St. Croix is the Caribbean’s best kept secret for US tourists

St. Croix is the third and largest of the US Virgin Islands, geographically. But in terms of visibility, it’s still the little brother of St. John and St. Thomas.

That’s not its fault. The isle has had a lot of hard luck over the years.

In 1972, the island’s then-burgeoning tourism sector was set back by a mass shooting at a golf course, when eight employees and visitors were killed and many others injured in what came to be known as the Fountain Valley massacre.

Then, in 1989, Hurricane Hugo barreled through, leaving a swath of destruction that’s still evidenced by old, derelict, rusting buildings across the island. In 2017, Hurricane Irma avoided St Croix (phew!) only for her Cat 5 sister Maria to make a direct hit two weeks later. Darn. 

Today, things are looking sunnier. With post-pandemic resort rates soaring, many have ID’d St. Croix as a more affordable holiday alternative that can be cheaper than the Jersey Shore. Better still, there are no passports needed here. Technically, it’s a domestic flight.  

It’s also on the radar of investors, who have noted that the island remains free of ugly oceanfront high-rises (some of them surely mean to fix that, sigh). Instead, it’s dotted with boutique hotels, bars and restaurants along picturesque hillsides.

Hospitality veteran Chris Pardo, founder of Elemental Architecture, saw potential in an old barracks from 1793, sitting directly on the dock front in Christiansted, the island’s capital. In 2018, Pardo bought the property, sympathetically transforming it into the King Christian Hotel, which opened last year.

“The property is an iconic landmark that has been a popular meeting spot for the local community for decades,” he said. “Because of the building’s unusual architecture, we had the opportunity to build a restaurant, cafe, ice cream shop, coffee shop and a bar, all with ground-floor entrances that position our guests in the middle of the action.”

Reflecting the building’s Danish colonial past, the interior now consists of cool terracotta floors, exposed brick showing through white plastered walls and bright, hand-painted tiles. The blue and green jewel tones of the Peacock Room by the entryway doubles up as a small lounge, just steps from a bright, sunny pool lined with loungers, both of which are well-served by beverages from the bar.

The 46 wood and rattan rooms, some with balconies overlooking the wharf and look out to the tiny island of Protestant Cay. The 2-minute ferry ride across the water to the public beach here is free for hotel guests, where swimming, sunning and a lively bar and barbecue awaits — expect crowds of locals on weekends.

The main dining is at El Leon, a buzzy Mexican-fusion restaurant decked out in wicker and lively tropical prints, where you can order a margarita the size of your head.

Eating is as primary a pastime as sun tanning on St. Croix and to get a taste of the isle’s authentic fair, take a Taste of Twin Cities Food Tour. Guides take small groups of up to 12 people on a history-laced tasting tour of Christiansted, focusing on hole-in-the-wall gems.

Proprietor Anquanette Gaspard explains that the island is a blend of six former ruling nations (Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, the Knights of Malta and Denmark) before coming into the US fold in 1917. Merge all that with the indigenous Caribbean culture and that of Puerto Ricans who emigrated here to work the sugar plantations and Cruzian rum distilleries, and you have quite the cuisine melting pot.

By now, a pick-me-up may be needed in the form of St Croix’s own cocktail, the Cruzian Confusion, which features up to six types of local rum.