Sun-drenched in St. Thomas

Sun-drenched in St. Thomas

Have you been recently? Hurry up, as American Paradise Awaits You…

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Welcome to the East Coast’s secret Hawaii.

With direct flights arriving daily from New York, Atlanta, Charlotte and now thanks to a new Jet Blue route from Boston- it’s only a little over three hours from takeoff to beach- side relaxation…did we mention the tropical breezes, breath-taking vistas of volcanic-formed islands rising from azure waters, continual trade wind breezes, and Cruzan rum- infused coladas under blue, sun-drenched skies? Where have we been all this time that we failed to realize what a fantastic long weekend getaway for adults or family vacation spot awaits in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI)?

When you arrive, the realization of the ease of travel to a U.S. territory strikes you. There are no visiting papers to complete on the plane, no passports needed, no guards, no lines, no currency exchange and no customs to go through. You just grab your bags and head out for a taxi. The taxi fares, centrally regulated by the USVI government, mostly featured lots of shared cab rides at modest prices. Moreover, thanks to carriers such as AT&T, Sprint and Virgin Mobile (Verizon works on roaming) – all calls and data are included in your U.S. domestic calling plan. Really? We just kept marveling at this ability to make calls and pick up email with no access issues or international fees. Especially for those of us who like to stay connected to work or home while away, it makes all the difference in the world to have such peace of mind.

Throughout St. Thomas, you experience the blend of the familiar with the exotic. Side by side you find Caribbean gift shops and restaurants alongside with Kmart, McDonald’s, and Staples. So for those seeking a tropical escape with the convenience and comfort American culture spillover for those trips to the pharmacy or for shopping staples, the USVI has it all. And yet the whole culture moves noticeably slower than the mainland – minus the hustle bustle of an East Coast city.

The former Danish West Indies islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix form the USVI – a U.S. territory since the early 1900s when we bought the islands from the Danes. Each island has a distinct personality. St. John, the most laid back of the islands, can be reached by a short 15-minute, $12 round-trip ferry hop from St. Thomas. Most of its terrain is preserved wilderness, packed with diverse hiking trails and maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. St. Croix, the largest of the islands by far, has a deep historical tradition and the same population as St. Thomas but spread out over three times the land mass with one major town in Christiansted. St. Croix is just a short 20-minute flight from St. Thomas, with typical round-trip plane tickets at $130 should you want to spend a few days basking in their island uniqueness.

Check out some of the beautiful pictures:

St Thomas, where we stayed, has become the most developed thanks to a sheltered harbor that enabled early robust sailing trade routes. The island bustles with activity, multi-shopping areas, businesses, and extensive hotel and condo rental properties. Interestingly and of note, the downtown shops open primarily during the week of large Cruise ship arrivals in the downtown area of Charlotte-Amalie.

No need to bundle up your shopping at the airport shops on the way home: All the shopping on the island is duty-free. You get a generous duty-free allowance of $1,600 per person, along with 6 liters of alcohol as long as one of them is Cruzan rum (how’s that for sustaining the island economy?). Note to self: guys love the inexpensive prices on high-end liquor such as single-malt whiskey. You do go through customs on the way back – and all that’s needed in addition to your declaration form is a driver’s license or passport to show citizenship.

Putting on the Ritz

Stacy arrived a night early and stayed in the Ritz Carlton resort – currently the island’s only 5-star resort, although a new 5-star resort is under construction on the island’s West side. This hotel resort just radiates elegance and makes the old marketing slogan of “Putting on the Ritz” seem apropos. From a marble-glad, high-ceilinged welcome-atrium with deep cushioned chair seating to uniformed staff and pristine vistas of manicured gardens, the Ritz emanates upscale Caribbean escapism. From pool staff running drinks to the bellmen, the staff is consistently warm, effusive, and accommodating. And from delicately spiced crisp mango wings to a banana Kahlua daiquiri, the delicious food and drinks proved consistently top notch. The spacious rooms have lofty ceilings, elegant furnishings, wide decks with both sitting and lounge chairs, marble-counter tops, and big bathrooms.

Best of all a magnificent spa on property offers dozens of treatments – some of them even taking place in an open-to-the-ocean cabana. I opted for their signature massage, with a talented massage therapist who has rotated through several Ritz properties. The only issue: non-stop drilling in the wall below us that proved highly disruptive. The solution: they gave me my massage on the house with vast apologies from the delightful staff. The result: happy and impressed with their instant responsiveness. The surprise: a parting gift of a pineapple-ginger candle and bath salts from the spa staff. The takeaway: the manager of the spa should be promoted – what customer service!!

