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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Getting There My husband, our two year old son, and I just returned from a wonderful week in St. Croix. We flew USAirways from Greensboro, NC to Philadelphia, then on to St. Thomas and finally St. Croix. There are more direct and less expensive flights to St. Croix from the Greensboro or Charlotte area; however, we were flying on a frequent flier ticket, which limited our choices. When we arrived in Philadelphia, we barely had enough time to change flights, even though USAirways had assured me we would have plenty of time. The plane departed no more that five minutes after we were seated. I prefer to have more time, especially when traveling with a young child. When the plane landed in St. Thomas, we had to sit on the plane for approximately one hour before departing to St. Croix. I would have liked to have gotten off of the plane. We had left very early that morning, were hungry, and wanted to get some lunch, but we were not allowed to leave the plane. Finally, after they cleaned the plane with us on board and boarding more passengers, we departed for St. Croix. The airport at St. Croix was very quiet. There were no more than ten people that departed the plane there. Since there was no crowd, it only took a few minutes to get our Budget rental car. The airport was under construction and it was difficult to get your car close enough to easily load your luggage. After loading the luggage and securing our child in his car seat, we headed for the Buccaneer. The roads on the island were in good condition. There is actually a four lane highway on the island, which makes traveling from Christianstead to Fredrickstead a very short drive. The Resort The Buccaneer was a beautiful resort. We had a two room villa that had a wonderful view of the ocean. The room was very spacious and was equipped with a small refrigerator which we filled with some items from the local grocery store for our lunches. The maid left a bucket of ice and a carafe of ice water in our room twice each day. We had a porch equipped with a table and four chairs and two lounge chairs. There was a yard area outside of the villa, which provided a very nice play area for our child. We did have a couple of minor problems with the room. The maid turned the air conditioner thermostat up one evening and when we returned it was very warm inside the room. We just turned the thermostat back down, but for some reason the air condition did not work and we did not realize that it was broken until later that night when we woke up miserably hot. I opened all of the windows, but the front of the villa had large picture windows that did not open so, we did not get much air circulation in the room. I contacted hotel maintenance the next morning, and the air condition was working by the time that we returned to the room that afternoon. The other problem was with the bill upon checkout. We were rushed, and I did not have time to look it over like I should have. Fortunately, I did catch the fact that they had charged me $50.00 more per night than they had quoted me. The room was quoted at $150 per night including tax and the charges on the bill were for $195 per night including tax. Once I pointed out the error, it was immediately corrected. Additionally, there was a $17.00 breakfast charge on our bill for a breakfast that was supposedly brought to our room. We never had a breakfast in our room. The hotel credited my VISA after contacting them a couple of times. The only other complaint was with the maid service during the first couple of days. Since we have a small child, the floor is an area where we spend a lot of time. The floor in our villa was tile the maid did not do a very good job of sweeping the floor (if she even swept it at all) the first three days we were there. I contacted the maid service and asked that they sweep the floor when they turned down the beds that evening and requested that they leave a broom in the room. After that the floor was swept each day, plus I had the broom there when I needed it. Additionally, when we first arrived, there were fresh flowers in our room, which I thought was a very nice touch. Unfortunately, there were no more fresh flowers placed in our room until our last two nights there. It would also have been nice if the TV would have been in the master bedroom instead of the den area where the couch was made into a bed for our child. Breakfast at the Terrace was included with the price of our room. We ordered whatever we wanted from the menu at no charge. The food was very good. It would have cost a little over $30.00 (not including tip) for the three of us to eat there each morning if we had been charged for the meals. The resort is spread out over a large area and the main hotel area and the villa that we stayed in was situated on a hill. The grounds were beautiful, but it did require a lot of walking (often uphill) to get from place to place. This can get tiresome when your 32lb child decides he can't walk. There was not any parking next to our villa, so we had to park our car at the bottom of the hill. There are three beaches at the Buccaneer. One of the beaches was totally deserted with no chairs or facilities. It required a lengthy walk to get to it and I only went there to check it out. We did not spend any time at this beach. The beach at the Grotto area was nice, however, you had to avoid the rocks when getting into the ocean. There was sandy bottom area to go through when going out into the ocean. Lounge chairs were available on the beach. Since this was September, there were very few people at the resort. We only spent a couple of hours one morning at this beach and there was only four other people on the beach besides us. The other beach was very nice with plenty of palm trees for those that desired shade and plenty of open area for those that wanted to be in the sun. Lounge chairs were on the beach and there was an activity hut where you could get towels, floats, snorkel gear, and children's sand toys at no charge. The beach area was sandy out into the water and the water was relatively calm. There were kayaks, paddle boats, wind surfers, and a sail boat available for rental here. The person at the activity hut could arrange activities such as sailing trips, snorkeling trips to Buck Island, and scuba diving; however, we did not use their services. For most of the activities, you could be picked up right at the pier located on the beach.. We spent a lot of time playing with our son on the beach. The most people that I saw on the beach at any one time during our eight day stay was fifteen. There were two showers available at this beach area to clean yourself off before returning to your room. There was also a restaurant here (The Mermaid), which we ate at our first afternoon. We had sandwiches and our food was good, but I thought it was expensive for sandwiches. The hotel also had two pools, one at the Grotto beach area and one at the main hotel. We only spent one afternoon at the pool. We have a pool at home and didn't want to spend our vacation time doing something that we can do at home. It would have been nice to go in the pool at night, unfortunately, the pools close after 5:00pm. We hired a baby sitter for our son through the week. The hotel concierge