US Virgin Islands Archives | Page 3 of 6

December 16, 2015June 6, 2019

Love City Excursions and a Boat Named CatZilla

Imagine waking up and thinking “I get to go to work today!” and by work I mean running a charter business in St. John, US Virgin Islands. That’s the reality for Joe and Katie Zachary who own Love City Excursions, a full service excursion company based on the beautiful island of St. John. So just how did they do it? How did they relocate to a beautiful island and start their own business? Here’s their story.

Katie grew up in a small town in Colorado and after graduating from high school AND college in 6 years – she was burnt out! Two weeks after graduating, she packed up and moved to St. John for a bit of adventure and a different pace of life. She lived and worked in St. John for about a year, then left to travel through Europe. She ended up in Boston, but missed St. John so much she decided to move back.

Meanwhile, Joe, who had grown up in Nashville, Tennessee, graduated from the University of Tennessee. A year after graduating, he decided to move down to St. John, a place he had visited as a kid and loved. He immediately got a job working on boats and on the beach at the Westin and eventually started captaining To make a long story short, these two island loving adventurers eventually found love together and just got married this past summer.

They began to work together on their dream of owning their own business and opened Love City Excursions earlier this year. Starting a business in the islands was not without a bit of drama though. They encountered MANY trials and tribulations with purchasing a boat in the VI’s, but their new boat, CatZilla finally arrived July 13th.

CatZilla (photo: Love City Excursions)

Katie said, “She was shipped down here the same day we got married. I was actually at our wedding rehearsal standing at the altar on the phone with the trucker because our trailer blew out 3 tires on the way from North Carolina to Florida where it was being put on a shipping container. Thankfully, my amazing bridesmaid took the phone and my credit card and took care of it so I could get through our rehearsal!”

CatZilla is a 33 foot world cat power catamaran. She is built for off shore fishing, so she handles the waves and rough weather that the area sometimes gets like a dream. She’s a very large boat, so the name “CatZilla” is fitting! Although Katie can also captain the boat, Joe usually takes the helm while Katie, whose degree is in marketing, runs the business end.

Love City Excursions offers completely customizable full and half day charters in the USVI and BVI. Charters generally leave from the National Park Dock in Cruz Bay. I asked what their most popular charter was and Katie said, “We seem to get a lot of requests for a trip called The Triangle, which is snorkeling at Norman Island, eating lunch over there and then Soggy Dollar.”

Every excursion is a bit different though as guests choose what they want to do from island hopping to bar hopping, and snorkeling to exploring.

Sandy Spit (photo: Love City Excursions)

I asked what makes Love City such a highly rated excursion company – already! Katie said, “What makes our excursions great is two things. 1. We are a family run business so from start to finish. You’ll be dealing with Joe and I and we are both very happy when we make our guests happy. We use the slogan, The Best Day of Your Vacation, and it really, really is people’s favorite day while they are here! 2. Our Boat. CatZilla is the largest small powerboat on St. John and she can handle the weather like no other boat out there. It’s a dry, fast, and super comfortable ride.

The Baths, Virgin Gorda (photo: Love City Excursions)

I had just one more question to ask before wrapping up our interview. What is the BEST and WORST part about living on St. John? Katie answered, “The worst. Ahhh. Island life challenges. The normal things: groceries are expensive (almond butter is $27.99), apartments are at a premium and very scarce right now, gas is expensive, our power goes out a lot, everything takes a long time to accomplish, our apartment floods when it rains, you’re always fighting mold and mosquitos, sometimes there are scorpions in your bed (or on your pillow,) I received mail last week from December of 2014, and things just don’t work the same here. We all joke that we’re about ten years behind the states. And the hardest thing of all is being away from our families. But on the flip side, the BEST part of living here. Easy. The community here. Everyone helps everyone else and anytime someone is in need the entire community bands together to help anyway they can. That’s also probably why it’s called Love City, or at least a large part of it. St. John is safe, beyond beautiful, and we are SO lucky to call it home.

