U.S. Virgin Islands  St. Thomas

Cruise ship in port at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI.

Our trip would be relatively brief, just three days, but we still had time to see many of the sites on St. John and St. Thomas.  Since we had to catch a plane from St. Thomas on mid Sunday afternoon, we saved Sunday morning and early afternoon to see the sites around St. Thomas, before heading to the airport.

There are many small vendors in Charlotte Amalie that depend on the cruise ship trade.  Stores and restaurants rely on this business and if there are any schedules to get anything done on island speed, it revolves around the time the cruise ships dock.  Another bustling business is the local taxi drivers.  Vans, traditional and open air, are the preferred vehicles for the taxi drivers who are everywhere around town.  They are often sitting in groups, talking, perhaps playing cards, but when you walk by, they politely ask you if you want a taxi.  Having a rental car, we never did, and politely declined and they in turn, would often apologize for interrupting us.  This type of courtesy was common and we felt very comfortable and welcome throughout our stay.

These islands rise steeply out of the ocean, so you have both beaches and mountains in a very small area.

Pictured left and right respectively, are the east and west ends of Charlotte Amalie, with these photos being taken from one of the hills overlooking the main portion of the town.  The cruise ship can be seen in dock in the middle of the left photo.  French Town - The Pointe Restaurant, is located in the right photo, just about the middle of the picture. Previous | Charlotte Amalie/ Marriott Beach Resort | St. John | French Town | St. Thomas | Travel Home Page | chuckallan.com | Next