Travel Tips for St. Thomas

I visited St. Thomas from Feb 11-16 of 2008 and attempted to take full advantage of all the island had to offer.  For me, the vacation was purely just that:  a time for me to get away from work and parties and people and just explore somewhere beautiful for a few days.  When I travel alone, I always leave things pretty open-ended so that I can adapt given what I find.  So here is a quick overview of my trip along with some tips on what to do and where stay:

Where I Stayed:  The Green Iguana, Sapphire Village, The Ritz Carlton

For my first two nights, I stayed in The Green Iguana, a small, family-run hotel at the top of Charlotte Amalie in the center of the city.  There is a beautiful view from most all of the rooms, which also happen to be reasonably priced ($140), and the family that runs the establishment is quite welcoming.  It is the ideal place to stay for a budget traveler on his first night or two in the area.  It is an easy walk down to the town centre.

Following my time there, I stayed at Sapphire Beach, which is a bit more pricey, but comes with the luxury of being on one of the more beautiful beaches on the island.  It is also right next to a small marina and the resort recently opened up a functional bar and restaurant with the basic necessities.  The downside to Sapphire is that it is one of the many stops for the cruise boat crowd during the day. 

And of course, there's the Ritz, which offers all the luxury one could want.  I splurged on my last day there, though I must say that I should have played it a different way.  I could have stayed at Sapphire and then spent the day at the Ritz for half the price, but still enjoyed all the amenities.

Activities:  I got myself into all kinds of different activities while on the island, but the only one that I'll recommend with any degree of voracity is a day cruise on the Lady Lindsey at the Ritz.  For $90, one can take a four-hour cruise out to St. Johns and do some great snorkeling.  The crew is top-notch and the trip back includes a full open bar (guava colodas!) and snack buffet.  Well worth the time.  The boat can hold up to 50 passengers, though they typically sail with far less, meaning that you'll enjoy ample room and attention. 

Here is a view from the front of the boat while we were en route to St. Johns.