Trunk Bay Overlook (photo: Love City Excursions)

Would you like to find out more about booking an excursion with Katie, Joe and Love City Excursions?
Call them at 1.340.998.7604 or email: [email protected]

Check out their website for more info: Love City Excursions,
and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all their latest news and info!

December 2, 2015June 6, 2019

Our Day with Wreck Life Adventure Center, St. Thomas

In the past, we’ve visited Jost Van Dyke while on a sail trip or via ferry, and during our recent stay in the USVI, we had a hankering to jet over to Jost Van Dyke to check out the new Ivan’s and enjoy a Painkiller – or two, on White Bay. Instead of taking the ferry over, we thought we’d see if we could hook up with a company that offered day excursions to JVD. A friend suggested Wreck Life Adventure Center, and owners John & Laurel Webb were able to squeeze us in for the day.

The Wreck Life Headquarters are located in Compass Point Marina which is on the east end of St. Thomas not far from Red Hook. We got there early, anticipating a fun day on the water and were greeted by John who goes by “Big Country”. Now, you just can’t help but smile when you meet Big Country. He’s a tall guy with a huge smile who loves joke around and tell stories, and we instantly felt part of the Wreck Life family.

John Webb (aka Big Country)

Our full day excursion started at about 8:30 am and we grabbed our gear and headed to the dock. Their brand new 31′ Island Runner with a center console is arriving any day now, so we boarded the boat normally used for their dive excursions for our day on the water.

What we thought would be just a trip over to Jost turned into an excellent day of exploration – topped off with plenty of time to enjoy White Bay and a few Painkillers… Wreck Life does an excellent job of finding out what your interests are and matching it with an perfect adventure on, and in the water.

Here are just a few highlights of our day with Wreck Life!

Peter Bay, St John

Driving by the North Shore St John beaches for some photo ops, a different way of seeing the gorgeous beaches and learning more about the area (like where’s Kenny Chesney’s house?)

Waterlemon Cay, St. John

Excellent snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay (snorkel equipment was provided), where we spotted the usual snorkeling suspects (such as Sergeant Majors and Parrotfish), and other rather uncommon snorkeling sights for us (nurse shark, sand diver, an eel and living coral!)

Nurse Shark

Sand Diver

Colorful “living coral!

Entering the British Virgin Islands at Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke (John took care of all of the entry paperwork while we enjoyed the view)

Lunch at Foxy’s (Roti and Rum – yum), and a chat with Foxy!

And then to top off the day – a short boat ride over to White Bay where we spent the rest of the afternoon walking from Ivan’s to One Love and enjoying time in the beautiful White Bay water.

Ivan’s New Building

One Love

An afternoon enjoying the water of White Bay

The day was great and we loved the fact that the trip was catered to exactly what we wanted to do. Big Country would have accommodated most anything else we would have liked to pack into the fun day such as a stop at Sandy Spit or Sandy Cay – but we thought our personalized excursion was perfect just the way it was…

Have you done a Scuba Trip or Excursion with Wreck Life Adventure Center? Tell us about it!

To get more info on chartering a scuba trip or one of their personalized day excursions, contact Wreck Life by email at [email protected], check out their website and be sure to follow them on Facebook!

Find Wreck Life on our St. Thomas Map

To see more St. Thomas and other island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

November 22, 2015June 6, 2019

Tree Limin’ Extreme – Ziplining in St. Thomas

We arrived early on a Monday morning at Tree Limin’ Extreme to try out their zipline experience, currently listed as the #1 Outdoor Activity in St. Thomas on Trip Advisor. Thinking the skies would be clearest and the photo ops the best first thing in the morning, we requested an early time slot. Since we had a rental car the week we were in St. Thomas and were staying on the south side of the island, we left pretty early for our 8:20 am requested time of arrival.

