St. Croix

[george142]

I am planning a trip to St. Croix and need advice. I am looking for a nice place to stay, hotel or resort, more on the upscale. My wife is a non-diver so I need someplace where there will be something for her to do. Also, I want quick access to a dive boat where I can go out about 8am and be back by 12:30. This being either on site on in very close proximity. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks.

 

[Ironjock]

Resorts would be The Buccaneer east of Christiansted, The Fred and Bungalows by the Bay near. Frederiksted. Carambola resort on the northwest end of the island. Sweet Bottom Dive shop has an operation there and they have a nice house reef at Davis Bay. Only about 5 miles from Cane Bay. Downside if you want to shop a decent distance to anywhere .Cane Bay dive Shop runs a good boat out of Salt River that dives the northside and sometimes the west end. SCUBA has boats that dive from both towns. I have not dove with them but have heard good things. What is your timing?

 

[jonhall]

My wife is a non-diver so I need someplace where there will be something for her to do.

This being either on site on in very close proximity.

Not sure what you have in mind for something for her to do, but if it's just requiring a beach or pool, then that's possible. Also don't know of any resort/hotel that runs a boat from their property so, close proximity will be your option. Most ops, at least on the west side (Frederiksted), will have you back by 12:30. As I recall some dives I did out of Salt Bay got us back just slightly later, but the drive back to where we were staying was another ~30 minutes.

I have only stayed in the Pink Condos in my trips to St. Croix. Some are available through Airbnb and they are less than a 5 minute drive to Frederiksted. There is a nice, practically private, beach and it is a great snorkeling spot. Being on the west side, you can watch the sunset.

Great dive ops are in Frederiksted - I'm partial to Nep2une Scuba which is located right by the Frederiksted Pier, which has to be one of your dives (can be a shore dive day and night.) There are a few places to stay in town, Places to Stay In & Around Frederiksted – Nep2une Scuba but there wouldn't be a lot for your wife to do except maybe hit a beach somewhere.

Christiansted has places to stay, but again it's not like the resorts/hotels have a ton to do. Some, such as the Buccaneer may have a beach with water activities and/or a fitness center. The Buccaneer has tennis and golf. S.C.U.B.A. (St. Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures) has a boat that leaves from the pier right in town across from Hotel Caravelle (they also have a boat that leaves from Frederiksted.) Christiansted is the more touristy area and where people go to shop (and eat/party.) If you stay close enough to town, your wife could walk along the boardwalk and hit some of the shops.

Divi Carina is located on the SE side of the island. They may have pickleball and they do have a casino. You would have to drive to Frederiksted or Christiansted for the diving though.

As far as diving, I'm more partial to diving on the west side (Frederiksted.) There are some wrecks, coral, and the Pier. Boat rides are shorter and the water is generally calmer on this side. The north side (Cane Bay, Salt River Bay) has walls, canyons, and some neat topography.

There used to be a SB member who lived in St. Croix. Maybe he will chime in with some more info.

 

[TMurrr]

Resorts would be The Buccaneer east of Christiansted, The Fred and Bungalows by the Bay near. Frederiksted. Carambola resort on the northwest end of the island. Sweet Bottom Dive shop has an operation there and they have a nice house reef at Davis Bay. Only about 5 miles from Cane Bay. Downside if you want to shop a decent distance to anywhere .Cane Bay dive Shop runs a good boat out of Salt River that dives the northside and sometimes the west end. SCUBA has boats that dive from both towns. I have not dove with them but have heard good things. What is your timing?

+1 for Cane Bay, been diving with them for >4 years every time I visit STX. Tried some of the other boats and Cane Bay was hands down the best

 

[gmerick]

Stay at Hotel on the Cay. Private ferry from the island to the C'stad boardwalk. Hotel has beaches with good snorkeling opportunity. Boardwalk hosts several dive shops with boats leaving on 2-tank dives twice each day.
My favorite dive boat "Ibis" with the Cane Bay dive shop. They operate from both C'stad boardwalk and F'sted pier. I'm very partial to Newton dive boats, and their 35' is nice.
Favorite Dive Shop - Sweet Bottom dive center at Cane Bay and Carambola (Davis Bay). No dive boat, but the best shore diving on the island.
Favorite Dive operator - SCUBA on the C'stad boardwalk. They have an extensive knowledge of all the dive sites, and have set many site anchorages.

