For me, traveling somewhere warm and sunny in January is essential. I enjoy the change of seasons that living in Kentucky offers but I find winter especially challenging in the latter half of the season. November and December are filled with family get-togethers and holiday festivities, but by the time January rolls around I find myself needing a little shot of sunshine to carry me through the rest of winter.
This January's trip included lots of anticipated sunshine as my husband Scott, and I headed to Florida to see the state's three national parks (Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas). If you've been following me on social media then you know I'm working on visiting all of the US National Parks, and that journey continues in 2025. While planning this trip, it occurred to me that it might be cost effective to fly from Florida to St Thomas and once my suspicion was confirmed, adding Virgin Islands National Park to our itinerary was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. I love cheap airfare and the $100 roundtrip non-stop ticket from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to St Thomas (STT) was too attractive not to snatch up, even if it meant flying on Spirit Airlines. In all fairness, I'd never actually flown on Spirit Airlines, but I did book a previous trip that I cancelled due to multiple flight changes initiated by the airline prior to departure. This was in late 2023 when Spirit Airlines was receiving bad press, and everyone seemed to have a story about being left stranded by the airline because of a missed connection. Hedging our bet and if everything fell apart, I knew we could fall back on plans to continue exploring Florida in our Class B camper van that I would be driving down and ahead of Scott flying in to meet me.
So, I booked the tickets and with seat charges we only paid $124 per person (all-in), quite the deal. Since this was a short trip and only one leg of our entire vacation, we opted to travel with just a personal item and not pay additional money for a carry-on or to check luggage. Over the years we've learned how to travel with less and it certainly has its advantages, one of them being the ability to leverage cheap flights and budget airlines for more travel. I'll cover the advantages and disadvantages of traveling this way in a future blog post. If you're not subscribed to receive updates when new content is published, you should do so before leaving this site, so you don't miss out. But back to Spirit Airlines...this trip reminded me that second chances can sometimes turn into something really good. Spirit offered on-time flights, a courteous crew, and an overall hassle-free experience; so much so, that I've already scooped up another deal for later this year. I do feel like I need to test that my recent experience wasn't an anomaly, so it's also a direct flight. Wink.
We spent 3 nights and 4 days on the island and although we didn't have an opportunity to see everything, we got a good feel for what the island has to offer. Vacations with short stays and multiple destinations is typically how I roll so it was plenty of time for a first visit. Plus, I’m not someone who's relaxing poolside for days on end, even if that pool is in the Virgin Islands. I like to explore the places I visit, and I often find myself trying to imagine what it might be like to live there. There is no better way to achieve that experience than by talking with locals and exploring off resort and outside the tourist areas. So, although Virgin Islands National Park on St John was the reason for our visit, I also wanted to explore St Thomas given we were staying at a resort on the island and using it as home base. I may post in more detail about Virgin Islands National Park and St John in a future post, but if you'd like some high-level information, you can use the social media links on this site to connect with me on Facebook where I recently posted some details and photos from that part of the trip.
I can't offer advice on visiting St Croix, but I can tell you that when deciding between St John and St Thomas, you'll find St Thomas to have more cost-effective accommodations. Utilizing the ferry makes for an easy and efficient way to explore St John and Virgin Islands National Park while still benefitting from the cost savings of staying on St Thomas. There's also a difference in the vibe of St Thomas and St John; it's like night and day. St John really spoke to my soul as ~60% of the island is the national park which remains undeveloped, wild, and beautiful. However, St Thomas offers its own charm with lots of activities, a more vibrant nightlife, and loads of amenities. After researching popular beaches, ferry location, and other amenities I determined that the east side of St Thomas seemed to hold most of what we wanted to see during our visit. Given that this side of the island also has the most popular beaches you'll find it slightly more expensive in comparison to other areas but worth a little extra dough in my opinion.
