Planning a visit to St. Thomas, USVI

There are a plethora of restaurants to choose from while visiting the island of St. Thomas. Whatever types of food strike your fancy, St. Thomas is sure to please.

Casual Restaurants:

Gladys Cafe: A quaint restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch in downtown Charlotte Amalie. We stopped in for breakfast one morning before doing some shopping in town. The staff is so welcoming and warm we immediately felt right at home. The menu has many options, all very reasonably priced, and it was hard to choose because everything sounded so delicious. I chose the extra thick French Toast and my husband ordered a Western Omelet. It wasn't busy the morning we were there so while waiting we chatted with the waitress and got some good tips on where to go on the island during our visit. When the food arrived we were delighted by the looks of both meals and couldn't wait to dig in. Absolutely delicious! My husband's omelet was served with homefries which were chunks of potatos, red and green peppers, onions and garlic all sauteed together- amazing! There are a variety of hot sauces on the table- very hot, but fantastic. Try the mango hot sauce, it's wonderful! A little bit of sweet with a kick of hot at the end! We were pleasantly stuffed and would definitely eat here again when visiting the island.

The Greenhouse: A lively bar/restaurant that serves both lunch and dinner in downtown Charlotte Amalie. The menu is extensive with limitless choices and the prices were comparable to most restaurants on the island- a little more than what you might pay in the states, but not over the top. I ordered a crab wrap and my husband ordered a grilled chicken wrap. Both were good- the wraps were grilled to a crispy perfection on the outside and generously stuffed with filling. We enjoyed our meals and the view of the water across the street from our table. There is a small game room in the back and there is also live music various nights of the week. The drink menu offered any concoction you could imagine, from frozen drinks specific to the island to beer on tap.

Wikked: A Happy Hour Must!!!! Located in Yacht Haven Grand, this open air restaurant/bar offers a great nightly Happy Hour from 4-7. There are great drink specials- $3 well drinks, $3 Cruzan Rum drinks, $2 beers and $5 frozen drinks. We ate (and drank) here twice during our week long visit. They have great wings for .75 in a variety of flavors. We ordered the teryaki sesame, garlic parmesan, and regular hot. All were great, however the teryaki sesame was absolutely tremendous! We also ordered a bunch of the $2 tacos with pork, chicken, steak, and fish. My husband loved the pork tacos, while my favorite was the chicken and the fish. We ate and drank until we almost had to unbutton our pants for under $45! Almost unheard of anywhere else on the island!

Fat Turtle: Also located in Yacht Haven Grande, this open air restuarant/bar has the absolute best 5 Pepper Dip and Woodfired Chicken Parm Pizza! The dip is spicey with its blend of peppers mixed with cream cheese and then baked in a stone dish. It is served with tri-colored chips and the type of appetizer that you can't stop eating, it's that good! The pizza is thin and crispy with just the right amount of sauce and cheese. The chicken was cooked perfectly on top. We ate here twice as well during the week and ordered the same things each time! The drink menu was standard with other restuarants on the island- $8 frozen specialty drinks, beer and mixed drinks. The view is amazing. It is literally right on the water and overlooks the yachts that are docked. We watched fish swimming around below us while we waited for our meal and were treated to a very large fish swimming back and forth that was probably the largest fish we had ever seen swimming outside of an acquarium.

Cabana Bar: Located at Bluebeard's Castle, Charlotte Amalie, this low key bar has delicious burgers and great drinks! The burgers are 10 ounces of all beef patties cooked to order with your choice of bleu, cheddar or american cheese. These burgers are massive and so tasty! The basket of fries can easily feed at least two people if not more and are crispy and freshly fried. Try a Cruzan Confusion drink- the island's version of a Long Island Iced Tea- a mix of all the different Cruzan rums and a splash of cranberry. Definitely don't drive if you consume this drink! Bushwacker's are quite tasty here as well. It is open all nights 4-close except Tuesdays. If you are looking for something low key with a great view of the cruise ships leaving this is a great space to hit up!

Life's a Breeze: Located at Bluebeard's Castle, this bar that serves breakfast and lunch is located in the pool area of the hotel. Two eggs any style with toast and potatos will only cost you $5.00- a steal on the island! They also have breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches and omelets cooked to order. Lunch is mainly wraps and sandwiches that are quite good with a splash of the home made hotsauce. If you are sightseeing Bluebeard's Castle, this would be an ideal spot for breakfast or lunch as it is very reasonable in price and offers great views of the harbor.

Elegant:

A Room with a View: Located in Bluebeard's Castle, this restaurant's name says it all- an air conditioned room with a view of the harbor and downtown Charlotte Amalie from any seat in the house! The menu offers steak, chicken, pasta, duck, and seafood dishes as well as great appetizers- the calamari was tremendous! Prices ranged from $18.99-$45.00 per entree and appetizers were between $6-$12. Desert was delightful- we ordered a double brownie that had a mousse filling and a smooth fudge frosting encasing the two brownies. Fresh whipped cream dots the top. So delicious! We actually stopped back a couple of nights later and got this desert to go since we enjoyed it so much the first time. The restaurant also offers a great Happy Hour with wine and food specials- small plates of some of their menu items for only $5!

