while enjoying the breathtaking view
of downtown St. Thomas and the harbor.
while in town we took a 45 minute powerboat thrill-ride around the harbor. On
this ride we experienced high-speed runs, 180 degree spins and power brake
stops. It was an exhilarating and refreshing way to cool off on a hot afternoon.
The island of St. John is only a short ferry ride from St. Thomas. Here we took
a scenic tour of the island. Over half the island is a national park.
After lunch we went to Trunk Bay, which is rated as one of the most beautiful
beaches in the world by National Geographic. Here we were able to snorkel using
their famous underwater trail. There was such a variety of multi-colored
fish swimming with us. I wish that I could identify all the types of fish we
saw. They were all so beautiful! We saw many schools of royal blue and yellow
fish as well as yellow and black stripped. There were also a few larger fish
that appeared to be white with a fluorescent blue stripe. The underwater beauty
we experienced is indescribable.
You did not have to snorkel to enjoy the underwater treasures of the area. A
trip to Coral World in St. Thomas afforded us another opportunity to view the
marine life of the Virgin Islands. Here, in the Undersea Observatory 15
feet beneath the sea, we were able to view the marine animals swimming around us
while staying dry. You could also view many different species of marine life by
visiting the Caribbean reef encounter building. Coral World also had some
beautiful tropical nature trails where we viewed a variety of native birds and
flowers.
On our last evening in "Paradise" we had a romantic gourmet dinner overlooking
Nazareth Bay and made a promise to return in the near
future.
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