St Thomas/US Virgin Islands / Any Suggestions?

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XNAVYEOD

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We are heading to St Thomas in the near future with some diving friends. I personally have never been there , so if anyone would like to offer up some do's or donts? I would be interested in hearing them, as well as suggestions on dive sites.
 
I spent a week on St. Thomas in May, 2007; so this list of suggestions might not be up-to-date. I was not yet certified, but snorkeled at many spots; so I can tell you that you are in for a real treat when it comes to diving.
  • Do bring strong insect repellent with you. The mosquito bites are 5x itchier than the ones I get in SoCal. The scars on my legs have only recently faded away.
  • Do bring your passpport with you as you definitely want to visit the nearby British Virgin Islands as well. IMO, the BVI's are even more beautiful than the US ones.
  • Do rent a car. The cars will have the drivers seat on the typical left side, but you'll also be driving on the left side of the road. A little strange at first, but you'll get use to it sooner than you think.
  • Do get a detailed map of the island. The main roads that go around and cut through the island are clearly marked with signs, but most of the other roads are not. It's easy to get lost; but if you just wander around for a bit, you eventually find you way back to the main road.
  • Do visit Blackbeard's Castle and the Rum Factory (free samples). :drunks:
  • Do expect to pay a lot for food. Even though it's pricey, it's not "fine dining"; but I've had worse. If you want dinner with a spectacular view, eat at Mafolie Restaurant.
  • Don't expect normal or fast service anywhere you go (airport, hotels, restaurants, etc.) The sooner you accept this and go with the flow, the more enjoyable your vacation will be.
  • Don't visit the popular beaches (Megans Bay & Cokie Beach) or downtown shopping area the day that the cruise ships come into port. They will be too crowded. There's lots of other beautiful beaches to visit besides the most popular ones.
  • Don't drink too much rum. It's very easy to get looped because rum is everywhere. They even passed out free rum punch at the airport when I got off the plane.
  • Don't waste your time with people trying to get you to sit through a timeshare or vacation club presentation. They'll usually try some type of ruse to get you interested before you relaize what they're really up to (like asking if you'd like a free gift for taking a survey). You'll usually find these people in the downtown shopping area.
Have fun.
 
Don't even THINK about collecting shells.
 
...spent a week in st. thomas, one day...
dived the bvi s but not U S islands
...but i do know as an absolute fact ,that it is a looooooot nicer there
...than penn.!!!!!!
hope you have a wonderful time!!!!
(just booked a trip to dive iceland myself)...self destructive tendencys???
have fun
yaeg
 
...but i do know as an absolute fact ,that it is a looooooot nicer there
...than penn.!!!!!!
hope you have a wonderful time!!!!
(just booked a trip to dive iceland myself)...self destructive tendencys???
have fun
yaeg


Thanks for the input...and I do agree that anywhere warm in the middle of winter is nicer than Penna.

Enjoy your ice water as well....
 
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I dive there a lot since I can just hop a flight over on the weekends. The diving is better on ST Johns and all you have to do is takebthe ferry over. The diving is great in the BVI and if you are here for diving go and do a few days there.

Stay away from the shops on ST Thomas that pri cater to the cruse ships. Cattle boats and there Are better ones.
 
I stay at St. John every year and I almost could write a travel guide on it. Here is some of the more important information.

1)The first thing I would recommend is to take a day trip to st. john. the beaches there are a lot less crowded and practically the whole island is national park.
2)Have a passport. You don't want to miss out on what the BVI has to offer being so close to it.
3)If you want to spring for it, charter a private boat trip. They will take you some truly awesome places throughout the virgin islands. I recommend this guy Virgin Islands This Week: Nate's Custom Charter's. He is incredibly nice and will do the best to take care of you.
4)If you do take the trip, make sure to ask him to take you to the Indians, Willy T's, and sandy spit(Tiny island straight out of a corona commercial). Also, soggy dollar bar is really cool. Its the place that came up with the pain killer and once you go there you will understand how it got its name.
5) Dive the wreck of the rhone. I havent done it yet, but it is supposed to be an amazing wreck dive.
6) Try to avoid the big touristy areas, especially when the cruise ships let off. Downtown st. thomas gets mobbed!!
7) Im not sure how much this applies to st. thomas, but in st. john its a must to rent a car. I'm assuming its the same way there. Its really the best way to get to all the nicest beaches.
6) Bring back rum. You really can't beat $5 a bottle
 
I read some good reviews on Blue Island Divers... It seems that they dont cater to the cruise lines?
 
I read some good reviews on Blue Island Divers... It seems that they dont cater to the cruise lines?

Sorry. Can't help you with that one. I didn't even think the cruise ships stayed in port long enough for someone to go venture off and dive for the day.
 

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