As part of the US Virgin Islands St. Thomas is only a 2 hour plane ride from Miami and can be a quick weekend trip to just get away for a few days. We booked our trip last minute finding a deal using Google Flights, the best way to find your next travel deal!
Getting to St. Thomas
Since this is a US territory there are quite a few airlines that fly into St. Thomas from MIA or FLL. You can easily find a deal on Spirit, American Airlines or even Delta. Our flight for the weekend cost US$188 round trip, and yes that included taxes! If you are a US Citizen you can travel here on your driver’s license, no visa or passport required. However, you will need a passport if you plan to pop over to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for the day.
Where to Stay
I’ve seen quite a few flight deals to St. Thomas over the last few months but there was always one road block preventing me from visiting, hotel prices! I finally managed to find an ocean front condo on Sapphire Beach through Expedia for US$120 a night (prices vary based on dates), a steal compared to the average hotel charging US$300 minimum.
This studio apartment is a great option for couples and small families, had a great view of the marina, kitchen and was a 5 minute walk from Sapphire beach one of the best places to go snorkeling. It was also centrally located near the town of RedHook where you’ll find a few restaurants, shops, bars and a grocery. A 5 minute walk to the main road makes it convenient to catch the local Safari bus or grab a Taxi.
How to get around
Like I mentioned, St. Thomas is expensive and taxi rides are no exception. We were hoping to find Uber but this was not available. When you exit the airport you’ll be asked where you are going and the taxi drivers will shuffle you into a bus with other passengers going in your direction. The ride from the airport to RedHook cost US$11 per person and US$4 for each bag. Yes, they charge your bag for riding in the trunk! Prices for taxis are set, you can check out how much your ride will be here.
Getting to and from RedHook was easy using the Safari bus. This is an open air bus used by tourist and locals and cost US$2 for a ride into town. Great concept to help tourist and locals get around! You shouldn’t have to wait more than 10-15 minutes for a Safari bus. The only downside is that they only go in one direction. That means we could only catch the bus going into town and had to take a taxi back up which was double the price at US$4.
On our second day of the trip we were lucky to meet Blyden he was friendly, knowledgeable, reasonably priced and can tell you everything you’d want to know about the USVI. Born and raised in St. Thomas, he took us around for half a day showing us all the main sites (Mountain Top, Lookout points) and beaches. You can call him to book a tour or airport transfer at 340-998-6436.
Things To Do
Rent a car and beach hop
There are so many amazing beaches in St. Thomas you just can’t see them all in one day! The best thing to do is rent a car and take your time during your stay checking them out on your own. You can easily spot the sparkly white sand from the roadside, be sure to pack your snorkel gear, beach chair and umbrella. The condo we rented did have some of these items readily available. Some beaches will charge you US$5 to enter like Maya Bay, these typically have restrooms, a beach bar and a few other facilities.
One of our favorite beaches of the trip was Secret Harbor Beach, just a few minutes from RedHook. The beach can get a bit crowded from the hotel but you can still enjoy your time at Sunset Grill Bar and grab a bite to eat for lunch. The bay itself is beautiful with crystal clear water as far as you can see.
The most popular car to rent here is a Jeep Wrangler at about US$110 a day. We tried to find something more economical (the roads don’t require an SUV) but this just seemed impossible. In the end we didn’t rent a car and just used Taxi’s, the Safari bus or walked.
Take the ferry to St. John
One of the coolest things about St. Thomas is being able to island hop! Getting to St. John is just a 20 minute ferry ride from the Redhook port. Tickets cost US$17 round trip and can be purchased at the dock.
The boat is a double decker with the downstairs portion being enclosed, I recommend sitting up top to take in the beauty of this ride, there’s nothing better than ocean views and island breeze! If you are prone to getting sea sick be sure to take Dramamine before getting on the ferry, the boat can sway a bit.
If you do decide to rent a car there is also a car ferry with a more limited schedule. This is a great way to explore all the beaches in St. John, voted the best in the world!
Our favorite stop was at Trunk Bay, bring snacks, drinks and towels when visiting, renting or buying any of this is expensive. A drink at the bar was US$16! The Safari bus from the port to this beach will cost US$6 each.
Go solo on the ferry
This was one of the things that I really wanted to do, we actually stayed an extra night just to go to the British Virgin Islands (BVI)! Unfortunately, once we arrived we realized that many of the tours were no longer operating and the ferry service over to Tortola was limited post hurricane, check the most recent schedule before planning your trip .
Take an organized tour to BVI
You can take a group tour on Bad Kitty with about 35 people for US$230 including a US$75 port tax to enter BVI. The tour includes lunch and will take you to the Baths on Virgin Gorda, Spanish Town, Norman Island and Jost Van Dyke and back to St. Thomas. Be prepared to be out there for an entire day the tour starts at 7am and returns just before 6pm. Pack sunscreen, towels, snacks, some cash, change of clothes and take Dramamine before you get on the boat if you tend to get sea sick.
Be your own captain
Don’t want to get on a boat with a group of people? You can also rent a boat for the day and split the cost with 6 people for US$600. You have the option to hire a captain or drive the boat yourself (with proper credentials of course), if only we had friends to do this with! I’m really not a fan of large boat tours or anything where I’m with a large group of people, we really prefer a more private, intimate experience.
Go Shopping
Now normally shopping isn’t on my list of things to do, I rarely shop when traveling, this can easily add $$$ to your trip but if you’re in the market for a fancy watch (time to cop that Rolley you’ve been dreaming about) or jewelry, this is the place to look! You’ll not only get everything tax free but deals well below prices you normally see in the US.
Where to Eat
The small town of RedHook didn’t have too many options for dining but we did find a few places that we enjoyed.
Tap & Still is an indoor/outdoor bar serving some of the best burgers we’ve ever had, once again Yelp did not fail us! Your burger is served in a brown paper bag, no cutlery, no plates, you literally have to rip open the bag and eat it right there. All part of the tavern style eating experience. This is also one of the cheaper places to eat with burgers starting at US$6.
Island Style Pub is on the second floor of the marina and is another affordable place to eat and grab a drink with delicious pizza and even better views of the bay. The atmosphere was a bit strange with old school rock and roll playing but this is certainly part of the St. Thomas experience. There seem to be quite a few Americans from Michigan and other states who have migrated down here, don’t be surprised to find more out of state Americans working at the bars than people who were born and raised here.
Even though this was a budget trip we still wanted to splurge on a nice romantic dinner and found just that at Mirador in the Pointe Pleasant hotel. Not only are the views here incredible, the service is wonderful and the food is delicious. Get the lobster bisque and fried bake with truffle butter, they are simply divine. This was the best and most expensive meal we had on the trip but worth it.
Overall we really enjoyed our little 3 day getaway to St. Thomas, it was also really nice to see how the island has quickly recovered from Hurricane Maria in 2017. As usual, I wish I had prepared and researched a bit more to make it to BVI but so it goes. See more of my adventure by following me on Instagram and checking out my Stories!
