Archive for the ‘Tourism’ Category

Snorkling Tips for St. Thomas USVI

Posted by IslandJohn on January 27, 2011  |   No Comments »

Snorkeling around St. Thomas opens up an entire new world as you can view many wonderful reefs and rock formations all around the island. The marine life and beautiful coral are a sight to see that you will enjoy as you relax and float along watching the antics under the sea.

Snorkeling is one of the easiest watersports that anyone will enjoy. You only need a mask, snorkel, fins and the ability to float on the surface to watch the magnificent marine life below the surface. There are many wonderful places on St. Thomas where snorkeling is excellent. The waters are clear which gives you better visibility and clarity. Snorkeling can be done along many beaches and shore lines or there are also boat trips available where you can visit some of the coral reefs in the area. You will find different charters available that will take you out on ½ day or full day excursion to a few unique snorkeling areas.

Some of the most favorite spots for snorkeling at St. Thomas include Coki Beach, Secret Harbor, and Sapphire Beach.

Coki Beach is located right beside the Coral World Marine Park and is a wonderful place for snorkeling. The waters are very calm and the rocky shore and reef area are awesome to see up close. You will enjoy snorkeling and then love relaxing on the beach while partaking of the snacks from the beach shack and food van. The Coki Beach Dive Club is also located on this beach. They have snorkeling gear available for rent and also lessons for snorkeling and scuba diving. For more information on the Coki Beach Dive Club you can visit their website at http://www.cokidive.com/.

Secret Harbor is located on the quiet East End of St. Thomas away from the busy downtown area.

The waters at Secret Harbor are just right for swimming and snorkeling. Snorkeling is best along the rocky coastline on the right side of the bay. For your convenience, there is a unique restaurant and beach bar on the right side of the beach. You can enjoy a picnic, swimming, snorkeling and the Caribbean sun on this wonderful beach.

Sapphire Beach can be found on the east end of St. Thomas only 8 miles from Cyril E. King airport and just 30 minutes away from Charlotte Amalie. There are many watersports activities available at this beautiful beach. There is a watersports booth that offers equipment for wind surfing, kayaks, jet skis and parasailing. So, as you can tell this is a very busy beach. But, if you enjoy snorkeling, you will love the shallow reefs on the right side of the beach. This is the quiet end of the beach and is wonderful for viewing the marine life under the sea. This beach is also home to a beach bar, restaurant, and hotel.

There are several wonderful and unique locations throughout the Virgin Islands for snorkeling. You can find that many charters offer boat trips to the various protected areas all around the Virgin Islands from St. Thomas that you will enjoy visiting.

Disney Cruise Lines has a wonderful snorkeling adventure that departs from St. Thomas. You will board the 115 foot Leylon Sneed and cruise to Trunk Bay which is located in St. John. You will love the wonderful sights in this protected area of St. John National Park. The snorkeling adventure will last for about an hour where you will view all the magnificent marine life and beautiful colors that this area has to offer. The colorful fish and coral are a sight to see. The entire journey will last around 4 to 4 ½ hours. Prices are $45.00 for anyone 10 years old or older and $32.00 for children age 5 to 9. For more information about this unique adventure you can visit their website at http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/disneycruiseline/index?id=DCLRoot.

Snorkeling is a great activity that the entire family will enjoy. Be sure to bring along your underwater camera, so you can capture all the awesome photos to take back home. This is one vacation that you are sure to remember, the magnificent sights under the sea are a wonder to behold and the images will last a lifetime in your memory and on your photos

Living on a Caribbean island is truly the stuff of dreams

Posted by IslandJohn on January 23, 2011  |   No Comments »

Tell someone you live on a Caribbean island and their first response is a longing sigh, immediately followed by the words, “Oh, that must be paradise.”

Having lived on St. Thomas for several years, all I can do is smile gently at those misguided fools. They have no idea.

Living on a tropical Caribbean island is truly the stuff of dreams, provided, of course, that those dreams include nightmarish scenes filled with every kind of six-legged critter imaginable along with a healthy dose of reptiles, amphibians and people-eating plants thrown in just to round out the dreamscape.

It’s a jungle out there. Right out there. Directly beyond my front door, as a matter of fact, it’s a jungle. It’s also a jungle on the other side of my office window, peeking around my back deck and, if I don’t act quickly, working it’s way through my bedroom window as well.