The one thing, though, you cannot escape that comes with this resplendent luxury is exorbitant pricing: from rooms averaging $700 per night to a can of Diet Coke poolside costing you $5 plus tip. A $3 poolside delivery charge, separate from tip, got added on for a $10 lunch dish. Cocktail drinks will run you $14 each with tip. Coffee at breakfast: $6. There’s also a daily $58 resort fee added on top of the room rate (not your choice)- to cover the non-motorized water sports (they’ve got paddle boats, kayaks, small sailboats) the fitness center and one motion class (they offer 2 a day).

So bottom line on the Ritz? A “wow” setting and experience. But you just have to be all in in terms of the price, and value the indulgent escapist experience instead of seeking value.

Island Personalities

The night of her stay at the Ritz, Stacy met up with Alani Henneman-Todman (Ali), a public relations manager from the USVI tourism board. Ali works on the team of Beverly Nicolson Doty, who serves as the Commissioner for Tourism for USVI, and herself radiates an effusive welcome, hearty laughter and an instant embracing of visitors to her islands. The fabulous evening started with Stacy’s driver who works for the tourism board, Campbell Rey. A lifetime St. Thomas resident, father of 8, grandfather of 13, and a man personally passionate about extending the welcoming culture of his beloved Island to visitors, Campbell Rey should actually be serving a combined role of chief goodwill ambassador and poet-laureate of the island. He literally waxes poetic about his love for the island’s people and how deeply appreciative he feels of the off-islander visitors who have both enabled St. Thomas to thrive as well as weather relatively intact the economic recession. A reflection of the depth of his warmth, inclusive vision of humanity, and deep moral values – he readily declares his love for all the people around him as well as his extended family who primarily reside on mainland America thriving with their families. While debating the current presidential election, interspersed with frequent declarations of, “I’m telling, you!,” Campbell embodies the very essence of proud Caribbean culture firmly hand in hand with U.S. citizenship. Campbell also led a full-day excursion around the island for Stephanie and Stacy. After which, what can she say….Stacy loves “Campbell-ino!”

But, Stacy also has to share having a new real St. Thomas friend in Ali. Typical of many St. Thomas residents, Ali and her husband went stateside to complete their education. Her husband now oversees all the meals at an elementary school of 600 kids, while Ali works full-time for the tourism board.  The mom of 2 girls – ages 4 and 7 – thriving in St. Thomas’s school system, Ali exudes a friendly spirit of inclusion that wants you to instantly move to the island and join her extended circle of close family and friends with ceaseless gatherings and celebratory events. Moreover, typical to many islanders, Ali has relatives living everywhere from California to Iowa to DC, Florida and New York. She and her husband came home to raise their family and dedicate their professional skills to the island they both embrace with the same passion as Campbell.

SugarBay: A Fun, All-Inclusive Resort

Sugar Bay Resort – a vibrant resort that we’ve dubbed Caribbean vacation camp! After reading mixed reviews on TripAdvisor, we felt unsure what to expect at this all-inclusive resort right down the coast from the Ritz. Not any more – this place rocks with a fun, inclusive spirit that keeps you humming along and entertained all day long at the pool and beach area.

Located eight miles from the airport and a winding, climbing drive up the island’s mountainous terrain, SugarBay stands perched high on rocky hillside, rising above the ocean waters. When viewed from the ocean, SugarBay presents a stunning vista – that of an oceanside castle or monument, its coral-colored stone structure and white-railed balconies almost glowing in the horizon.

A Welcoming Feel

We drove up a winding road – noticing the periodic Iguana-crossing signs – to the welcoming entrance that featured substantial columns, a pool and fountain, colorful, blooming flowers, and ceiling fans that provided a cooling breeze.

The lobby presents both a open-air feel, with a 2 ½-storey vaulted ceiling, marble and granite flooring, wooden railings and curving white balustrades, eight ceiling fans, and a massive, focal point clock on the facing wall above an arched mirror. Yet despite the openness, the lobby also feels cozy and welcoming with walls painted a warm gold, with rustic, iron light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, and a mixture of leather and cushioned furniture in hues of red, blue, and gold.

