St. Thomas
The US Virgin Islands are America’s paradise. St. Thomas, capital of the island group, and is located 40 miles east of Puerto Rico. St. Thomas offers every imaginable sport: snorkeling, golfing, hiking and sailing. Just a few miles away lies St. John and the Virgin Islands National Park. Stunning mountain scenery, crystalline waters and whie sand beaches with palms swaying in the breeze, the US Virgin Islands are truly a slice of paradise. English is the official language and the currency is the US dollar.
There are two Visitor Centers in Charlotte Amalie. One is across from Emancipation Square, the other is in Havensight Mall. Ships dock at Crown Bay which is in downtown, or at the West Indian Dock which is 1.5 miles from downtown Charlotte Amalie. From the West Indian Dock, a $4 per person cab ride each way will get you downtown. Another popular way to get around is the Pirate Harbour Tours. You can sign up in advance on your cruise ship. These pirate-themed catamarans sail through St. Thomas harbour to the 3 main shopping areas (Charlotte Amalie, Havensight Maill and Crown Bay,) every 15 minutes. You can hop on and off as often as you’d like. The price is $29 pp
St. Thomas is the bargain shopping bazaar of the Caribbean. There are over 400 shops along the Main Street area in Charlotte Amalie and some 50 more in Havensight Mall. You’ll find excellent buys on luxury items such as find jewelry, perfume, leather, china and crystal.
| Country | US Virgin Island |
|---|---|
| Languages spoken | English |
| Visa requirements | U.S. citizens do not need a passport to enter the USVI. However, all U.S. citizens must have a passport when traveling by air to or from Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America and Mexico. Citizens of Canada, Mexico and the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda also must have a passport or other designated secure document to enter the U.S. Passports are required for land crossings at the Canadian and Mexican borders with the U.S. and for cruise passengers returning to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean, Canada or Bermuda. Reconfirm travel-document requirements with your carrier prior to departure. |
The most beautiful attractions on St. Thomas are the beaches. All are open to the public, even those in front of hotels. Most hotels welcome visitors, but please be courteous: Park in less-congested areas and don't walk through hotel lobbies with your beach gear. Many hotels rent beach chairs and sports equipment to nonguests.
We like Brewer's Bay Beach for its shade trees and the view of the jets from the airport. Hull Bay, on the Atlantic Ocean side, is great for surfing the giant winter waves. Bolongo Bay Beach is great for turtle-watching. Great Bay Beach is the spot for windsurfing, and the action at Limetree Beach is limited to the iguanas darting out from under the bougainvilleas. Adventurers gather at Vessup Beach for kiteboarding. There is also Boating and sailing, charter boat rentals for sailing, fishing and snorkeling tours; golf and scuba diving. 
Whether it's calypso, reggae, steel bands, jazz or disco, live music fills the night air of St. Thomas. Many of the larger hotels and restaurants—Marriott's Frenchman's Reef, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Sugar Bay Resort and Spa, and the Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas—showcase musical entertainment several nights a week. 
Archaeological evidence shows that some of the earliest inhabitants on St. Thomas were of the Taino tribe. The first European to discover the island was Christopher Columbus in 1493.
St. Thomas remained largely uncolonized with the exception of stopover pirates and a few small settlements until 1671, when the Danish took possession of the island. Not long after the occupation, the island's harborfront town (present-day Charlotte Amalie) became known for its taverns and was named Taphus, which means "beer halls." It became a den for seafarers and pirates in the decades that followed, which gave life to the pirate lore about infamous characters such as Blackbeard and Bluebeard.
St. Thomas' capital was later renamed in honor of the wife of Danish King Christian V, and Charlotte Amalie became a major port in the slave trade. The English twice briefly seized the island in the early 1800s, but it remained under Danish rule until the U.S. purchased the Virgin Islands in 1917. Since then, St. Thomas has established itself as one of the Caribbean's top tourist destinations and the top cruise-ship port of call.