Things to Do on St Croix: Day One

Looking for recommendations on things to do while you explore St Croix? You’re in the right place! Welcome to our “Things to Do on St Croix” series. This post is a breakdown of “Day One” of our trip to the Caribbean.

Before You Read Any Further…

Did you miss our post explaining how we planned a budget trip to this part of the U.S. Virgin Islands? Click here to see how we booked a trip for two, for a week on St. Croix for less than $600. If you’ve already read it, you know we used Spirit Airlines Miles to secure two roundtrip tickets with a checked bag for less than $300, that we reserved seven nights’ accommodations for less than $300 and booked a rental car for “FREE” using credit travel points. Next, be sure to check out our “What to Pack for a Trip to the Caribbean“.  Now that you’re all caught up, keep on reading!

Our custom itinerary for How to Spend 8 Days on St Croix:

****DAY 1 – Fly to St Croix, p/u rental car, Captain Morgan Distillery, check in at Airbnb, free evening****
*DAY 2 – Cane Bay and The Wall;
**DAY 3 – East End: Sunrise @ Point Udall, Hike Jack & Isaac Bay (snorkeling);
*DAY 4 – Tide Pools @ Annaly Bay;
**DAY 5 – West end of the island: Ham’s Bluff Light, Rainbow Beach, Frederiksted, sunset;
*DAY 6 – Buck Island;
**DAY 7 – Free time;
*DAY 8 – Cruzan Rum Distillery, d/o rental car, fly home 🙁

And They’re Off!

Our vacation was off to a good start as our flights were on time. The flight direct to St. Croix left from Fort Lauderdale and was a stunning flight from beginning to end as the azure blue was prevalent out the airplane windows for most of the flight. Once we landed at the island airport (Henry E. Rohlsen Airport), we disembarked on the tarmac, a fun change from mainland flights. We made our way from the runway to an open air airport where the rental car windows and luggage carousel (all open air). Kat grabbed the (one) checked bag while Phil signed the paperwork for the rental car. We rented a Jeep Wrangler. 

While we are standing there waiting for the car to be pull up, admiring the tropical landscape, Phil turned to Kat and said “Babe, it would be AMAZING if they gave us a lime green one” and seconds later to our surprise, it just so happened to be LIME GREEN!! How did they know our favourite colour?!?! They also provided us two complimentary bottles of ice-cold water, which couldn’t have come at a better time.

Did you know they drive on the left on St. Croix?? Check out this link for some information on this strange island rule: Life in the Left Lane

Life in the Left Lane

There are MANY friendly reminders along the way to STAY LEFT. As you pick up your rental car, in the rental car, road signs as you depart the airport and several around the island. It definitely takes some adjusting and you’ll likely notice other visitors having a hard time as well. Phil finds the trickiest part to be when he completes turns, to not veer into the right hand lanes. Overall, he adjusts pretty quickly.

Prior to departing the airport, Phil asks the rental attendant where THEY THEMSELVES are going to eat lunch nearby and they suggest La Reine Chicken Shack. This is a pretty high profile joint (per Yelp and Google), not 10 minutes drive from the airport. So we “set our GPS” (more on that later) for some…

Local BBQ

As we roll up to the small, porch like restaurant, it becomes obvious this is a favourite stop for both locals and tourists. The cars in the parking lot are plentiful and the smoke is billowing from the chimney. Chicken Shack is half bar, half order counter. Strangely enough, they are famous for their chicken! We order a half chicken (to split) which comes with a healthy serving of seasoned rice, a side salad, and a serving of coleslaw. All for less than $15! A must stop for our ‘Things To Do in St Croix”.

It is DELICIOUS and hits the spot after several hours of traveling. We pair it with a ($3 can – best price we saw) Reef Life IPA from Leatherback Brewing, the only craft brewery on the island (see future post). Bellies full and ready to kick off our vacation, we make our way around the corner to the Captain Morgan Distillery.

To Life, Love & Loot

To our surprise, when we arrive, we find we are the only visitors and manage to secure our own private tour of the facility! The tour costs $10 per person and includes a short film introduction to the Captain’s history, and a behind the scenes ‘studio tour’ of the distillery. The quick and dirty story behind Captain [Henry] Morgan, is that he was a privateer of Welsh decent, who made his way to the Caribbean and ended up the Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. He bought up three large sugar plantations with the money he looted from other settlements. In 1944 he was adopted as the ‘mascot’ for the rum line produced by Seagram Company which was bought out by Diageo (a UK based spirit company) in 2001.