Castaways, a large well-stocked gift shop extends along one wall of the lobby, next to the Caribe Marketplace, a coffee shop that features an assortment of coffee drinks, snacks, and lunch items. Beyond the lobby, we saw the Manor House, SugarBay’s breakfast and dinner restaurant, and just beyond, the Ocean Club, serving special food and drink menu items, along with video gaming and slot machines.

Separate-entrance guest rooms stretch out in the shape of a “U” alongside the main building, following a curved stone pathway, boarded by palm trees, lush plants, and colorful flowers. Along the way, guests can spy the resort’s adopted mascots, a bevy of laconic cats – in shades of black-and-white, gray, and brown – slinking gracefully around the property. Signs alert guests to the resort’s cat-friendly policy and announce that all cats are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on vaccinations.

Several curved terraces can be found interspersed with the room blocks, perfect for capturing the beauty of the island. For an even better view, we discovered the St. John’s Terrace, a rooftop deck with gorgeous wraparound views that SugarBay uses for destination weddings.

We found the guest rooms spacious, with a focal point of our oceanside room the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and door leading to the terrace with a view of St. John and neighboring island formations. We loved relaxing on the terrace after an action-packed day and sleeping with the door open at night, hearing the waves rhythmically splash against the rocks and shore.

Our room featured wood furniture with inlaid wicker accents in the British Colonial style, most with granite tops. The room also sported a large TV above the bureau – we barely noticed it, much less turned on during our stay! But we loved the room’s special touches that really work for families – the large in-room refrigerator, a roomy closet (with two lightweight robes!), a good-sized bathroom with sink and bathtub, and a dressing area with a separate sink and spacious granite countertop.

A welcome and much-needed addition – which hotel management assured us was imminent – would be in-room Wi-Fi. Currently, the hotel provides Wi-Fi only in the lobby and by the pool. With our ever-growing focus on technology, most guests expect an entirely wired resort.

We also got a glimpse of new renovations coming to the rooms: sleek and stylish!

Beach & Pool Activities

Because of SugarBay’s elevated location, you can either take advantage of the convenient shuttle to reach the pool area or walk down a multi-tiered wooden staircase, flanked with tropical plants, foliage, and palm trees.

SugarBay features an awe-inspiring pool set up, nestled alongside white-sand beaches and pristine aquamarine and teal ocean waters. The poolside area sports three interconnected pools, a swim-up bar, and a hot tub, rimmed with restaurants, bars, a dive shop, and sundries shop. A combination of dark wicker and blue cushioned chaises, iron tables, and deep blue umbrellas dot the stone poolside surface.

The open bar proves a real highlight, whipping up tropical drink concoctions with memorable names from Blue Blizzard to Hurricane Blast, alongside a self-serve soda dispenser and pitchers of free brewed ice tea with lemon. For happy hour in the late afternoon, staff members circulate with crazy “shots” – small samplings of drink specialties that range from tangy mango to minty chocolate.

Best drink of the day? It comes via vivacious bartender Carolyn Esperen. The Banana Split – an irresistible combination of banana and deep cherry flavor with a coconut overlay. We’ll have to figure out how to mix this one up for the Mom Central staff! Equal parts:

Crème de Banana (or Banana Rum works well)

Cocoa Lopez  (crème of cocoa)

Black cherry rum

Over lots of ice!

(We made these for the office when we returned – they’re hooked!)

The beachfront area stands alongside the pool space, with soft sand, lines of multiple chaises – and some of the best snorkeling to be found around St. Thomas. One end of the beach features snorkeling sites, while the other end offers up colorful ocean kayaks, Sun Fish sailboats, and boogie boards.

The outdoor space offers a host of daily activities including a fitness walk, introduction to scuba diving, pool volleyball, and daily bingo (we actually won a bottle of rum on Sunday!). Located under the waterfall area, we found both pool and ping pong tables.

Overall, the pool- and ocean-side areas sport a fun, yet relaxed, vibe that caters to a variety of guests. Singles and young couples soak up the sun, sample shots and rum cocktails, and listen to Motown and Caribbean tunes while families splash in the pool without feeling they’ve wandered into a singles weekend. And each day, SugarBay provides a list of suggested activities for guests who need a bit of inspiration.

