Island Visitor
Senior Insider
As a service to all, here is my quick rundown of St Croix:
In the years since JEK, Hurricane Miker and Andy left St Croix, it has grown a nice little community of mainlanders (Continentals as they are called), divers, sportsfishers and triathletes. Indeed the St Croix half ironman is considered the best qualifying race in the world for the super bowl of ironmen competition in Hawaii and as such draws many of the best athletes in the world.
St Croix has a late sixties/early seventies Beachtown feel to it with a little mix of Fort Lauderdale thrown in. At the golf courses (Buccaneer and Carambola, former Fountain Valley of dubious memory) you will see ageing fellows betting skins with their buddies. At the various watering holes downtown you will see Continentals, creoles, locals, yachties, pirates, rasta, younguns living out a buffetoid youth and people just looking to make their way in a beach town.
The vibe is very casual, very american. And while there is clearly danger on the island in the wrong areas, you just dont feel it in Csted or on the East End. Indeed, most of the islanders very much want you to have a good time.
As opposed to some islands, the locals are very friendly but do not have a servile attitude. I believe this has occurred because of the slow and halting development of St Croix. To date, the island has never been taken from them by The Man and they still feel that it is theirs. Because of that, there is a tremendous local pride in people who are warm, gracious and welcoming. The fact that people choose specifically to visit the island also goes a long way in making those on the island treat you as true honored guests, not just part of a horde that was disgorged from a ship
In the years since JEK, Hurricane Miker and Andy left St Croix, it has grown a nice little community of mainlanders (Continentals as they are called), divers, sportsfishers and triathletes. Indeed the St Croix half ironman is considered the best qualifying race in the world for the super bowl of ironmen competition in Hawaii and as such draws many of the best athletes in the world.
St Croix has a late sixties/early seventies Beachtown feel to it with a little mix of Fort Lauderdale thrown in. At the golf courses (Buccaneer and Carambola, former Fountain Valley of dubious memory) you will see ageing fellows betting skins with their buddies. At the various watering holes downtown you will see Continentals, creoles, locals, yachties, pirates, rasta, younguns living out a buffetoid youth and people just looking to make their way in a beach town.
The vibe is very casual, very american. And while there is clearly danger on the island in the wrong areas, you just dont feel it in Csted or on the East End. Indeed, most of the islanders very much want you to have a good time.
As opposed to some islands, the locals are very friendly but do not have a servile attitude. I believe this has occurred because of the slow and halting development of St Croix. To date, the island has never been taken from them by The Man and they still feel that it is theirs. Because of that, there is a tremendous local pride in people who are warm, gracious and welcoming. The fact that people choose specifically to visit the island also goes a long way in making those on the island treat you as true honored guests, not just part of a horde that was disgorged from a ship
