Cruise ships dock by Havensight Mall, which is one of the most popular attractions on St. Thomas. Credit: Depositphotos

The U.S. Virgin Island of St. Thomas offers a comfortable choice for anyone who takes a Caribbean beach vacation for the first time.

U.S. citizens don’t need a passport, the shopping is plentiful and the beaches are great.

The U.S. Virgin Islands rank seventh among the most popular Caribbean destinations for hotel and resort vacations with more than 700,000 visitors a year, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO). Three times that many or about 2 million people visit there by cruise, the CTO says. The majority of cruise visitors go to St. Thomas.

St. Thomas also is the most popular Virgin Island for hotel visitors, especially shoppers. For U.S. tourists, the duty-free shopping exemption of $1,600 is twice as much as other islands.

The capital of Charlotte Amalie is well known to tourists who stay at the island’s hotels and resorts. It’s also well known among passengers on eastern Caribbean cruises for the large number of duty-free shops, the quality of the merchandise, the aggressive pricing, but also the aggressive employees.

However, we have experienced more aggressive selling on some other islands, especially by the extremely poor residents of Haiti.

Hotel and Resort Tips

Magens Bay Beach is the most popular beach on St. Thomas. Credit: © USVI Economic Development Authority

St. Thomas hotel and resort visitors fly into Cyrus E. King Airport, which is about three miles east of Charlotte Amalie.

Hotels are clustered in two areas. One is near Charlotte Amalie in the island’s center on the southern coast. The other is at the far east end.

Prices are mostly in the range of $200 to $300 a night with a few exceptions such as the Ritz-Carlton at more than $800 a night. All-inclusive plans are common.

Attraction Tips

Havensight Mall. © Scott S. Bateman

Two of the most popular attractions on St. Thomas are the Havensight cruise mall and the Charlotte Amalie shopping district.

Shoppers find decent opportunities in Charlotte Amalie’s city center. Quite a bit more shopping is available at the Havensight Mall area by the cruise port. Havensight has grown quickly over the years and now dominates shopping on the island.

Fort Christian is the oldest building on the island, dating back to 1762. It is still in use today as a museum.

Coral World Ocean Park is another major attraction on St. Thomas. It has a tropical nature trail, marine gardens, aquarium, coral reef tank and an underwater observatory.

Unique attractions on St. John include the historic town of Christiansted.

St. Thomas beaches include Magens Bay, the island’s most popular beach and one of the most famous in the Caribbean. It attracts many cruise visitors because it is only 15 minutes by car, taxi or excursion bus from the docks. Other well-known beaches include Coki Beach, Lindquist Beach and Bolongo Bay.

The islands have four golf courses—one on St. Thomas and three on St. Croix (two 18-hole and one nine-hole). St. John has none.

Cruise and overnight visitors to St. Thomas can take a 20-minute ferry ride to reach St. John as a day trip. St. John has fewer man-made attractions, but it does have many natural attractions including Virgin Islands National Park. The park has more than 9,000 acres including an underwater reserve that is popular for snorkeling and scuba diving.

Tourism / When to Go

U.S. citizens do not need a passport unless they are flying there via another country. Cruise visitors simply need to have their ship IDs available when leaving the ship and returning.

The number of overnight visitors is steady from December through August except for a spike in March during spring break for many colleges and schools.

March is the most popular time to go, followed closely by April, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization. September is by far the least popular time to go, followed by October, because of a high risk of rain and bad weather during the annual Caribbean hurricane season. The plunge in visits during September and October is typical for many Caribbean destinations.

Weather Tips

Average monthly rainfall for St. Thomas. © Scott S. Bateman

St. Thomas is one of the warmest islands in the Caribbean despite being more northern than most destinations.

The average high temperature reaches about 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 Celsius in the summer and the mid 80s Fahrenheit or about 30 Celsius in the winter.

Rainfall averages about two to three inches from December through early August. It climbs to an average of about five to six inches from September through November during the Caribbean hurricane season.

The climate is subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds. The U.S. Virgin Islands have relatively low humidity.

Currency / Tipping / Taxes

U.S. currency is standard. Most hotels add a 10-15 percent service charge. Prepare to offer the same at restaurants and to taxi drivers. Hotels have an 8 percent room tax.

Culture / Geography

The dominant language is English with some Spanish. Tourism accounts for 80 percent of the economy and employment.

The geography is mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land. Several hurricanes have hit in recent years; there are frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasionally the islands experience earthquakes.

Sources / More Information

• USVI Tourism
• U.S. State Department
• CIA Factbook
• Caribbean Tourism Organization
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration