How to Spend a Week in St. Croix in December
The US Virgin Island, Saint. Croix! Just a short plane ride from the East Coast of the United States. An absolutely beautiful destination…especially in the town of Christiansted.
The Island is full of rolling hills and mountains making it so unique compared to some of the other very flat islands of the Caribbean. Blue waters, white sandy beaches, rainforests, kind people, great energy and SO much to do! An Island where I felt very safe as a young woman at all times.
I spent a week here for a winter vacation and fell in love with this Island for countless reasons.
In this post, I will share with you everything you should know before you go! Where to stay, eat, explore, etc.
St. Croix is a lot of fun and should be on your list of places to visit! Let’s get into it!
How to Spend a Week in St. Croix in December
Where to stay
Stay at The Buccaneer Resort in Christiansted.
I can’t say enough good things about this place. The resort is huge, it has three private beaches and has a beautiful golf course on site with amazing views in every direction. It’s located in a great location on the Island. The staff are all so nice and helpful with any questions you have.
Be sure to ask about the history on the resort and check out the Sugar Mill. There are multiple restaurants on the resort, bars, a gym, tennis courts, basketball court, walking paths, live music, water sport rentals, and more. Something for everyone!
I saw people of all ages here and I would recommend this place to people of any age. The vibes overall here are great, a place I would definitely stay at again!
Also check out VRBO – there are vacation rentals all over the Island if you want something more private!
How to get to St. Croix
Fly into Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, it’s only about a half hour drive to The Buccaneer Resort.
If you are staying at the Buccaneer they can set up a car to pick you up when you arrive or you can get a rental car for your stay…do this! It’s so nice to have a rental for your vacation. Initially we didn’t rent a car but after being there a day or so we realized we wanted one. Luckily we were able to get one for the rest of our stay.
I recommend booking a rental ahead of time because they get rented fast! Olympic Rent-A-Car St. Croix are great, use them if you stay on the Eastern end of the Island. Driving on the Island of St. Croix was one of the most relaxed driving I’ve seen in the Caribbean so don’t be intimidated to drive.
Things to do in St. Croix
What to do on a winter getaway vacation for a week in St. Croix!? The options are endless…You can find something to do here all day everyday or you can just relax on the beach all week, whatever you want to make of it! If you like adventure and exploring this is a great place for you!
Relax on the beaches at the Buccaneer
These beaches at the Buccaneer are private so you have to be a guest to use them. This is nice because they don’t get too crowded with people from all over the island.
Mermaid Beach, Grotto Beach and Whistle Beach are the three at the resort. Mermaid Beach is the main Beach on the resort you see in these three pictures. Grotto Beach is a little more quiet, a great place to go relax. Whistle Beach is more of a secret Beach. I don’t think all the guests even knew about it because anytime we went we were the only ones there. I loved that beach, the water isn’t as calm but it’s so secluded and beautiful.
Snorkel Excursion & Buck Island National Reef Monument
An awesome way to spend half of a day! Buck Island is a “must see” while in St. Croix. Book this though Big Beards, they do a great job!
Located at the Christiansted Boardwalk just a quick drive from the Buccaneer. They have a full day or half day option, we did the half day and liked it a lot, you can do the morning or afternoon trip on the Adventure, a 42’ power catamaran.
They’ll pick you up right down on the Boardwalk and you’ll begin your day! The ride out alone on the Catamaran is so much fun.
First, you’ll arrive at Turtle Beach on Buck Island, this beach is voted to be one of the most beautiful in the world, it’s amazing…Here you can just relax on the beach or snorkel; the snorkeling here is so cool! Since Buck Island is a National Reef Monument this means the Monument protects a complete coral reef ecosystem and the habitat for several threatened and endangered species, beautiful coral reefs and bright colored fish! The Island is amazing and with nobody residing and no buildings I could see on Buck Island, the feel of it is very remote and so special.
After Turtle Beach, you’ll get back on the boat and arrive at a new snorkel destination exploring the underwater trail with a guide in small groups where you see dozens of unique fish and coral.
This was a highlight of the trip for sure! Very nice staff, good times on the boat, amazing fish, coral and a breath-taking new island to explore! An awesome time!
