Jul 23, 2024 | Island News
We were delighted to come across a blog article from award-winning travel writer Candyce Stapen describing her recent vacation to St. Croix with her family that included grandparents, parents, and young children. She called the trip ‘magical’ and we can understand why. We’ve lived in St. Croix for over 20 years and we have seen multigenerational families vacationing on our beautiful island. Some friends of ours recently bought their children to visit St. Croix and told us how much fun everyone enjoyed sunny weather, water activities, and “less touristy” atmosphere. Another family we know on St. Croix often see their children and grandchildren visiting the island during school vacation weeks. We met their grandson last year and he told about the magnificent mangroves he saw and the bioluminescence tour (read here).
We recommend reading Candyce Stapen’s article here. She highlights her trip that included visits to these wonderful attractions:
Buck Island Reef National Monument: nps.gov/buis/index.htm
Caribbean Sea Adventures: www.caribbeanseaadventures.com
Buccaneer Beach and Golf Resort: www.thebuccaneer.com
Savant: www.savantstx.com
Duggan’s Reef: www.duggansreefstx.com
Apr 17, 2024 | Island News
According to a recent VI Consortium article, Governor Bryan attended this year’s Seatrade Global conference in April where he showcased the Virgin Islands’ pivotal role in global cruise tourism, emphasizing the territory’s impressive 5 percent share of the market. The governor also met with executives, stakeholders, and government officials from across the world discussing trends and partnerships in the cruise industry. Given that tourism generates 70% of the Virgin Islands’ economy, the governor stated that “these initiatives and investments are really proving to be worthwhile.” The conference may even be responsible for some legislative changes the governor says are in the pipeline. These aim to further enhance the cruise and tourism offerings, especially potential growth on St. Croix. Governor Bryan also expressed optimism that the exchanges of ideas during the event will lead to “exciting prospects” for the territory through new public-private partnerships.
Apr 12, 2024 | Island News
One of St. Croix’s most celebrated events is making a triumphant return for its 24th year! Taste of St. Croix returns on Thursday, April 18th to showcase St. Croix’s culinary scene from a host of restaurants, caterers, private chefs, and other culinary-based businesses throughout the territory. For the past two decades, Taste of St. Croix has uniquely captured the spirit and flavor of St. Croix’s hospitality industry by way of a celebration that is now recognized as one of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ premier food and wine events. Over the course of three hours, guests are welcome to sample a variety of local and international tastings and savor a selection of elegant wines from around the world.
Event Director Collin Hodge has been involved with Taste of St. Croix since its inception in 2001. “I was initially brought on as a consultant for the event and soon after came on board as event coordinator,” said Hodge. In 2022, the event returned to its original location, Divi Carina Bay Resort, after the property reopened following extensive renovations due to devastating damage from 2017 hurricanes Irma and Maria. Hodge shared that it feels good to be back home at Divi with Taste, and he looks forward to another successful installment of the event. This year, the event has added a five-course wine dinner as a prelude to the main event. On Wednesday, April 17th, guests can look forward to unique wines from Segura Viudas, Robert Mondavi, Elouan, and Quest, each expertly paired with food tastings courtesy of Grapetree Bay Hotel. Tickets are $250 per person and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit, Taste of St. Croix promotes and showcases the talent and potential of St. Croix’s hospitality industry through fostering partnerships, sponsoring training and industry events, and building public awareness of service-industry importance to the socio-economic future of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 24th Taste of St. Croix will take place on Thursday, April 18th at Divi Carina Bay Resort from 6pm to 9pm. General admission tickets are available for purchase at $125 per person; VIP tickets are officially sold out. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.tasteofstcroix.com.
Written by Anquanette Gaspard
Jan 26, 2024 | Island News
We were excited to read Travel + Leisure‘s February 2024 Water Issue and seeing St. Croix and local businesses in the spotlight! In the online article (a version of this story first appeared in the mentioned issue of Travel + Leisure) “The Largest U.S. Virgin Island Is Largely Unspoiled — Thanks to Its Eco-friendly Ethos” Travel + Leisure highlighted St Croix as a bright, eco-friendly, low-impact choice for tourism in the Caribbean.
St. Croix, the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, is not overdeveloped and much of its natural beauty remains unspoiled. There are limited nonstop flights from major cities, relatively few cruise ships, and no mega-resorts — just a smattering of boutique hotels.
Travel + Leisure
Bush Cook, a three-day community fair at Sejah Farm, Jack & Isaac Bay Preserve, Feather Leaf Inn, Coral Innovation Hub, and more were featured. Read the e-version of the article here.
Jan 10, 2024 | Island News
In the Caribbean Journal’s “The 25 Best Beaches in the Caribbean to Visit in 2024,” the publication named Sand Point as their number one pick!
“Our number one beach for 2024 is a stunner: Sandy Point, the spectacular stretch of sand on the far southwestern tip of St Croix, just south of Frederiksted. This is a wonder of the Caribbean, tucked away in a National Wildlife Refuge, where you’ll feel like you’ve discovered your own secret beach. It’s a reminder of the sometimes overwhelming natural beauty of the island of St Croix. “
Caribbean Journal Staff – January 3, 2024
For this year’s list, the journal cited said their objective this year was to focus on beaches that are not just beautiful, but reachable. They further explain that means almost every beach on their list can be driven to from a Caribbean airport so you won’t need to charter a boat, or “say a secret password and commandeer a dinghy” to reach them.
The list also includes beaches in our sister islands on USVI:
No. 15 Maho Beach, St John, US Virgin Islands at number
No. 16 Magens Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
For the full list of beaches, read the original article here.
Photo from Caribbean Journal
