St Croix — Local services in Grove Place

We loved this place! My husband and I took our honeymoon here and it took a lot of willpower to leave and go back home to work and reality. All the people on the island were super friendly and helpful – seemed like a really great community. Most people work more than one job so don’t be surprised if your guide for an activity is also working at the restaurant you go to for lunch the next day. We traveled here for the week after Thanksgiving, at the very end of their hurricane season and it did rain every day but for very short amounts of time.

I had read and heard about stories of crime and people getting robbed, but we had absolutely no issues. We explored most of the island and had our car parked numerous times off the road and didn’t have any issues. We kept anything in the trunk that we didn’t take with us, with the exception of bug spray and sunscreen and maybe a water bottle but didn’t have any issues at all.

We stayed right off the boardwalk in Christiansted, it was beautiful and very convenient. There are lots of little shops and restaurants all within walking distance, making it super easy. We chose this island mostly because it is less touristy than St. John or St. Thomas and I would do it again, No Regrets. There is plenty to do here, whether staying for a week or more it will be easy to fill your schedule if that’s what you choose. You can find many different food options, food from the locals that were born and raised here as well as food from various other countries or parts of the US. We love food so we tried to eat at somewhere different for each meal and all were delicious (all will be reviewed separately on their own pages so feel free to check out all my reviews if you’re looking to come to St. Croix). Next time we come, we may plan it around their foodie festival or one of their other events, or even during the whale migration.

The one ‘negative’ thing about the island - the roads. The roads were quite terrible at times, so I recommend if you rent a car, renting something with more road clearance, like an SUV, Jeep or Truck. We rented a small car and heavily considered asking if we could swap it for something else. You can still get everywhere you want to go with the smaller car, but you will need to be mindful of potholes and drive slower on many of the roads. Also, the roads are not marked well, either with road signs or road closure/construction signs. Often when a road was closed, we didn’t know until we turned the corner so we would need to park and plan a new route – this happened quite a bit around our hotel which was a bit of an inconvenience because around the boardwalk area, there are several one-way streets. Also, be mindful of the scenic road – it was scenic, but I do not recommend driving it in a small car, stick to an off-roading vehicle if you want to drive the scenic road.

If you’ve made it this far, then it’s time to talk chickens. There are chickens and roosters everywhere. When you’re eating outside, you are almost guaranteed to have one by your table. They are harmless, we didn’t have any issues with them and for us it just added to the local charm. I am sure that not everyone feels the same way but the worst was the morning crowing and waking us up but we got used to it pretty quickly. I would recommend bringing ear plugs to sleep in if you are a light sleeper and like sleeping in.

Also, St. Croix is not known for its night life so be mindful that there are very few places open after 9 or 10 at night and even fewer that are serving food that late if you are looking to have a late meal. We were always pretty tired by the end of the night, so it wasn’t really an issue for us except for a few of the nights, we just wanted to have a couple drinks and relax but nobody was open near where we were staying, and we didn’t want to drive across the island to try to locate something somewhere else. Plan to pick up a few beers or something to drink from the grocery store if you like to have drinks later into...

Beautiful crystal clear water with an abundance of natural sea life just off shore. Beaches for the most part are clean and easily accessible. Local food is good with blends from many cultures and perspectives. They have a thriving boardwalk on the north side of the island that offers food, drink, entertainment, gambling, and shopping. Biggest thing to remember when visiting this island that it has its own way of doing things. For my taste it is painfully slow to get anything done. I truly do not feel as welcomed here as i have at many of my other destinations. I give a 50/50 on very friendly people to very rude people. Cost are outrageous but again it is an island. Roads are rough, I reccommend a SUV for a rental car with some type of supplemental coverage. Locals say that local government does nothing to maintain or upgrade the existing infrastructure. It is very dirty with trash and abandoned places everywhere. I wont be coming back here due to the environment and state of the island not due to the lack of tourism or...

Beautiful island and nice place to relax if you research/plan and book ahead. Nice beaches, enjoyed riding with Cruzan Cowgirls and loved El Sol restaurant AND learning how to drive on the left side BUT.......after a month long vacation I Must say that most people I have encountered are not very friendly to outsiders so hospitality is few and far between. Also it seems that everyone is taking full advantage of the plant/hospital workers money. Prices for everything is super ridiculous. If planning a trip I would advise waiting a few years until contractors are away from the island. Prices should definitely decrease then but right now everyone is on money making mode and not so much of a good time for people to want to return. I thought it was just me at first but have met some people from the states on the beaches and pretty much the same complaint. If you plan on coming do research or plan on paying double to triple for everything because a lot of people here are on...