Relaxation and Fitness

If you want a bit more physical activity then lounging poolside, SugarBay offers a number of options, including a fitness trail, a fitness center, a basketball court, and lighted tennis courts.

But the highlight for us proved to be SugarBay’s Journeys Spa. With a soothing beachy ambiance, both of us enjoyed the Stress Relief Massage courtesy of Laura, our talented massage therapist – and left the stress on the table. We both quickly realized just how much stress we built up through work, family responsibilities, and slogging away at our computers, and we just didn’t realize how much built-up stress we retained. A massage always seems so indulgent, but the after-effects include such a spirit of rejuvenation that it proved transformative, leaving us energetic and inspired. Stacy was so inspired, she signed up for another one the next morning!

Fun for Kids & Families

An ongoing challenge for any parent centers around finding a resort that meets everyone’s needs – just the right blend of activity, relaxation, sun/fun, local culture, and kids activities – without going too far in any one direction.

While not a kid-centric resort, SugarBay offers robust options for kids and families. Each night the resort hosts two kids movies in the second-floor lobby auditorium and even offers fun activities such as daily iguana feedings for the sweet-natured, dragon-like little fellows running about the resort. Mini-golf, bumper boats, and an arcade round out the action.

Families can also check out the Kids Klub, located poolside, where kids can take a break from outdoor fun with paints and colors. The site also provides a pile of shovels, pails, and other sand toys for visiting tots.

Off-Resort Adventures for Families

Eco-Tour of Hassel Island

The St. Thomas area remains chock-full of activities and attractions tailor-made for families. On our first full day in St. Thomas, we headed toward the Frenchtown Marina to take part in a three-hour Virgin Island Ecotour to Hassel Island, organized by the USVI Tourism Board. We hopped in our two-person ocean kayak – Stacy enthusiastically, non-swimmer Stephanie with a bit more trepidation – and paddled toward Fort Willoughby and Garrison House – historical Danish and British Colonial ruins. Our guide, extreme sport enthusiast and all-around outdoorsman, Travis, expertly navigated, fascinated us with historical factoids and along with Stacy, kept Stephanie from hyperventilating during her first-ever kayaking experience.

After another hike and a brief tour of Cowell’s Battery and Signal Station, we then paddled to the Creque Marine Railway, a former naval shipping repair facility, and Stephanie and Travis hiked past the site of a former Leprosarium, which closed in the early 1860s, and onto the Hazzell Family Cemetery, a 19^th century space nestled under a grove of trees where above-ground stone tombs dot the top of the hill. The three-hour excursion offered something for virtually everyone – ocean kayaking, physical activity, a rugged hike, panoramic views, and historical ruins.

Coral World Ocean Park

In such a spectacularly beautiful setting as the Caribbean, filled with myriad of animal and fish species, Coral World Ocean Park offers parents the ability to introduce it all to kids – up close and personal, and above and below the ocean. We attended the facility courtesy of the USVI Tourism Board, and saw a combination of both still and interactive exhibits. The park offers families the opportunity to see tanks brimming with colorful fish and coral, watch giant turtles swim in pools, and see turtles and seabirds up close. Plus, Coral World showcases a variety of hands-on experiences such as feeding nectar to Lorikeets, hand-feeding stingrays, gently picking up animals in touch-tanks, experiencing shark and turtle encounters, exploring the coral reef in “snuba” gear, and swimming and interacting with sea lions.

A short walk over the ocean bridge – flanked on one side by a popular public beach and the other by a postcard-perfect Caribbean vista of islands rising above the aquamarine water – we found ourselves in the Undersea Observatory Tower where we walked down a spiral staircase 15 feet under the ocean. Panoramic windows allowed us a glimpse into the mystical world of fish, sea life, and coral swirling around us.

Throughout our tour, we remained impressed at the attention to detail and the relaxed, yet incredibly knowledgeable guides we saw. Most trained in marine biology, yet had a real ability to explain anything from turtle habitats to how stingrays defend themselves in an engaging, low-key, and understandable manner – perfect for kids and adults alike.

Additional family activities include a Butterfly farm, as well as a fast motorboat ride on the Screaming Eagle – a drenching experience the entire time.

Meals & More

One question that inevitably arises with all-inclusive resorts centers around the food – essentially, “How is it?” If you plan on eating just about all meals at one venue, the food better taste good! And overall, we enjoyed the food at SugarBay. The real highlight of the resort proved to be Ristorante Baci, a more upscale, intimate Mediterranean/Italian-themed restaurant located just steps away from the pool.