arranged this for us. The lady that stayed with our son the majority of the time was named Gwyn. She was wonderful and my son adored her. She would take him out to play and when he was through playing she would bring him in, give him a shower, and get him to take a nap. He never takes a nap for me, but she was able to get him to take a nap every day she stayed with him. The Restaurants Sunday was our first full day. After sleeping in and eating breakfast, we went to find the dive shop that we would be diving with the rest of the week, Anchor Dive Center. We took care of all of the diving arrangements for the next day and had them store our equipment, then we drove down to Cane Bay where we ate lunch. The Wall at Cane Bay - We ate lunch at a little bar on the Cane Bay beach, The Wall. The food was good and reasonably priced. This seems to be the place that a lot of the locals hang out. After lunch, we went by the grocery store to pick up some snack foods, drinks, milk, and lunch meat. We ate lunch in the room during the rest of our stay. We returned to our room and enjoyed the day on the beach. That night we went out to eat in Christianstead. Since it was Sunday, many of the restaurants were closed. We ended up eating at Kentucky Fried Chicken. I was not very happy about that choice, although my child loved the food and my husband loved the price. That was our only meal at a chain restaurant, except the one night we had to get my child a hamburger at McDonalds after we ate somewhere else. We tried several different restaurants while we were there. We normally do not drink alcohol, so none of these meals include alcohol: No Bones - I had the Jamaican Jerk Chicken which was very good. We ordered fries for our son. We drank water. The food and service was very good and the price was very reasonable. Stixx - My husband liked this restaurant the best. We had steaks. The food was good and the price was reasonable. The tables were outside and the view of the ocean was great. My son was entertained by the cat that kept hanging around our table. Kim's Restaurant - I thought this was the best meal of the vacation. I had conch sautéed in butter and garlic. It was delicious. My husband had curried chicken, he said it was OK. He doesn't usually like to try anything that is different. We both drank water. Our son held out for McDonalds afterwards. The meal for the two of us including tip cost a little less than $20.00. Cheeseburger in Paradise - We both had cheeseburgers and fries. We ordered some nachos with cheese for our son. This was a very inexpensive meal and we ate at a picnic table outside. There was live music. I have had better hamburgers; however, the food, although not great was OK. It was a wonderful place for my son. He could get up and play without bothering anyone at another table. Waves at Cane Bay - The food was pretty good. I had shrimp and my husband had steak. Our son ate a little of my husband's steak. We had a total of three Cokes with the meal. This meal was a little more expensive, coming in around $40.00 including the tip. This was a very romantic location right on the ocean. In fact, I do not think you could get closer to the ocean without being in the water. Our son was entertained by the fish in the natural grotto pool. Diving We did a lot of scuba diving. We went with Anchor Dive Center located at Columbus Landing in Salt River. We had a wonderful time. We did five two tank dives and two night dives with them. We stored our dive gear there and each morning when we arrived, they would have our gear set up and already loaded on the boat. The boat that they used was small and they do not take more than six divers at a time. I like it that way because you get a more personalized dive and really see a lot more when you are diving. Wiz, Steve, and Laurie did an excellent job of leading the dives and Hank who drove the boat could give you all kinds of interesting information about the fish and coral. The diving was fantastic and the night dives were spectacular. We saw tons of tropical fish, octopus, lobster, huge moray eels, a black brotus, eagle ray, and sting rays just to name a few. The West Wall and North Star were my favorite sites, although all of the dive sites were great. The boat ride to the dive sites are very short and they come back in between dives. I didn't think I would like doing that, but I really did, because it gave us time to look in the fish books and find the things that we had just seen. I would highly recommend diving with Anchor Dive Center. This was the best diving we have ever done. If you decide to go to St. Croix and dive with Anchor Dive Center, let Wiz know that Ginger Dellinger recommended them. Harbor Night Do not miss Harbor Night. This was on Wednesday in Fredrickstead when the cruise ship comes in. We arrived about 9:00pm. There were people everywhere. This is the only time I saw a crowd anywhere on the whole island. There were a couple of bands and some mocko jumbie dancer's. The stores were open late and there were street vendors selling food and crafts all along the street. We got two chicken, two steak skewers, three Cokes and ate for less than $10.00. The food was good. We had a wonderful time. I bought a mocko jumbie doll for my son, bought myself a Larimar bangle braclet, and two little birds made out of palm leaves for a couple of my son's friends back home. My son was amazed at the big cruise ship docked at the pier. We stayed until a little after 11:00 when the people started heading back to their ship and things started winding down. We had a wonderful time. Shopping There are several shops in Christianstead. I spent one afternoon doing some shopping and bought a nice watch, a couple of pieces of Larimar jewelry for gifts and a T-shirt for my son. Gems Direct, with a location in Fredrickstead and Christianstead, seemed to have the best jewelry prices around. It took me about three hours to go through most of the shops in Christianstead. There are some shops in Fredrickstead, but I did not go back there since I had went through a few of them on Harbor Night. The Island I wanted to go to Point Udall; however when we got to the dirt portion of the road that led there, it was filled with pot holes and muddy (it had just rained). My husband did not want to take any changes since we were in a car instead of a 4 wheel drive, so I guess I can say that I have almost been to the most eastern point in the United States. We spent our last day driving around looking at the island. The scenic drive that starts near Columbus Landing and ends up somewhere close to the Westin had some beautiful scenery. In some places, the views of the ocean were beautiful. We were going to try to take Sweeny's tour of the island that has been so highly recommend, but decided that our son might have a hard time on a tour. We didn't make it to the Whim Planation either. A lot of people talked about how beautiful Buck Island was, but we decided we had spent so much time under the water and away from our son that we didn't want to do the Buck Island Snorkeling trip. The fort in Christianstead is being renovated, but I did take some pictures of some very beautiful old churches and buildings. The people were friendly and we never felt threatened. We were only approached two times in Christianstead by a person asking for money. We were