There are not very many vacations that I would give this title but I believe I have experienced one. As we rolled into 2021, many things changed about travel. 2020 had scared us all and many travelers no longer wished to experience travel outside the U.S., at least not yet. That changed our office a good bit but not necessarily in a bad way. We became more in tune with domestic travel and the quote requests came pouring in.
People still wanted the experiences, just closer to home. Many requests came in for U.S territories–San Juan, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. We had limited experience with these destinations but did our research, contacted agents in the field, and learned all we could about these places.
I loved what I found and decided that I needed to visit. So, in November, Scott and I visited St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. No passport is needed since it belongs to the United States and, therefore, no return Covid testing was needed either. That calmed Scott’s nerves a bit as he feared he would get outside the U.S. and then test positive on the return which could cause him issues at work.
We had to Covid test before travel (whether vaccinated or not) and upload the results into a online portal for the USVI.
We chose a small bed & breakfast for our stay based on reviews we read and we were not disappointed! AT HOME IN THE TROPICS became our all time favorite lodging location! It wasn’t your typical bed & breakfast. You did not eat with other people or at a certain time. Breakfast was prepared fresh once you arrived in the breakfast area (outside on the patio with a gorgeous view!). Jess was an amazing chef and prepared some out of this world dishes!! During our stay, we had Coconut Spiced Waffles with Chocolate Rum sauce as well as Banana Pancakes from the bananas grown onsite. It was typically a 2-course breakfast with an appetizer type item to begin the day such as yogurt with fresh fruit or fruit platter with quiche. I cannot say enough about the food!
There was so much to do on the island! I believe we could have stayed weeks and not seen everything! We toured the area with a local guide, completed a walking food tour (yum!), shopped, and took in lots of history and sites!! The beaches were gorgeous!! There are many to choose from but Magens Bay is by far the most popular.
We read before traveling that the food was very expensive but we did not find this to be accurate. While we did dine at some nice places, there were other options that were very inexpensive! We even saw a few chains such as KFC!
There was anything from small food stands to upscale sit down dining and we loved it all! I was afraid that I would miss the all-inclusive type resort which is not available (truly) available in the USVI but I didn’t. There was so much to see and do and eat and purchase!! I even bought my MAC makeup before heading home since it was duty free and St. Thomas has no sales tax!
This trip was by far my most relaxing and I have had experienced many different trips! We cannot wait to go back and will take the time to experience the ferry to St. John on our next adventure! Maybe we will even visit St. Croix!
Did I mention–it was only 3 hours nonstop from the Atlanta airport! Can’t get any better than that!
If you think this might be a trip you would enjoy, contact us and we can give you lots more information and details. Check out more pictures from our trip, below.
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