White sand beaches and lush rainforests set the scene for tropical bliss in St. Croix.
If you ever get the chance to travel to St. Croix, Virgin Islands, go! We traveled there in March of 2025. We had never been there before, but we thoroughly enjoyed the island vibe. The people are friendly and courteous. The island is beautiful with crystal clear water and warm island breezes. MAP OF ST. CROIX, VI
A few interesting facts about St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Language in St. Croix is English
St Croix has two major cities, Frederiksted and Christiansted. They are only about 10-15 miles apart. Frederiksted being on the west end of the island and Christiansted on the north-east part of the island. The Queen Mary Expressway runs between the two cities.
St Croix's origins are Danish, but I like the fact that I didn't need to learn a new language to visit this island. Pretty much everyone speaks English. In fact, there are many who have moved permanently to the island from the U.S. They've come to love the island life and plan to stay.
No Taxes in St. Croix
St. Croix doesn't charge taxes. It is a U.S. protectorate, so there are no taxes. I don't want to kid you, the prices of everything is very. We went to buy groceries for the time we would be staying, and everything was about 3 or 4 times what we pay in the U.S. A can of Campbell's soup was $4.99. A box of cookies was $8.00. There is no exchange rate, so the prices are in American dollars. But, you have to consider from how far away they have to import from.
Driving on the Left-hand Side
One thing that is unusual about St. Croix is that everyone drives on the left-hand side, with the steering wheel on the left, which can be hard to get used to. This is true especially for right-hand turns. Stop signs are on the left also. The nice thing is that the people are very friendly and patient, since they know tourists aren't used to driving that way.
Alexander Hamilton and St. Croix
The Grange Estate
We enjoyed touring the house where Alexander Hamilton lived before he came to the U.S. His mother's grave is located on the property, as well as some of her children. If you have ever seen the play or movie entitled "Hamilton" it would be of special interest to you to learn more of the history of Alexander Hamilton and his mother.
The Grange Estate was one of the earliest sugar Plantations on the island. It was originally built in the early 1700's. In the past, 80% of slave babies were born there in the little hospital behind the greathouse. Hamilton’s mother was married on St. Croix at Estate Grange at the age of 16 to a much older (40 years old) and cruel husband, John Michael Lavien, who owned a small sugar plantation. Lavien had Rachel put in the prison at the fort for 3 months before he divorced her for not being a good wife.
After five years of marriage and the bearing of one son to Lavien, Rachel left him after leaving the prison, when she was 21 and moved back to the island of Nevis with her mother to her old home. There she met James Hamilton, and the two fell in love and moved to St. Kitts to live together. Since times were financially bad in parts of the Caribbean, James Hamilton found it hard to make a living for his family and was sent to St. Croix. Rachel came with him, bringing their two sons. After some months, Hamilton returned to the British islands and Rachel and her sons stayed on St. Croix with relatives.
The Grange Estate can be rented out for events like weddings or corporate events. You can learn more about that here.
Sugar Plantations
On the north side of the greathouse, stands the original plantation bell which was cast in 1761 in Amsterdam. The property also houses a monument in memory of Danish soldiers who died there during an outbreak of yellow fever in 1886 when the Estate Grange was used as a convalescent home for those stricken at the Christiansted barracks. Alexander Hamilton and his mother caught Yellow Fever. While his mother died from Yellow Fever at the Grange, Alexander survived. The people on the island took up a collection to send him to the U.S. to attend college when he was 17 years old.
Snorkeling Paradise
While we were in St. Croix, we opted out of going to Buck Island, which is a 176-acre island surrounded by a stunning (and well-protected) coral reef ecosystem. We wanted a relaxing, no schedule beach vacation. Just about anywhere you go around the island has a beach. We found a beach in Fredericksted at Dorsch Beach that turned out to be our favorite. The water is calm and there are shade trees where you can set up your lawn chair or lay out your beach blanket for the day. Under the shade of the trees, you can feel the cool breezes blowing and you wouldn't even know the temperature is in the 80's. The water is calm and you can do some snorkeling just a few feet off the beach. We loved just floating around watching the fish swim in and out of the rocks off the beach.
If you would like a nice relaxing place to stay in Christiansted, check out the Long Reef Condominiums. They have very reasonable prices for a studio apartment including WiFi, A/C and a wonderful shared pool. When we weren't at the beach, we were cooling off in the refreshing pool.
Feel free to ask any questions about St. Croix in the comments below or Contact Me. We loved our time there and hope to visit again sometime in the future!