never approached by anyone trying to sell us something. There was never a crowd anywhere; however, I would assume that there are a lot more tourists in the winter. The Weather During the first part of the week we had some rain showers that only lasted a very short time. The rest of the time it was sunny and breezy, except when the hurricane started getting closer on Friday night. The winds picked up significantly making the ocean very rough. The hotel called all of the guests together for a briefing to let us know what would take place in case of a direct hit. Everyone told us that the Buccaneer was one of the best places to be on the island if you had to be there during a hurricane. They said the main building was built with very thick walls and was very safe. All of the shops and some of the restaurants closed down on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. All of the boats were docked and tied down. The Anchor Dive Center closed up shop too. By Saturday the hurricane was already north east of St. Croix and the most that the island would receive was some wind. It did get windy Saturday night and it was rainy and cloudy Sunday morning. Other Hotels Tamarind Reef - I drove by the Tamarind Reef. It looked nice, but there was not a sandy beach like I had been told. Westin Carambola - We met a couple that was staying at the Westin. They said that it was very nice. We drove out to it and it looked like a very nice place. It is in a remote location and is a long drive from Christianstead. The Waves at Cane Bay - This was one of the hotels that we had thought about staying at, but I could not find a lot of information about it before arriving. If we had not brought our child with us, we might have stayed here. We talked with a couple that stayed there and they said that the rooms were clean and the price was cheap. A room with air condition was approximately $110 including tax and all of the rooms are directly on the ocean. The three things that kept me away from this was there was not a sandy beach area right at the hotel (this is important when you have a small child) and there was not any area for my child to play outside the room when he was with the sitter, and the sitter that they used was a teenage girl and I preferred to have an older lady stay with my son. Going Home We had considered leaving on Saturday to ensure that we got home by Sunday night because of the hurricane. I contacted USAirways Saturday around noon to see what their flight plans were for our scheduled flight Sunday. They said that they had no plans to cancel their flight for Sunday and we should be fine keeping our flight as scheduled. Well, Sunday morning it was a different story. Fortunately, I called USAirways just to be sure we were leaving on time. They informed me that the flight was canceled. I asked the USAirways employee what my options were and he informed me that we had no options other than waiting until the next day. It would be at least Monday, or maybe even later if the Monday's flight was full. I asked if they were responsible for my hotel for the extra night. The USAirways employee informed me that we were on our own. It was an act of God and they were not responsible for anything. There were other airlines that were flying out of St. Croix on Sunday. They did not cancel their flights. USAirways was flying that same day out of San Juan, but not out of St. Croix. I asked if they could put the three of us on a flight out of Puerto Rico. They said that they there was availability and they could do that, but we had to pay for our flight from St. Croix to Puerto Rico out of our pocket. The concierge made us reservations on the American flight to San Juan and then contacted USAirways to get us on the Puerto Rico flight to Philadelphia. Now the story was that they did not have any seats available. I asked if they had seats in First Class and the answer was yet, but they would probably have to charge me additional for those seats. After much discussion, they reluctantly booked us in first class to Philadelphia, then coach back to Greensboro, NC. The problems with USAirways did not end there. When we got to San Juan and checked in they only had seats for two of us. After telling them that they would have to find a third seat and insisting that all three of us be in First Class they finally found another seat in First Class. I do have to say it was very nice flying in first class; however, that did not make up for the extra money I had to spend to get to Puerto Rico. After finally getting back home and contacting USAirways, I complained about being left hanging and their lack of concern for customers. They would not agree to reimburse me for the money spent on the flight to Puerto Rico, but did agree to give me three $200.00 vouchers good for one year on any USAirways flight. So what is the moral of this story. Don't fly USAirways to St. Croix and if you do get "shafted" call and complain. The bright side is we got home safely, we had a wonderful vacation and created many memories.
Updated 12/7/97
This is a fairly comprehensive list of restaurants on St. Croix that cater
to our visitors and locals alike. As the restaurant business is always
changing, I suggest that upon your arrival onto the island you pick up a
copy of 'St. Croix This Week' (the pink sheet), or 'Dining in St. Croix' --
both of which contain an up to date listing of restaurants.
If you have any specific questions about any of these restaurants
please feel free to E-mail me.
[71307.2505@compuserve.com] http://www.vidivers.com
Name of Restaurant BLD (Phone number)
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Location
Description of food
"My comments are always in quotes"
Credit Cards they accept. None accepted if none listed.
Antoine's in Anchor Inn BLD (773-0263)
58A King Street, Christiansted
Breakfast includes a choice of 15 omlettes,
Large salad bar during lunch and
Swiss/Austrian/Northern Italian entrees and seafood during dinner.
AX, V, MC
Anything Goes Deli BL (773-2777)
Gallows Bay, Christiansted
Gourmet takeout and deli
Bacchus D
Upstairs on Queen Cross Street between Strand and King streets
Fine dining, steaks, seafood, lamb.
"The seafood bisque it the BEST I've ever had anywhere. It's a
brand new restaurant and it's very very good."
No credit cards as of this writing (12/07/97) but they expect to be
able to accept them soon.
Bandanna's D (772-2950)
Seaview Farm Inn, (south of Frederiksted)
New steakhouse featuring impressive selection of steaks from 6oz filets
to 16 oz rib eye. Also veal chops, salmon, and burgers. Open Wed-Sat.
AX, V, MC
Blue Moon LD (772-2222)
Strand Street in Frederiksted
Lunch Tue-Fri, Dinner, Tue-Sat, Sun Brunch
Waterfront dining with live jazz. Food includes pastas, island specialties,
and vegetarian.
Reservations needed.
AX, V, MC, DC
Bombay Club LD (773-1838)
5A King Street, Christiansted
Steak, Chicken, shrimp, fish, sandwiches, and several daily specials.
"Great roasted garlic and brie. My favorite entree is the stuffed crab"
Air conditioned dining in the bar or patio.
AX, V, MC
Breezez BLD (773-7077)
Club St. Croix Condos
Salads, sandwiches, burgers and pastas for lunch while seafood, including
their flaming rum lobster, is their dinner specialty.
Reservations suggested
AX
Cafe' Sol BLD
Strand Street in Christiansted
Pizza, lasagne, calazones, pastries.