This was not our first time ziplining; we’d ziplined once in Kauai and once in Jamaica, and even though we were not new to this type of experience, we were still just a tad bit apprehensive.

Once we got there, we checked in and were greeted by our guides for the day – Kyle and Leon.

Both super friendly, they immediately drew us in with their gregarious personalities.

Leon helping our group with their gear.

Our group of 7 had a lot of questions, and they took the time to make sure everyone felt at ease as we got strapped in for our ride high atop St. Thomas.

Don’t forget to rub the lucky coconut!

We all rubbed the lucky coconut to ensure our safe return, then made our way up to the Pinzgauer, the rugged vehicle that took us up the steep embankment to the first line.

Once at the top, Leon and Kyle gave us our instructions, a safety briefing and one last chance to change our mind about the whole thing. No one chickened out, and although the adrenaline was pumping, we all climbed the steps to the first zip.

Our Zipline Experience Video
(if you don’t have your own Go Pro, you can rent one at the desk to film your own experience!)

There are 6 ziplines and 2 sky bridges (suspension bridges) on the course as well as absolutely stunning views of Magens Bay and the islands surrounding St. Thomas.

Sky Bridge #1

The ziplines take you through the dense jungle where we spotted quite a few iguanas hanging out in the trees and enjoyed the serenade of coki frogs and tropical birds.

Each line is different, and our guides would give us tips on getting the most out of each one. Both Leon and Kyle (ok, mostly Leon) encouraged us to scream like crazy as we were zipping to scare the zippers behind us, and some of us (we won’t name names here) had no problem complying, whether it was voluntary or not…

The views were amazing everywhere we looked and we enjoyed reading the island information printed on the signs on each platform.

View of Magens Bay from one of the platforms

The sign on one of the platforms above Megans Bay

We got to the last line way too soon. Even though the tour takes between 2 – 2.5 hours, we were having such a great time that the time just “zipped” by.

Sky Bridge #2

A rainbow over our last zipline

The last line was interesting. It was preceded by the second and highest sky bridge. The drop looked to be the greatest of the 6 and this one didn’t end on a regular platform at the end. Once we stepped off the platform, we flew quickly down through the jungle and then yo-yoed back and forth a few times before being guided down a platform ladder in the middle of the line.

The last zipline

We watched from below as the rest of our party came in for a landing, then headed down the path with visions of the fun experience still fresh on our minds.

What did we like best about our Tree Limin’ Adventure? Our guides were great and made us feel extremely safe and comfortable – even while hurling ourselves off a platform into the trees! They followed the safety procedures to a “T”, and took the time to answer any questions our group had. The views were spectacular and may have been worth the price of admission alone. And the best part of it all was just the chance to enjoy the beauty of St. Thomas while experiencing an adrenaline rush through the lush tropics of the island…

Have you ziplined with Tree Limin’ Extreme? Tell us about it!

To find out more about the zipline experience and how to book your own adventure, go to the Tree Limin’ Extreme Website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Find Tree Limin’ Extreme on our St. Thomas Map

To see more St. Thomas and other island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

November 18, 2015May 29, 2019

Rum Island Pub, an Island Oasis in the Middle of Charlotte Amalie

Looking for a bar with a good beach vibe to sit and enjoy a cold drink while exploring Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas? You might want to try Rum Island Pub – a bar in the middle of Drake’s Passage that feels like a little island oasis in the middle of a bustling town.

We visited Rum Island Pub a few weeks ago as we wanted to find out more about this bar that has “rum” in its name. It had to be good with rum in its name, right? Well it was.

Trish and Doug (CeeBass), some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, are the owners of this unique bar that sits in a passageway of Charlotte Amalie called Drake’s Passage.

Rum Island Pub consists of a covered open air bar with additional outdoor seating and a great gift shop with lots of locally made items including apparel, jewelry, art, photos, lotions and even hot sauce.

