Welcome to Turtles Rest condo, located right on the Caribbean Sea with all the amenities of home. Fully renovated by new owners in 2019, it has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, with the upstairs bedroom also functioning as a family room with a 65" Smart TV, PS-4, Atari, WII, DVD player, and lots of fun games and things to do when spending time out of the sun. Close to 2 grocery stores & the main road from Christiansted to Fredericksted. On site pool & restaurant & You can snorkel right from our beach.
St Croix is a wonderful island with so many things to enjoy, see, taste and experience. Each month a local guide to St. Croix is published and you can pick these up when you de-plane at the airport. We also suggest you pick up a pocket map and other brochures that they will have on the stands when walking to get you luggage at the airport.
The other thing that is a must do is to stop by the Cruzan Rum Factory booth and sample a shot of our famous Cruzan Rum. It's a great little taste of what is to come on your island vacation.
The other must do is visit this link, it's the best way to see what the island has to offer and what is happening during your stay on the island.
The island has everything you will need during your stay. Here is some of the things you will need to know about:
Map of St. Croix - It's not a big island, but a map is still an important thing to have. Here is a link that may help, but make sure to pick up a map as well. Cell Service is spotty and GPS does not always work.
KEEP LEFT WHEN DRIVING
Probably one thing that most of us from the U.S. have never done and is driven on the left hand side of the road. It can be a challenge at first, but just remember to keep your left shoulder closest to the side of the road, opposite of home for most of us. The hardest thing to remember is when you are taking a right, to go one lane past where you normally turn. Just remember to keep it in the left hand lane. Also don't turn right on red, but you can turn left on red at most intersections. We use Budget Rent-a-Car when on island. If you have a frequent flyer card, like an American Airlines card, you can really cash in on some extra points. The cars have always been clean and well cared for.
Grocery Stores
Cost you Less - Much like a Sams Club or BJ's without the membership requirements
Pueblo East - A grocery store located very close to the condominium, but you will still need a car to get there. This is your typical grocery store, good produce and fruit, a decent meat selection and stock all of your regular items like paper goods, staples, canned goods, cheese and meats, the regular stuff in any grocery store. They tend to be less expensive than some of the other grocery stores on the island. This is one of the best places to stock up on wine, beer and liquor at good prices.
Foodtown - A smaller grocery store, a little bit more expensive than Pueblo, but has a great bakery, meat selection, and beer and wine specials. The closest grocery to the condo.
Plaza West and Plaza East - These are very nice grocery stores with a large selection of almost anything you could want or need. We find the one on the way to Frederiksted (Plaza West) to have the best prices for groceries on the island and it is our go to for most of our grocery needs. They have a wonderful meat market and selection so if you want a good steak, go here.
Seaside Market - A specialty grocery store, just east of Christiansted, with a huge wine selection and a great meat selection as well as Deli. They are much more expensive than the other places you can shop on the island, but their quality is very good.
Quality - A good place to get meat and produce as well as other staples.
Places To Eat
There are great restaurants all over the island. Here are a list of just a few, don't forget to pick up the dining guide when you deplane, it has a very thorough list and will help you decide. They also have a map of where everything is located.
Some of our favorites would include:40 Strand - Higher end, absolutely wonderful food
Kim's - Very good. Give yourself some is cooked to order
Blue Water Terrace - Nice views of the sea and good food, a little pricey, but good
Brew STX - Good food, if you get chicken wings, toss the bones into the sea and here come the Tarpon Fish, they are huge and love the bones
Maria's Mexican - Good food and Taco Tuesdays are good
Paradise Grill - Great food, outdoor seating only, great prices and staff
Tap Deck Bar and Billiards - In Frederiksted and one of the best places to have a drink and watch the sunset. Located close to Rainbow Beach which has great sunsets, but here you can have a drink eat some great food and also walk the cruise ship pier. The food is amazing and the drinks are very very good, she makes all her own mixes and they are outstanding.
Blues BBQ - More than BBQ, probably one of the best burgers on the island. They have live music most nights and it's a great community place to gather. Great Blue Margarita
Double D's - Great place and they have Kobe Burgers. They have daily drink and food specials and we found it rather inexpensive for more of a dining experience and they have an indoor area that is air conditioned, which makes it nice if you don't want to sit outside in the courtyard.
Rhythms at Rainbow Beach - Full bar and restaurant. Great place to watch the sunset and also has a nice beach. You can rent jet ski's right next door.
Other Shopping
Fun This To Do
Here are a few of our favorites
Norma's Beer Drinking Pig - A must see
Crab Races - You can "rent" a hermit crab for the race, it costs $2 or $3 and it's so much fun to watch. They have these at a couple of places in St. Croix, we usually go to the Boardwalk on Monday's, which is the closest to the condo. It's fun, Google Crab Races in St. Croix to see more.
All Day Tour to Buck Island - Big Beards is our favorite and we love Capt. Mike Hocker, he is so much fun. The all day trip is the one to take and they provide lessons to snorkel and all the gear plus all you can drink rum punch and lunch. Good for all ages.
Cruzan Rum Tour - A great experience and at the end of the tour, you can sample the different kinds of rum and even get some for the trip home. Great souvenirs and information, lots of fun.
RJS Jewelry - Located on Strand Street, a great local jewelry store and the place to get the famous "Hook Bracelets" as well as other designs.
Sea Glass Hunting - Before Maria, the sea glass was much more prevalent on the beaches. We like to go out past Rainbow Beach and look for glass. For best results, look for a rocky beach.
Sandy Point Park - A beautiful beach and a great place to sunbath. You will see places where the Turtles nest and they are all numbered. It is closed from mid March until September because the turtles are nesting, but if you go in February or the first part of March, you may see turtles.
Horseback Riding - The Cruzan Cowgirls as well as others are available. A great time for all. Cruzan Cowgirls is located at Rainbow Beach in Frederiksted
Point Udal - A must see, but be ready to get up really early. Located on the east side, it's the eastern point in the United States and it's breathtakingly beautiful. Even has a beach you can walk to but it's not a walk that's easy, all downhill, but worth the trip.
Divi Casino - The only full service casino on the island. They have slots and table games plus the bar makes one of the best margaritas on this island and drinks are free as long as your playing.
Deep End Bar & Grill - A great bar and brill right on Cane Bay and it's so beautiful there. Some of the best diving in the world is at Cane Bay and the Deep End Bar and Grill has really good pub food. They also have Bingo on Tuesday Nights and it can really pay off if you win the last game "cover all". When we were there the price was over $1700 in cash.
Thomas Bakery - So good and located close to Sunny Isle. A must have is their Butter Bread and Coconut Drops.
Mill Harbour Pool - Our condominium complex has a beautiful fresh water pool and it has a 10' end as well as the shallow end for the kids. It's located right on property and the Coral Sea Restaurant is right there, so getting something to eat and drink is easy.
St. Croix Leap - Located on the west end, it's in the middle of the Mahogany Forest and a wonderful experience. They are not always open, but they have some beautiful items made from mahogany. It's a working woodshop/mill.
Play Follow the Road - This is our way of telling you to "Go Explore The Island" One of the things we enjoy the most is playing "Follow the Road". Make sure you don't get onto a 4 wheel drive road as it will tear up your rental car, but you need to go see this special island and stop at all of the places that are so beautiful it will take your breath away.
Since the condo has a fully equipped kitchen, you may want to try out some Cruzan Recipes as well as mix up some Cruzan Rum Drinks. Once you book your stay we will email you these 2 PDF files.
We hope this helps start your visit to St. Croix.
We are always available to help if you have questions.
Bob and Susan