"The pastries are wonderful. On Friday and Saturday nights there's live
entertainment including a great jazz band on Friday"
Cafe Du Soleil D (772-5400)
Prince Passage on Strant Street, Christiansted
Local fish, lamb, lobster, shrimp.
"Great Sunday brunch. Excellent place to catch a sunset."
AX, V, MC
Cheeseburgers in Paradise LD (773-1119)
East End Road
"Wonderful cheeseburgers, burritos, chicken, pasta and daily specials.
A real favorite hangout for the locals especially on weekends."
Live music Thu-Sun
MC, V
Columbus Cove BLD (778-5771)
Salt River Marina
Continental & Caribbean cuisine, seafood, and pasta, steak, sandwiches.
Great home made deserts.
Comanche LD (773-2665)
Strand Street, Christiansted
Seafood, Prime Rib, duckling, local fish, steaks
Reservations Requested
AX, V, MC
Company Street Pub LD (773-6880)
Company Street
Snacks, Sandwiches, salads, daily specials
"French Dip and Curly fries are wonderful."
Open till 4am
Cormorant Beach Club BLD (778-8920)
Cormorant Beach Beach Hotel
Continental & Caribbean Cuisine including salads and gourmet sandwiches
for lunch and a great Caribbean Night Buffet on Thursdays with a floor
show. Good Sunday Brunch spot too.
Reservations Requested
AX, V, MC, DC
Cultured Pelican LD (773-3333)
Coakley Bay Condos
Pasta, veal, and italian dishes along with an excellent stuffed lobster.
Also a great Sunday Brunch.
"One of the best views on the island"
V, MC
Deep End Bar LD (773-4455)
Tamarind Reef Hotel
Light fare, sandwiches, salads
Down By the Bay BLD (773-2918)
Chenay Bay Beach Hotel
Continental & West Indian Cuisine
Different theme night every night including two west indian buffets
weekly.
Duggan's at the Reef LD (773-9800)
Teague Bay, East End
Quiche, flying fish, soups, sandwiches and daily specials for lunch, rack
of lamb, filet, mignon, veal and lobster for dinner
"Great setting at the east end of the island. Chicken verde pasta and
lobster putanesca is excellent."
Reservations Requested
AX, V, MC
The Galleon D (773-9949)
Green Cay Marina
French, Italian, lobster, Chateaubriand, breast of duck.
"The best rack of lamb on the island."
Reservations Requested
AX, V, MC
Greathouse at Villa Madeline D (778-7377)
Teague Bay, East End
International, Continental cuisine
"Gourmet dining and an excellent view from the top of the mountain"
AX, V, D, MC
Harbormaster BLD (773-2035)
Hotel on the Cay, Christiansted
Seafood, burgers, sandwiches and a Tuesday night Beach Barbecue buffet
with a limbo show, broken bottle dancer, fire eater, mocko jumbie and
steel band.
Reservations for the buffet.
AX, MC, V
Harvey's LD (773-3433)
11B Company Street, Christiansted
West Indian cuisine including local fish, creole, ribs, chicken, lobster
and lamb stew.
Hideaway BLD (773-4042)
Hibiscus Beach Hotel
Right on the beach serving steak, seafood, sandwiches. Wednesday night
barbecue night with live music and limbo contest. Friday night five
course dinner and show by the Caribbean Dance Company. Jazz on Saturday
night.
Reservations required for special nights
AX, MC, V
Indies LD (692-9440)
55-56 Company Street, Christiansted
Caribbean & International Cuisine, Seafood.
"This is the place I recommend first for seafood. There's also Sushi on
Wednesday and Friday nights."
Reservations Suggested
AX, V, MC
Kendrick's D (773-9199)
King Cross Street, Christiansted
Dinner served on Tuesday thru Saturday nights
"This is my top choice for fine dining on the island. Contemporary &
Nouvelle American cuisine, including pastas, seafood, duck, pork loin
and a great wine list." .
Reservations a must for dinner
AX, V, MC
Lost Dog Pub D (772-3526)
King Street, Frederiksted
Pizza nightly 5-10pm, plus Wed-Sunday a selection of pasta dishes and
other traditional Italian-American cuisine.
"Don't let the looks of the pub fool you. (Though it's a great hangout)
Behind it is a beautiful courtyard that hosts the restaurant. Best
pizza in the west."
Luncheria LD (773-4247)
6 Company Street, Christiansted
"My favorite all around restaurant for their cheap and good Mexican Food
and the best frozen Margaritas ANYWHERE. Their $1 margarita is extremely
'tart' to cover the vast quantity of tequila that gives it the kick of a
mule. Three or four of these and you'll see things that aren't there!"
Mahogony Room D (778-3800)
Westin Carambola Beach Resort
Fine Dining, Seafood
AX, V, MC, D, DC
Marina Bar BLD (773-0103)
King's Alley Yacht Landing
Continental breakfast, light fare
AX, MC, V, D
No Bones Cafe LD (773-2128)
Gallows Bay, Christiansted
Seafood, grilled steak and chicken, homemade desserts prepared by the
self proclaimed resident gypsy, Chef Tomas. Great seafood chowder too.
"My favorite is the Flying Fish and Chips with really really cold beer
(which always makes a place rate highly on my list). Their steaks are
highly acclaimed. If you like hot (spicy) food, ask them to spice it to
a level 15 (that's on the 1-10 scale) It's the hottest food I've ever
been served in a restaurant and I search out hot foods wherever I go"
Reservations Requested for dinner
AX, V, D
Nolan's Tavern LD (773-6660)
Estate St. Peters, Christiansted
West Indian Cuisine
Conch Specialties
Reservations Suggested
Off the Wall LD (778-2227)
Cane Bay Beach
Grilled food, pizzas, subs, mexican, all served in an extremely casual
atmosphere right on the beach with a great sunset view. "Great place to
stop in for a snack and a drink if you're out touring around the island
or after a day of diving at Cane Bay."