Rum Island Pub is also the location of the one and only Husband Day Care. This is one place guys surely won’t mind hanging out while their ladies shop. Enjoy a few rum drinks or St. John Brewers beers, listen to some good music, chat with other day care patrons and enjoy the warm Rum Island breeze while you wait. Be sure to get a picture in front of the Husband Day Care sign to show your friends how you got to spend the day.

Rum Island Pub was under a different name when Trish and CeeBass took it over a few years ago. The location has a pretty long bar history in fact, as it was formerly the site of the first Duffy’s Love Shack (now in Red Hook) until Hurricane Marilyn came along in 1995 and deposited a large boat on top of it. The building was re-built and is now the perfect spot for Rum Island Pub.

What drinks to try? We each sampled (ok, drained) a signature drink called the RIP – Rum Island Punch. The RIP comes with instructions from the bartender (order one to find out what they are!) and they’re delicious. A mixture of Cruzan rums and fruit juices with a floater of 151 to finish the job; these babies are tasty and potent.

We also sampled one of their Famous Nutwackers – a bushwacker with peanut butter & chocolate…needless to say it was also a hit.

Stop by the island – Rum Island that is, and say hi to Trish and CeeBass on your next visit to St. Thomas. Pull up a chair at the bar, try a delicious Rum Island Pub rum drink, check out the local VI crafts in their shop, and be sure to tell them cheers from Rum Therapy!

Have you been to Rum Island Pub? Tell us about it!

Follow Rum Island Pub on Facebook!

Find Rum Island Pub on our St. Thomas Map

To see more St. Thomas and other island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

November 9, 2015May 29, 2019

Finding Denis Bay Beach, St. John

It was a Sunday and we had taken the car ferry over from St. Thomas for the day. Our mission? Well, we’d love to experience every single one of St. Johns beaches, so part of it was to find a few beaches that we hadn’t yet seen and the other was to find a beach to veg.

Gibney and Oppenheimer beaches were on our list, as the few parking spots for them have been full every time we’ve driven by. This time there were open parking spots, but there was a sign on the gate that said “Closed for a private event”. Sigh…still on the list. (Find Gibney Beach on our St. John Map)

Next stop? Peace Hill. We continued just a little farther on North Shore Road to the Peace Hill sign and a small parking area.

We’d taken the short path Peace Hill and the sugar mill ruins before, and loved the terrific overlook of Gibney Beach, sigh, Hawksnest Bay, and Trunk Bay, but didn’t realize that a small unmarked path off to the right led to the rather secluded Denis Bay Beach until we got home and studied our map (I got low grades on my pre-trip research for that particular trip!). Anyway, we were here now and determined to find Denis.

The path to Denis is a bit rocky and muddy after a rain storm and probably best done in sturdy shoes, but we of course were wearing flip flops. It had poured for a few short minutes prior to our arrival and so we slipped and slid down the trail but arrived with lower digits intact. The wooded trail opened up to beach at the end, where we ditched the flip flops and walked to the right, where the beach looked sandiest.

The beach is not large compared to neighboring Hawksnest and Trunk Bays, but it was deserted and the only person we saw was a lone fisherman on a rocky outcropping a few yards from shore in the bay.

I imagine the beach is usually pretty quiet as it takes a little effort to get there, but we thought it was worth it. Denis Bay Beach found and we’ll be putting a check mark in front of one more beautiful St. John beach.

Have you been to Denis Bay Beach? Tell us about it!

Find Denis Bay on our St. John Map

To see more St. John and other island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

October 22, 2015April 24, 2021

5 Favorite Scenic Overlooks in the Caribbean

It was a challenge to select just 5 of our favorite Scenic Overlooks in the Caribbean – even after narrowing the criteria to those that included water views, but these are 5 of our favorites from our travels to date. Feel free to add some of your favorites in the comments below!

View of Magens Bay, St. Thomas from Drakes Seat.
Legend has it that Sir Francis Drake used this vantage point to keep an eye out for enemy ships.

