St. Thomas Vacations offer Pretty Beaches,
Lots of Shopping
If you're looking for the most cosmopolitan of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Thomas vacations are for you.
Not the largest of the three United States Virgin Islands, but certainly the most bustling, St. Thomas is a place where visitors can enjoy a bit of everything. The beaches are welcoming, the water warm, the activities fun, the resorts excellent, and the shopping over-the-top.
This busy port city can get quite crowded when there's a ship in port, but there are enough redeeming qualities to make it an excellent place to visit on a getaway vacation.
Beaches
Most of the beaches on St. Thomas are just spectacular and all are open to the public. Chances are that your hotel will have a beach, unless you choose to stay in the capital city of Charlotte Amalie.
The island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the warmer Caribbean on the other. Resorts and beaches are available all along the St. Thomas' coast.
Some beaches are more crowded than others, being the designated beaches for cruise ship off-shore excursions. One of these beaches is the beautiful Magen's Bay, in the north, often touted as the best on the island.
This is a favorite with families on St. Thomas vacations as the water is perfect for swimming, the descent into the water is gradual, and the snorkeling is fine as well. Visitors should make their way to the west end of the beach where the crowds are smaller and try to visit in mid to late afternoon when cruise passengers have returned to the ship.
Coki Point Beach is also excellent for families and a great snorkeling beach, as is Sapphire Beach on the east end of the island.
Couples may prefer the more romantic Lindquist Beach in the east or Limetree Beach on the southern part of the island. Singles flock to the small beach of Secret Harbour.
Activities
Scuba diving is the number one watersport pursued by visitors to St. Thomas. Dive through an amazing network of coral tunnels, caves, reefs, and sunken ships. If you're not a diver, try SNUBA, where you'll breathe via an air line that attaches to an air tank floating on the surface.
Other non-divers might enjoy diving without getting wet aboard the submarine Atlantis. This air-conditioned sub dives 90 feet below the surface so that passengers can see what divers see.
St. Thomas vacations wouldn't be complete without a little fishing excursion. The deep-sea angling here is superb, with blue marlin being the most plentiful fish in the waters that surround the island.
Boating, of course, is quite popular, both the power and sailing varieties. Guests can also grab a kayak for a guided ecotour through mangrove lagoons or along the coastline.
Charlotte Amalie: A Shopping Mecca
The US Virgin Islands is outside the U.S. Custom Zone. A special exemption of $1200 for each person traveling to this U.S. Territory is allowed, making St. Thomas a haven for shoppers.
Combine the duty-free aspect with the vast number of shops available here, and you'll find that avid shoppers won't know when to stop!
Most of the island's shops are found along the harbor in Charlotte Amalie, which means that they often get crowded with cruise ship passengers. Nonetheless, you'll want to take time to look for some bargains, as many items can be bought for up to about 60% less than you'd pay on the U.S. mainland.
Stores are everywhere, not only in malls or shopping centers, but down side streets and little alleyways, so take plenty of time to scope out the best deals.
Getting There
The airport for the U.S. Virgin islands is located on St. Thomas near Charlotte Amalie, so all St. Thomas vacations start right there. From there you may fly to St. Croix. If you'd like to visit lush St. John, boat service is available to take visitors to that island.