Have you considered visiting St Croix? If not, I am here to tell you a few reasons why you should add it to your bucket list. First of all, it is part of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) therefore, you do not need a passport to visit. A license or government issued ID is enough to get in. Keep in mind that as of today, Aug 18, 2021 you need a negative PCR or Antigen test taken within 5 days from your intended day of travel to the island. Before travel, you must complete the Travel Screening Portal found at http://www.usviupdate.com/travelportal .There you will fill out a form asking for your travel information such as name, date of birth, home address, email, phone number, emergency contact, intended travel date, airline plus flight and seat number, address of where you will be staying, and an uploaded copy of your NEGATIVE Covid-19 test results.

*Note: As of the time this post was written, St Croix is under a “Safer at Home” phase. Please check travel restrictions before travel.

Getting Around

A car is a must, the island is relatively small and everything is within 10-40 mins drive away. Be aware, they drive on the left side and some roads have potholes. Also, the speed limit is between 30-55 miles on highways

When renting a car, make sure to inspect all aspects of the vehicle, the insides, outside, bottom, everything, as companies will do their own inspection and you do your own as opposed to an agent doing the inspection with you. Make sure to check well to avoid surprises lately, trust me speaking from experience here .

There is a public transportation system consisting of a public bus, however it did not prove reliable which is why I do not recommend it. Taxis on the island charge per person, usually about $10 per person per trip. Renting is pretty affordable, we paid $303 for 5 days for a compact SUV which was also very good on gas as we only used about half a tank of gas and drove everywhere.

Where to Stay

Highly recommend doing an Airbnb. It gives you more of a local vibe as you get to kind experience the place as they would. The locals are very friendly and will approach you everywhere to start a conversation and give you recommendations on what to do, try and see. We booked in a condominium with ocean view just outside of Christiansted, in the Saint John area. It felt safe and was a 10 minute drive to Christiansted. There are many beautiful homes on Airbnb for any budget so I highly recommend it. Of course, if hotels are more your thing those are an option as well.

Where to Eat

If you visit the boardwalk in Christiansted you can find a variety of restaurants. Check out Brix for their pizzas and delicious drinks, Brew STX offers a tasty vegan chimichanga as well as their lobster grilled cheese which I truly enjoyed. Don’t forget to stop by Shupe’s for drinks and amazing customer service and vibes.

While walking around Christiansted, we stopped by Fleur, a local gift shop owned by Christina who also has another sister store in Frederiksted and the restaurant Polly’s At The Pier where we had amazing quesadillas and wraps on a nice rainy day.

At Rainbow Beach we grabbed bites from Rhythms, which offers drinks, starters and entrees. Try their blackened Mahi Mahi and their fried shrimp with fries always made fresh. If you find yourself at Cane Bay beach, visit Leatherback Landing and try their tuna bites, trust me you will be going back for more.

If you’re like me and you enjoy trying local coffee shops, stop by Grounded Cafe to try coffee drinks as well as smoothies and bites. I had their iced chai with almond milk, it was a bit sweeter than expected but would definitely recommend. My sister had their caramel iced latte with almond milk which she also enjoyed.

What to Do

I personally found the island not very touristy. Some things to do are going beach hopping, Rainbow Beach, Cane Bay Beach, Sugar Beach, Pelican Cove Beach. You can also go diving and snorkeling with Amy, who you can find hanging out around the boardwalk. Which is also where you can find boat companies offering snorkerling, sunset tours and half day tours to Buck Island. The island also has natural tide pools at Annaly Bay/ Carambola which require a hike to get to but can be a great way to start or end your day. But wait, remember you are visiting St Croix, so do not forget to visit the Cruzan distillery for a tour and tasting of the local rum, it was closed during our time on the island but check during your visit.

During our trip, we received news that a curfew would be going into effect two days after our departure which means that a lot of places would be closing a lot earlier including the beaches. However, during our time there seemed to be a sort of curfew already in place as many places closed by 11pm. With this in mind, if you are looking for a nightlife, you can enjoy most of the restaurants previously mentioned for a night scene as well as Cloud 9 Lounge for drinks and dancing, Velvet Haze Lounge for hookah, drinks and karaoke and Breakers Roar Tiki Bar, which was closed during our stay but was recommended by locals.

As always, I hope this helps you plan your next getaway. If you found his helpful, don’t forget to share with family and friends and let me know your thoughts!