Paradise Found: US Virgin Islands
I want to start off by saying that my itch to travel somewhere tropical has been SO real this year (as it must be for many of you too) and I couldn’t be happier to kick off summer with a trip to the US Virgins!! After such a taxing year on multiple fronts, being able to lounge and relax somewhere in warm humid better was truly blissful!
Traveling to USVI with COVID safety measures:
Apart from being vaccinated, with COVID there were several guidelines we had to follow o enter and travel around USVI.
1) You must show results of a PCR test within 5 days of departure. This has to be uploaded to the USVI government portal as well as onto the airline portal (varies by airline). I traveled on United - with the united app you can upload your test results for review & approval. The approval was instant for me.
For the USVI government portal, once you upload the full test results and fill out the questionnaire, you will receive a QR code via email that needs to be presented upon arrival in USVI. You should receive approval within 24-48 hours.
2) The island is VERY strict about masks so everywhere we went we made sure we were masked up. Even on the ferry.
3) You don’t need a second PCR test to go back to the US
4) FAQ - If you’re a US Citizen or Permanent Resident, you don’t need a passport to get into USVI but if you want to travel to British Virgin Islands, you will need a passport. I think on the way back the security guy at customs told me I should’ve brought my passport (with global entry) because its faster to get through security that way. (THE LINE WAS SO LONG OTHERWISE)
Hotel & Lodging
1) We chose to stay at an Airbnb that was on the “residential” side of St Thomas but there are a few hotels on the island. Our Airbnb was next to the Lime Tree Resort by Club Wyndham - which worked out perfectly because we were able to enjoy their beach, restaurants and use that as a pick up + drop off point for taxis.
Our Air BnB - linked here!
2) There are a few other properties on the island such as the Marriott Frenchman’s Cove which was a beautiful property with an amazing view of the island and surrounding hilltops. If you are able to find a hotel at the Marriott, I highly recommend it. The only downside could be the limited beach space if you’re wanting that over the pool scene.
3) If you’re looking to stay somewhere different, I would suggest looking at lodging options on St John - especially if you’re traveling with a group. They had a lot of cool houses out there but I think there is only ONE Westin on the island of St. John.
Restaurants & Bars:
(I’d recommend making reservations for the places you want to check out before hand (some locations do not offer reservations & it is first come first serve. In that case, depending on the size of your group, ask if bar seating is available.)
I underestimated how much I would enjoy the food on the island. Sometimes when I go on vacation to tropical destinations, I expect like basic neo American and maybe some seafood flairs but to my surprise, USVI was filled with amazing restaurants!
The Easterly - we went here night one and it was an amazing choice! Innovative craft cocktails and wood-fired cuisine representative of the rustic Caribbean, there was a variety of tapas plates to choose from. We booked this place through the website itself. Decor gave off Hampton Social (Chicago) meets Tulum Vibes. I recommend getting the Lamb Shank, Fire Roasted Chicken and Farro Risotto! They were delicious and savory. What I wasn’t too keen on were the prawns, the tasted pretty standard. For dessert, we went with baked banana bread skillet and tiramisu. Hit the spot for sure.
Pesce Italian - the second night we were in mood for some italian and had heard a lot about this restaurant in the Red Hook neighborhood. It was pretty packed so we knew we had been guided in the right direction. From the appetizers to the main plates, everything was so so good and flavorful! I enjoyed the calamari, bruschetta, meatballs and Caprese (I got that as the main dish and it was a v large salad). We sat at the bar so we had first hand access to the bartender which was fun! He was super nice and made some delicious mixed shots for us throughout dinner! We wrapped up a 3 hour dinner with the chocolate cake and a plate of tiramisu and BOYYYYY that chocolate cake…man, I still dream about it.
Joe’s Rum Hut - ON ST JOHN - located right on the beach and down the street from the ferry dock, this was a great spot to wrap up a long day on the beach! We chilled outside, ordered various plates of finger food and enjoyed some tropical cocktails as the sun set!
