us virgin islands

I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in the U. S. Virgin Islands, which included St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Virgin Gorda (in the British Virgin Islands). Part of the trip was a homecoming, while three of the islands were brand new to me. All four islands were new to my family. From Oregon, getting to the Virgin Islands is no easy affair and takes about 13 hours (similar to going to Europe for us).

We started our trip with a week in St. Croix. I lived in St. Croix until 1989 and had not been back for 27 years. I was excited to see what has changed, as well as, whether my memory served me well with the fond memories I carried with me for the last 27 years. We stayed in a glorious little hotel right on the beach. Literally, we rolled out of our cottage and right onto the beach. It also happens to be one of the best beaches on the island. Cottages by the Sea was the perfect place for us to be on the quieter side of the island for pure relaxation.

While on St. Croix we visited my old home, which sadly now is an AT&T data farm. Difficult to understand why 13 acres of pristine waterfront property should be used for a data farm, but such is life. The only remaining fixture from the original property was a sugar mill that I had spent hours playing in.

We also went to Buck Island and snorkeled the underwater trail in this incredibly beautiful national park. The sailing trip out there is easy and Turtle Beach is incredibly beautiful. And of course, the underwater trails hosts hundreds of fish and breathtaking coral.

After a week in St. Croix we flew to St. Thomas, a very easy 30 minute plane ride. St. Thomas is much more busy and touristy compared to St. Croix. Also, instead of the intimate, cozy hotel we stayed at in St. Croix, we were at a much larger, busier resort. It was perched on a breathtaking cliff overlooking the St. Thomas harbor with four pools, a nice beach, tennis courts and many restaurants. After the quaint place we stayed, it felt like Disneyland.