These
menus contain links to many pages of detailed U.S. Virgin
Islands information for
St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John. You will find information on their
history, dining, diving, beaches, entertainment, shopping, transportation,
sports, weather, and then some! This information will help you plan your
stay in the US Virgin Islands.
***** U.S. Citizens DO NOT
need a Passport to travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands *****
New
Travel Document
Requirements -
Effective
January 23, 2007
Please note: This
initiative does
not affect U.S.
citizens traveling
between the United
States and its
territories!
Click
here
for more info.
***** U.S. Citizens
DO NOT need a
Passport to travel
to St. Croix!!!
*****
Shimmering
beaches framing unbelievably clear waters. Posh resorts and intimate villas.
Wonderful restaurants serving foods from all over the world. Colorful underwater
trails and coral reefs. Friendly people with their own unique music and West
Indian cuisine. First-class sailing and challenging sportfishing. Where can you
find all of this? In the United States Virgin Islands.
It’s
no wonder that millions of vacationers choose the islands of
St. Croix, St. John
and St. Thomas as their destination of choice, year after year.
As an
American territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands offers United States citizens
significant advantages over other Caribbean vacation getaways. Even if you are
an international traveler, you will find the American system of laws and customs
under which the U.S. Virgin Islands operates to be convenient and trouble-free.
Our
islands, located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, are easily reached by
air and sea from any where in the world. The islands are a 3-1/2 hour non-stop
flight from New York City; 3-1/2 hours non-stop from Baltimore; 3 hours non-stop
from Atlanta; and 2-1/2 hours non-stop from Miami.
Several
major airlines offer regularly scheduled flights to the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
many smaller airlines also service the islands. Popular cruise lines visit the
islands throughout the year. Caribbean cruises regularly run from Miami and San
Juan to St. Thomas and St. Croix. Smaller ships are able to dock in St. John.
There are also calls by ships from the West Coast.
Vacationers
frequently visit all three islands during their stay. St. John is only 20
minutes away from St. Thomas by ferry, and frequent small-plane service,
sea-planes, hydrofoil, charter boats, catamaran service and commercial airlines
link St. Thomas and St. Croix. The inter-island flight takes approximately 20
minutes. Helicopter service also connects the islands.
Whether
you arrive by sea or air, you may choose from among a wide range of beachfront,
hillside or downtown accommodations, take advantage of the best shopping in the
Caribbean (many say in the world) and make friends with some of the most
gracious and hospitable people you’ll ever meet.
With
average temperatures ranging from 77º F in winter to 82º F with cooling
tradewinds in the summer, the U.S. Virgin Islands is an ideal destination any
time of the year.
Getting
around the islands is very easy for visitors. Taxis are one of the most
convenient modes of transportation on the islands. Most taxi drivers are able to
provide their passengers with comprehensive tours of the islands. Car and jeep
rentals are available on St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas. Bus service is also
available on St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The U.S.
Virgin Islands is located in the Atlantic Standard Time zone, one hour ahead of
Eastern Standard Time except during Daylight Savings Time.
Restaurants
in the U.S. Virgin Islands feature international cuisine, including French,
Danish, Japanese, Italian and Chinese. Tourists are also encouraged to try a
variety of West Indian specialties, especially those featuring fresh fish,
fruits and Caribbean lobster. Local specialties such as Fungi, Kallaloo and
Conch are also popular in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Rich in
history and culture, the U.S. Virgin Islands offers visitors many choices of
sights to explore: historic forts and dungeons, restored colonial plantations,
art galleries filled with local creations, ruins of sugar-cane mills, some of
the oldest places of worship in the Western Hemisphere, a variety of museums and
ancient pirate fortresses. Whatever your interests, the U.S. Virgin Islands is
sure to please.
If you
enjoy sports and recreation, you may choose from a variety of activities in
these beautiful islands such as parasailing, beach volleyball, windsurfing,
scuba diving, boat racing, horseback riding, snorkeling, jet sluing, hiking,
sailing, tennis, sportfishing, golf you name it, we have it.
Join in
the celebrations of the islands with music, costumes, singing and dancing.
Experience the excitement of lavish carnivals and parades with colorful stilt
dancers known as Mocko Jumbies. Evening entertainment also includes music
varieties such as quelbe, folk, calypso, reggae and rock at dance clubs or
beachside restaurants.
With no
customs duties on tourism-related items such as watches, cameras, perfume, fine
jewelry, liquor, china and leather goods, this shopper’s paradise is a
duty-free port for visitors and there are no sales or luxury taxes. U.S.
visitors are allowed a duty free shopping quota of $1,200 twice that of
any other island in the Caribbean and three times that of European countries. In
addition to this exemption, shoppers may also mail home to friends and relatives
an unlimited number of gifts (other than perfume, liquor or tobacco) each worth
$100 or less.
Accommodations
on the islands range from luxurious suites in elegant hotels to scenic campsites
near tropical rain forests. Campgrounds are abundant, some featuring rustic
“eco-tents” one-room beach units with dining halls. Resorts, small inns,
charter yachts, private villas and beachside condos are a few of the many
choices available to overnight visitors.
Don’t
be fooled by all the upscale amenities; the U.S. Virgin Islands is still a
nature-lover’s paradise. Visitors may end up sharing their little piece of
heaven with rare sea turtles, frolicking sea horses, docile island donkeys,
colorful fish, tame goats and exotic birds. The flowers, trees and other
tropical plant life are also to be admired. Red bougainvillea, orange tiger
claws, yellow cedar flowers and pink hibiscus are just a few of the exotic
blossoms that grow on these pristine islands.
Travelers
looking for a vacation on the water will want to try one of the m; luxurious
charter yachts that make the U.S. Virgin Islands one of the Caribbean busiest
charter-yacht hubs. From intimate sails for two to group excursions across the
Caribbean, the U.S. Virgin Islands has every type of yacht available for
charter.
The U.S.
Virgin Islands can make wedding everything that a bride and groom have always
dream it could be. Whatever couples wish either outdoors or inside, on a
sugar-sand beach or in botanical gardens, a formal church wedding or a casual
civil ceremony, sunrise or sunset, on a boa1 or on a mountaintop, or even
underwater the islands will sup ply the desired setting. Because the U.S.
Virgin Islands operate under the laws of the United States Government, couples
are certain to have a hassle-free wedding. Experienced wedding consultants and
planners are available to help arrange all the details of every couple’s
special day.
You’ll
find all the elements of paradise in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Come experience
the majestic beauty and friendly warmth of these American treasures.
The U.S.
Virgin Islands. They’re your islands. Come see the for yourself and you’ll
find yourself returning to the islands of
St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas again
and again.
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