The Banana Tree Grille: This was my favorite restaurant where we ate during our visit to the island. It is located at Bluebeard's Castle and Hotel with amazing harbor views. They have small plate specials for $7 during their happy hour, and a 3 course dinner special for $35 which included an appetizer, entree, desert and a glass of wine. We ordered from the regular menu- small but with a variety of delicious choices- and couldn't have been happier with our selections. We ordered a calamari appetizer- lightly flash fried and crisp! I ordered linguine with shrimp, artichokes and feta in a white wine sauce and my husband ordered a steak filet with mashed potatos. We had a couple of frozen drinks for desert while watching the cruise ships leave port. This is a spot to definitely enjoy a meal while vacationing on St. Thomas.

The US Virgin Islands are said to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and often place on the Top Ten Beaches on travel shows and books. With so many to choose from and not enough time while vacationing to visit all, here are my top picks:

Honeymoon Beach, Water Island: Take the short eight minute ferry ride from Crown Bay over to Water Island for the day for a trip you will never forget! A ten minute walk from where the ferry docks will bring you to Honeymoon Beach- an absolute paradise! Colorful benches dot the beach underneath palm tree umbrellas. The white sand beach offers plenty of space to spread out, and the crystal clear turquoise blue water is calm and safe for children. There is a bar shack selling cold beverages at the end of the beach, and lunch can be bought from a woman grilling hotdogs, Polish sausage, Italian sausage, cheeseburgers and chicken. On days when cruise ships are in port you may find that visitors from the ships may offer excursions on a "pirate" ship to the beach. If you prefer having the beach mostly private, go on a day when there are no cruise ships.

Sapphire Beach: One of the island's most beautiful beaches and best spots for snorkeling! Shade trees and sea grape trees dot the beach and provide a great spot to set up for the day. You can rent lounge chairs for $7 for the day, as well as snorkel gear for $5 an hour from the shack on the beach. You might also want to check out the kite surfing lessons and rentals as the cross winds are excellent for this type of activity. Broken coral, rocks and shells tumble along the shore line and can make gaining entrance to the water a bit difficult- bring your water shoes if you have them! Once in the water, head out about 50 yards to the sea grass areas- you might find sea turtles grazing along the bottom, especially in the morning hours. Colorful fish swim in all directions, and small silver fish about three inches long swim in schools of thousands so don't be surprised if you find yourself in the middle of one of their schools! Sitting on the beach you can see Cruz Bay, St. John as well as the British Virgin Islands. Iguanas parade the beach and can often sneak up next to you to take in the sun. Some of the restaurants on the Sapphire Beach Resort property appeared to be closed, but perhaps will reopen some day. You can, however, buy lunch from a vendor at the entrance to the beach, or have a pizza delivered directly to you from one of the runners walking up and down the beach.

Trunk Bay, St. John: This beach is a short drive from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay, and is home to the underwater coral reef trail. Entrance to the bay is $4 per person. There are bathrooms and changing facilities as you make your way down the path to the beach. Nearby, there is a spot to rent chairs ($10 each), and snorkel gear (mask and snorkel $3, fins $2). You can also rent snorkel floats for another couple dollars- they basically look like noodles you would use in the pool. They do require a deposit of $25 for each snorkel set or chair you rent. You can use either cash or credit card for the deposit, but the actual rental needs to be paid in cash. Across from the rental area is a snack bar that has drinks, french fries, burgers and hotdogs. Picnic tables are available- beware of the seagulls as they will snatch the food right out of your hands! The beach is long and fairly wide and there is plenty of space to spread out. The water is clear and bright blue and the underwater trail begins about 25 yards from shore on the right side. Large purple and green sea fans can be seen gently swaying in the current. Coral abounds and brightly colored fish dart in and out of the crevices. Large fish swim about and the occasional sting ray flutters from the bottom of the sea.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie is truly a shopper's paradise. Virtually anything you want can be found while exploring this historic town. Quaint, interesting stores can be found throughout the alleys and side streets. Jewelry stores are plentiful and inexpensive great gifts can be found in the vendors plaza. Many of the stores are closed on Sundays and some don't open on days when there are no cruise ships. However, many of the vendors were there and ready for business each day. I found the best deals on days when there were no cruise ships and not many people shopping. The vendors were eager to make a sale and were more open to reducing their initial prices.

Here are some general tips to provide help while planning your trip to St. Thomas.

Car Rental vs. Taxis: Taxis are not metered but rather charge a flat rate based on where you are picked up and your destination. They are also per person, so the charge can increase rapidly depending on how many people are in your party. Prices vary from $4 to $15 per person. Car rentals are about $45 per day for a compact car. If you plan to explore the island and various restaurants you might find it cheaper to rent a car. They do drive on the left and some of the roads are windy and steep. However, the speed limit never exceeds 30 miles and hour so once you get used to driving on the other side of the road it shouldn't be a problem.

Safety: During our week long visit, we never felt unsafe anywhere on the island. All of the locals we met were very friendly and helpful if we had any questions. However, as with any unfamiliar area, you shouldn't walk around in dark areas at night. If you are using taxis you should only get in the cars/vans/trucks that are clearly marked as taxis and not use gypsy cabs.