MAGENS BAY: One mile behind Estate Mafolie - rated
by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful
beaches in the world. Snorkel for rent, beach restaurant
and bar.
ST.JOHN, TRUNK BAY, & CINNAMON BAY:(Via Cruz Bay
on the Red Hook Ferry) Are just a 20 minute drive (to the
ferry) followed by a 20 minute ferry ride, $3.00 each way.
Take an island tour or rent a car or van for the day. Stop
at Trunk Bay, Caneel Bay, Hawk's Nest Bay, or Cinnamon Bay.
Spend half a day to a day. Back to Cruz Bay and over to
St. Thomas. Or visit the Westin Resort - an outstanding
luxury facility with first class beach & landscaping. St.
John, one of the most beautiful Caribbean islands.
CORAL WORLD - On the way to Red Hook in the morning,
stop at Coki Beach nearby and see "Coral World" -- underwater
aquarium, fish and coral installation, 12 ft. sharks, barracuda
and fish of every variety.
SCUBA DIVING: COKI BEACH - Next door to Coral World
- though the beach is primitive looking, it has some of
the best sea life snorkeling and scuba diving in the Caribbean.
Fish are everywhere, in as little as 6 ft. of water.
- IF YOU ONLY HAVE TIME TO SEE THE ABOVE FOUR ATTRACTIONS,
THE TRIP WAS WORTH IT!
SHOPPING & DAYTIME DINING: See the scores of duty-free
shops one morning or afternoon. Eat lunch at one of the
town's restaurants. Suggested are Hotel 1829 or Hervé or
Café Marisol, all on Government Hill, Alexander's in Frenchtown,
or Café Amici, Fagioli Ristorante, Green House, the Hard
Rock Café, or Virgilio's, all in the town's main shopping
district.
DINING IN THE EVENING: Eat in the evening at Bluebeard's
Castle (The Terrace Restaurant or Banana Tree Grill) or
Hotel Mafolie - both have outstanding views. Also try Sib's
Mountain Bar or Blackbeard's Inn and Restaurant on Mafolie
Hill. For luxury dining, Hotel1829 is outstanding. For excellent
American/Caribbean dining try Craig and Sally's or the Point
at Villa Olga in Frenchtown; for casual dining, try Tickles
in Crown Bay.
SAILING & BOATING: From yachts to small charter
boats - try VIP Sail and Power Yacht Charters (340-775-6003),
Island Yachts (340-775-6666), or See & Ski power boats (340-775-6265)
for sailing, fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, water skiing,
small boat rentals & day trips to the British Virgin Islands.
For group trips, try Limnos Charters (340-775-3203).
HARBOR SCENE: Walk out on the patio of the Marriott
Frenchman's Reef if you wish to see the beautiful cruise
ships and yachts come and go. Take advantage of harbor tours,
scuba diving trips, or boat or yacht trips also arranged
there.
SCENIC DRIVES & GREAT VIEWS: Drive up to St. Peter
Great House Estate and Tropical Gardens (6AA St. Peter Mountain
Rd.) or Mountain Top via St. Peter Mountain Road.
ST. THOMAS BEACHES: Go to Magens Bay, Coki, Pineapple,
Sapphire, Morningstar, Sugar Bay, Ritz Carlton, or the Elysian
beach for scuba and snorkel, or just plain sunbathing. If
weather is only partly sunny and mountains tend to be shaded,
sun generally predominates at Frenchman's Reef, Morningstar
Beach or the Ritz Carlton Beach.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS - SAN JUAN - ST. JOHN: Hop
over to St. John (Westin Resort - greater Cruz Bay), very
beautiful.....Or Tortola, Virgin Gorda (the world famous
Baths), or Jost Van Dyke, or the caves of Norman Island,
all in the British Virgin Islands, even more beautiful....
Or fly to San Juan for gambling or to visit spectacular
Old San Juan. See ferry or plane schedules. 1/2 hour to
one hour trips.
RESTAURANTS:
RESTAURANTS WITH A VIEW - Bluebeard's, Hotel
Mafolie, Hotel 1829, and the Marriott Frenchman's Reef,
Blackbeard's.
FRENCH: Alexander's (Frenchtown) and Café Marisol
(Government Hill)
ITALIAN FOOD: Virgilio's, Fagioli, and Café Amici
(in town), Romano's (East End)
HOTEL RESTAURANTS: Renaissance Grand Beach, Sugar
Bay Hotel, Ritz Carlton, Elysian - Palm Court Restaurant,
Marriott Frenchman's Reef, Bluebeard's
RESTAURANTS WITH ENTERTAINMENT: Bluebeard's Castle,
The Green House (rock & roll); Frenchman's Reef Night
Clubs, Wyndham Sugar Bay Hotel
INFORMATION - CURRENT: For all current information
on St. Thomas entertainment, cruise ship arrivals, tennis,
yachting, water sports, shopping, dining, religious services,
road maps: get "St. Thomas This Week" free. Also, check
out their website at http://www.st-thomas.com/week
for information before you go.
GOLF: 10 minutes behind Estate Mafolie is the renowned
Mahogany Run Golf Course (near Magens Bay). It offers an
18 hole golf course designed by Tom and George Fazio (and
played by former President Bill Clinton). Call for reservations
(340-777-6006).
TENNIS: Any of the larger hotels offer tennis reservations
including Sapphire Beach with grass courts.
HORSEBACK RIDING: St. Thomas, Half Moon Stables
(340-777-6088); St. John (Beach Rides), Carolina Corral
(340-693-5778)
SCUBA DIVING TRIPS: Other outstanding scuba diving
in and near St. Thomas includes Tortola (wreck of the "Rhone")
(movie "The Deep"),"The Cartener Senior" wreck (Buck Island
St. Thomas), Dept. of Interior underwater preserve and scuba
trails, national park, Buck Island, St. Croix, Jost Van
Dyke (the Baths), St. Thomas Harbor, treasure, etc. And
of course, Coki Beach. (Dive Club- Peter and Laura 340-775-4220)
GYMS AND FITNESS CENTERS: Gold's Gym is located
10 minutes from the villa. For other facilities, consult
the yellow pages.
OTHER THINGS TO DO: Helicopter/sea plane tours,
windsurfing, whale-watching, parasailing, jet skiing and
wave running, deep-sea fishing, and Atlantis submarine tours
ST. THOMAS TRIVIA: Ships and boats of interest in
the St. Thomas Harbor range from modest sailing sloops to
3 and 4-masted schooners, tall ships, from modest power
yachts to the $20,000,000 Jan Pamela II complete with its
own helicopter; to the numerous cruise ships including the
world's largest, the Norway (13 stories), to U.S. Navy destroyers,
carriers, and nuclear submarines. The pirate Blackbeard
sailed the waters of St. Thomas and protected his plundered
treasure with cannons and look-outs at St. Thomas' Blackbeard's
castle. The discoverer of the New World, Christopher Columbus,
also sailed into St. Thomas Harbor and marveled at its beauty.
You may wish to do further reading on the island's history.
