drake2014

Hi drake2014 - Thanks so much for providing info on your island. Wish we had one of you on every island we will visit.

 

My question - We will be spending most of the day in Christiansted and then to the beach on Protestant Cay. When we return we might want to spend some time in Frederiksted. Have not seen any info on the town and wondering what I can expect there and the pier area. Thanks.

Haha thank you very much! My friends and I often joke about the unprepared tourists that come through so I thought I would help.

Frederiksted is my home and I hope you get to spend some time here, west is best after all! I have posted quite a bit about my favorite beaches and restaurants but here's the condensed version for you: when you get to town follow king street north past the pier and out past the carnival grounds. You'll see the baseball fields on your right and Freedom City Surf on your left. GO TO FREEDOM CITY. Say hi to Pi (the owner) in the shop on your left and maybe get a t-shirt, then go to the bar. Get a rum punch from Erica and some shrimp tacos. Relax on the patio or the beach until it's time to leave. An easy 10 minute walk up the beach will put you back on the ship.

Enjoy! [emoji2]

Drake2014, thanks for sharing.

 

I am visiting in about a month and plan on walking up in the "rainforest" area and along the west coast. Just wondering if there is anything in the northwest I should definitely check out - without breaking my neck.

I prefer to ride ATV's with geckos myself lol but if you want to go hiking I have just the thing. I was recently given a walking/hiking guide to St. Croix and it includes this snippet just for you:

The Rain Forest Hike Walking time: 2½ hours, one way To reach this hike, follow Route 631 north out of Frederiksted to the intersection of Routes 63 and 76. Continue north on Route 63 and make a right turn onto Creque Dam Road (Route 58). Have your driver drop you off here and begin the walk. Follow the road through the Sprat Hall Plantation and gain altitude as you enter the rain forest in approximately one mile. Technically, the area does not receive enough precipitation to be classified as a rain forest, yet it does have the look, feel, and much of the vegetation of a true rain forest. Soon, you’ll pass by 150-foot Creque Dam, whose lake has now been drained. You are passing through the grounds of a private estate; please respect the owners’ wishes by staying on the road. While keeping a sharp eye out for a darting mongoose or two, enjoy the yellow cedar, wild lilies, and other enchantments of the forest. Continue on the road through the kapok, cocoa, monkey pistol, and turpentine trees and arrive at an intersection; keep to the right. Open meadows permit views onto central St. Croix as you bear right onto Annaly Road (Route 765) and descend. Gradually lose elevation and, three miles into the hike, keep left on Annaly Road when Route 763 comes in from the right. In a landscape almost reminiscent of rural Virginia –wooded mountain ridges rising above green fields dotted with cattle and swine – you will come to the end of your four-mile hike. Have your shuttle car pick you up at the intersection of Annaly Road and Mahogany Road (Route 76). Mahogany Road through the Rain Forest The Rain Forest Hike follows roads that are passable by car. However, they see very little traffic, are unimproved for the most part, and the forest is better explored on foot. The gradual changes in elevation make this a moderate hike.

I hope this helps!

Thank you for your help. I have emailed Safari Tours. Looks like a great option.

They may eventually answer you but if you really want to make things work you need to call them.

You'll get a lot more variety of restaurants if you come in on a Saturday. Villa Morales is simply wonderful, JT and Angie are local celebrities. I do suggest you make reservations!

Food that I usually can't get in the States. Rum Runners has Cobb salad on the menu as well as other State side staples. For me one of the fun things of traveling is trying new foods.

 

I don't order ribs out, because been disappointed too many times.

Ah I see, that's a shame about the ribs. Just a heads up, every restaurant is going to offer stateside staples because they have to sell something to the less adventurous.

The only "Unusual" things we eat locally are roti and breadfruit tostones. Villa Morales in estate Whim (just east of Frederiksted) does awesome tostones and goat stew but they are closed on sundays and I don't know when your ship is coming. The Roti truck is parked across from kmart west (keep going east on centerline road past Whim) and they make great stuff.

Blue Moon on the Frederiksted waterfront has an awesome mix of local and cajun food. It's a little pricey for me but you'll probably enjoy it.

These aren't the types of restaurants I'm looking for. CruiseCritic fails me again.

Color me confused. What exactly are you looking for?

Rum Runner is our favorite! :D

The chef, Lance, is especially good at working with fresh local seafood.