Check out other island posts here: Island Blog Directory

Overlook of Gustavia, St. Barts – one of the most colorful overlooks in the Caribbean. It’s well worth a short hike on a nice path to enjoy this view.

From this perch high atop Virgin Gorda at Hog Heaven, you can see the entire North Sound including Leverick Bay, Saba Rock, Bitter End Yacht Club, Prickly Pear Island, Necker Island and on a clear day, a very faint sliver of Anegada.

Overlook of Trunk Bay, St. John.
One of the most photographed overlooks in the Caribbean; the sight of Trunk Bay from this spot nearly takes your breath away and gives you a taste of the beauty that lies ahead.

The overlook of White Bay, Jost Van Dyke is absolutely picture perfect. It’s really rather hard to take a bad picture of this beautiful bay!

What are your favorite Caribbean scenic overlooks? Tell us about them!

Check out other island posts here: Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC. All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

August 19, 2015June 6, 2019

Best of USVI Survey Results

Thanks to all who took our survey on the “Best-Of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix”. We hope the results of our Readers Choice survey will give people planning to visit one of these beautiful islands in the near future some ideas of what to do during that well deserved vacation. The results below are simply a compilation of the answers given by our readers based on what they’ve enjoyed while vacationing in the USVI and we do not endorse, nor discount any of the properties, restaurants, shops or attractions listed or not listed. We encourage you to continue to do your own research prior to your trip.

Some of the answers were eye-opening to us and after reading this, we’ve added a few things to our list to see and do during our next visit! Enjoy!

St. Thomas

Best Beach on St. Thomas:
1. Magens Bay
2. Sapphire Beach
3. Coki Point
4. Bolongo Bay

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. John:
1. Duffy’s Love Shack
2. Iggies
3. Big Kahuna Rum Shack
4. Island Time Pub

Best Rum Drink on St. Thomas:
1. Painkiller
2. Bushwacker
3. Banana Daiquiri
4. VooDoo Juice

Best Restaurant on St. Thomas:
1. Sunset Grille
2. Fish Tails
3. Banana Tree Grille
4. Mafolie

Best Hotel/Resort on St. Thomas:
1. Bolongo Bay Beach Resort
2. Marriot’s Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Beach Resort
3. The Ritz-Carlton
4. Dreams Sugar Bay
Write ins with multiple votes: Mafolie Hotel, Bluebeards Castle

Best Villa/Condo Rental in St. Thomas:
1. Slice of Heaven, Magens Bay
2. Sapphire Beach Condos – write ins
3. Point Pleasant – write ins
4. Brigadoon – Red Hook

Best Shop or Boutique on St. Thomas:
1. Pirates in Paradise
2. Bones Rum
3. Native Arts & Crafts Cooperative
Write ins with multiple votes: Fish Face, Caribbean Surf Co.

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. Thomas:
1. Bones Rum
2. Larimar Jewelry
Write ins with multiple votes: Hook Bracelet, Cruzan Rum

Best attraction to experience in St. Thomas:
1. Coral World Ocean Park & Undersea Observatory
2. Skyride to Paradise Point
3. Mountain Top
4. Tree Limin’ Extreme
Write ins with multiple votes: Great House Botanical Gardens, Drake’s Seat, Magens Bay

St. John

Best Beach on St. John:
1. Trunk Bay
2. Cinnamon Bay
3. Maho Bay
4. Salomon and Honeymoon
Write in with multiple votes: Gibney

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. John:
1. The Beach Bar
2. Skinny Legs
3. Woody’s
4. Joe’s Rum Hut

Best Rum Drink on St. John:
1. Painkiller
2. Bushwhacker
3. Rum Punch
Write ins with multiple votes: Mojito and Island Girl from Joe’s Rum Hut, Lime in de Coconut

Best Restaurant on St. John:
1. The Lime Inn
2. Cruz Bay Landing
3. The Banana Deck
4. The Terrace Restaurant
Write in with multiple votes: The Fish Trap

