Practical Advice -- St. Thomas

I am going to be in St. Thomas next month for a family reunion, staying at Bluebeard's Beach Club (east of Charlotte Amalie). With lodging and a jeep rental all squared away (and a plan to take the ferry to JVD one day), I could use some practical guidance on our visit. In particular:

- Is there a well-stocked supermarket between the airport and Bluebeard's that we could stop at to pick up essentials before arriving at our hotel?

- Likewise, in case someone didn't understand that "essentials" includes RUM, a liquor store?

- Is there a good/better grocery store that isn't necessarily between the airport and Bluebeard's? We'll be in STT for Thanksgiving, and are NOT doing Thanksgiving dinner (the cooking facilities are too rudimentary to attempt that!), but it would be nice to pick up gourmet goodies for a planned "small plates" kind of dinner that we are planning for the holiday.

- Generally speaking, I like fish shacks and sandy beach bars for meals and entertainment. Any suggestions? (We have planned a single group meal at Hook, Line and Sinker, so we are not looking for spots that can accommodate a large group.)

- Favorite off-the-beaten-path beaches?

That should keep us busy! Looking forward to your sage advice. Thanks in advance.

liquor is sold in all the supermarkets. You will pass a Pueblo market leaving the airport by Crown Bay. In Crown Bay there is a Gourmet Gallery, which has great "specialty stuff". would not attempt to fully shop there, it's very expensive. They have a great deli and many fun apps not found at Pueblo.

There is also a Pueblo supermarket and a larger gourmet gallery in the Havensight area which is closer to your hotel.
ABI beach bar is very close to BBBclub - Hull Bay Hideaway is over on the Northside and is a very good fish shack/beach bar - with a rental jeep explore some of the West end of STT [ Brewers beach, Mermaids Chair, Bordeaux farm market, Stumpy Bay] - both Magens Bay and Lindbergh Bay have good beach bars that are better on non cruise ship days to visit.

>> Generally speaking, I like fish shacks and sandy beach bars for meals and entertainment. Any suggestions? <<

Latitude 18 across the bay from Red Hook marina.
Great food, great music, and fun vibe on the water. The road in is just part of the fun <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />
http://www.latitude18stt.com/

Great advice above!

If you want to push the easy button - You may want to consider a day trip over to Water Island. The ferry leaves from Crown Bay. Quiet beach and a great day on the water.

Another option is a family day sail. I know you at a big sailor but the Fury is a 35 year old Morgan Ketch with a great Capt. They do daily as well as private 1/2 and full day sails. Turtles for those who have not seen them.

One thing for sure in STT you want to know the Cruise Ship Schedule. Best day to go to JVD is when there are multiple ships in.

And I hope you have a St John adventure planned for day. You can ferry over and walk from Cruz Bay over the hill on the Lind trail to Honeymoon or Salomon Beach. Honeymoon has a place to grab refreshments. Hit the 3 pm Happy Hours in Cruz Bay and head back to STT at a leisurely pace.

So many things to do in such a short time!

Is Pam still at Hull Bay, my son worked there before he got his Captains license.

Would avoid Honeymoon Beach on Water Island with several ships in port, esp in Crown. It's turned into a major tourist spot with cruisers as well as excursions stopping in.
Cowpet Bay/Elysian Beach is a good spot on a big ship day as is Hull...

crmoores,

So true on your Water Island caveat. St Thomas is a wonderful island with lots of things to do and see, but a visitor must be aware of the cruise ship schedule to enjoy all it can offer. Since the giant ships have been coming in numbers and now with two deep ports, the island's infrastructure is being stretched - IMHO.

Point of clarification if earlier post was confusing. The Honeymoon Beach I was speaking of is on St John. Albeit it is a popular snorkel spot for many of the day sails out of Red Hook.

Yes STT is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Carib and referencing the cruise ship schedule is a must if you want to plan your days. When we stay on STT after Tortola and before flying out we do enjoy the East End and RH but do plan our days around the schedules.

We've moored off Honeymoon Beach in Caneel Bay to snorkel. I was referring specifically to your "quiet" Water Island beach recommendation since Honeymoon is the most popular beach on WI. Or were you thinking of another beach on WI? Even with just one ship in Crown Bay we've found Honeymoon Beach can be a very busy vibe. And with both Heidi's and Dinghy's there now it's become an even more popular stop for both small and large boating excursions alike which adds to the crowdedness, much like White Bay on Jost. The nicer swimming area by Dinghy's also gets overrun with the boats as they arrive so you have to be careful there. So just a caution for anyone who hasn't been there in some time, many folks are very surprised when they return after some time...
I would recommend it for the evening though, dinner and a movie on the beach! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />

We are on St. Thomas now. Both Gourmet Gallery's have almost no food right now - maybe that will change before Thanksgiving. The Pueblo near the airport is fully stocked.

Goozee

Eva: Welcome!

-grocery stores: Pueblo is fine for packaged stuff, rum, etc. If you need produce, the Fruit Bowl is not too far away. There are a lot of rumors about Gourmet Gallery falling on hard times, but you can check them for more interesting liquor and wine selections, gourmet type items. If you have a car, Cost-U-Less, Food Center, and Moe's all have more upscale products than Pueblo. Not sure what kind of small plates you want, but most restaurants will do take-out.

-Personally, I wouldn't go to any of the really off-the-beaten path beaches... Less "touristy" would include Hull Bay and Brewer's Bay. On the beach bar list, I always include Iggie's at Bolongo. Latitude at night for the band and great food. People love Abi. Hull Bay for fish tacos on Monday. If you belong to a yacht club, you probably have reciprocity with ours- STYC- Dinners Tuesday and Friday, lunch the other days except Monday.

Thanks for all the advice! Just what I needed!

Two more questions:

Does Verizon treat the USVI as the USA? (They treat Puerto Rico like it's a foreign country, so I won't be surprised by anything....). Do I need to get international coverage?

Also, does Google Maps or Waze work on STT for navigation? Or will I need to use a paper map?

Verizon has always been roaming here, but people keep saying it is going to change/has changed. I don't know why people have Verizon, AT&T is the provider of choice. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Maps? You don't need no steenkin' maps! There are only a couple of roads and it is an island- if you end up at a beach, turn around. LOL. They do have a map available at the airport that works. I think Google maps and Apple maps both work on GPS?

The Food Store in Benners Bay is a good choice although it is past Bluebeards on the way to Red Hook. Prices are reasonable and the selection of meat,produce and liquor very good. If you are purchasing large quantities - Cost U Less is also good but a short drive. We always spend a lot of time in Frenchtown great restaurants Bella Blue, Pie Whole,Betsy's, Rum Shandy,Hook Line N Sinker and a micro brewery