Posts Tagged ‘sea’

Getting Married On St Croix

Friday, April 16th, 2010

St Croix, in the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean has been a popular honeymoon location for newly wed couples for decades, because the weather there is sunny all year round and you can enjoy any number of wonderful vacation activities together.

Things to do include hiking, exploring, taking tours, horse riding, water sports like diving or sailing or just and lying in the sun. However, in the past few years, it has also become very popular to travel to St Croix for the actual wedding ceremony itself, not just for the honeymoon. However, there are both advantages and disadvantages to getting married abroad.

First, you have to think about who you want to have there at your wedding. St Croix is regulated by American law, so you will be required to have a certain number of witnesses. You can use local volunteers but you may not be able to envisage your wedding without your family or your best friends being there.

It is worth remembering that every guest you want to be at your wedding will have to be flown to the island and in many cases, the guests will not be able to afford this trip themselves, which means that you will have to pay for all or at least some of the cost of the flight and the stay. If you cannot do this, it may not be possible for you to have everyone present at your wedding ceremony that you would wish. The cost of a Caribbean wedding on St Croix is a distinct disadvantage.

Bear in mind also that you will almost certainly be spending your honeymoon wherever you hold the wedding and although it may be nice to have friends and family around you for the wedding, you might wish they would disappear for the honeymoon.

However, your guests may want to take a vacation while they are in the Virgin Islands, so if you want some time to yourselves, book them into a package holiday deal which will keep them occupied in order to give you some time to yourselves. Try to make a block booking and ask for a big discount.

However, one of the main advantages is that you are already in the location where you will be honeymooning. Travel is stressful and tiring, although St Croix, USVI is less than 1,300 miles from Florida, so being on the spot for your honeymoon will save you all that.

Not only that though, your wedding will be an even more unforgettable event because an idyllic beach setting with a sunset background is really very moving. Most couples adore the island scenery, so a Caribbean wedding in St Croix may be just right for you.

When planning your marriage in St Croix, remember that the US Virgin Islands are a legal part of the USA, so US laws and marriage laws apply there. You also do not need a passport to go to St Croix, although you are allowed $1,600 worth of duty free goods per person per 30 days. This can make up quite a saving.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Vacation Property

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

If you are thinking of buying a vacation rental property, there are two things that you can eventually do with it. Some purchasers of vacation rental property intend to live in it most of the year round themselves and others aim to rent it out for most of the year. There is no doubt that vacation rental property can present an outstanding income stream.

However, there is a vast difference between vacation property rental and residential property rental. This has to do with the fact that holiday makers are not necessarily looking for the same amenities in a vacation rental property as they are in a home.

One thing that does affect the desirability of both vacation rental property and residential property is location. However, a good residential property for a young family may need to be close to schools and other amenities and for older people being near a school is more like a hassle.

Similarly with vacation rental property, you have to know your target market. You have to discover the answer to the question: why do people come to this location? And then buy a vacation rental property that matches the highest volume profile.

In this way, you will never be short of tenants and you will be sure of high rents too. For example, some people might go to the Caribbean island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands for the diving opportunities it presents while others may want to explore the tropical rain forests. However, younger travelers might not want to go far from the only largish town on the island, Christiansted, so that they can take part in any nightlife happening.

One thing that everyone requires is security. The person who hires your vacation rental property will want to feel safe. That is secure from falling masonry and rickety stairs and secure from burglars. That means that your property should be well lit both internally and externally and have well-made doors and locks. Windows should be lockable too.

It is a good idea to provide a kitchen like the one a family would normally expect at home. So, an American kitchen with American style appliances for American families, if they are the people you are trying to attract. Again, you will have to research the typical visitors to where you want to buy a vacation rental property. A younger family may eat in at night, an older one may never eat in at all. The kitchen should be well-equipped, furniture should be comfortable and recreational equipment should be provided too.

