My wife and I (a couple over 60) had decided a year ago that our Caribbean vacation in 2008 would be the USVI, which we had not been to for some time (St. Thomas, 1980; St. Croix, 1969). Considering the Euro and airlines, this was not a bad decision. This will just be a summary of hotels, restaurants, car rentals and some general observations but not a review of our day to day activities.

ST. THOMAS
We flew American from Miami to St.Thomas and back, staying for 3 nights at Mafolie hotel, high above Charlotte Amalie with a terrific view; and, after a week on St. Croix, 5 additional nights at Pavilions and Pools near Red Hook. Mafolie is an older establishment whose main attraction is the view. We had seen it years ago and thought it would be an interesting place to stay. It is comfortable but not fancy; built on a hillside so there can be a lot of stairs, depending on room location. We had street level; quiet enough. Staff were very pleasant. It has a nice pool that we were told will be rebuilt as an infinity pool soon. The pool bar was quite reasonable for lunch. The hotel is not near a beach and you can’t get anywhere from it by walking, but they do provide some transportation to town and to Magens Bay that we did not use. A minimal continental breakfast is included. Our last morning, they closed this at 9:15 without giving previous warning so they could set up for a private party, which we did not think was very nice of them, but the hotel cannot be blamed for the behavior of the restaurant, which is independently operated.

Pavilions and Pools is near Red Hook, and consists of suites with private pools. As with Mafolie, we had seen it years ago and wanted to try it. Very glad that we did; it is a place we would stay at again. Units are privately owned; maid service and pool cleaning are provided on alternate days. Our unit was very comfortable. A moderate walk or short drive to a good beach. Also includes a continental breakfast, which was pretty good.

Rental car was Thrifty. Waiting for airport pickup was a bit frustrating, but can’t complain about cars or service otherwise. For the second part of our stay they did not have a compact available, but gave us a jeep at the same price. We could have taken it to St John, but would have been on our own if we had any problem.

St Thomas restaurants at which we had dinner (in most cases can’t remember what we ate or how much we paid, as we don’t keep notes on vacation) were:
Restaurant at Mafolie – quite romantic. Our first meal was very good. The second, for which we both elected entree salads, was a bit disappointing as they were very small. Service was OK, but nothing special. As previously mentioned, it is not operated by the hotel, and you cannot charge meals to your room.
Cuzzin’s Caribbean Restaurant – in town. Serves local food, and it was GOOD. The creole conch just might be the best I have had anywhere. My wife opted for a selection which included 5 island vegetables of her choice, cooked Caribbean style. Rave reviews! If you are into this type of food, Cuzzin’s is a must.
Carmen’s – the restaurant at Pavilions and Pools. Mexican, reasonable selection, pleasant service and friendly owner. Ate here first and last nights and were very happy with the meals.
Caribbean Saloon – in Red Hook. Sports-bar type atmosphere; quite acceptable of its type.
Fungi’s – the beach bar at Point Pleasant Hotel. Very good local-style food, not expensive. Shared conch fritters (excellent!) and a platter including all of their side dishes (veggies, traditional fungi and johnny cake).
Lotus – Pan-Asian restaurant in Red Hook that was probably our best meal (Cuzzin’s was equally good but in a different way.) Modernistic décor.

The St. Thomas portion of our vacation was mainly for relaxation. We did a fair amount of driving to see various points of interest and beaches (Iggies Beach Bar at Bolongo Bay already on the "must return" list); took a trip up Paradise Peak via the cable car (we knew this would be touristy and priced for the cruise ship passengers, but it was enjoyable giving us good photo ops although not something that one needs to do often); and visited the Butterfly Farm near the cruise ship terminal (interesting). The major activity was a day trip to St. John; rented a car so we could spend the day driving and exploring to see the changes since our last visit. Although off-season, it was impossible to park at Cinnamon Bay, and parking was pretty full at Trunk Bay. It was also impossible to park at the ferry dock in Red Hook, but there are pay lots across the street. Parking in Red Hook was generally not easy to find during the day. Lunch was at Skinny Legs, and it lived up to its reputation.