Golf 18 holes at the Buccaneer
The most beautiful golf course I’ve ever been to with stunning views of the Caribbean Coast.
A par 70 course, with ocean views from 13 holes. This course is challenging but very playable, I am not a big golfer but thought this would be fun and it was! The rounds here are great for all skill leveled golfers.
There is a dress code so be sure to pack a golf outfit with you or pick up a new one at the pro-shop! You can rent clubs and a cart at the pro-shop, don’t forget to call ahead to schedule your t-time!
Hike
There are dozens of hiking trails all over St. Croix. The rolling hills are full of little pathways that often lead to the ocean. You can spend everyday of your trip going on a different hike if you want, there are that many!
The Jack and Isaac Bay Preserve Trail offered a great hike with well marked trails, beautiful views and gives you access to a stunning secluded beach! We spent about two hours on this trail including spending some time on the beach.
Do this hike early because the weather gets very hot! Don’t forget to pack sunscreen and water and make sure to wear sneakers. Enjoy all the beauty this hike offers!
Search for seashells
St. Croix has beautiful seashells. These were just a few I found…The Island with the most cowrie shells I’ve ever seen.
Whistle Beach has beautiful shells, definitely check that beach out if you like to search. Grotto Beach has some as well as the beach on the Jack and Isaac Bay Preserve hike. Pretty much all beaches in St. Croix have cool shells, just some more than others!
The more secluded and secret beaches have the most and best! Don’t forget to bring a little bag to carry them in, you’ll find your hands will fill up pretty fast!
Adrenaline & Extreme Jet Ski Tour
The ultimate adventure excursion! Head to West End Water Sports on the other end of the Island located on Rainbow Beach about a 40 minute drive from the Buccaneer. The staff here are great. Make sure to book the adrenaline and extreme tour and not the regular jet ski rental and book at least 24 hours before you want to go.
With this tour you will have your own jet ski, nobody can be on it with you. You will head out to Sandy Point wildlife refuge and turtle nesting beach with your guide. Once you arrive, off shore you will see HUGE waves that you can jump with your jet ski! Your guide will teach you the best way to do this. What a rush! You can actually get big air like the picture above!
You’ll play in the waves a while then from there your guide then takes you to Ham’s Bluff, the ocean at this part of the Island is also full of big waves! You, your guide and your family and friends joining you will spend about an hour total out on the water jumping waves…it is so much fun. If you do fall off don’t worry- you have a lifejacket on and the guides are so good, they watch you closely and help you asap if you fall off. It is very safe.
Wear sunglasses for the ride out to the point, the salt is very strong on your eyes. This experience is something we’ll always talk about…it was such a blast, I had never done anything like this with any other jet ski rentals!
Visit Rainbow Beach
During your vacation, spend some time over at Rainbow Beach! The beach where West End Water Sports is located. We loved it here so much we came back a second time to hangout on this beach another day.
This is a public beach with a real locals vibe. Music playing, great energy, friendly people and not too busy! Beautiful blue water with plenty of room to spread out on the beach.
While here, check out Rhythms at Rainbow Beach located right next to West End Water Sports, you can’t miss it. An awesome place to get a drink and grab lunch!
Explore the Rainforest
We stumbled upon this while on the Frederiksted end of the Island on accident and ended up driving through the entire thing, it was beautiful!
So the St. Croix Rainforest isn’t technically a rainforest but it sure does feel like one… It’s privately owned but the owners allow people to drive through, hike and experience the beauty. The greenery is so dense, full of different unique ferns, trees, vines, birds, flowers and more.
To get here drive along Route 76 (Mahogany Rd.). You will see so much and have many opportunities to pull over, get out, walk around and explore deeper.
Visit the Christiansted Boardwalk & Downtown Christiansted
Located at 81 Queen Cross St, Christiansted, St Croix 00820, U.S. Virgin Islands you’ll arrive at the Boardwalk.
A fun, upbeat part of the Island with lots of restaurants, bars and shopping. We came down here for shopping and dinner. We often found places with live music and would hangout here at night.
