Tom & Carol Wells

802-453-4065

Some Fun Things to do in St. Thomas

Snorkeling:  Good spots everywhere, but the closest is Sapphire Beach and Coki Beach. There is some snorkeling gear in the last closet upstairs, the one closest to the bed.

Good local (Red Hook area) and Charlotte Amalia restaurants: Pesce, Duffy’s, The Easterly and Caribbean Saloon are all in downtown Red Hook. Also, Tap and Still is a good place for a burger and a brew. The pizza is good at Senor Pizza. Raw has very good Sushi. XO has good food, too, and a very nice wine list. Casual Mexican can be found at Agave in downtown Red Hook or Greengo’s, right in the middle of Charlotte Amalie’s shopping district on Hibiscus Alley. Oceana in Frenchtown is lovely, with excellent food, but a bit pricey.

There are two restaurants within walking distance of the condo. They are the Caribbean Fish Market and Sangria, located at the Elysian Resort, which you can see from our back deck.  To walk there, take the stairs that lead up to the Cowpet condominiums, the beige building which you can see above the St. Thomas Yacht Club.  The stairs are located on the far side of the Yacht Club (the white one story building with red trim around the roof). Once on the higher level, walk through the parking lots and turn right at parking space #30 (approximately) and walk between the buildings down toward the beach then across the grass to the Caribbean Fish Market, a bit higher priced, but excellent seafood restaurant. Sangria’s is more casual and a great breakfast or lunch spot.  Plus, they have good Sangria!  You can also use the beach over there if our little patch of sand is too small!  You may notice that the Yacht Club serves lunch every day and dinner two nights a week, BUT it is only for Yacht Club members.

VI Eco-Tours:  Choose from three different tours that include kayaking, hiking, and snorkeling.  We recommend the 3 hour Mangrove Lagoon eco-tour or the 3 hour Honeymoon Beach eco-tour on St. John.  We have never been on the Hassel Island history tour, but understand the hiking and kayaking part are more strenuous than the other tours. You can usually find a coupon for a 10% discount in the back of This Week.  Learn more at www.viecotours.com.

Visit St. John:  The ferry (car or pedestrian) to St. John leaves frequently from Red Hook. Check the schedule in This Week, but call to verify as the schedule seems to change frequently.  Most of St. John is a National Park with lots of hiking trails and good places to snorkel. We have a hiking map in the table under the TV.  The main shopping district is within easy walking distance from the pedestrian ferry terminal.  Be sure to check out the Mongoose Junction shopping area.

Duty Free Shopping:  Two good places to do this – Havensight Mall (built right at the cruise ship docks) and downtown Charlotte Amalie. Try to pick a day when there is only one or two cruise ships in town.  The schedule of cruise ship arrivals is located on the last page of This Week.  Most of the stores will be closed Sunday, so that is typically not a good day.  Merchants are more willing to deal if there are fewer cruise ship folks in town. You have probably never seen so many jewelry shops in one area as you will find downtown on Main Street.  See downtown map on page 26-27 in This Week.  Feel free to bargain for the best price.  If you are not in the market for jewelry, a stroll downtown, up and down the alleys between Main Street and the Waterfront Highway, will offer you an opportunity to view the picturesque historic warehouse buildings (now converted to shops and restaurants) dating back hundreds of years to when St. Thomas was a Danish Colony.  There are other kinds of stores, too, and not just jewelry.

Flavors of St. Thomas Food Tour – An interesting and fun walking tour learning about the history of St. Thomas via the food and culture of various groups of immigrants over the centuries. Call 787-964-2447 or visit www.flavorsofstthomas.com for dates, times and more info. We have taken guests on his tour.  It is fun, informative and always enjoyable.

Historic Downtown Walking Tour: Every week on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.  Costs $35 per person.  Call 340-774-5541 for more info and to make reservations or visit www.stthomashistoricaltrust.org

Visit the British Virgin Islands: Normally, you could do this, but BVI is pretty much shut down to tourists due to Covid.

Paddle Boarding:  Easier than it looks!  You can rent them by the half hour ($25) or hour ($30) at Aqua Action located at Secret Harbor Resort on Secret Harbor (a few minute drive from here, back down 322 toward 32, but before you reach 32).

Golf: There is only one golf course on St. Thomas and that is Mahogany Run Golf Course. Call 340-777-6006 for info. It is located on the north side of the island off route 42.

Zipline Adventures:  This 3 hour canopy tour features great views from 8 platforms and 10 ziplines and is the only zipline in the Caribbean.  $99/each.

I would highly recommend that you call places before you go there for an activity or to eat. The island is trying to deal with Covid and still provide activities for tourists, so whether a restaurant is open or an event is happening can change weekly.

Revised January, 2022