LuLu

Rum Runner is delicious! If I'm going to go to the far end of the world I prefer Angry Nate's but to each their own. :)

No showers that I could find on Rainbow Beach. Full disclosure I did have a couple rum punches with lunch though... :)

Thank You. Do you prefer Rainbow Beach to Sandcastle? My husband and I and our adult daughter will be in St. Croix for our first time, next week. So excited to get there.

Neither, I prefer Freedom City Surf's beach, it's in between those two. For the family though I'm betting you will like Sandcastle better, more amenities and comforts.

Just wondering if Rainbow Beach had as much erosion as Sandcastle Beach this year as previous poster mentioned?

Yes unfortunately most of the west end beaches have suffered this year. Rainbow is still lovely though!

I just posted this on another thread but thought it might help here too:

Whim has had a rough couple years financially and as a result they have closed on Sundays. I was speaking with a volunteer there yesterday though and thanks to a little help from our new governor they are hoping to be able to reopen for the ships before the end of this season. I will update here if that actually happens!

Whim has had a rough couple years financially and as a result they have closed on Sundays. I was speaking with a volunteer there yesterday though and thanks to a little help from our new governor they are hoping to be able to reopen for the ships before the end of this season. I will update here if that actually happens!

The name of that place is Freedom City Surf Shop, the restaurant is called Teres Veho, locals call it Sandbar. Confusing I know but it's an awesome place!

They have to be a licensed boat to even moor at Buck Island. I've had great luck with Big Beard in the past, the half day tour is $75 and it's a lot of fun.

Have fun!

Tacos are local foods?

As many of them as we eat here, yeah I would say they qualify! They have a full menu of great stuff there, I'm just telling you my favorites.

When you are looking at the rocks turn left and go down in front of Cottages, the sand smooths out down that way. Alternatively you can head back closer to the ship, once you get past the big trees it gets smoother but it will be crowded on Sundays.

 

If you are looking for the quintessential perfect smooth sand beach I recommend you head down toward Rainbow Beach, it's generally smoother.

Just realized I had misread your message! Sorry!

If you head further toward Rainbow it smooths out past Teres Veho.

Is there good snorkeling at Rainbow beach? I'm a little fish but there are a few in our party that would rather just hang out.

T*

Please be VERY careful if you go snorkeling there! Because they rent jetskis there you get a lot of people buzzing very close to the beach.

Personally I prefer Sandcastle for snorkeling but there is a little bit to see at Rainbow.

Any parasailing at any of the beaches?

Para-sailing is not big here, we prefer paddle-boarding and snorkeling.

Went to this beach last week and was disappointed it was so rocky! Bring your water shoes it is tough getting into the water at this beach.

When you are looking at the rocks turn left and go down in front of Cottages, the sand smooths out down that way. Alternatively you can head back closer to the ship, once you get past the big trees it gets smoother but it will be crowded on Sundays.

If you are looking for the quintessential perfect smooth sand beach I recommend you head down toward Rainbow Beach, it's generally smoother.

I can't emphasize this enough, Call them! Most locals rarely check their email but always answer the phone.

My favorite restaurant near the ships is Pier 69 in strand square, awesome food and great people! I eat there at least once a week, if you're lucky you'll land on rib day. Dennis (Chef and owner) smokes his ribs all day and they fall off the bone.

If you want to eat on the beach check out Teres Veho/Freedom City Surf Shop just down the beach from the fort. They do great beach food (Try the shrimp tacos!!) and awesome drinks on a beautiful deck over the sand.

@CaribbeanBound: I had to google it but now I know why I'd never heard of Sweeney's, locally we just call them the Safari Tours. I've never tried them personally but I have heard great things! CALL THEM. Locals rarely use email, even for business.

@Laurnat: To be honest Sunday cruise ship days mean every beach is going to be crowded. If you guys aren't big snorklers skip buck island and save the money. I personally love sandcastle/dorsch and don't find it too rough but you might enjoy Freedom City Surf's beach more. When you're facing away from the ship turn left and go past the fort. It's between the fort and rainbow beach.

@caribbeanbound:

1: How big of a tour are you thinking? If you want to stay in town I would again suggest CHANT, if you want to cover more of the island Gecko's Island Adventures does an awesome atv tour of the rain forest but you really need reservations. I've never heard of Sweeney's so I can't help you there.

2: The taxi buses gather at the pier when a ship is in town. Each taxi is independent so routes are going to vary considerably but costs are generally cheap to most places. I've never spent more than $10 to go anywhere.

@Thepoint: CHANT is the local walking tour group here and they are amazing. I really recommend it if you enjoy history! If you have the kids with you though I would suggest you head down to the beach at Freedom City Surf and enjoy all their activities, or just relax on the beach.