Should mention we also “hit” a couple of spots at Yacht Haven Grande – Wikked and Fat Turtle (both good for a beer or glass of wine – cannot comment on menu selections). The same applies to Molly Molone’s Irish Yacht Pub in Red Hook and Iggies at Bolongo Bay.

Last, but certainly not least, had authentic callaloo soup (including pig parts) at the St. Thomas airport before leaving the islands.

ST. CROIX
We flew to and back via Cape Air, on 9 passenger (including the co-pilot’s seat) airplanes in which you are seated according to weight. They also allow a surprising amount of carry-on luggage (which goes in the baggage compartments; I do not know how they handle large checked luggage as we try to do our trips carry-on only). These were the most enjoyable flights of the trip, although that might not be the case if you are afraid of small aeroplanes.

Our hotel was Sugar Beach, a condominium complex near Christiansted; a large, well-equipped suite and very good value. We were on the top level, and opted not to take air conditioning (a cost reduction). We did not need it, as there was a good cross-breeze, but you would probably want it on the first level. Condos are directly on the beach – which is fairly wide with soft, coarse sand; lots of seaweed that was raked daily, but replenished itself rapidly. Also an adequate pool near the clubhouse (internet available). I have seen comments that this is not in the “best” of areas for safety, but security was high and I didn’t see anything that would concern me at least in the daytime, and there is no reason to be wandering around at night. There are a couple of nearby restaurants that supposedly can be reached by walking the beach, but more conveniently (for us anyhow) by a short drive.

Car rental here was Olympic. We were not aware that they are so far from the airport, and had a long wait for pickup. However, they are not far from the hotel, which was convenient for drop-off and for getting to the hotel, and were excellent to deal with once we got picked up.

Restaurants included:
Breezez - the closest restaurant to Sugar Beach. Since we were in late we ate there the first night and also enjoyed 2 Sunday brunches, including the last day. Quite good.
Smuggler’s Cove – also near Sugar Beach. Here I had an excellent salmon dish and, although service was a bit casual, we were very satisfied as the staff was friendly.
Kim’s – a local restaurant in down-town Christiansted. Very good creole and curried conch; perhaps not up to Cuzzins, but would not hesitate to recommend it for local food.
Fort Christian Brew Pub - on the Christiansted boardwalk. A fun place, good local beers (they are a microbrewery), good service, and Cajun-style food.
Rumrunners - also on the boardwalk. Ate here twice and liked it very much; another fun place with excellent service..
Savant - in Christiansted. More upscale, with artistic decor, imaginative menu, good service and atmosphere, and parking, but (not surprisingly) more expensive..
Salud! Bistro - in a shopping plaza not far from Sugar Beach. Very popular, also rather upscale, and recommended.

Had lunch the Turtle Deli in Fredriksted while exploring that locale. Excellent bread for their sandwiches as well as other good things. Also lunched at Singh’s in Christiansted - local, Indian food. Take-out or some tables outside; the chicken roti was good but not outstanding (but large), my wife’s vegetables were excellent – and they also have parking.

Parking in Christiansted was a bit of a problem. A lot by the fort was available during the day, but in the evenings, or if you wanted to be closer to the boardwalk area in the daytime, you took your chances on the street. We lucked out every time!

Places that we found to be of interest were the Fort and related area in Christiansted; Whim Plantation, where the house tour was given by someone who was clearly interested in conveying the history of the place; St. George Village Botanical Gardens which has a large variety of flowers, as well as the remains of an old plantation; the rainforest (where it rained a bit – the only time during the day that it did so), including the usual tourist thing of the beer-drinking pigs at the Mount Pellier Domino Club; and Fredricksted. The last has a new cruise ship pier and arrival center that look spiffy, but the rest of the town is something of a contrast. Got some good information about the fort and local history from the resident archaeologist there.

Overall, St. Croix has much the feel of the old Caribbean before the cruise ship mass tourism changed (some might say “ruined”) many other islands. St. Thomas, of course, is heavily developed, but we expected that. We enjoyed both islands for different reasons; glad too that we could include St. John for a day. A good and memorable vacation!