I just got back from nine days in St. Croix. We stayed in a Villa called Breezeview at the northeastern end of the island. The villa was nice, not brand new but comfortable. The price was reasonable so you cant expect a brand new villa. It was spacious and comfy. It was higher up so a rental car was needed. The property owners and private car rental companies were superb. Our view from there was great.. could see Buck Island and the other islands St. Thomas & St. John. The pool at the villa was okay, due to the age of it. My only complaint about the villa was the showers...seemed not clean. so we ended up cleaning them ourselves. We did get a midweek maid service, but nothing seemed cleaner except the tile floors swept. But in a nut shell the villa was average.

We did a day sail on the Tesoro II. It was very nice. The captain was very accomodating and the snorkeling was great on Buck Island. I would highly recommend this specific boat and company. Buck Island is a must see!

Shopping- below average unless you like upscale jewelry stores. We shopped in Christiansted and it seemed repitious and understocked.

Dinning- We ate at the usual popular places...Nothing stood out except on Thanksgiving Day we ate at Green Cay at the dock there at the Galleon and it was incredible. We mostly ate at our villa so I am not a good one to rate them.

Beaches- after reading the reviews prior to our trip we thought the beaches on the north east side were supposed to be the best..my experience is that the northwest side are superior.. Great snorkeling right off the beach by the hotel called the cottages by the beach. We went back twice. Best beach too.

Safety. I know this is a touchy subject due to the incidents that happened on Cane bay while we were there. We werent actually there when they happened but read about them in there local paper and from the dive shop that we used a couple of days after it happened. I have to say I did not feel as safe on some parts of the island such as on back streets in Christensted and in some areas by Fredricksted. I did feel safe at our Villa and in that part of the island. This feeling of not being as safe was prior to the robberies. So I can only chaulk this feeling up to the warnings I read on this web site prior to leaving.

Summary- all in all St. Croix was nice. I probably wont go back just because I like to try different places.. I have been all over the Carribean and Hawaii and Mexico and still by very favorate place has been St. John.

Thanks

We absolutely loved this island. The biggest of the three US Virgin islands, St Croix is probably the most beautiful in terms of terrain. One side of the island has steep volanic tree covered mountains, while the other side, the eastern side is reasonably flat and offers an almost 200 degree view of nothing but ocean at Point Udall. There are bustling areas of Christiansted and the mid-island Sunny Isles area. Then there is the serene rain-forest.
Whats most remarkable abot St Croix is that there are no crowds. Even the finest of restaurants, and there are many fine-dining experiences to be had, sometimes require a reservation but in general you get the arrangement you ask for.
On any day, just a pick a beach from the dozen or so really nice ones and you may just find that you are there pretty much alone. This is a great romantic treat for those who like to watch fabulous sunsets from the beach of a carribbean island in peace and quiet.

Just be careful driving... it takes a little getting used to driving on the left but we caught on very quickly.
The food is fantastic too. Many restaruants and small local eateries offer the best of island cooking with their own special aromas and spices.

We traveled to St. Croix April 1-9. My husband and I came to St. Croix for a friend's wedding at the Divi. We rented a house on the island and it was great. The house was over 3,000 sf with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It had 2 swimming pools and all the modern luxuries. We even had a conceirge service with took my husband and a few friends deep sea fishing and they caught 2 dolphin and a white marlin!! The house was worth the price. I would recommend it to anyone! It was called Rainbow Cove.

We rented a car, which is a must on the island. We waited for a cab one night for 3 hours and it never showed. We were so close to the Divi resort that we could go to the casino every night and WALK. The grocery stores are far away, but plan the trip right and you won't have to go as many times as we did.

St. Croix isn't like St. Thomas. There is not much to do on the island, except the casino and the crime rate is pretty high. We did go into town one night for dinner, but did not hit the "nightclubs". We were advised against staying out late as the locals are not friendly after 11pm.

We like to have a lot to sightsee and do on an island so we will not be going back to St. Croix, but I would recommed it if you want a relaxing vacation.

Just returned from beautiful St. Croix. There is much to do and I would advise a tour the very first day so you can spot the places you want to go back to. Mt. Washington plantation grounds are wonderful and the man who keeps the grounds knows more about plants than anyone! Buck Island snorkeling is fabulous. We chartered a sail with Llewellen that was AAAA+. He knows everything about the waters and the island and is also a singer and songwriter who performs at Cheeseburgers on Saturdays. Rent a car from Judi of Croix......Chris, who owns the place now, is a great source of knowledge and so willing to share what he knows. Divi Hotel is not very nice....we knew it was far away from everything and that part was fine. However, the beach is nasty. Too rough to swim or snorkel or kayak, sea grass all over the place. Room clean, but lacked maintenance. Food at Divi edible but nothing special. All food on the island is expensive. A burger anywhere is going to be five to ten dollars, A local friend took us to "NO BONES" and we had prime rib that was very good. A small place by Rainbow Beach is Rythms and it was a good snack & burger place. Duggans was O.K. Yes, the Lobster is fine, tasty, well presented and our service by a waitress named Judy was great. Lobster $36.00, Pasta $24.00. At Rum Runners the food is dependable, not spectacular, service is good. Food and service at the Buccaneer very good, food at Tamarind was also good and service friendly if not efficient. Christainsted run down, but certainly not unsafe. Locals friendly and helpful. Ferry ride to Hotel on the Cay is a fun thing and good water sports facility there, calm waters, good beach. Thanks to other Forum members who responded to my questions prior to my trip.