High Tide - ON ST JOHN - this is also located in the shopping/ferry dock part of town (down the street from Joe’s Rum Hut & other restaurants). It was a decent brunch spot, good to grab something before starting off the day! I think the drink deals were pretty clutch and served as a solid pregame for the beach. We were able to put our name down and the wait was only 15 or so minutes! I think everyone liked their food. I wasn’t a fan of the huevos rancheros but I did enjoy the pancakes!
The Lanai - The Lanai was located in the Lime Tree Resort right by our Air BnB and ended up being so convenient! We went there for brunch, early dinner and dinner during the course of our stay! Food was good and I loved the patio set up. You got the best view of the property’s beach along with great food. I’d recommend the salmon lettuce wraps as well as the Peanut Butter Jelly French Toast! The Tacos were good too :) No reservation required.
Restaurants we didn’t get to check out but wish we had!
The Long Board - A sister property to the Easterly on St John, this place had the longest line to just put a name down!!! The theme was similar and I heard they had great seafood options. Def put your name down before dinner and walk around…or go for lunch?
Bistro XO - a casual wine bar with dining. This was another one that I believe required reservations!
Things to Do:
So I’d say there is a lot to do when visiting USVI but our group was looking to relax a bit more and just play catch up since we hadn’t properly seen each other in a while. Apart from the regular water activities - parasailing, jet skis, boat rentals. Here are a few suggestions of things people had told us about and a few we did:
1) Magen’s Bay Beach - Visited this spot on our last day and it was so chill! Granted we went on the Monday of Memorial Day but it was a really nice beach with a great beach bar and a lovely view! Definitely order the Banana Colada with Baileys! So yum!
2) Cinnamon Beach - This beach is a fun one to spend several hours at! IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL! Literally felt like we were in the Phi Phi Islands or Maldives! We visited on our first day on St John and realized we were not prepared - people had coolers and snacks and were propped up for a majority of the day! Just a friendly heads up - don’t bring glass to the beach or take it in the water.
3) Trunk Bay - SO IN LOVE WITH TRUNK BAY!!! Now this is a beach with resources and a beach you can easily spend a whole day at if you like to lounge like we do! We went there around 3pm after Cinnamon Beach (the taxi situation was quite easy as they are only a few minutes apart). What I liked about trunk is that they not only had bathrooms/changing rooms/showers but also a mini food stand for snacks (nachos, ice cream, sandwiches etc) or along with a full serving bar for all the tropical drinks you could possibly enjoy! We loved this beach so much we went back the next day (with cooler + Food). Bring your snorkeling gear - you can snorkel in the shallow waters and see some cool fish!
4) Hiking St John National Park - A majority of St John is a national park, which is super cool if you are into hiking and catching some great views during your visit! I’d recommend a morning hike as it does get fairly humid and hot by late morning!
5) Sunset Cruise - This is something we wanted to do but everything was booked. We were debating between a booze cruise at sunset or getting our own catamaran but given that it was memorial day weekend, things were already at max capacity! Definitely plan in advance for activities as such.
How to travel around:
We traveled by taxi for 100% of the trip which means we had to withdraw a lot of cash but thats the main mode of transportation for tourists. Unfortunately they do not have uber and we were not comfortable getting a rental car because people drive on the opposite side of the road, its super hilly and there aren’t proper street lights & stop signals….AKA let the local taxis drive you. Make sure you ask your rental property or hotel for taxi information. You can catch the safari taxi’s from Red Hook or St John to get around the island. We took the open safari taxi from red hook back to our Air BnB several times!
There are hourly ferry rides from St Thomas to St John which only takes like 20 minutes. You can buy the tickets online or in person and wearing a mask is required on the ferry. The last ferry leaves from St John around 10pm if I remember correctly!
Closing Thoughts on USVI
Would I go back? 100% ! I had always heard about the Virgin Islands but didn’t know how beautiful it would be ! The beaches were exquisite and so clean and I had a new found appreciation for the Saints! From the food to the water activities and overall just enjoying a relaxing time, I had a blast and would be so down to go to USVI again!
I hope you found this recap and travel guide helpful! If you have any questions please comment below or message me on Instagram :)
