Travel Here: St Thomas US Virgin Islands

Headed to St Thomas US Virgin Islands? Here’s what you’re gonna wanna visit while you’re there…

One week ago, exactly, we arrived back home from our trip to St Thomas. It’s so weird that it’s only been a week though – Jeff and I were talking over the weekend about how it felt like so long ago already.

So, before I start to forget all the little details, here are some St Thomas USVI spots that we really loved, for anyone that may be interested in a Caribbean vacation.

St Thomas US Virgin Islands

For those that don’t know, the Virgin Islands are split into a British side and a US side. 

We stayed on the US side, but we also took a day trip over to the British side, which you can find here: British Virgin Islands.

What is the best time of year to visit St Thomas?

I’ve seen many people say the best time to visit St Thomas is between December and February.

That said, we went in May and it seemed like a great time to go. But there was the possibility of bad weather while we there (which didn’t end up happening). More on that later.

What is the cheapest month to visit St Thomas?

Hurricane season is the cheapest time of year to visit St Thomas.

More specifically though, these 3 months are the usually cheapest:

• August
• September
• October

Naturally, this means that there is a chance you’ll have bad weather while you’re there if you go during one of these cheaper months.

But if you want to take the chance, you can find good deals on hotels and flights during this time of year. 

What’s the weather like in USVI?

I think it’s worth noting that the weather can be unpredictable in USVI. At least, in my experience it was.

As we got closer and closer to the day that we would be flying out for our trip, the weather forecast became a big ol’ bummer. We were there in May.

Thunderstorms, rain, and cloudy days the entire time we were going to be there was what was predicted. And actually, we were so nervous about it, we almost cancelled our trip.

It was a pretty pricey vacation and we didn’t want to spend all that money to sit in a hotel room.

After thinking it over (and over and over), we decided to take a chance though, since we had heard that the weather is a bit unpredictable.

And I am SO glad we did. The weather ended up being beautiful pretty much the entire time we were there.

It didn’t rain once! So much for an accurate weather forecast, huh?

So, definitely keep that in mind if you’re planning a trip. I’m pretty certain that most of the Caribbean is like this.

Do you need a passport to go to St. Thomas US Virgin Islands?

If you are a US citizen, you do not need a passport to visit. All you need is a government-issued photo ID.

That said, if you want to travel to the British side of the islands (BVI), you’ll still want to bring your passport. You need it to travel to BVI, even if you’re just visiting for the day.

What currency does St. Thomas use?

The currency in St Thomas USVI is US dollars. So it was a total breeze. Didn’t have to worry about exchanging foreign currency.

Should I rent a car in St Thomas?

I would highly recommend renting a car.

As long as you feel comfortable driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, definitely do this.

It was so nice to have the freedom to go wherever we wanted at a moments notice, and not have to pay for a cab every time.

Plus, it made the whole trip feel like more of an adventure.

Where to go in St Thomas

Lindquist Beach

The first beach we checked out was Lindquist Beach, which was only about a ten minute drive from our hotel.

AND one of the top rated beaches in St Thomas as well. It was amazing! You can see a little part of it in the photo above (and also the cover photo of this post).

We ended up going there three times in one week because we loved it so much.

What is so great about Lindquist Beach?

There are a couple of reason why Lindquist is one of my favorite beach in all of St Thomas.

1. There were hardly any people there every time that we went. This could be different, depending on the time of year. But we were there in May and this beach was not busy at all.
2. Second, the water is that turquoise-y color that dreams are made of. Crystal clear and very calm waters too. I would have thought I was swimming in a pool, if it weren’t for the sand. Truly a beautiful beach and one of the stops I think I’ll remember most from our trip.

What part of the island is Lindquist Beach located?

It’s on the east end of St Thomas. It’s a short drive from Red Hook and is right off Smith Bay Road.

Is Lindquist Beach free?

There’s a small fee to enter the beach and there is a parking area as well.

I believe it was somewhere around $5 per person, plus parking. Parking was another couple of dollars. 

Definitely worth the money, in my opinion!

Anything else to know before you go?

The only other thing I can think to mention is… There are no bars or restaurants on the beach. Something to keep in mind.

But they do have showers and bathrooms, which is nice to have.

Charlotte Amalie

After a couple of days at the beach (and the pool), we spent the day in Charlotte Amalie.

We ate at a little restaurant called Greengos Caribbean Cantina. The chicken tacos are delicious!

And then we walked around taking pictures of all the colorful walls.

There were a ton of jewelry stores there, if you like that sort of thing, and a few historic sites too.

Where to Stay + Eat

We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton, which as you can probably guess, was kinda fancy. Everyone was so, so nice and the hotel grounds were really pretty.

It wasn’t a cool boutique hotel, obviously, but there aren’t a ton of choices in St Thomas. At least not when we were going to be there.

The only negative I would say about The Ritz is that the food selection wasn’t the greatest. Maybe it’s improved since we were there though.

We ended up driving to Red Hook for lunch and dinner most of the time.

XO Bistro was my favorite place to eat for lunch. It’s kind of a hole in the wall place (their website makes it look much fancier than it is), but their goat cheese salad was so, so good.

And finally…the sweets! I don’t know about you, but a vacation that I’m involved in would not be complete without satisfying my sweet tooth.

It was really hot, so we opted for ice cream most of the time.

And definitely had our fill. In cone and sandwich form. I don’t discriminate.

That’s it for part one of our Caribbean vacation to St Thomas USVI. 

Part 2 of this travel guide is now up as well. You can read all about St John, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, and more right here.

And if you have any questions about our trip, let me know. I’m happy to answer.

Looking for more beach inspiration?

• What to pack for a beach trip – including all the things I brought for this trip to St Thomas, specifically.
• I’ve taken two trips to Turks and Caicos. The one I linked here and…
• a trip to grand turks turks and caicos islands. Very different trips from one another, but both so much fun. 
• A quick trip to Catalina Island Dominican Republic – which was charming (cute boats) and beautiful.
   
   
• And speaking of charming, Harbour Island Bahamas was absolutely that! It’s in North Eleuthera and we stayed with friends in a really cute bungalow.
• Have you ever thought about visiting Grenada? We loved it and I talked all about all inclusive resorts grenada.
• Miami is always a fun trip, if you’re looking for a beach getaway that’s still in the states (with great nightlife).
• And last but not least, some Palm Springs vacation inspiration.