Staying at Hotel on the Cay, you may be able to get by without a rental car. Taxi service is reliable, just allow time for traffic and arrive early at the F'sted Pier if spending a day on the west end.
-- Do a two tank dive at Butler Bay Wrecks in the morning, then do a couple dives under the pier in the aftrnoon. F'sted is enjoyable as a non-diver also with sight seeing and shopping, as it is a Cruise Ship port call 1-2 times per week. (no pier diving while a Cruise Ship is moored)
-- Another day or two - dive Cane Bay and / or Davis Bay for great shore diving. Check the surf report, as much over 4-5 feet on this report (Surf Zone Forecast for the U.S. Virgin Islands) takes some of the joy out of surf entry. For the non-divers I'd recommend Cane Bay for it's access to amenities. Carambola is a private resort, and some amenities may not be available for non-registered guests.
-- The rest of the days, hook up with and LDS doing boat dives off the boardwalk. There are several operators doing boat dives every day. The non-divers can explore the town or take a beach day on the hotel's island.

 

[nippurmagnum]

I was in St. Croix earlier this year and I thought the Frederiksted Pier was sensational. Southern rays, eagle rays, turtles, and great macro stuff on just about every dive. Best of all, you can dive the pier on your own schedule (provided there is no cruise ship at the pier, which you can check online since the cruise ships have a fixed schedule). So if you wanted to dive early in the morning, you could get easily two dives in at the pier and be back by noon, before your wife knew you were gone. I stayed at an Airbnb in Frederiksted within sight of the pier, and dove the pier at night and at sunrise a bunch of times. I did a shore dive at Cane Bay which was good for variety's sake, and spotted a reef shark in the distance, but Cane Bay didn't hold a candle to the pier, IMHO. Having said all that, Frederiksted is not really upscale. So you might want to drive to the pier from wherever you're staying.

 

[Motoman4540]

The diving is very juice on both sides of the island, and a night dive at the Pier is excellent. We use Bluewater Adventures and have always had a good time. The Buccaneer is the major resort if you have a non-diver. We stayed there one year and it was very nice. Then we stayed at an AirBnB in Christiansted right in town. It’s a fun town to stay at, with good restaurants and shopping. We always rent a car so that we can drive to Fredricksted to dive the other side of the island. All depends on what your wife likes to do while you’re diving . . . As we live in Miami Beach, STX is a quick flight for a few days of diving!

 

[george142]

I am planning a trip to St. Croix and need advice. I am looking for a nice place to stay, hotel or resort, more on the upscale. My wife is a non-diver so I need someplace where there will be something for her to do. Also, I want quick access to a dive boat where I can go out about 8am and be back by 12:30. This being either on site on in very close proximity. Any suggestions are helpful. Thanks.

 

[george142]

Thank you to all the members who responded to my question about hotels, dive shops and things for my non diver wife to do in Saint Croix. The diving in was excellent and I'm sure most dive operators are good here.

In Christianstead we stayed at the Caravalle. It was a nice hotel right on the boardwalk and the town was safe and nice. . I dove with SCUBA (Saint Croix Ultimate Bluewater Adventures). The boat left directly in front of my room and the shop was half a block away. SCUBA had a the best system for exiting the water that I ever experienced in 25+ years of diving. It was easy and safe. The DM's were all good and M.G. was terrific. I highly recommend this company.

In Frederikstead we stayed at Sandcastles on the Beach. Great Great Great hotel. By the way, there is nothing in this town, only great restaurants. Don't expect to shop or browse in stores. The only time there is activity is when a ship is in port. While there I dove with Crucian Adventure Divers. Located about 2 blocks from the pier. Unfortunately for me there was a wicked sea disturbance an no visibility for three days. One day we entered the water and neither the DM nor I could immediately find each other. She rightly called off the dive. The next day we tried again and the conditions were so so. Still, it was a great 62 minute dive. There is plenty of sea life. We saw 2 Eagle Rays, numerous turtles and sting rays. In clear visibility this must be a one of the best dive sites in the Caribbean. Thank you to Shandra for a great diving tour and companionship.

 

[Jakeev]

Jealous would love to go