A lot of people like to take their dogs with them, so you might want to think about making the vacation rental property friendly for pet owners. If the furniture is robust, massive oak or something like that, dogs will not be able to damage it easily. Plastered walls without wall covering and tiled floors are also conducive to having animals in the house. This is a definitely growing niche market for vacation rental properties

And last but not least, bear in mind that people like to be able to keep in touch when they are away from their loved ones, so Internet access is a growing necessity too. People can VOIP, so a phone is not so imperative these days. If you bear these points in mind, you can have a profitable vacation rental property where you can holiday free too.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Honeymoon On St Croix

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

After your wedding day, your honeymoon is one of the most memorable times of your life and so must surely count as one of best holidays you will ever have. It is the beginning of a new life with the person you love. As such it is a good reason to visit somewhere you have always wanted to go, somewhere very special.

One of the most popular places for people to go to on a honeymoon is St Croix, The US Virgin Islands, in the Caribbean.

The Caribbean is the first choice for many newly weds for several reasons: the romance, the people are happy and welcoming, the sand, sea and sunshine, the food and the music. St Croix in the US Virgin Islands is one of the most well-liked destinations in the Caribbean islands.

St Croix has beautiful beaches and that perfect tropical climate that is so appropriate for a wonderful honeymoon. The hotels and the island’s inhabitants love to take care of newly weds and go out of their way to make sure that the honeymooners have the time of their lives – a holiday that they will remember affectionately for ever.

Expense is always a factor when one is planning a honeymoon in the Caribbean, but you need not be too worried on that front. A honeymoon on St Croix need not be expensive and as it is only 1,300 miles from the USA, so travel costs and travel time are low.

You will not have trouble finding somewhere on the island to fit your desires. However, St Croix is a popular honeymoon destination, especially for Americans, so it is worth booking your honeymoon holiday as early as possible in order to obtain the reservation that you want.

There are three main kinds of places to stay: a hotel, a vacation rental or a holiday home. The difference between a vacation rental and a holiday home is that the former is a condo or villa purpose built for holiday makers, whereas the holiday home is actually somebody’s house who has let it out for a short period.

When planning your honeymoon, you should think about when you will leave. It was traditional to leave for the honeymoon after a short reception on the day of the wedding, but many couples delay their departure date nowadays. Over the last few decades, it has become the standard to hold an extensive reception hours after the wedding, often at night. This will often go on until midnight or later, which makes leaving for foreign climes rather difficult. A hangover is not a good travelling companion either.

Therefore, you may want to put your going away date off until two days after the wedding, although I think that flying out on the wedding day is still the best idea. If you decide on a holiday home or a vacation rental on St Croix, you will have to make all your own preparations for getting to the airport, flying to St Croix and getting a taxi from the airport to your place of stay, so I suggest that for this, your first visit to this beautiful island, you take a package holiday, which will take care of you from your local airport to your hotel on St Croix and back again.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

St Croix In The US Virgin Islands

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Saint Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands, which lie 1730 miles east south east of Miami and 93 miles west of Puerto Rico. This sector of the Virgin Islands has belonged to the United States since 1917 when they were purchased from the Danish government for $25m in gold to safeguard American coasts from German U-boat attack.

At the time, it was feared that Germany might subjugate the islands and construct submarine pens there in order to attack American supply shipping, which was vital to the allies in Europe during the First World War.

The US Virgin islands is a group of about 60 largely unpopulated islands, the four biggest of which are called St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island. (By the way, ‘Saint’ is pronounced in the English manner). The Islands’ residents, however, have other names for these four which are Twin City, Rock City, Love City and Small City respectively.

Christopher Columbus landed there on November 14th, 1493, but there is proof of human habitation on the island going back to 5000 BC. In fact, the Arawaks and the Caribs made up the islands’ populace, before the Europeans got there.

Possession of St Croix and the other Virgin Islands changed a great deal over the subsequent centuries, but it became famous to many people as Santa Cruz, which is its Spanish name. As Santa Cruz, St Croix featured prominently in 17th and 18th century stories of pirates and buccaneers on the Spanish Main.

In fact, after Spain initially took control of the island, it changed hands seven times; having been Spanish, British, French, Maltese, Dutch, Danish and now American. The inhabitants of the US Virgin Islands are now US citizens and carry US passports. They also use the US dollar and US laws.

St Croix was an agricultural powerhouse in the Caribbean until the 1960’s when the local government determined it was time to industrialize. The island is now home to HOVENSA, one of the largest oil refineries in the world.

There is also a sizeable distillery, the Cruzan Rum Distillery, which used to make rum from sugar cane grown on the island. Sugar cane, or its extract, molasses are now imported from the Dominican Republic to make Southern Comfort and Cruzan Rum. Diageo is arranging to build a distillery there too in order to produce Captain Morgan Rum.

Residents of the island call themselves Crucians. However, there is a great deal of debate about what constitutes a ‘real Crucian’. Many say that a Crucian is someone who was born and raised on St Croix, while others claim that descendants of the slaves that the Danes took over in 16th and 17th Centuries are the only true Crucians.

Many Crucians can trace their ancestry back to Puerto Rico or other Virgin islands as the sugar cane industry attracted a lot of migrant workers in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. There was also an inflow of down-islanders (ie from other Caribbean islands), as the locals say, after the industrialization of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands in the 1960’s and 1970’s as tourism and petrol became more important to the economy.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The US Virgin Islands

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

The US Virgin Islands came into America’s possession in 1917 after Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to it for $25m in gold. At the time, the USA was worried that the Germans would gain control of the islands and use them as a base from which to launch attacks on America.

The status of the US Virgin Islands is one of an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States. This means the residents of the US Virgin Islands are US citizens, but cannot vote in US presidential elections. Therefore, US citizens do not need a passport to visit the US Virgin Islands.

The US Virgin Islands are part virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antilles along with the British Virgin Islands. The three main islands of this American territory are called Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas. There is also a much smaller island called Water Island. All together, there are about 60 islands with a total surface area of 133.73 square miles, although most of the islands are uninhabited.

The four main islands of the US Virgin Islands are known to their residents by nicknames. These are ‘Twin City’ (St. Croix); ‘Rock City’ (St. Thomas); ‘Love City’ (St. John) and ‘Small City’ (Water Island) and their total population was 108,612 in the 2000 census.

Since the 1960’s, the islands turned their focus from agriculture to heavy industry and tourism and the US Virgin Islands are a very popular destination for American tourists and honeymooners. It is very easy for Americans to get there because a passport is not required, the islands are only 1,730 miles east south-east of Miami, the currency is the US dollar and everybody speaks English.

The islands enjoy an arid, pleasant climate. The average temperature in the capital, Charlotte Amelie, is 33c in the summer and 30c in the winter. September to November are the wettest months and February and March are the driest. The USVI are subject to hurricanes. Hurricane Hugo in 1989 was particularly devastating, but the islands were also hit in 1998, 1999 and 2008.

Tourism is the industry that most of the islanders are engaged in and about 2,000,000 people visit every year, many of them on cruise liners. St Thomas and St Croix are the best equipped to deal with tourists offering hotels and resorts along with lovely beaches and fine restaurants. Water sports are the main activity, although tourists can also hire horses or jeeps to discover the interior of the US Virgin Islands.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Virgin Islands. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Are All Inclusive Vacation Packages A Good Idea?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Are you thinking of taking a vacation in the near future? How do you normally go? Do you fly there and then sort yourself out or do you take vacation packages? It is clear that vacation packages are simpler and usually cheaper too.

If you go DIY, you will have to book reservations on an aircraft or a train and a hotel and taxis and a car hire company. If you would prefer to preclude all this, you could book either a vacation package of one of the all inclusive vacation packages.

Although many vacation packages are extremely good, some people refuse to use them. This can be for several reasons, but the most common are out of a of feelings of adventure, independence and snobbishness. In fact, most of the people who do not take vacation packages are younger, single individuals.

Married people with children are the main users of vacation packages and especially all inclusive vacation packages. There is a difference between the two kinds. All inclusive vacation packages are great for families with hungry children. You know, the normal variety, who are always saying: ‘Give me a dollar for an ice cream, Dad’ or ‘I’m hungry, Mum!’.

On an all inclusive vacation package, all of these munchies and three main meals a day and all drinks are included in the cost of the holiday – hence, the name, all inclusive vacation package.

However, there is more to it than that. All inclusives also incorporate on site games and amusements and some others as well. For instance, a Caribbean all inclusive vacation package might include the use of snorkels and goggles, but it would rarely stretch to the use of aqualungs or wet suits.

Another benefit of the all inclusive holiday resort is that they often cater for families with young children. They may supply child alarms in the chalets and free entertainment for adult holiday makers in the evening and night too. The resort might also provide baby sitters and a free taxi into town.

All inclusive vacation packages are a very different product from standard vacation or rental packages. All inclusives are more geared towards families with young children between, say five and fifteen, because children of this age eat a great deal, although it is usually junk food, which typically costs a lot on holiday, but is in fact, cheap to produce. The evenings’ entertainment is also on site so that parents can be easily reached if there is a problem.

On the other hand a standard vacation package will usually supply breakfast only, so that you can go out for the day and do what you want.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix all inclusive vacations. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Sailing Holidays In The Caribbean

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

There are plenty of destinations for people interested in sailing and if you are tired of the Virgin Islands then move on over to the rest of the Caribbean.

The Caribbean islands are part of an island chain stretching 2,500 miles. Given the enormous distance, it is no surprise that tourists spend weeks out there in order to enjoy the splendour that it has to offer.

Just like in the Virgin Islands, there are lots of charter firms you can go to. for a range of hobbies. These companies come in different sizes, but perhaps the best is the yacht charter.

When you charter a yacht, apart from the yacht, the other features and benefits that come with it are meals, separate guest rooms, a galley, toilet and shower.

Since you are the paying guest aboard the boat, you can customize the menu by telling the cook before the trip what you want to eat. You can help out by buying the provisions yourself, having someone from the crew do it for an additional fee or select a set menu from one of their pre-composed packages.

Since most of the islands in the Caribbean are small and uninhabited, you are sure to see places that not many have seen. But if you can’t afford to rent a chartered yacht, don’t worry because you can probably get one that will cost as little as $50 if you are able to book a pre-arranged trip with several other guests to split the bill.

One thing you ought to be prepared for during you sailing vacation is the possibility of a storm. These generally occurs during the months of June to November. If you are not sure that this is the best time, book the trip on another date.

But if you are adamant about going on your dates, there are some online tools you can use to check if the area you will be sailing in has ever been hit by a storm before.

The other option is to plan your itinerary to the Caribbean islands further south because they are less likely to be affected by a storm. These places include the islands of Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curacao, and Turks and Caicos.

If you like the idea of going sailing around the Caribbean there are ample opportunities. You could do a lot worse than start in St Croix in the US Virgin Islands and voyage south or west. If you start in St Croix, which the pirates of old used to call Santa Cruz, you will not need a passpert and can take your pets with you, but you will need more ID if you call into foreign islands.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Luxury Of A Caribbean Cruise

Monday, March 8th, 2010

People work harder these days than ever before. If not physically harder then longer hours and we are entitled to a break from that once in a while. The majority of us go on holiday and we look forward to it months in advance and we plan for it even further ahead. Where do you like to go or what do you like to do? I personally like to go on a cruise and a Caribbean cruise is a good choice.

People believe a cruise, especially a Caribbean cruise as being expensive, and cruise operators want to maintain that elite image, but I see the cruise as being an up-market all inclusive holiday. Probably, it is the original all inclusive holiday, because once you walk up and off that gang plank, everything except drinks is free. Everything and everything is first class hotel style too! We are not talking pizza and chips here, but five or six course meals and five or six times a day.

It is common knowledge, that if you go on a cruise you can expect to gain a pound or two a week (I put on five pounds on my last cruise), unless you do some exercise. What exercise? Cruise liners have swimming pools and gymnasiums! Not only one but several. Some even set aside a deck for running at certain times of the day. There really is no excuse for not exercising on a Caribbean cruise.

Caribbean cruise liners provide more sports facilities than just gymnastics too. In fact, except for horse riding, I think that most sports are catered for. Basketball, volleyball, swimming, clay pigeon shooting, fishing, bird watching … You name it. Caribbean cruise liners also have Internet connections, games machines and full office amenities. During the evenings there are first class shows, often two a night, films in a cinema and a casino.

If you have never been on a Caribbean cruise, it is difficult to explain the amount of luxury that is on offer. It is more than a first class hotel. In a first class hotel, you pay first class prices for everything too, but on a Caribbean cruise liner, everything but drinks is free and even drinks are cheap because they are duty-free. The cruise liner will have a shop too where everything it sells is duty free!

Some Caribbean cruises are themed and it is worth noting this fact. Also some times of the year, especially early February are foreseeable. I once naively went on a Caribbean cruise for a fortnight which spanned St Valentine’s day. I was a single man then and the other 1200 were romantic couples. There was only one single woman on the cruise but there was no rapport between us. I did not not enjoy that Caribbean cruise, because people took we under their wing, but it made me think about the time of year when I next booked up.

Caribbean cruises, particularly the better ones, will fill up quickly, so this is one holiday that you really ought to book well in advance. A year in advance is not too early. I like to book my Caribbean cruise a year in advance, but put my name down for any last minute cancellations, in case I can pick up a bargain.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Elite Cruises

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Vacationing on a cruise ship is justly considered to be elite and luxurious. It is definitely the best type of vacation that I have ever had. The luxury far surpasses staying in a five star hotel. On the other hand, it is like an elite all inclusive holiday, because once on board, all the entertainment and all your meals are free. Alcoholic drinks must be paid for, but then they are duty free.

If you have never been on a cruise before you really must try it. I would not recommend it as a family vacation, but I have seen families on cruises. Cruising might suit a family with older children or you might find a cruise which is planned with children in mind. However, in my experience, your average cruiser is over 50 and married.

I know that they do 18-30 cruises and all kinds of themed cruises, but if you just go on a normal cruise, most of your fellow passengers will be older. Many of them are commemorating something too – retirement, Golden Wedding Anniversary, 70th birthday, that sort of thing. These people want a peaceful time and do not really want children running around and jumping in and out of the pool. Dinner can be late and the evening\’s entertainment is not child orientated either. If you want to take children, look for a specialty cruise.

A cruise is tranquil and all about pampering. Luxury and pampering and world class food. I put on five pounds on a two week cruise and friends said that was abnormally little! I will tell you about the food on my last cruise.

Breakfast lasted from 7 AM to 10 AM and there was a buffet with food from all around the world: fruit, porridge, toast, bacon and eggs, ham, cornflakes and all the variations, sausages, rice, Chinese food, prawns, fish and more. Elevenses started at 11 AM and had tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits, help yourself.

Lunch was a two hour affair commencing at 1PM consisting of four courses. There was a choice of set plans, but if you wanted to mix and match you could – I think the plans were only to make it easier for the elderly to make up their minds. With 1,200 people to give food to in two sittings, the waiters try to speed selection up in very subtle ways, but never outwardly. High tea was from 4 to 4:30PM: tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and sandwiches.

Dinner was at 6:30PM and was a five course meal in the same vein as lunch and at midnight there was a barbecue on deck until 2AM. Everything that was served was first class and there was no constraint at all on how much you could eat.

Entertainment was after dinner and there were two shows to match the two dinner sittings, but you could sit there for both shows if you wanted. There was a different show every night varying from solo artistes to bands. There were theater plays and musical shows, it was very majestic. There was also a piano bar playing jazz and a disco every night

I would recommend a cruise to anyone, but it is a good idea to check what sort of cruise you are booking as some are themed and if you do not like the cruise\’s theme, you may not get the full enjoyment out of it.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with St Croix Hotels. If you are interested in St Croix Vacation Rentals in the US Virgin Islands, please click through to our site.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »