BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey guys, I am in need of word of mouth information about the US Virgin Islands. I am planning to enroll into the University, and was wondering what life is like over there? Are there all the amenitites you find on the mainland? Is it safe at all? Thanks all.

Wow, my first time signing on as a member, and already I find a question I can answer. For a limited-experience traveler like me, it feels good.

I like St John the most, but have spent time on St Croix and St Thomas as well. You'll find it to be like Jamaica in the "island time" slower philosophy (which I like), but unlike Jamaica in other ways.

There's some extreme poverty in St. Croix. The housing away from touristy spots like St C. and St. F. is likely more affordable. St John though - boy, if I still lived on the East Coast of the US, I'd be spending my holidays there.

And St Thomas of course is home to Charlotte Amalie, the major port of call in the area with much duty-free shopping and much cruise ship passengers pouring in and out, buying t-shirts and whatnot. You'll be abl to find amenities on any of the three islands, but I'm not sure if you mean, like, a Walmart or Costco, or exactly, what, by amenities.

Does this help?

Hey Jen thanks for sharing. What about being a single white female, didnt bother you?

I read somewhere that you gotta be street-smart to be there. Then again, what is street smart?

The whole island of St. John is pretty much a national park...and I'd spend a LOT more time over there than St. T or St. C.

St. Thomas has more "nightlife" options, more stores, etc. Charlotte Amalie has a lot that you'd want in a city, but keep in mind that it's wall-to-wall people (tourists!) when all the cruise ships come parking there.

But, getting from one to the other is cheap & easy, say by the ferries from Red Hook/Cruz Bay.

Things are more expensive there than in the states, so you may want to see what "staples" you can bring with you that you won't need to stock up on there.

Oooh, I'm in love with St. Croix. Last year, I traveled there solo (also single white female) and felt totally at ease. The men will joke and flirt, but nothing that felt uncomfy or dangerous.

When you're there, sign up for one of the many snorkeling boats to Buck Island! Have fun!

Dareau21

My wife and I lived on St. Thomas for about three months during the summer of '05. I'm assuming that you will be spending a lot of your time on St. Thomas. It's probably the most developed of the three and the second safest behind St. John. We found that a lot of the locals look at those of us from the US as having money and so that makes us targets. There are good and bad areas of the island like anywhere else. Downtown Charlotte Amalie is OK during the day but not so much at night.

The cost of living down there is higher and it will take a while for you to find out where to buy what. We would go to 3 different stores because of substantial price differences on everyday things, i.e. peanut butter would be $1.50, $2.50 and $4.00 for the same jar at three places.

If you are looking for a party school I don't think St. Thomas will have what you are looking for, but it's a great place.

If your driving while your down there, of course they drive on the opposite side of the road, but what they don't tell you is they honk for every reason and they are very aggressive. They honk to say "get out of the way", "hello", "you can go", "I spilled my coffee in my lap", everything.

Aside from those differences life is pretty much the same only hotter. Cell reception is spotty, I think they only get Cingular and Sprint and high speed internet is spotty as well so welcome back to 1995 and 59k modems.

Have a good time, enjoy the Cruzan rum and if you need more info you can e-mail me.


www.schurger.com

i'm also moving to St. Thomas later this month with the hopes of finding work and a place to stay... for no reason other than I want to try.

I survived a week alone in Jamaica way back at my ignorant youthful age of 21 (3 years ago haha), so I consider myself "street-smart" enough to feel safe and comfortable.

What I AM worried about is the "looking like a rich tourist" factor... becoming an instant "target"... any sort of racial tension issues, etc...

is there really any way for a 24-year-old white dude and his fiancee to NOT look like easy "targets" when that stereotype is probably re-enforced with every cruise ship that comes to port?

any guidance?

quote:

Originally posted by Scream_Dracula:
... for no reason other than I want to try.

I just wanted to say--thats so freakin cool.

I think you will be alright, Im sure there are plenty whites on st. thomas. Long as you're not wearing docksiders or something. haha

this thread is helpful, Im trying to plan a caribbean getaway for January, which unfortunately seems to be peak time. Ive heard St. John is 2/3 national park. But I need some nightlife options, even if I dont utilize that option, I want to know its there. GGG, if you liked it there as a single female, I probably will too! So its between st. thomas and st. croix. St. Barts is too pricey. Maritnique and Guadeloupe, I dunno...seem so much further out. St. Maarten/St. Martin, is a good option I think too.

Im SO sold on St. Croix. I found this site (not sure if its official) with great info, and st. croix has some decent rates for nov-april, unlike some of its caribbean counterparts. http://www.visitstcroix.com/all_accommodations.html

Cheapest tix is $600, I can live with that if accomodations are reasonable.

I hate to tell you this, but I totally saw those islands with the British last weekend. They`re not virgins.

quote:

Originally posted by travel_tech:
But I need some nightlife options, even if I dont utilize that option, I want to know its there.

If you're in or near the town of Cruz Bay on St. John, you're just a short boat ride (or ferry ride, if you don't have a hook up for a boat) over to Red Hook & onward to wherever on St. Thomas you need to go.

^^Okay cool, so thats not an issue.

As a St. Croix resident, I have a few notes for the posts above. The best way to get a ticket to STX is to go through www.aa.com directly. Sometimes you can get a flight for about $350 from FL or $450 from north or west. As for being a target, remember that you no matter where you go, you are the visitor and the locals know that. Just respect it. As for street smart, don't flaunt cash, leave your purse on the seat of the car, or wear too much bling. As for accomodations, check out guest houses and rooms for rent as hotels can sometimes be extremely pricey. The VI is finally catching up with websites for businesses and there are new ones out there for people wanting to move here. If you are in the job market, check out www.career.vi for jobs. Some people are posting on www.craigslist.com for rooms and houses for rent. Keep in mind the St. Croix Avis is not online yet but you can got ot the VI Source and VI Daily News are online.

From a stateside friend that went to UVI in St. Thomas, she got into the late night club scene and loved it. Most tourists will do beach durning the day and then just do happy hour and sunset and off to bed, but if you live in STT, I here the nightlife can be pretty good.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.