Picnic in Paradise D (778-1212)
West end of Cane Bay
"Even though the name says picnic, it's because they used to be a deli.
It's excellent dining in a great seaside setting now with fresh seafood,
pasta, pork, and lobster."
AX, V, MC, D, DC, CB
Rainbow Beach Club LD (772-0002)
Serving daily from 11:30 on.
Burgers, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs.
"Great place to spend an afternoon at the beach or watching the sunset.
Tell Wild Fred that V.I. Divers sent you."
Roget's Cafe LD (772-1100)
In the former Royal Dane Hotel, Frederiksted
Fresh seafood and steak and nightly specials and a dessert
special--flourless chocolate cake.
AX, V, MC, D
Saman Room BLD (778-3800)
Westin Carambola Beach Resort
American, West Indian dishes. "Their Friday night Pirate's Buffet
including an Island Show and/or Sunday brunch are not to be missed."
Saloon LD (772-BEER)
Market street a block from the water, Frederiksted
Airconditioned bar with burgers, nachos, chicken sandwiches, and salads.
AX, V, MC, DC
Sea Top Restaurant LD (773-3836)
Atop St. Croix by the Sea Condos just west of Christiansted.
Open 7 days, 1130-230 for lunch, 630-9 for dinner.
Fine cuisine, both local and continental, with an emphasis on seafood
and steak.
AX, V, MC
Serendipity Inn LD (773-5762)
Mill Harbor Condominiums
Soups, salads, sandwiches for lunch, fish pasta chicken, steak au poivre
for dinner. Tuesday night-fried chicken, Wednesday night-Italian night,
Friday night-barbecue. Sunday brunch.
AX, MC, V
South Shore Cafe D (773-9311)
Corner of routes 62 and 624
Fine seafood and vegetable entrees featuring homemade pasta, also prime
rib, lamb, and daily vegetarian specials.
V
St. Croix Chophouse D
King's Alley, Christiansted (above the Brew Pub)
Second floor view of the harbor, featuring a good selection of steaks
and lamb.
Stixx BLD (773-5157)
Pan Am Pavilion (Waterfront),Christiansted
Seafood, continental cuisine, pizza, pasta, burgers, salads, lobster
"Excellent view of Christiansted harbor and great food"
AX, V, MC
Tivoli Gardens LD (773-6782)
Strand @ Queen Cross Street, Christiansted
Continental cuisine & seafood like shrimp curry, coquilles St. Jacques,
and lobster.
Reservations requested
AX, V, MC
Tommy T's BLD (773-2985)
53B Company Street, Christiansted
American, Steak, Seafood, Sandwiches, Salads
Top Hat LD (773-2346)
52 Company Street, Christiansted
Continental cuisine, Scandinavian Specialties including a smorgaasbord
selection of hors d'oeuvres and salad bar. Black angus steaks and fresh
local seafood. (Normally closed for the summer)
"The Chef is one of two on St. Croix who have been featured on the
Discovery Channel."
Reservations Suggested
AX, DC, V, MC
Tutto Bene D (773-5229)
2 Company Street, Christiansted
Southern provincial Italian
AX, D, MC, V
Wahoo Willy's BLD (773-6585)
Hotel Caravelle, Christiansted
Right on the water with a great view of Christiansted harbor. Caribbean
& Contemporary World Cuisine, Pizza
"Chicken zingers and a frozen lime daiquiri, Mmmmmm)
AX, D, V, MC
Waves at Cane Bay D (778-1805)
Near Cane Bay at the Waves at Cane Bay Hotel
Fresh seafood, steak, pasta, chicken, and vegetarian specials.
"Great food, an excellent view right on the water"
AX, MC, V
Wonder Wings LD (713-wing)
In Market Square on Company Street, Christiansted
"It's a fast food place but if you want good HOT wings this is the
place. I like the "To Hell and Back" which is the hottest."
Just got back from 17 days in the eastern and southern Caribbean. Started with a 3 night cruise on Royal Caribbeanout of San Juan to St. Thomas, and St. Martin, then flew back to St. Martin for another night, then two nights on Saba, 6 nights at St. Lucia, and 3 nights at Bequia. I Scuba dived at Buck Island off St. Thomas, Saba, St. Lucia, and Bequia. I will limit this report to St. Lucia, but will be happy to answer any other questions regarding my trip. St. Lucia, located in the southeastern Caribbean between Martinique and St. Vincent, is roughly 20 miles long and 10 miles wide. Fodor's book describes it as "an island of breathtaking vistas - its trademark Pitons, enchanting bays and sandy coves, sleepy villages, endless banana plantations, and a corkscrew road that winds along the coast, cuts through dense jungle, and dips into deep mountain ravines - St. Lucia is self-described as simply beautiful". If one is looking for gambling or shopping, this is not the place to go, although there are about 24 duty free shops where the cruise ships dock at Pt. Saraphinein Castries harbor. The island is mostly original (undeveloped), with most of the newer development and resorts being in the northwest part north of Castries. I stayed at the Wyndham, at Morgan Bay, north of Castries. It is a good central location to visit other resorts, is 35 minute drive to Marigot Bay, and about a two hour drive south to Soufriere area with the volcano, mineral baths, and botanical gardens, and the Anse Chastanet resort. I rented a car from Avis for $55/day - Nissan Sentra with auto and air. My daughter got married at the Wyndham on a Saturday (most resorts will not perform a marriage on a weekend). The Wyndham was excellent in all respects. We visited the Windjammer Landing and liked the Wyndham better. We drove the road from Rodney Bay & Gross Islet down to Soufriere, scuba dived at Anse Chastanet, visited the volcano and Botanical gardens, mineral baths, waterfall, etc. I was told that tourists are quite safe on the island, that there are extreme penalties to locals for any crimes against tourists, since the government is trying to promote tourism. One of the most beautiful spots on the island is Marigot Bay. had lunch at Doolittle's (service took an hour with just 6 people in the restaurant). If I were going to stay at Marigot Bay, would stay at the Seahorse Inn - a B&B owned and operated by a lovely German couple. The inn overlooks the bay, has it's own boat dock. They have a web site at http://www.seahorse-inn.com or can be e- mailed at seahorse@candw.lc On my next trip to St. Lucia, will probably not rent a car, and take boats or water taxis to other areas of the west coast of the island, and land taxis or buses to interior areas. There are many all inclusive resorts on the island such as Sandals, Le Sport, etc.
We just returned from 2 weeks in Paradise. Here's a summary. It started off bad. The first week we were staying at my friend's timeshare in the Royal Palm. When we arrived at 5 PM we couldn't check in because someone else was booked in his room which he owns! Five other parties had the same problem. They didn't even have any other rooms so they put us up in the Flamingo for the night. The next morning they got us in but it wasn't in the room my friend bought. After many discussions my friend got another free week. Weather - 83 - 95, partly cloudy all days but 1 which was mostly cloudy, very breezy on the east side. Beaches - Cupecoy - alot of sand had washed away and it was pretty rocky early. Every day more sand came back and it was 75% back when we left. Someone has bought all the property above the beach and the northern end was being cleared behind the concrete wall. I hope a hotel doesn't get built there! Orient - windy. Many new chalets being built at Club O. The new wooden food stands all seem to be operating. The owner of Paradise Cafe (closed),Byron, has a food stand. It's 2 buildings down from Pedro's. Bay Rouge - nice with plenty of sand. Maho (airport beach) - Another sand problem early. No sand It's coming back now. The Millenium is set to partially open in Dec. Food - Mario's - the best ($50pp w/apps,dessert and drinks) Messilina's - great Italian & classy ($50pp w/same) Le Bistro Gourmand- good & quiet ($50pp w/same) Richard's Crepere - Exc. on the water ($8pp w/drinks) Rainbow - Great and very friendly ($35,apps,dessert) Boathouse - OK,but prices have risen ($25 w/ drinks) Cheries - good to people watch ($25 w/drinks) Mark's Place - Not as good in food or the new place ? (a new steakhouse across from Lightning Casino) - lots of meat for the price. Best things to do - get a suntan, snorkel, eat great food What's new - Julianna airport is scheduled for expansion crime seems to be up judging from the papers no United States papers- problems w/ distributor clean up in Simpson Bay lagoon is scheduled Mullet, Port de Plaisance, Dawn Beach closed gas $2.70 per gallon Reverend T-Bone at Belair on days Sunset Bar (Maho Beach) crowded late PM's Surf Club South back in full swing Good $ exchange rates That's all folks. Had a great time. Hoping to head back in April if not sooner.
My wife Christine, our miniature dachshund Dunkel, and I were in St. Martin from November 20 through November 27. This was our first trip back since Hurricane Luis. TRAVELING WITH OUR DOG We have found that the French-side of St. Martin, like France itself, is an excellent destination to travel with a dog. The French are much more accommodating toward dogs than are Americans. On the French-side, our dog was able to accompany us everywhere, and I do mean everywhere -- including into restaurants and onto beaches. (The Dutch-side was less dog- friendly.) I recommend flying with your dog only if it is small enough to take into the passenger cabin. Our dog travels in a soft-sided "Sherpa" bag that fits under the seat in front of us during take- off and landing. Although the airlines will transport larger pets in airplane cargo holds, I have heard too many horror stories about pets dying in cargo holds for me to ever be comfortable about transporting my pet that way. American Airlines charges $50 each way for transporting a pet to and from St. Martin. Be sure to reserve passage for your dog in advance. All airlines limit the number of dogs allowed in a passenger cabin at one time. Before traveling to St. Martin with your dog, check with the French and Dutch embassies concerning entry requirements. We carried with us an international health certificate from our veterinarian and proof that our dog had been vaccinated for rabies at least one month, and not more than one year, prior to entry. (Curiously, in the four times we have traveled with our dog to St. Martin or St. Barths, immigration and customs authorities have never asked to see the required documentation.) CLUB ORIENT We stayed at Club Orient, a naturist resort located at the south end of Orient Beach. This is a wonderful place! We have already decided to stay there again next year. Much has been written here (and elsewhere on the Web) about Club Orient, so I won't go into much detail. If you want more information about Club Orient, a good place to start is the Club Orient site at http://www.clubo.com. Some have complained about the high winds prevalent at Orient Beach this time of the year. Just be careful what you ask for! In my view, the high winds at Orient Beach are a blessing, not a curse. In the entire time we were at Club Orient, I saw no flying insects, and found no need to use insect repellent. The wind just swept the little critters away. (This is in sharp contrast to other locations in the tropics, where I have sometimes been eaten alive by insects.) The wind also kept us comfortably cool. A word about Club Orient's clothing-optional policy. If you are offended by the nudity of others, you obviously shouldn't go there. But don't worry whether you will be comfortable being nude yourself. You can simply choose to wear clothes. Christine found that she preferred wearing clothes when not on the beach, so she did. We had chosen to stay at Club Orient not because of its clothing- optional policy, but rather because of its location and facilities. In making our choice, we had started with a list of hotels in St. Martin that permitted dogs, and then narrowed the list through a process of elimination. (Among the other dog- friendly hotels on our list were the Simpson Beach Marine Hotel at Nettle Bay, the Beach Plaza Hotel at Sandy Ground, and the Pavilion Beach Hotel at Grand Case.) In retrospect we now realize that the clothing-optional policy was a major plus. It clearly contributed to the laid-back, friendly, non-glitzy atmosphere of Club Orient. Most of our neighbors at Club Orient appeared to be couples above the age of 40. However, two of the chalets nearest us were occupied by families with children, which was not at all inappropriate. The environment was quite wholesome. EXCHANGE RATES In past trips to St. Martin, we had conducted all our transactions in dollars. This time, we found that the exchange rates offered by many restaurants and stores on the French-side were so poor that it made sense to convert our dollars into francs, so that we could make purchases in francs. Although