Saint Croix Travel Tips, Resorts & Family Sites

Though it is the most largely populated island of the U.S. Virgin Islands with approximately 55,000 people inhabiting more than 84 square miles, St. Croix also is the most tranquil of the islands. Though a U.S. territory, the Danish influence from bygone eras is evident everywhere from the arched walkways of the pastel-colored buildings in the island’s capital, Christiansted, to the historic Fort Frederik, named after the King of Denmark who purchased the island in 1754. There also are hundreds of sugar windmill ruins that have been heralding Danish sugar production on the island for 200 years.

The United States purchased St. Croix from Denmark in 1917, and today, the island holds a lively fusion of Danish culture combined with American and Caribbean influences. In fact, on my recent visit, I shared my taxi ride with snowbirds from the United States returning for the season, a honeymooning Danish couple drawn to the island’s heritage, and even our taxi driver was from further south in the Caribbean. This is the melting pot of St. Croix, the “Crucian” blend, (not to be confused with Cruzan, the rum manufactured on the island!).

The mountainous island of St. Croix has a visual contrast between its West End, rich with botanical gardens and rainforests, and its East End, with hills barren in places occupied by mountain goats. “On one side of our condo is a yacht club and across from that is a goat farm. That’s kind of how St. Croix is,” says Linda Fonger, a St. Croix resident who is originally from Michigan.

 

• The boardwalk in Christiansted shows buildings from a time when this small island town was the capital of the West Indies.

Anne Kazel-Wilcox

Colonial Christiansted

Walking along the old streets of Christiansted, you pass Danish ruins amidst new boutiques and salons. Yet it works, because the ruins add a certain character to the town. A focal point of the capital is Fort Christiansvaern, meaning “Christian’s defense,” a golden-colored fort along the waterfront that was built shortly after the Danish purchased the island from the French in 1733. (St. Croix flew under many flags, including British, Spanish and Dutch.) The fort is fascinating not just for its cannons poised to fire but also for the detention cells that once held runaway slaves.

Another interesting historical tidbit: Rachel Faucett Lavien, the mother of Alexander Hamilton (a founding father of the United States), was jailed here for leaving her husband, a much older man whom she was forced to marry. She eventually remarried, and Alexander grew up on the island, later saying that his experience with international trade and finance in Christiansted was the most useful part of his education.

A walking tour of the town encompasses just a few blocks. In addition to the fort, highlights include the Old Customs House, the bright yellow Government House, which was the former seat of the Danish West Indies government, and a Lutheran church more than 250 years old.

 

• Enjoy boutique-lined streets and duty-free goods in St. Croix.

Courtesy of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism

Shopping

The streets are lined with boutiques and duty-free shops, but for local St. Croix goods, my favorites are Tesoro on Strand Street for its colorful hand-painted placemats, mahogany dinnerware, and sculpted art from steel drums. For jewelry, Sonya on Company Street, is popular for its original Crucian silver and gold bracelets featuring a locking “C” for St. Croix, which has since morphed into interlocking symbols of all kinds worn throughout the Virgin Islands.

Restaurants

Sure bets for good dining in town include Rum Runners along the boardwalk, which is famous for its steak and seafood offered at reasonable prices, or Kendrick’s for fine dining amidst a historic 18th century house featuring Caribbean continental cuisine. Look for Chef Kendrick’s special pan-seared swordfish piccata which is a favorite of American Major League Baseball players when they visit St. Croix for the annual Queen Louise Home Golf Tournament which raises money for the Queen Louis Home orphanage. (Plan on spending around $50 per person for a three-course meal at Kendrick’s, not including drinks.)  

Bacchus is another great fine-dining find that has a terrific wine list and has been recognized with the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence 10 times. For a casual mainstay, Cheeseburger’s in Paradise just outside of Christiansted is like going to a friend’s outdoor barbeque with pub-type food and regular prices. However, though the restaurant was around long before Jimmy Buffet sang about cheeseburgers in paradise, the restaurant had to change its name to Cheeseburgers in “America’s” Paradise after a Buffet lawsuit claiming title to the original name. Bet Buffet can’t make hamburgers like these guys.

 

• Enjoy stunning views from your own terrace at The Buccaneer Hotel.

Courtesy of The Buccaneer Hotel

Resorts

A five-minute ride from Christiansted is the island’s most luxurious resort, The Buccaneer. It’s romantic while family-friendly at the same time. A former estate that began renting out rooms to men of importance in the mid-1700s—including the father of Alexander Hamilton, who with his wife and two young sons lived in the hotel for years—the remains of a sugar mill still herald the entrance to the resort, which is on the registry of National Historic Hotels. And like 250 years ago, the resort is still family run today, by a 9th-generation St. Croix family.

Today the resort is spread over 340 tropical acres, has three beaches, pools, tennis courts, an 18-hole golf course, jogging trails and first-class service. It offers stunning ocean views, especially at sunset with Christiansted’s glimmering city lights in the distance. Some of the accommodations were previous estate quarters, such as in the Great House (site of the original estate house). The resort has ample accommodations to fit families—especially the family cottage suites with a decorated kids’ room, a great complimentary kids’ camp and guest laundry facilities. Rates at the Buccaneer start at $295 during the off-season, $400 peak season. Daily breakfast is included in the rates.

Chenay Bay Beach Resort, with 50 West Indian-style cottages, sits on 30 acres of a former sugar plantation next to a natural preserve. The resort is family friendly and often offers package specials, including deals for diving vacations.