Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004290227
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUGLAS PARDUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS LENGTH: Long
The old one certainly isn't much to look at. It's little more than an old corrugated metal airplane hangar.
What makes it so appealing is that as soon as you walk in, you know you're not in Kansas anymore.
"Welcome to St. Thomas," gateway to the Virgin Islands and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
St. Thomas is the second largest and, with almost 53,000 people, the most densly populated of the three main islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands. The United States purchased the islands from Denmark in 1917 so they wouldn't fall into German hands during World War I.
St. Thomas' main town, Charlotte Amalie (pronounced Ah-mahl-ya), is a duty-free port, crammed between a beautiful natural harbor and a steep mountain. The town is one of the largest shopping centers in the Caribbean . . . so large that some islanders, especially those from other islands, derisively refer to it as the K mart of the Caribbean.
Detractors aside, there are deals to be made, and bargains to be had in the numerous shops that crowd the casbah-like alleys and paths. A word to the wise - go shopping only for items that you've checked prices on back home. And, once you've bought something, don't check the prices at another store - You'll kick yourself, because some merchant will be selling it cheaper.
Crime can be a problem in Charlotte Amalie. It's a picture-postcard town, but it's also like any big city. Don't leave your common sense behind. Stay in the commercial areas, hold on to your purse (if you have one) and don't walk into lonely areas at night.
Architecturally, Charlotte Amalie is dominated by its colonial Danish past. The old section of town near the waterfront is an attractive collection of pastel buildings with shutters and balconies. The one- and two-story homes and shops perch on the steep hillside like rice patties terracing a Southeast Asian mountain. Outside Charlotte Amalie, most tourists on St. Thomas stick to the numerous resorts that claim nearly every beach. St. Thomas is home to some of the Caribbean's largest and most beautiful resorts - Frenchman's Reef, Bolongo Bay, Bluebeard's Castle Hotel and the Stouffer Grand Beach Resort.
You never have to leave many of these resorts; they offer everything - room, fine dining, land and water sports and nightlife.
As nice as they are, the resorts are a bit sterile for me. I prefer some of the quaint, small hotels that dot the hillsides above Charlotte-Amalie.
My wife, Judy, and I stayed one evening at Blackbeard's Castle, a 10-room hotel arranged villa-style around a swimming pool and an old stone lookout tower. Built in 1679, the tower supposedly was used by Blackbeard the Pirate when St. Thomas was a haven for thieves and buccaneers. Considering the price for rooms, $125-$175 a night, Blackbeard still may be in charge. The cost is not far from that of other small hotels - comfortable, modern ones where you can get by for $70 to $100 a night.
Of course almost everything is expensive in the Virgin Islands except booze and duty-free goods.
The slightly aged, quaint, picturesque quality of Blackbeard's more than makes up for the cost. Our room had double doors opening onto a wooden balcony with a stunning view of Charlotte Amalie, the harbor and sunset.
The restaurant at Blackbeard's has an even more heavenly view, and meals to match it. I had a Norwegian salmon in puff pastry with raspberry cream sauce. Judy, a sucker for lobster, had baked lobster with honey mustard sauce. Both were as delicious as they were expensive - mine $20.50 and Judy's $27.50.
The Virgin Islands call themselves "American paradise." And if your idea of paradise is to get away from people, shopping, nightlife and resorts, the place to go is a ferry's ride away, to the island of St. John. With just 22 square miles, about half the size of Roanoke, St. John has fewer than 4,000 people. That's because two-thirds of the island is national park, set up in 1956 after Laurance Rockefeller bought much of the island to protect it from development. He donated it to the government as a national park.
Like St. Thomas, St. John was formed by volcanic action and has the mountains to show for it.
As with most of the Caribbean, the water is crystal-green and coral-filled. The beaches are like confectionary sugar. The most famous and popular beach is Trunk Bay on the north coast. One word of caution - when you see this beach for the first time from one of the overlooks, you could use up a whole roll of film. Trunk Bay was described by National Geographic as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It also is home to an underwater trail for coral-viewing snorkelers, maintained by the Park Service. Unfortunately, Trunk Bay can get crowded at midday because most of the tour buses stop there. But luckily, especially for those who happen to rent a jeep or scooter, it's not unusual on St. John to find a beach all to yourself, especially on the less populated east end of the island.
Cruz Bay is St. John's main town and the place were the ferry from St. Thomas docks. The best way to see St. John is to rent a jeep for about $40 a day and take off on the bumpy, steep roads. Follow the beach road along the north shore, where each cove holds a beach more beautiful than the last.
Stop and take a swim, soak up some sun and then jump back into the jeep for a drive to the top of Bourdeau Mountain, nearly 1,300 feet straight up. The view from the top includes all of the U.S. and British islands, speading along the Sir Francis Drake Channel, like ridges surrounding a vast mountain lake.
St. John has two main resorts - the four-year-old Virgin Grand, one of the Caribbean's more opulent resorts, and Caneel Bay, a rustic, yet posh 170-acre peninsula with seven beaches. It's a tropical paradise where, with everything included, prices start at $360 a day for a single. Caneel, run by Rockresorts, is one of the few places where after 7 p.m. "gentlemen are required to wear jackets (tie optional)."
But most of those who choose to vacation on St. John rent houses, which can cost $140 or more a day, or stay summer-camp style in one of the two campgrounds, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay.
Nightlife on St. John is limited to a couple of bars, which occasionally have live music. But most evenings are best spent lazily dining at one of the open-air restaurants. Miss Lucy's, near Coral Bay on the East End, is a personal favorite. The only night when reservations are a good idea is Thursday, when Miss Lucy's serves some of the best West Indian food you'll find. The music, even on West Indian night, is almost always Billie Holiday tapes. Another taste of West Indian food can be had at Vie's Snack Shack, which is just that, a small drive up shack where Miss Vie will, with a little notice, prepare beach picnics of garlic chicken, johnny cakes and other island fare.
Another of our favorite hangouts is Redbeard's Saloon, the watering hole for many of the local characters and expatriates. The squat, one-story building looks better suited for West Texas during the wild west days.
If you really want to get away from things, take the ferry, or a small airplane, to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. The island is home to just 1,000, and it's so peaceful that some small hotels in the main community don't bother locking doors.
Several of Virgin Gorda's resorts are so isolated that they can be reached only by boat. The island is so laid back that when we showed up for lunch at The Olde Yard Inn, the proprietor told us the inn didn't serve lunch but would make it for anyone who wanted it.
Thomas and St. John, the smallest of the main U.S. islands, escaped Hurricane Hugo with limited damage. But nearby St. Croix, the largest island, was devastated. Many families there are still without adequate housing and the tourism industry is offering special deals for those willing to vacation there.
by CNB