Best Place to Stay on St. John:
1. Private Villa: There were more write ins on this one than votes on the entries posted. Most of the write ins were for private villas with no specific name mentioned with the exception of Villa Mar de Amores and Villa St. John.
2. Westin St. John Resort & Villas
3. Caneel Bay Resort
4. Gallow’s Point Resort

Best Shop or Boutique on St. John:
1. St. John Spice
2. Bougainvillea
3. Coconut Coast Studios
Write ins with multiple votes: Sloop Jones, Caravan, Freebird, Bamboo Studio

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. John:
1. St. John Hook Bracelet
2. Cruz Bay Grill Rub from St. John Spice
3. A Hand Painted Shirt from Sloop Jones
Write ins with multiple votes: T-shirt from The Beach Bar, Larimar Jewelry, rum, a good suntan

Best Attraction to Experience on St. John:
1. Snorkeling the trail at Trunk Bay
2. Snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay
3. Hiking anywhere in the VI National Park
Write ins with multiple votes: Drunk Bay, Exploring the town of Cruz Bay

St Croix

Best Beach on St. Croix:
1. Sandy Point Beach
2. Rainbow Beach
3. Cane Bay Beach
4. Sandcastle Beach
Write ins with multiple votes: Buck Island Beach

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. Croix:
1. Rhythms at Rainbow Beach
2. Rum Runners
3. eat @ cane bay
4. Off the Wall
Write ins with multiple votes: Beachside Café

Best Rum Drink on St. Croix
1. Painkiller
2. Cruzan Confusion
3. Green Flash
Write ins with multiple votes: Lime in de Coconut

Best restaurant on St Croix:
1. Polly’s On the Pier
2. Rowdy Joes
3. The Waves at Cane Bay
4. Galangal
Write ins with multiple votes: Duggans Reef, Rum Runners, LeReine Chicken Shack, eat @ cane bay

Best place to stay on St. Croix:
1. TIE: Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort & Spa and Sand Castle on the Beach
2. The Buccaneer
3. Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort
Write ins with multiple votes: Cottages by the Sea, Condo Rental

Best shop or boutique on St. Croix:
1. Sonya Ltd
2. Purple Papaya
3. ib designs
4. From the Gecko Boutique
Write ins with multiple votes: Franklins on the Waterfront

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. Croix:
1. St. Croix Hook Bracelet
2. Cruzan Rum
3. Chaney Jewelry

Best attraction to experience on St. Croix:
1. Catamaran Sail to Buck Island
2. Kayaking at night in a bioluminescent bay
3. Point Udall
4. Beer drinking pigs at Montpellier Domino Club
5. Cruzan Rum Factory Tour
Write ins with multiple votes: dive the wall, dive or snorkel the pier, Jump Up Festival, St. George Village Botanical Gardens

To read more about these and other islands, be sure to check our Blog Directory by Island

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

June 7, 2015June 6, 2019

Sunday Serenity: Some Sun and Sand on St. Thomas

We spend a relatively small amount of time actually staying on St. Thomas. It always seems to be the gateway to another island getaway, but when we have the chance to explore and enjoy what St. Thomas has to offer, we usually find ourselves here. I’d have to say it’s our favorite place to enjoy some sun and sand in St. Thomas.

It’s a relatively quiet stretch of beautiful sand on the east side of the island. It can get busy on weekends with lots of locals picnicking and enjoying some family time, but if you time it right, you’ll be treated to this…

And this..

.
Do you know which beach we’re talking about? What’s your favorite place for a little sun and sand on St. Thomas?

