just back from St.thomas

[cgullo@sbcglobal.net]

I have to say that although we had a great time, after 25 yrs, i'm finally done with st.thomas. This tiny islands traffic situation is out of control, and the drivers. You have a steep mountainous terrain on a 13 mile long island, with way to many tour buses, and local drivers, with no regard for speed laws. If you go with a group, beware, it is too dangerous to travel at night. And it has nothing to do with crime. If you stay in a villa, then you need to stay there, and not venture out. Most of the beautiful villas are on a 2 mile peninsula that is 2way, but room for one vehicle, so you have to hold your breathe around every corner. We had a group of 17 and we had to rent 4 vehicles, because they had no 7 passenger vehicles, and this is not the island to have to try to keep everyone together, so if you only have 4-6 people and can get away with one or two vehicles then, i would say, yes, but i would consider st.tjohn or tortola next.
Now for the positives of the trip. The villa we rented, was absolutely the most incredible place i have stayed. The villa is called jaime, which is a 4 bedroom villa, with some of the most incredible views i have seen. You can see all of the USVI and BRITISH virgin islands, plus the vantage point of seeing the beautiful sunsets. This villa is less than 2 years old and has all of the ameneties one could want. The location is almost at the end of this 2 mile long peninsula.
now the negatives. Being that you are at the end this peninsula, you need to stock the villa with plenty of food and beverages, because a trip the nearest grocery store is a good 25-30 min drive, and most restaurants, but there is one really good restaurant only 10 mins from the villa, Indigo, but that is it, unless you want to eat pizza every night, and you can find some of the best pizza on the island at magens bay, which is only a 10 min drive, but it closes after 5:00p. There is a trade off on st.thomas, if you want the views, and seclussion, then you have to drive everywhere, and it can get old quick. May i suggest that if you are considering the virgin islands, then look into st.john, which is much less developed, has great beaches, and less traffic, because they don't have the cruise ship crowd to deal with, or tortola in the british vi. The other negative is if you decide to travel back and forth between the us/ bvi, then be prepared to stop twice for customs, going and coming back. Customs now, makes you disembark at st.john, get off the boat, and with little ones, (this is a problem) clear customs, get back on the boat, and go back to st.thomas, not to mention all of the forms you have to fill out, even though you have a passport. Homeland security is making it almost not worth the trouble to go between the two, so you may be better off, staying in one or the other. I hope this helps anyone considering the virgin islands. A lot of the people on st.thomas have bad attitudes which is a shame, since they depend mainly on tourism. Hope this helps, and if you have any questions, i would be more than happy to answer them for you.

[Carib Mark]

Well, the writer above has been on this forum about as long as I, and I have no actual quarrel with anything experienced on St Thomas, just a few thought of my own.
St Thomas has become a busy, working hub of the USVI. It has 2 KMarts, a Home Depot, two warehouse clubs and in many ways, in the commercial areas at its center, looks much like any suburban "main drag" with fast food, car dealers and Midas muffler. This has had a double edge effect. To the benefit of islanders there, and a barge ride away on St John, this has made prices more reasonable and lowered the cost of living and brought in jobs. The other side is that it has taken empty space and made it crowded and added quite a bit of traffic as noted above. Fortunately, and much to the dismay of some, they don't have supermarkets every 1/4 mile of the island, so much of the beauty lasts. But yes, it means traveling for groceries, not something you want to do 4 times a week. (And if you think shopping for groceries is cheaper or easier on St John, think again, most St J'ers shop on St Thomas!) With growth comes growth in peoples attitudes, indeed, but by always starting with a traditional "Good Morning" or "Good Day" to everyone from a store clerk to a mailman, the smiles do come out. In fact, not starting this way, is often thought of as a slight to the person.
The resorts are still beautiful, the beaches lovely, and good times are available, day or night. Like anywhere, care is always needed, particularly in a land in flux. Oh yeah, and the duty free is still the best in the islands! As for my island of St John, it has also been affected by growth, with construction and cement vehicles making some narrow hillside roads pretty scary. And, it's not immune to the cruises. The locals watch the paper which lists daily cruise ship arrivals and passenger counts. On busy days, the streets can be crowded and forget a quiet day at Cinnamon Bay or Trunk Bay when "the cruise people" are there.
lastly, the problem of securing our nations borders is a tough one. That's why passports are going to be needed from pretty much anywhere soon including the USVI. It's even harder to protect even a small island like St. John with its 20 or so miles of coastline, let alone bigger St Thomas when they have no Border Patrol unit there. Monthly, several boats land at night in secluded parts of these islands, loaded with refugees from Haiti and elsewhere, and the government is now realizing that it could as easily be a terrorist coming ashore like this, going to a ferry or airport, and connecting to wherever. I completely agree, it's become a hassle to travel anywhere now that our world has changed in the last 6 years. But, in most cases (okay sir, if I DRINK some of the water in my bottle, it can't be dangerous!) it's necessary.
In closing, I'm glad you "had a great time" but am sorry you had so many inconveniences and bad experiences. I guess as we travel, we see how things change more, and it changes our view of the places we love. As for me, traffic, travel to a store, and other inconveniences cannot take away from the wonderful feeling of dealing with these in the tropics, and not on the mainland. Cheers!

[discipio]

I absolutely agree that the traffic on St Thomas is very bad. I actually missed my flight home. The island did turn out better that I had inticipated. Very beautiful and the beaches are excellent. I would go back, now that I know waht to expect. But, with so many other islands to visit, I probably won't make it back.

[LadyMich21]

I'll be heading back to St. Thomas for the 4th year straight and yes, the traffic can be trying and the roads are scary - but we typically drive in the afternoon on Sunday up to Cost U Less (in Donoe) to fill the larders for the week. We have supplies for breakfast and lunch (for the week in one run) and our beer and liquor and mix. We make sandwiches and drinks and carry a collapsible cooler complete with ice to keep our treats chilled. I get honked at quite a bit, but am unphased - I believe in island time on the road as well as when I go out to eat.

I find the people of St. Thomas charming - we go to Coki every year and see many of the same people and really enjoy catching up. A smile and hello goes such a long way with anyone, anywhere - especially on this island paradise. I am always amazed at the people who complain - and wonder how they greet others to begin with.

We have on occasion driven to supper in Red Hook - but generally don't drive into Charlotte Amalie at night - mostly because we stay on the east end and it's easier. Roberts American Grill has great food and it's easy to get to on the east end.

All in all I will be back on St. Thomas in 24 days and I cannot wait to see the beautiful beaches and turquoise waters of St. Thomas.

We take a trip to the BVI each year and yes we have to have our passports and yes we have to stroll through customs upon our return, but I've never felt put out or inconvenienced. In fact, I think it is imperative to protect our borders - even our territorial borders.

So here's to St. Thomas - and St. John - I love your beauty and your charm!