There are varieties of grass in what poses as my backyard that have been known to swallow entire goats and were once seen attempting to organize a labor union. Apparently, it’s hard work swallowing goats and the grass wanted to be sure that each blade got it’s proper due.

Completely encompassing my front yard is a rubber plant that could swallow an entire tire factory. It may have. I don’t want to ask. I’m afraid of it.

Horrible Shrieking Things

All of these plants harbor tree frogs whose combined calls can effectively drown out the loudest action epic television has to offer. The frogs, or the horrible shrieking things as we like to call them, have stationed themselves outside our bedroom window and often lull us to sleep with their piercing mating calls.

Who knew it would be possible to detect the call and response pattern of a hot-to-trot tree frog couple while wearing earplugs and jamming two pillows over your head? Thank goodness the tree frogs only get going at night. It would be horrible if they shrieked all day long when there were other noises to drown out their love songs.

Funny how the travel brochures fail to mention that the tropics are so, well, tropical. Hot, muggy and bursting at the seams with insects, frogs and lizards. Outside is only part of the problem. These critters have figured out how to get inside too.

Residents of My Bathroom

A recent non-scientific census of the residents of my bathroom yielded 43 mosquitoes, two spiders – apparently members of the non-mosquito-eating variety, one lizard, part of a giant moth, two mystery bugs and one cat with a moth-eating grin on her face.

It’s the mosquitoes that are driving me mad. Those tiny, blood-sucking monsters are pushing me over the edge. Tropical mosquitoes differ from North American mosquitoes in that they are impervious to bug spray, wily enough to penetrate a mosquito net and absolutely ravenous all of the time.

I spend a large portion of my day actively engaged in killing mosquitoes. It’s not a pretty hobby and, as far as I can tell, not terribly effective. I’ve taken to wearing cloves of garlic around my neck in an attempt to ward off the blood-sucking hordes.

It’s had no effect on the mosquitoes although I haven’t seen a full-sized vampire in weeks and my husband, the pizza lover, has been terribly affectionate of late so I suppose the garlic has had some positive effects.

Our writer Lyssa Graham is a true island girl. She’ll live anywhere as long as it’s completely surrounded by water, flooded with sunshine and way, way, way off the beaten path.

Weather and Climate

Posted by IslandJohn on January 16, 2011  |   No Comments »

St. Thomas has the perfect summer weather year round with temperature that range from 73 degrees Fahrenheit to around 89 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool Caribbean breeze off the ocean keep the beaches cool all the time, but inland it can be just a tad cooler or warmer without the breeze.

The Virgin Islands including St. Thomas does not receive much rain, but when the occasional rain shower does come it is usually welcome to give a cool shower and a break from the hot Caribbean sun. The most rain is during the months of May, August, September, November and October. These are tropical rain showers and usually only last a few minutes, not even enough time to get off the beach. But, yes, St. Thomas is the path of hurricanes during hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th with the highest occurrences of storms in August and September. But, with the weather technology today you will always be able to keep up with the weather and know if there are any tropical storms in the area. The islanders do not wait around for the hurricane to hit; they get prepared well in advance to protect their homes, businesses and personal belongings.

If you love snorkeling or scuba diving, then the best time to visit St. Thomas when the water are calmer and clearer would be during the months between April and August. But, you must also remember that the busiest tourist season is from December to May. If you come during these months, everyone will be enjoying the various water sports that are available in St. Thomas.

Water temperature does change in St. Thomas from summer to winter but you will not really notice the change much. During the summer the average water temperature stays around 83 degrees Fahrenheit, while in the winter the water temperature will drop to around 79 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you want a tropical summer vacation anytime during the year, then you should visit St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Caribbean Cruises

Posted by IslandJohn on January 16, 2011  |   No Comments »

Imagine a place where you can swim year-round in warm turquoise waters, explore tropical rainforests, dive the world’s second largest barrier reef, climb extinct volcanoes, shop duty free at open air markets and quaint specialty stores, and experience Dutch, South American, North American, British, French, African, and West Indian cultures. This place has towering mountains and stunning waterfalls, exotic animals and unique plant life. You can visit historic sugar plantations and rum distilleries, military forts, churches and other outstanding manmade landmarks, as well as caves, waterfalls, natural bridges, and other creations of Mother Nature. You can do all of this and more, or you can do nothing but laze in a hammock and soak up the sun. All this is possible in the Caribbean, perhaps the most exciting and culturally diverse area in the world.