St. Croix Luxury Hotels & Destination
St. Croix VI Luxury Destination
Imagine an island paradise caressed by the turquoise Caribbean Sea, fabulous shopping at discounted prices and activities too numerous to mention. Welcome to St. Croix where the luxury hotels make your vacation a dream come true. Discover St. Croix’s history, the untouched coastline, where the pace is ‘slow’ as well as the culinary experience. St. Croix beckons the luxury hotel traveler to experience the beauty and passion that is perhaps the island’s best kept secret.
St. Croix Luxury Hotels
St. Croix has the perfect small luxury hotel to pair with the purpose of your visit. Whether a secluded romantic escape, beachfront from which you can scuba dive or convenience to activities and nightlife. A St. Croix luxury hotel vacation provides sophisticated service, personal attention and elegant surroundings to make your stay truly memorable and absolutely unforgettable. Be greeted with a pleasant smile and a willingness to assist by the St. Croix luxury hotel concierge, your most valuable resource when planning an itinerary or fulfilling a special need. The luxury hotels of St. Croix offer the opportunity to recharge your batteries and have a totally unique experience of your own.
St. Croix History
St. Croix has flown seven different flags throughout its relatively short history. It has been colonized by Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark and finally the United States.
About 5000 BC, the island was colonized by a group of people known to archaeologists as the Ciboney. These hunter gatherers left little behind of their passage as they were forced north between 50 and 200 A.D., by the Arawak, a group of people that cultivated the soil and made pottery. The Arawak lived in villages and raised manioc, beans, sweet potatoes and pineapple. They had active trade with South America in gemstones, seafood and crops but were driven north in the 13th century by the Tanio people and the Carib tribe. When Christopher Columbus landed on St. Croix on November 14, 1493 he met the Carib tribe. The ensuing battle, in which one Spaniard and one Carib were killed, started a war lasting 100 years between the Spaniards and Caribs.
Although Columbus claimed St. Croix for Spain, it was not colonized. It was the Dutch and English who colonized St. Croix. An uneasy truce existed between the two powers until the Dutch governor killed his English counterpart. The English retaliated and eventually prevailed. The Spanish on nearby Puerto Rico were concerned by this and retook the island. Not to be outdone, the French who had built up power in the region sent 160 of their best troops, the Knights of Malta to take the island around 1650. In 1665 the island is sold to the French West India Company. They ran it unsuccessfully for a number of years. By 1695, most of the French settlers had left the island.
On June 13 1733, it was sold to the Danish West Indian Company. The settlers soon became frustrated by company rule and petitioned the King to buy out the company. In 1754, St. Croix became a royal Dutch colony. A long period of growth followed, making St. Croix one of the wealthiest islands in the Caribbean. The island became rich by sugar, rum, cotton, molasses and hard wood production. In 1917, the islands of the Danish West Indies were sold by Denmark to the United States for $25 million in gold. In the 1950's with the emergence of a steady tourist industry St. Croix’s economy began renewed growth. A joint venture between Hess Oil and Petroleos de Venezuela, SA built Hovenesa, one of the largest oil refineries in the world. St. Croix is also home to Cruzan Rum Distillery. Luxury hotel visitors will find St. Croix to be quite worldly for such a small island.
St. Croix Attractions
Luxury hotel beach lovers are blessed when visiting St. Croix as the island is ringed with fabulous fine sand beaches. The large well maintained (raked every day) public beaches attract large crowds and teem with excitement. If you are in the mood for a quiet read beside the water, a small luxury hotel on a secluded St. Croix beach offers rest and relaxation.
Point Udall is the easternmost point of the United States and the small monument attesting to this fact provides the luxury hotel visitor with a fabulous photo opportunity with the brilliant blue Caribbean waters as a backdrop.
St. Croix’s Buck Island Reef is the only United States National Monument that is underwater. The park covers 850 acres including 176 acres of island which provides sandy beaches, picnic tables and barbeque pits. Getting wet is the real reason for the park and there is much for St. Croix luxury hotel swimmers, snorkelers and scuba divers to see. More water fun waits at Cane Bay. This internationally known St. Croix scuba and snorkeling site has soft sand and initially shallow water. It is an ideal place for a shore dive. At 450 feet out from the beach, you encounter the Cane Bay Wall Drop-off. The suddenly deep water attracts abundant fish and the clear water offers gorgeous views. The beach is ranked as one of St Croix's best beaches.
Sea turtles also enjoy the sandy beaches of St. Croix. The largest of all, the Leatherback nests at the Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge of St. Croix. Your luxury hotel concierge can arrange a guided tour during the nesting season (April to August) to see females ashore laying eggs. Bird watching is also recommended.
St. Croix has a healthy, but small, rain forest that is accessed by Creque Dam Road and Mahogany Road. Mahogany, yellow cedar and Tibet trees abound. In the forest, luxury hotel visitors will encounter the St. Croix Leap where local artisans create works of art from mahogany wood and the Montpellier Domino Club home of the famous St. Croix beer drinking pigs.
Caribbean golf courses are often poor, but not true of St. Croix. Luxury hotel golfers will find two world class courses, one of which was designed by renowned designer, Robert Trent. Have your luxury hotel concierge arrange tee times as the scenery is spectacular.
St. Croix Shopping
St. Croix is one big duty free zone for luxury hotel guests interested in shopping. Crystal, perfume, cosmetics, jewelry, liquor, and cigarettes are at prices up to 50% below what they would be in the US. Of course it’s always fun to shop for locally produced arts and crafts. The Market Place, in Frederiksted, although centuries old is still a great place to shop for island grown produce, tropical herbs and island made hot sauces and jams.
Shopping in Christiansted is a delightfully laid back experience for the St. Croix luxury hotel guest. Quaint pavilions and alleys are filled with shops that offer china, crystal, arts, perfumes, clothing, jewelry and souvenirs. These small St. Croix shops feature unique locally crafted items, such as hand painted shirts, handmade jewelry with island themes, bracelets and of course rum.
St. Croix’s two malls cater mainly to locals, as they contain pharmacies and grocery stores, none of the large chain department stores or luxury boutiques.
St. Croix Dining
St. Croix offers a wide variety of fine dining opportunities for hungry luxury hotel guests. Being part of the US there are all of the usual chain establishments but for fine dining consider one of St. Croix’s locally owned establishments.
Caribbean cuisine is top fare in a number of St. Croix restaurants. Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian and Chinese influences. With this broad base there is much to titillate the taste buds of any discerning luxury hotel guest. Conch is delectable, prepared in every way from sushi to fritters. Plantain is also a St. Croix staple. Another dish that screams Caribbean is 'jerk' seasoned meats. Hard to describe, but the kick it gives to roast meat is unbeatable. Rice, usually served with all Caribbean food, may be yellow, brown or green and tasty. Breadfruit, pawpaw (papaya) and dumplings (locally known as 'droppers') are and intrinsic part of the local flavor luxury hotel guests can experience.
With sea all around St. Croix, fish will be fresh. Choosing seafood as your main course will have its rewards. Fresh local preparations may include sautéed in fresh butter, garnished with lime or cilantro or at times local fish is served with a confit of local fruit. Whatever your choice, it will be delightful.
Something new and exciting is waiting at every turn during your St. Croix luxury hotel getaway. Be sure to leave enough time to enjoy the slower pace and the exotic surroundings of your St. Croix luxury hotel. You’ll be glad you did.
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