the official exchange rate was about 5.9 francs to the dollar, many restaurants and stores employed a 5.0 francs to the dollar exchange rate. Nor were credit cards the solution. Most restaurants and stores refused to charge credit card transactions in francs. They insisted on charging such transactions in dollars. (The only places we found that would charge credit card transactions in francs were the Brasserie de la Garre restaurant in the Marigot marina and (for amounts over $10) the Supermarche Match supermarket on the north side of Marigot.) BUDGET CAR RENTAL This was the third time we rented from Budget (in Sint Maarten), and I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Budget will now efficiently pick you up from the airport and deliver you to its office near the airport. No need any longer to walk to the Budget office to get your car. The other good news is that Budget's prices are still quite low. We paid only $138 per week (plus 8% tax) for a compact car. The bad news is that the quality of Budget's cars has declined sharply. The lot next to its office now looks like a junkyard. The car we rented was dented or scraped on every fender, door, and bumper, and had over 41,000 miles on its odometer. While we were waiting to pick up our car, another customer came in to complain about mechanical problems with his car, and was told that no other cars were available. Unfortunately, I am not sure whether any other rental agency on the island is, on balance, a better choice. NO-NAME BAKERY IN MARIGOT This bakery without a name is located at the intersection of Rue la Liberte and Rue Palais de Justice in Marigot, very near the post office. Not only are the pastries here excellent, but also there is a small cafeteria serving delicious salads and sandwiches at lunch. The prices are very reasonable: only $2.50 to $3.00 for a pastry, and even less if you pay in francs. The cost of salads and sandwiches are comparably low. But get there early, if you want lunch. By 12:30 p.m. all the tables are taken (primarily by local residents), and many items are sold out. TALK OF THE TOWN This seems to be the best of the "shacks" in Grand Case. When driving into Grand Case, turn right when you reach the road along the harbor. The "shacks" are a short distance up the road on your left. In its pre-Luis incarnation, Talk of the Town had a wonderful view of the harbor. Unfortunately, the locations of the "shacks" have been rearranged so that only two of the six "shacks" in Grand Case now have a view of the harbor, and Talk of the Town is not one of them. Talk of the Town is the real thing. Local ethnic cuisine at its best. A wide assortment of foods are available. If going for the first time, I would recommend getting the ribs, rice-and-peas, a johnny cake, and perhaps some corn-on-the-cob. By the way, the prices are rock bottom. A platter of baby-back ribs costs only $4, rice-and-peas only $2, and a johnny cake only 50 cents. Be sure to try some of the yellow hot sauce on the ribs. (If you are traveling with your dog, he or she will enjoy helping you clean all the meat off the ribs.)
We've enjoyed the many excellent trip reports for the past few years, so this contribution is long overdue. Recently returned from seven glorious days in St. Martin. Rented a car from Hertz @ $198 plus tax. The '95 Corolla was in better condition than those previously rented from Roy Rogers but it sure wasn't the '97 model promised by US reservations. Stayed again at the conveniently located St. Tropez on Orient Beach (great for early A.M. walks and close to Grand Case for dinners. Also a nice pool for late night skinny- dipping :) Spent many days at Club O with lunch at Papagayo. During our stay, high tides significantly narrowed the beach and sent some waves up towards Papagayo's deck. The warm sun was beautiful but occasional clouds were most welcome. Got a lot of reading done. An aircraft carrier was in P'burg so many sailors and accompanying Shore Patrol trekked out to see the wonders of Club O, spending the day drinking beer at Papagayo. Some even ventured into the water. We had many great meals at Grand Case beginning with Bistrot Caraibes. Salmon, roast duckling and a good Riesling came to about $83 including tip. Dinner another night was at a Lolo called Au Coins des Amis. Roast chicken, ribs, rice, salad and beers cost about $20 for 2. There are now 6 Lolos where there used to be 2 or 3 on Bld. de Grand Case before Hurricane Luis. The folks are friendly and eager to serve and what can you say about the price. It's a nice change from haute cuisine. Drove down to Marigot early one morning for shopping and lunch at La Samanna which we discovered was closed for repairs until later in the month. No evidence of Speed 2 construction at Marigot harbor. Marina Royale appeared in good shape but the shops are obviously looking forward to the high season. BTW, what happened to the white French police ? All returned to France ? >From La Samanna, we continued drive to P'burg for lunch, past the Mullet Bay Golf Course. A letter to the local paper wondered why the highest rates of $108 for 18 holes were charged to time share and hotel residents. Two guys on the plane down had packed golf clubs. We wondered if they played every day. Did the shops at P'burg, picked up a faux Rolex and lunched at Passagrahan (sp?). Bought some Grand Marnier and 2 small oil paintings. Dinner at Alabama is always a great treat. Excellent ambiance and service. Dinner for 2 with a modest Muscadet and tip was about $87. Complimentary after dinner liquer was a nice touch. The Rainbow Restaurant hosted by the lovely Andrea was a special occasion. Amazingly, Andrea remembered us from our many previous visits to Astrolabe at the Esmeralda Resort where she had worked. Perhaps we have the same channeler <G>. We arrived early enough to have choice seats overlooking the spotlighted bay looking to the lights of Anguilla. Veal, salmon, profiterolle and a bottle of Zinfandel, and tips came to $112. The night before we left, we ate at L'Escapade. A great experience - I thought it was the best meal of the week. The lights of Anguilla were still there. We missed the St. Martin Day celebration but got caught up in the traffic tie-up caused by the 2nd Annual Grand Prix Cycliste St. Martin - a 4 day cycle race. Twenty five pounds heavier (NOT) we returned to Boston. Looking forward to next April.