We dined at Baci twice, and both times came away impressed with the ambiance – which includes sheer draperies flowing in the ocean breeze, subdued lighting, and elegant greenery – service, food, and special touches, such as warm bread, flavored olive oil, and freshly shaved parmesan cheese. We loved the linguine carbonara, chicken piccata, and chicken Alfredo with artichokes and red peppers. We also viewed the mixed green salad as one of the restaurant’s highlights, with arugula, radicchio, and toasted pine nuts in delicate vinaigrette, along with a crostini topped with goat cheese.

The poolside Mangrove Restaurant also made our Top “SugarBay Eats” list with an incredibly fresh, flavorful smoked salmon wrap, as well as a tasty lunch buffet, complete with hand-carved turkey and roast beef stations, salads, macaroni & cheese, and desserts – not to mention on-menu items. Another big hit included the freshly popped popcorn each afternoon and self-serve soft drinks.

We also dined at the Manor House one evening and ate breakfast there each day. While featuring breathtaking views from one entire side of the restaurant, we wished the staff could have opened the doors and offered table seating out on the expansive balcony. One morning, we took our breakfast to go and ate poolside on the tables outside the Turtle Rock Sports Bar and Grille.

Dinner featured a choice of four appetizers/salads and four entrees and while the food was fine, it didn’t have the dynamic flavor or special touches we saw at Baci. Breakfast featured a standard American buffet with scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, oatmeal, toast/bagels/pastries and an omelet station most days. Both the food and presentation seemed a bit rote, with little flair or creativity that we expected from a tropical resort.

Off-Site Restaurants

While most of our meals took place on-site at SugarBay, we did experience a few other St. Thomas-area restaurants:

Chez LeCaribe: On Stacy’s first night in St. Thomas, she and Ali, from the USVI Tourism Board, went to a new restaurant Chez LeCaribe getting under way with a rising young Caribbean Chef, Elvet Carty (http://chezlecaribe.com). An islander who went to London for his classical culinary training and then served as a sous-chef at Le Gavroche, an outstanding upscale French restaurant in London, Elvet returned to St. Thomas several years ago to blend Caribbean influences into French cuisine. His innovations won him the Virgin Island Daily News Award, “Best Creative Cuisine, 2009 and 2010” and most impressive of all he won the “Island Chef vs. Iron Chef” (Food Network) Competition in St. Croix in 2010. He opened Chez LeCaribe in April 2011.  In addition to flaming bananas foster for dessert, they make tableside wilted spinach salad that’s simply delicious and Stacy even managed to convince him to share his recipe:

Base of the salad: fresh torn spinach leaves and thin sliced red onion.

For the dressing:

            Melt 1 T butter over medium heat

            Add 2 slices of crisp cooked bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips

            Stir in:

1 T Dijon mustard

4 T mango rum (can substitute dark rum)

2 T brandy

1 T sugar

            You can light the rum on fire for some drama and to burn off the alcohol. Pour over salad and toss. Enjoy!

Hook, Line & Sinker: After our kayaking adventure, we found ourselves ravenous and stepped into the ultimate dockside hangout – Hook, Line & Sinker – and enjoyed a few rum cocktails and lunch. Stacy ordered shrimp bisque and honey-dipped friend chicken, while Stephanie tried conch fritters and a Cobb salad. A fabulous treat after an action-packed adventure, with lots of topsiders and boat owners hanging out.

XO Bistro: On our final day, we toured the Red Hook district by the ferry to St. John and found XO, a small hideaway with awesome food. We loved the blackened tuna and lobster “scargot,” – lobster chunks simmering in white wine and garlic, topped with goat cheese. And we both ordered individual pizzas – one prosciutto and one bruschetta – and loved the crusts, texture, and fresh flavors. This place deserves the raves it gets on Trip Advisor.

Bottom Line

Find inexpensive flights and treat yourself to the wondrous USVI!

Disclosure: Two members of the Mom Central Consulting team were invited to attend the U.S. Virgin Islands’ Winter Warm-Up and won a random drawing of a four-day, three-night complimentary trip to SugarBay, an all-inclusive resort on St. Thomas, with airfare provided by JetBlue. The U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Board also provided several complimentary meals and activities to facilitate this review.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.