Speaking of dough. I've been traveling primarily by camper van for the last several years and enjoy paying little to no money for lodging, in what are safe but sometimes questionable parking spots, so Margaritaville Vacation Club provided us with a good balance between location and cost. I booked a king studio suite through Airbnb for $275 a night, taxes and fees included, which is considerably less than some of the popular hotels in the area. The suite was perfectly situated adjacent to the pool, beach, bar, and restaurant. We were happy and would recommend Margaritaville Vacation Club to others but there are a few things to take into consideration prior to booking a stay here. First, there is a hillside and lower section of the resort. Buildings 1-7 are on the lower portion of the resort and are situated near all of the resort amenities. Buildings 8-14 are on the hillside area which may present issues for anyone with mobility challenges. The resort has golf carts to take guests to their hillside rooms, but I suspect these could be in high demand when the resort is at capacity. Staying on the hillside does have some benefits, the better of two pools is located on the hillside and it offers a swim-up bar and fantastic views. Second, the resort offers free parking which offsets the $25 a day resort fee it charges all guests. Factor in this additional fee that is disclosed but not added to the Airbnb booking, it's collected by the resort at checkout. In respect to gratuity, it's important to be aware that all meals and drinks served on property are subject to an automatic 18% gratuity. Shout out to Erin, the bartender at the poolside bar, who we ordered food and drinks from when we arrived and then over tipped without awareness of the included gratuity. She stopped us prior to leaving to confirm we were aware of the gratuity that had been applied to the total bill. We were encouraged by her, and we found it pleasurable to leave a little extra cash with her in recognition of her honesty. Finally, and probably most importantly, if you desire a great swimming beach this isn't the place to stay. Sitting on the beach in the evening watching the grey pelicans dive and scoop up their dinner is fun, but the beach wouldn't be my go-to spot for a day of bobbing in the water. Good news is that if you're looking for picturesque beaches you don't have to look far. From Margaritaville Vacation Club you can reach the best beaches on St
Thomas in a handful of miles or less.
Coki Beach .5 miles (best snorkeling)
Linquist Beach 1.1 miles (a local favorite)
Sapphire Beach 1.9 miles
Magens Bay Beach (northside) 5.1 miles
After spending our first day at the resort poolside, go figure, we set out to explore the island by car. We took a drive up to Drake's Seat for the view and after seeing Magens Bay Beach below, I knew there wasn't anywhere else I wanted to spend the day. We entered the beach park around 10:00 am and paid $7 per person and an additional $2 for parking. If you're active-duty military or a veteran, ask about a discount on entry. We set up a spot on the righthand side of the beach and brought along a low-profile beach tent for added sunshade. You can find similar tents online for ~$35 and they fit nicely in a backpack. We listened to countless people walking by chatting about their regret for not bringing one. Renting chairs, umbrellas, and snorkeling gear can really add to the overall cost of your stay, and I like to look for ways to reduce these expenses. One particular note about the righthand side of Magens Bay Beach, there's a slight ledge when entering the water but it steps right back up to waist high level, says the short person! When exiting the water, you get a quick little thigh workout, but nonetheless we found that side of the beach charming for the seclusion it offered. If you're looking for a white sand beach, exquisite water, and a nice little beachside bar and cafe then this is a place you should visit. It's worth noting that regardless of the beach you're visiting, checking the port schedule can help with planning. A simple search for the St Thomas cruise ship port schedule will return information by day on which cruise lines are docking and the expected number of passengers. Try to plan with this schedule in mind to avoid overcrowded beaches.
A conversation that inevitably comes up when researching information for planning a trip to the US Virgin Islands is whether to rent a car or use taxis to get around the island. If you like to explore, rent a car and it doesn't need to be a Jeep, unless you like driving a Jeep; we navigated the roads fine in the little Nissan Versa we rented. Keep in mind that although you drive on the opposite side of the road in St Thomas, the steering wheel is still on the lefthand side of the vehicle. This is different from other countries where you're required to drive on the lefthand side of the road. This shouldn't cause concern but should prompt you to take a little more time and caution when making left turns and navigating busy intersections. Taxis can provide a good option for those that don't want to be bothered with driving or when looking to avoid the hassle of finding parking in popular and busy areas.
If you rent a vehicle, take a drive up to Drake's Seat and Mountain Top for the views. Mountain Top is a great location for picking up reasonably priced souvenirs and you absolutely should have a banana daiquiri from the bar in the back of the store. The banana daquiri is said to have originated at Mountain Top and from someone who doesn't typically care for banana flavored drinks, I'd get my own next time! We stopped at Drake's Seat again for a few more pictures on our way back down the mountain and while there struck up a conversation with a local named Roger. Roger has lived on the island for over 35 years and loved sharing his knowledge of the island's history while indulging in his afternoon cigar. Scott spent quite a while talking with Roger after learning he's a fellow musician. He entertained Scott with stories of playing music with some guy named Robert Zimmerman. If you know who that is?
In summary, the beaches of St Thomas are nothing short of breathtaking, but underneath the hustle and bustle of the city center also lies a culturally diverse people of African, Carribean, and European descent. So, while lounging on the beaches during the day and taking in music filled nights, also tune your ear to the Virgin Islands Creole spoken by some and appreciate the customs and traditions woven into everyday life. The people add to the greater appeal of the island. A local said to me, "people don’t live on the island because it’s easy, they live here because they love the island and her lifestyle". With this in mind, enjoy your vacation, embrace the slower rhythms of island life, drink a Bushwacker (or two), but all while remembering this is a place that is deeply loved by the people that call it home, and it should be treated as such.
Wishing you happy travel planning and countless adventures.
Bridget
Great description of this beautiful destination.