A beautiful sunset on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

St. Thomas

Ft. Christian National Landmark (oldest standing structure in USVI)

St. Croix

Ft. Christiansted National Historic Site, St. Croix

St. Croix Landmarks Society’s Alexander Hamilton page

St. John

Buck Island Reef National Monument, US Virgin Islands

U.S. Virgin Islands Tours

On St. Croix, Mark stayed at the Carambola Beach Resort & Spa, which is now under Marriott’s Renaissance Hotels brand.

U.S. Virgin Islands Lodging

The US Virgin Islands are served by two international airports. American Airlines is the dominant carrier there with direct flights from four US locations, but others, including Delta, United, JetBlue, and Spirit, have made attempts to grab more of the market in recent years. Here is a complete list of the five airlines serving international passengers as well as eight airlines serving only inter-island passengers.

Cyril E. King Airport (STT) is the international airport on St. Thomas and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) serves St. Croix. For access to St. John, visitors are encouraged to fly into St. Thomas and then ferry to St. John.

Major cruise lines have service to all three islands. VInow.com has a complete schedule of the destinations, ships, and number of passengers on each vessel.

As a US territory, American citizens traveling to the US Virgin Islands do not need to bring a passport.

US dollars are the currency on the island and as widely accepted as in the continental United States. Foreign visitors will need a passport to enter the US territory.

If American citizens wish to travel to the nearby British Virgin Islands (BVI), they will need to bring a passport to enter British territory.

The four main islands in BVI are: Tortola, the largest and the capital; Virgin Gorda, nicknamed “Fat Virgin” by Christopher Columbus; Anegada, “the only coral island in the Virgin Islands’ volcanic chain,” the government says; and Jost Van Dyke, the smallest of the islands and named after a Dutch pirate.

While driving in USVI, cell phone use is prohibited without an earpiece.

A boy bicycling along teh pier in Christiansted, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands sponsored a Centennial Commemoration promotion for all of 2017.

To celebrate 100 years of being a United States territory, the VI Tourism Department paired with hotels across the islands to give visitors $300 in spending credits for historical/cultural tours and activities through 2017. Visitors were eligible for the $300 when they stay a minimum of three nights at a hotel listed on the Tourism Department’s Visit USVI website. Booking code is CP1 or CP17.

For 2018, the British Virgin Islands has launched its own promotion: $50.00 USD credits per guest with the purchase of an “I Love Anegada” package to visit the only limestone island in the BVI — and a free night’s stay. Guests will stay for four nights, but stay for only three, and get the $50 credit on round-trip transfers by ferry or air between Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. Offer valid for stays through April 15, 2018 when using booking code ANGW18.

For more in-depth—and often candid—travel advice when visiting the US VIRGIN ISLANDS, consider LONELY PLANET’S US AND BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS guide on Amazon.com.