Read more Sunday Serenity Posts here:
Tropical Tips and More

See if you can find this beach on our St. Thomas Map

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

May 27, 2014June 6, 2019

What to See and Do in Cruz Bay, St. John

Cruz Bay is the active, yet laid back main town and port of St. John, US Virgin Islands. Here you will find most of the islands stores and restaurants and visitor services such as taxis and car rentals.

copyright Rum Therapy — Ferry Dock in Cruz Bay, St. John

Passenger ferries from either Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook on St. Thomas arrive and depart from the dock in Cruz Bay, bringing many people to the island throughout the day. See ferry schedules here. Many people head directly for one of St. John’s gorgeous beaches and spend very little time in Cruz Bay, but if you have the time, there are many great things to experience right here.

We’ve had the pleasure of visiting Cruz Bay quite a few times, and although we’ve yet to experience all that this fun & funky town has to offer, we’ve listed a few of our favorite attractions to date. Feel free to leave a comment below with some of your favorite things to see and do while visiting Cruz Bay, St. John.

We’ve highlighted a few of our favorite stops (so far) on the map above.

Upon arrival at the ferry dock, we usually head straight for the wonderful smelling St. John Spice, which can be found on the second floor of the building just to the right as you leave the dock.

Here you can find all sorts of spices, Cruz Bay Grill Rub, coffee, local cookbooks, island gifts, and island wear. St. John Spice also has a webcam that gives a real time view of the ferry dock and beautiful Cruz Bay. Tell your family and friends to watch for you as you enjoy yourself in paradise!

If you’ve worked up a thirst (or appetite) already, there are three great beach bar/restaurants right at the waters edge. High Tide, Joe’s Rum Hut and The Beach Bar all offer slightly different menus and drinks and all are great places to hang out, chat with locals and visitors, listen to some live music and admire the scenery.

From there we always try to make a stop at the Pink Papaya, a Caribbean Style Gallery that specializes in unique and unusual Caribbean style gifts including fine painting and jewelry from local artists.

A little more walking and we’re usually ready for a Love City Smoothie from Our Market Smoothies.
Cognac, Passionfruit, Strawberry and Rum – cold and delicious!

Want information on St. John National Parks? After all, much of this beautiful island has been designated as a National Park. Find out how to explore it at the National Park Service Visitor Center.

More shopping? No problem! Mongoose Junction on north side of Cruz Bay is a beautiful complex of intimate shops, restaurants and services. A few of our favorites here are:

Bajo el SolArt Gallery – featuring the works of several local artists.

The Tap Room – have you heard of St. John Brewers? Check out some of the tasty local beer crafted by Kevin and Cheech at this Island Microbrewery & Brew Pub.

Sun Dog Cafe – casual dining and a really good Sunday Brunch

Arawak Expeditions – looking for adventure? Check out their kayak, paddleboard, fly fish and snorkel expeditions!

Still have more time to explore? Here are a few more places that are on our Cruz Bay to-do list:

The Elaine Ione Sprauve Library & Museum – Find a great deal of information on St. John, the other American and British Virgin Islands and the Caribbean in general.

Quiet Mon’ Pub – the best Island Irish Pub around!

Woody’s Seafood Saloon – good food and a great place to hang out!

Whew. There you have it. Just a few ideas of what to see and do in Cruz Bay, St. John to help you plan for your next visit.

Tell us – What are some of your favorite Cruz Bay attractions?

To see more posts on St. John and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

April 28, 2014June 6, 2019

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, St. Thomas

Feel like you belong –
at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort…

This year, Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, on the south shore of St. Thomas, is celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary. Owned and run by the Doumeng family, this casual and comfortable resort sits on 1,000 feet of sandy beach and boasts 62 beachfront and oceanview rooms.

The story of how the Doumeng family ended up in St. Thomas is an interesting one. Dick Doumeng was a watch salesman in Long Island in 1968 when he took his family on vacation to Puerto Rico. During a day trip to St. Thomas, they fell in love with the island. The Doumeng’s then did what many of us only dream of doing. Dick quit his job, the family sold everything and they moved to the US Virgin Islands! The Doumeng’s eventually took over the management of Bolongo Bay Resort in 1974 when it was just a small 36 room hotel. Over time they transformed Bolongo into one of the first beachfront resorts on the island.

