"Christiansted, St. Croix USVI " a Christiansted Travel Page by steph4867

St Croix (you can say it 'St Croy') is less developed than rowdy St Thomas, so it's a good place to change down a gear, find isolated beaches and bend the elbow with locals not engaged in the tourist industry. The island, the largest in the Virgin Islands, is composed of forested hills and fertile lowlands and is surrounded by coral reefs. At its commercial height St Croix had about 100 sugar plantations, and decaying plantation houses and the stone towers of their windmills still litter the landscape today.

Once the capital of the entire Danish colony, pastel-painted Christiansted has been accused of being the prettiest town in the Caribbean. Clustered around the atmospheric harbor are the clean lines of old Danish warehouses, a customs house, government buildings and a church. Some of the town's oldest buildings are constructed from distinctive Danish bricks that were carried to the Caribbean as ballast. Fort Christiansted, at the eastern end of town, has great views of the harbor and settlement from its cannon-studded ramparts. It was built in 1749 and protected the town from pirates and unruly slaves until 1878 when it was converted to a police station. Also in Christiansted is a flash aquarium notable for the fact that it rotates its fishy residents every few months to keep them perky.

Most of St Croix's excellent diving is to be found along its northern coast. The best hikes are in the hilly, forested northwestern corner of the island. The forest peters out in the southwest, turning into salt pans and mangrove. Sandy Point, in the extreme southwest is one of only two leatherback turtle nesting grounds in the Caribbean. If you want to celebrate the continued existence of these enormous creatures, the Cruzan Rum Distillery in nearby Frederiksted gives guided tours and free tastings. Frederiksted is just as cute as Christiansted but the town is largely given over to the duty free frenzy and it dies when there aren't captive cruiseshipping shoppers.