Behind the Boardwalk is a cute downtown area with more shopping and restaurants. A fun place to walk around, meet some locals and get a feel for the culture. Definitely a part of St. Croix you want to check out! This is a very safe part of the Island. I felt safe as a young woman, even at night.
Drive around the Island
St. Croix is only 28 miles long and 7 miles wide so during your time here you’ll have time to checkout most of the Island. Pick up a map and make a day trip of driving around the Island!
Drive the coastline, check out different lookout points and beaches, get out at times and explore! Getting around the Island is very easy, you shouldn’t get lost.
There was never a part of the Island we visited where I didn’t feel safe, it was just cool to explore the entire thing!
Visit Point Udall
Located at Rte 82, St Croix 00820, U.S. Virgin Islands. Jump in your car and drive over to the most Eastern Point on the Island, Point Udall.
The significance of Point Udall is it’s known as the Eastern most point of the United States since St. Croix is apart of the USVI! When you arrive you’ll see a sundial known as the Millennium Monument.
You can drive in free of charge, park your car and walk around. It’s in a pretty remote area of the Island with really beautiful views.
Where to eat & drink
The Buccaneer has so many great options to eat at and we took advantage of this. I’m not usually someone who likes to eat at the resort multiple times on vacation but these restaurants were very good and fun to be at.
Have breakfast at The Terrace Restaurant in the mornings with amazing views. They do a huge buffet, it’s delicious…we had this every morning and were always so happy with the food. Check out Beauregard’s on the Beach for a casual lunch in your bathing suit or to grab a drink. Dinner at The Terrace is amazing…a little expensive but so delicious and beautiful setting. The Lounge is a great place to get a drink at, relax and listen to live music as well as they offer a lighter menu. The Mermaid was another place we liked to go for dinner, great food and the staff was awesome.
Other restaurants to checkout
- Nates Boathouse: Located on the Christiansted Boardwalk. Great place to get seafood with a fun environment!
- Rhythms at Rainbow Beach: A place I mentioned above, located at Rainbow Beach. Good food & drink with beautiful views.
- Shupe’s on the Boardwalk: Great restaurant to get dinner and drinks down on the Boardwalk. Lively place at night.
1 Week in St. Croix
One week in St. Croix is a great amount of time to escape reality (maybe a cold winter) and enjoy an amazing getaway in the USVI!
If you are interested in doing something everyday and want to see a lot of the Island, I recommend planning out your week on day one when you arrive in St. Croix. Your hotel can help you with booking excursions like snorkeling and the jet ski tour.
We liked to mostly plan out excursions/exploring for half the day then relax and hang out on the beach the other half. By doing this, we were able to do a lot in a week here.
St. Croix travel tips
- Everyone speaks English
- The locals are very friendly- don’y worry about venturing into unknown parts of the Island you will be fine
- Rainforest/jungle like climate- will be sunny then start pouring then sunny again so don’t be discouraged by the weather forecast
- Bring sunglasses the sun & salt water are very strong
- Driving is on the left but not aggressive like other islands
- A lot of Americans live here, more than any other Caribbean Island I’ve visited
- Very friendly locals- don’t be afraid to ask them questions
- Pack light clothing- the weather is humid and hot
- Don’t hike in sandals there are cacti prickles everywhere on hiking trails and paths
- Ask about the Crucian Hook Bracelet- a cool souvenir to get from the Island that has special meaning
- Traveling to St. Croix is moderately expensive but depending on where you stay and what you do will alter the cost
- One week is a perfect amount of time to visit!
St. Croix is the perfect island escape when you are looking for a warm getaway. Coming from the East Coast of the US? This is just a quick plane ride away.
I thought this Island was 10/10, a truly beautiful place with great vibes.
Have you been to St. Croix? What did you think of this fun island?
Let me know what you thought and if you aren’t already, follow me on Instagram!
sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! 🌞⛰️🌼🫶🏼🦋🌲📸🥾💛
2 Comments
simplyjolayne
Heading into the winter months, this sounds perfect.
sierra
Yes! St. Croix is the perfect island escape for the winter time. 😊🌸🏝️