Fast forward a few decades and the reins have been passed to Dick’s sons Richard and Paul, along with their wives Katarina and Colleen. We had the pleasure of staying at Bolongo Bay recently and met with Richard, Katarina and Colleen. They, along with other family members and their very pleasant staff (including 3 that have been with Bolongo the entire 40 years!), take pride in making their guests feel like family too. It’s easy to see why there’s a high percentage of return guests at Bolongo!

To celebrate their 40th Anniversary, Bolongo is offering special anniversary package rates, 40 free room nights through activities at the resort and more! Be sure to check the Bolongo Bay website for more information.

These are just some of the highlights of our stay at Bolongo.

A banner at the front desk welcomed, by name, all of the guests arriving that day.

We were escorted to our room which was just steps away from the beach, comfortable and nicely sized.

A in-room welcome back package is provided for return guests!

We enjoyed our morning coffee on the deck with a beautiful view of the bay.

The Bolongo Bay swimming pool offers a beach view, lots of lounge chairs and a swim up bar.

There are comfortable areas to relax with friends and enjoy the view.

Bolongo guests have complimentary and unlimited use of non-motorized water sports such as kayaks, paddle boards, Hobie Cats, aqua tricycles, swim mats, snorkel gear and paddle boats.

Not to be missed – the weekly snorkel rum hunt, where bottles of rum are hidden in the bay and guests snorkel to find it. If you find it – you keep it!

We enjoyed fine dining at the Lobster Grille

Eggs Benedict with grilled pineapple

Jerk Pork Tostadas

and Lobster Arancini. Mmmm…

And spent plenty of time at Iggies – a fun and lively on-site beach bar featuring tasty food, drinks and live music – 7 nights a week!

Awaiting a taste of Iggies infamous Voodoo Juice poured with skill by our bartender “Mr. Awesome”.

Happy Hour specials include Rum Punch made with Cruzan Rum.

We relaxed in the sun in colorful chairs on the beach, and played a little volleyball and cornhole in the sand.

Unfortunately we weren’t there for Carnival Night – held every Wednesday at Iggies, but hear it’s a favorite evening of entertainment for guests and locals alike. Carnival Night features a buffet of Caribbean specialties, live music, Moko Jumbi Stilt Dancers, a conga line, dance contest and a fiery finale that includes flame eating and glass dancing.

A lovely place for a wedding on the beach. Some guests have also chosen to get married aboard Bolongo Bay’s beautiful 53 foot catamaran – Heavenly Days.

We were treated to a lovely sunset harbor cocktail cruise on Heavenly Days, which also offers a day sail to the island of St. John and a half day trip to Turtle Cove to snorkel with the turtles.

During our sunset sail, the captain masterfully maneuvered the cat along the coastline, into Charlotte Amalie and around Water Island. The crew gave us some history of the area while pampering us with refreshing cocktails and hors d’ oeuvres.

The sunset was spectacular that evening,

…and the lights of the resort were reflected in the waters of the bay upon our return.

On our last night at Bolongo, after spending some time enjoying the live music at Iggies, we savored the cool ocean breeze and moonlight from one of the hammocks near the beach.

Perfect.

Bolongo Bay offers something for all ages and travelers. It’s a comfortable, casual and friendly resort that offers great travel deals and a lot of amenities for its guests. Choose a room only rate or the popular all-inclusive plan that includes food and beverages. The convenient location between Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook makes it ideal for island exploration!

To find out more about Bolongo Bay Resort, be sure to visit their website, join them on their Facebook page, or contact them directly:

Bolongo Bay Beach Resort
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands 00802
Reservations: (800) 524-4746
[email protected]

Oh – and if you’re a US resident, you don’t need a passport to get to Bolongo!

Find Bolongo Bay Beach Resort and Iggies on our St. Thomas Map

To see more posts on St. Thomas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

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