Where to Stay

St. Croix offers a full range of accommodations, most of them on the smallish side. The largest resort, Sunterra Carambola Beach Resort, has only 150 rooms. The rest are small hotels and resorts, condominium complexes, inns, and bed and breakfasts. This deters large conventions, but you will find groups at the larger hotels.

Rates are highest during the winter season, usually December 15 through April 15. Prices drop dramatically after April 15, but St. Croix is just as pleasant during the spring, summer and fall as it is in the winter. Temperatures vary seasonally by only about 10 degrees.

All of the island’s major resorts have beaches and offer watersports, shopping, fitness activities and tennis. Buccaneer Hotel (The) and Sunterra Carambola Beach Resort both offer 18-hole golf courses. You will also find nine holes at the Reef Golf Course.

If you have business in Christiansted or like an in-town vacation location, the town has several small hotels. All hotels have pools for a refreshing swim at day’s end and are within walking distance of fine restaurants, car rental agencies and the seaplane shuttle connection to St. Thomas. Christiansted can be a tad noisy at times, but hotel rooms are air-conditioned to keep the noise at bay. The King's Alley Hotel, located in a shopping arcade adjacent to the waterfront, provides convenience as well as charm. The Hotel Caravelle has a tropical feel with its own restaurant and views from most of the rooms. Tucked away in a courtyard lush with plants, the Danish Manor Hotel has somewhat pedestrian rooms, but offers a great location for people who need to be in town.

Buccaneer Hotel (The) is the closet resort to Christiansted. Set on what was once a 300-acre sugar plantation just east of Christiansted, the hotel’s rooms that spread out along the beach and across the hillsides reflect Mediterranean and Caribbean influences. This full-service hotel fills the bill for business and vacation travelers who want the convenience of on-property restaurants and other amenities at a convenient location.

Rooms at Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino are contemporary in style. With the island’s only casino located on property, it has a tad more flash than other resorts on the island. Located at the far eastern end of St. Croix, this resort puts you about 20 minutes outside Christiansted.

Low-key Frederiksted is a good 45-minute ride from Christiansted’s business center, but if you want an in-town location at the western end of the island, try St. Croix’s second town. Frederiksted Hotel (The), located in the center of town across from the waterfront, provides basic rooms. A charming courtyard into the bar and restaurant marks the entryway.

Just outside Frederiksted on a lovely strand of white sand, Sandcastle on the Beach caters to gay and lesbian guests. A low-key resort, it attacts both singles and couples who enjoy the ambience and the location.

The rooms at Sunterra Carambola Beach Resort, located beachfront and tucked back in lush greenery about 15 minutes outside Frederiksted, sport dark woods and chintz.

If you prefer more privacy, a stay at one of the island’s vacation villas may be your cup of tea. All are lovely with top drawer amenities, but the Clairmont Mill Villa is a standout. Built around an old mill, it exudes plantation charm. Some villas come with a staff, someone usually meets you at the airport, and most offer numerous amenities including pools, hot tubs and fine furnishings.

Condominium vacations provide resort ambience with villa convenience. All have pools, complete kitchens and staffs to help you with your vacation or business details. Club St. Croix, Colony Cove, and Sugar Beach condominiums are strung out along the island’s north shore just outside Christiansted. You will be just steps from the beach at any of these properties. Upscale visitors at Villa Madeleine enjoy a dip in their unit’s private pool before heading off for the day’s activities. Located on the island’s East End, about a 20-minute drive from Christiansted, this condominium resort puts you out of the in-town hubbub but close enough to be convenient.

Bed and breakfasts are making waves in St. Croix. Carringtons Inn St. Croix has an attractive location above Christiansted, and Breakfast Club (The) is within walking distance of downtown Christiansted. Of course, both come with delicious breakfasts.

Chenay Bay Beach Resort caters to families. While other resorts have kid’s clubs, this one provides complimentary water sports equipment, including kayaks, to keep your budget in line. Parents get a break by sending their children ages four to 12 to the resort’s inexpensive day camp. The resort also provides a low-cost shuttle to grocery stores and shopping areas. Located along the island’s north shore, it is close enough to Christiansted to be convenient, but far enough away to give you a resort feel.

If you have come to St. Croix to enjoy the diving, Waves at Cane Bay (The) puts you right at the water’s edge. This resort, located 20 minutes outside Frederiksted along the north shore, specializes in diving and is accredited by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI,) the world’s largest diving organization.

   Copyright © 1999-2009 wcities.com all right reserved