St Croix: The Seemingly Forgotten US Virgin Island

One of the two giant pigs was catching a can of root beer thrown at him and crushing it with its teeth before gulping down the liquid as a second monster pig was clamoring impatiently at the fence for his beer. The scene was horrifically surreal. I was standing at a pigpen that is part of a bar hidden amongst massive trees in the midst of a rainforest on the island of St Croix. To me, the use of these beer-guzzling pigs as “entertainment” was rather disgusting, but it was a long tradition enjoyed mainly by local patrons as well as tourists at the jungle bar, illustriously named Mt. Pellier Domino Club. 

A non-stop Delta flight from Atlanta brought us to the island’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. Nowadays, empty seats on a plane seem to be a rarity, but our aircraft was carrying about half its capacity. American Airlines, United and Spirit flights were still scheduled to arrive after us and must also have been carrying light loads because we saw very few tourists. We walked down the stairs from the aircraft onto the tarmac and into the large airport building, out through the front and to the left to a big open hall where our luggage was supposed to be delivered. While waiting, I collected our rental SUV from a friendly lady dressed in her Sunday best, who reminded me, very courteously, to drive on the left side of the road.

When we had collected our one suitcase and were driving towards the town of Frederiksted, I realized that nobody had asked us for identity papers at the airport although we seemed to be at the other end of the world and driving on the wrong side of the road. As the island is part of the United States, one does not need a passport to travel there, but since the territory is operated as a tax-free port, customs agents do control goods going in and out and when flying back home, one needs an identity card, driver’s license, or Global Entry Card before departing. If one uses Global Entry, unlike anywhere in the United States, as far as I know, the actual card is required as officials do not have the equipment for facial identification. 

Arriving at our small “Cottages by the Sea,” the stunning deep blue waters of the Caribbean Sea greeted us directly in front of the rooms that were to be our home for the next week. It is one of the oldest hotels on the island since it opened back in 1949. The 28 cottages here are mostly like small apartments with fully equipped kitchens and dining areas inside and out, stretching along the coastline. Every unit is different. Some are on the first and some on the second floor right at the beachfront and some sit behind the first row and are bordered by tropical gardens.

With continuous ongoing renovations the management team works hard to keep everything in good working order yet maintaining the old-coastal charm. The location on the beach is superb and is a paradise for snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing and a variety of other water sports. 

Nice basic accommodation that, according to the friendly staff, sees the same guests return year after year. Sand Castle is the only other property next door and the only other one on the oceanfront towards Frederiksted, about a mile walk away along the beach. On weekends, the locals come out for a day on the beach that stretches from the two hotels towards town. They set up barbeques for grilling, play steel drum music, and swim in the sparkling blue waters where small schools of fish are constantly darting around the swimmers.

I am told the hotels and the few restaurants in town get busier in the winter, but during our summer stay, it was probably one of the most relaxing and quiet vacation venues one can find at this time of mass tourism almost anywhere. Apparently, the only time the town opens up during the summer is when one of the few cruise ships docks here at the partially new pier that is still under construction after two major hurricanes in 2017. During our stay, “Polly’s At The Pier” was one of the few lively eateries in Frederiksted.

St Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands at twenty-two by seven miles. The island has an extremely colorful, tumultuous history of many wars and endless major hurricanes. At the time of Columbus, the native Kalinago Indigenous inhabitants were virtually decimated, yet the Spanish left without establishing a colony. 

In 1917 the United States purchased the US Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million dollars in gold coin. Until that year, leadership constantly changed from Spanish to Dutch to French, back to Spanish and eventually Danish. 

After 85% of the buildings were destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the US Army had to come in to restore order and Maria in 2017 was the second hurricane in one year that produced winds of 150 to 250 miles per hour, destroying everything again. Much of the island’s population of some 50,000 souls seems stoic about life here and repairs, as well as new construction, is a way of life. And there seems to be no end to the misery. Last November, President Biden declared a State of Emergency because water supplies over the whole island have dangerously high levels of copper and lead making it undrinkable. 

Hovensa LLC operated the refinery on the island since 1998, after it had originally been built around 1960 by the Hess company. Heating oil and gas was sold to the Gulf States. At the time, it was the largest employer on the island. After numerous violations, fines, reopening, and finally closing again in 2021, the facility stands idle and is only an eyesore.

Today, the biggest industry on St Croix is tourism, mostly Americans enjoying the pristine beaches and crystal-clear sea. Earlier this year, the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism had a goal of bringing 140,000 visitors here in 2023. It is left to be seen if such a figure will be realized, especially considering the latest water issues. 

Today, the few inhabitants of the island originate from all over the world, and the population consists of Afro-Caribbean, White, Indian, Spanish, Asian, American and Arab. 

Prices for goods and services are, on average, reputably 20% higher than in the US mainland but they seemed even higher in my estimation. Poverty on the islands stands at a rate of 40.6 %, and that is virtually no change from ten years ago. 

That said, in general the people are extremely friendly and welcoming. So much so there even is a sign on the beach to advertise the safe swimming waters of the Caribbean Sea. The islanders are considerate and give the obvious tourist drivers a wide berth on the roads, offering priority and directions most everywhere. It is not unusual to have a car stop coming from the opposite direction on a major road to let you turn in front of traffic. I found the food at restaurants often quite good once I got over the shock of high pricing for simple menu items. One of our favorites was open air and very casual Louie and Nacho’s Beach Bar in Frederiksted and situated at the water’s edge. 

We turned a roughly two-and-a-half-hour hike in the rainforest into rough hiking through muddy and rocky trails offering four hours of spectacular sea views from the top of the ridges. The sea here was bordered by a pebble beach backed by rock formations at the edge of the hilly rainforest terrain. 

We ended at the earlier mentioned Mt. Pellier Hut Domino Club and the disconcerting attraction of the monster pigs.

Out of curiosity, we drove to the other side of the island on a typical rainy summer day to the city of Christiansted. The name, like Frederiksted, is left over from the days of Danish rule. It indeed offers a wider spectrum of restaurants and shops, definitely more tourists and even modern chain-type hotels and a new casino outside town. We even had to drive around the block to find parking. 

It was a relief to eventually return to our Cottages-by-the-Sea where time seems to have stopped, and we could relax with one of the many choices of the famous Cruzan Rum that originated here on the island and was the only libation very reasonably priced.