St Thomas, USVI (doing business in….) by John Pasmore
As a part of what we do at VoyageTV we get to some pretty compelling places. I mean we go where tourist are drawn to and we try to find the stories that make those places special. (Pictured: Dive boat out from Red Hook Dive Center)
First things first was the business presentation, which went well. Great. We want to put great video of the destination on the VoyageTV platform so anyone thinking about getting to the destination knows what to expect from both the property they’re staying with as well as the destination overall. That’s what we do. That’s work and it’s generally pretty cool when one considers all the things that work might be.
And when work is over it’s time to not work. St. Thomas is ideal for not working. There are great beaches, great food, great wine, great diving, great hosts and beautiful vistas. Reality check moment — now in almost every destination, when you step out of a Caribbean resort it’s going to be pretty apparent how blessed we are in the States and how much we usually take that for granted.
That said, I honestly can’t always wrestle those issues and headed for what was described as one of the best restaurant for locals:
RESTAURANTS
Craig and Sally’s — I would go here every week if I lived in St. Thomas. It’s an upscale, gourmet version of Cheer’s where everyone will know your name, and beer is replaced with vino. Nice. Maybe not the place for local locals, peas and rice local, but locals like the lawyers and professionals who work to keep the St. Thomas train on its tracks. Fantastic spot nestled in a neighborhood called Frenchtown.
And yes, I went to Grand Cru restaurant in Yacht Haven Grand, and even had a ginger ale at Fat Turtle. Back in Frenchtown, I stopped in at Oceana which is amazingly gorgeous, but I was here on business and flying solo could skip the gorgeous sunset. Highly recommended even if solo.
HOTELS
Ok, in two days we stopped at every major hotel on the island. It’s hard to rank hotels in that everyone has a particular style and that can change depending on whether you’re looking to party or relax. Anyway, I stayed at the Windward Passage hotel which is ideal for business. Great staff, centrally located, walking distance to my favorite restaurant Craig & Sally’s, delivered on the best driver in the destination (Henry, email me for his number), that said, it’s not on the beach, though provides comp transport to the beach — perfect for me, but here’s the general list without elaboration (from what I saw):
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort (special mention here — if you’re looking for that Jimmy Buffet, kick back on the beach, don’t need marble dining room type-of-spot then this is great. Pre-marriage this would likely be first choice, but that’s just me — and not to say that you, your wife and kids wouldn’t enjoy this — all I’m saying is MY wife might not)
Secret Harbor (stopped in — looked great — didn’t see the whole property and wow website looks fantastic)
Sapphire Beach Resort – hmmm…
DIVING
So this was a business trip that I extended by a day to squeeze in a dive. Red Hook Dive Center gets a five star rating — or check them on Facebook. Just wonderful staff on the boat — really professional and funny and just good dive pro’s.
So that’s it. Go. Hear St. Johns and St. Croix are great in their respective ways. Lots of sailing options and they’re all part of the United States. They’re our spot in the Caribbean.