My wife and I recently returned from a most wonderful trip to St. Martin. We went on the occasion of our 10th anniversary and splurged a little more than normal for such a trip given the nature of the occasion. We stayed at the Esmeralda Resort in their Presidential suite which had it's own swimming pool, full kitchen, huge great room with 20+ foot vaulted ceilings and teak balcony overlooking the ocean and Orient Bay. The accommodations were absolutely beautiful. As a matter of fact, our suite was over 1200 square feet! The beach area at Esmeralda is perfect in that it is much more quite than the other end of Orient beach. Most all the women were topless and some men and women were completely nude. The nice thing was--no one cared what you did as long as you respected each other. And everyone did just that. We ate at the Esmeralda's restaurant, the Astrolabe, the first night and had a wonderful meal. All of the other evenings we ate in Grand Case at various restaurants. We had great meals at Caribe Bistro, Le Tastevin, and L'Alabama but by far our favorite was Le Pressoir. As a matter of fact we ate at Le Pressoir twice including our last dinner. Driving in St. Martin can be interesting; some of the locals are rather maniacal. However, from the Esmeralda it is not too bad going back and forth to Grand Case if you go the "back way" around the airport. My only avoid would be Philipsburg and the whole cruise ship crowd. We made the mistake of driving over there one day and were not at all impressed. We much preferred the relaxed nature of the French Side of the island. We plan on returning next year to do the same thing again--less Philipsburg. The trip embodied just the relaxation my wife and I were looking for.
My wife and I returned last Sunday from a 2 week stay at the Royal Islander. After reading all the prior trip reports over the last couple of years, we really have nothing new to add. So with that in mind, here goes. Flights--AA out of Philly through San Juan and return were great. On-time, smooth flights, and best of all the planes were not full, giving us plenty of room on all 4 legs of the trip. Weather--Couldn't be better. Brief showers (few minutes only) on just 2 days as far as we know. If it rained, it did so at night. Restaurants--I don't drive past Marigot at night so that rules out a lot of great restaurants for dinner, but still we had our share of good meals. Best dinners were at Mario's (twice) and La Rosa Too (twice). Except for the desserts, we thought that La Rosa Too was just as good as Mario's and far more convenient to the Royal Islander. Since I love desserts, however, and Mario's had specials to die for, I have to give it the nod in a close race. We also had a good meal at LaGuna by the airport. Very good entree there, but the minestrone soup was a different story. Adequate meals were had at the Boathouse and Bavaria, a German restaurant near the Pelican. The Rum Boat, well the best I can say about it is that its next door to the Royal Islander, but to be fair they specialize in seafood and we are not seafood lovers. Leave it at that. We had good lunches at Cherie's, Turtle Pier, Braissarie De La Gare, La Belle Epique and the Green House. We had a not so good lunch at Kon Tiki on Orient Bay, but that may have been caused by what we ordered. We both ordered a lobster salad, and that's what we got, but it was more like a tropical fruit salad with some lobster. The lobster itself was good but the fruit drew flying insects from up and down the beach. Very uncomfortable to say the least, and this caused us to cancel plans for additional lunches on the beach. Bars--Cherie's and Surf Club South, of course, but we also had an enjoyable Happy Hour at Don Carlos with friends (they served pretty good--and free--ribs) and an enjoyable time at the Sunset Beach Bar at the end of the runway. Dominoes, I think, delivered free pizza to patrons the night we were there. Whoever, the pizza was good. Last but certainly not least, we made a couple of stops at the Cliffside Bar, one of which was at sunset. Unfortunately, no green flash that night, but Nina swears we missed it by just a day or two. Great time there, and nice people. Casinos--Did most of our play at the Casino Royale in Maho, although we did try the Atlantis (did not particularly like it) and the Dimond Casino in town. We play video poker mostly and the machines were vintage Atlantic City 1980's, meaning poor payoff schedules. Odds and Ends--Yes, we did visit the Butterfly farm. Tour was interesting but it was a one time thing for us. What is not a one time thing for us is a cruise on the Lady Mary. We did the dinner cruise and thought it was a real highlight of our trip. The food was good, the entertainment was good, and the open-bar drinks were flowing, but the best part of the trip was the ship and the crew. It was so peaceful cruising in the lagoon in the darkness, silently gliding by the big villas on the shore. We had a wonderful time. Suggest if you go to reserve one of the two tables on the stern, right by the bar. We plan on a daylight cruise next year. Well that's all folks.
Just returned from our 6th trip to paradise and I must admit, it's better than ever. The island seems cleaner (Take pride Don't throw it outside) signs posted in several locations seem to be working. Enjoyed our week at the Sapphire so much that we purchased another. Week #46 also in Villa #6 that we will be renting for 1998. So if anyone out there is interested please reply. Restaurants tried this time were Spartico, LaMason Surlaport, Ilnetunno, Kontikki, La Bistro Gourmand, and Antoine's. All were very good. Beaches visited: Orient. On Monday 11/24 we visited and the night before a ship had sunk off Saba, as a result there were tar balls in the water. Reminded me of my youth on the Jersey Shore. Fortunately it cleared up in a day or so. Other beaches visited were Cupecoy Bay Longe, Friars and Grand Case. All were wonderful. Casinos: Atlantis continues to build and add on. They now offer a nightly Buffet for 9.95 which isn't bad. They are getting ready to open the stores behind the casino along with an outside Bar and Disco. They are putting in a new road to The American University of the Caribbean next door. The Casino Royale has opened the upstairs Sports Bar. Great place to bet and watch The NFL. Shopping: Philipsburg is booming, they had 5 cruise ships docked on Wed. Glad we weren't there. Marigot is still our favorite. Note: US Air Sat Flight from Phily was completely full both ways. Great Non Stop Direct under 4 hr flight gets you into SXM at 1:15. Rented our car again from Explorer for $150.00 and picked up right outside counter at Airport. Taxi Driver's now seem satisfied after 1 day Blockade of Buses near Orient Beach. The Cruise Lines have now promised them more business. Still no U.S. Newspapers available on the Island. Problem with distributor still exists.
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