On the tour we learn about the tens of thousands of gallons of molasses (distilled from sugar cane which used to be the island’s main export) that they convert to rum during production.  And how they store the rum in barrels on island (you can check their website for process details). As a part of the Diageo Company (including Smirnoff, Baileys and Hennessy) Captain Morgan gets their rum aging barrels from the Johnnie Walker and Crown Royal Distillery. They only use the barrels a single time in the whiskey industry, making them the perfect vessel for rum.

Tasting Tavern

The tour finishes up in the ‘Tasting Tavern’. Here you can sample all of their rums (including the Parrot Bay line and some of their more exclusive, reserve rums) and they include a cocktail drink with the cost of your admission. Phil orders a “Washed Up” : Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan 100, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice, Orange Juice, Coconut Cream and Don Spice #4 (a cinnamon infused simple syrup), with a dash of nutmeg. Kat has the “Captain’s Tea Lemonade” : a combination of Captain Morgan’s Long Island Iced Tea and Parrot Bay Passion Fruit Rum. Both are thoroughly satisfying!

As the only two on the tour we have plenty of opportunities to chat up the guide and bartender. We ask for suggestions about local spots and even get a recommendation on where to go for  a Halloween costume contest (Day Two).   After closing down the distillery, we start heading towards our AirBnB accommodations in Concordia. And so begins our spiel about Google Maps and directions on the island…

Directional Orientation on St. Croix

Most mainland cell service providers offer service on St. Croix. You can make calls and use data while on the island. But be cautious, Google Maps is mostly inaccurate here. The poor location coverage combined with complete lack of signage are the perfect combination for getting lost on the island. If you are the type that rely heavily on GPS and Google Maps this will be a very challenging experience for you. Directions on the island consist mainly of landmarks and pulling over to ask local folks for directions (a lost art for sure!). It’s common to receive directions to take a left at the church (there are several), then right after the goat pasture. Then keep your eyes peeled for a little yellow sign that may or may not be there. Your destination is on the left.

You can use Google Maps to get yourself oriented but again, all is not as it appears. Some of the ‘main roads’ are grass covered and some of the ‘less than favourable paths’ are paved. So it’s always a good idea to cross check your directions. After a couple days, you should be relatively well oriented.

ST. CROIX TRAVEL TIP: if you plan to venture all the roads the island has to offer, we STRONGLY SUGGEST renting a vehicle with four-wheel drive and some ground clearance. Again, another awesome recommendation by our Airbnb host, so we rented a Jeep!

Onto our AirBnB

Enroute to our AirBnB, we came upon a grocery store and decided to pop in for a quick gander at what they carry and what the prices look like compared to back home. Being that St. Croix is an island, most mainland items need to be shipped here and come at a price. Your average box of Frosted Flakes is worth around $7 on St. Croix. Most produce is imported as well and also comes at a hefty price. We decided to wait and see if there were better options and got back into our car.

As avid GPS users, and after a couple wrongs turns, we made our way up, up, and up some more on a windy road into the Concordia region. We pulled into the neighbourhood and quickly realized why our host had recommended renting a vehicle with four wheel drive. The first half of the road was paved, but the second was both dirt and a solid decline towards the house we were staying at. As we rolled into the drive way, we instantly fell in love with the location. The front of the house overlooks the North shore towards the East and the South shore towards the West. The view was stunning to say the least and the perfect base to explore St Croix.

TRAVEL TIP: Given the spotty reception on the island, we highly recommend having screen shots of directions for locations you are trying to get to for better reference. We also strongly recommend making your way to your accommodations before dusk. Given the ease of getting lost with the lack of signage, it’s much easier to re-orient yourself in the daylight.

If AirBnBs aren’t your style, there are plenty of traditional hotels on St. Croix to pick form on the island as well.

Our Vacation Hub

We met with our host, the homeowner and AirBnB host (check out his listing here but hurry, the place is awesome and we are sure he will stay booked!!!). Our space was a small efficiency, perfect for the adventure seeking individual or couple. The location is nearly perfectly central to everything you could need to access on the island, and nearly equidistant to the East and West coasts. It is located on the island’s scenic route and holds some of the best views you’ll capture.  The studio comes equipped with a futon, a small kitchenette which includes a gas range, microwave, fridge, coffee maker and toaster, and a dining nook for two. The rental offers WIFI and a light breakfast, as well as your very own bottle of Cruzan Rum! A great welcome gift.

After chatting with Will, unpacking the car and getting our bearings, we headed into town. The closest ‘downtown’ to our rental is Christiansted. A street side sign claimed they serve BBQ (Phil is always a sucker for some BBQ). We ended up ordering the beef brisket and a couple beverages before calling it a night.

Stay tuned for “Things to do on St Croix: Day Two” and join us as we explore St Croix!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PART ABOUT THE FIRST DAY OF A VACATION?