As the cruise ship pulled into St. Thomas around 7:30AM I sat on my balcony and gazed out at the beauty of the island in the warm morning sun. The country immediately displayed all of the natural charm of the Caribbean with the wealth of the US. I'm not talking about middle class wealth, oh no. St. Thomas is wrapped in the kind of of money that 95% of Americans wish they had. As we pulled into the port I found myself saying "man, that's a lot of yachts" out loud as I gazed at the many power and sale yachts that were anchored in the harbor.
Apart from the yachts St. Thomas had a genuine island charm. The island was very peaceful with beautiful beaches and the typical laid back residents. The most popular of the beaches on St. Thomas is Magen's Bay, where president Barrack Obama stayed when he visited the island. Located on the North (Atlantic) side of the island, Magen's Bay features a well-protected white sand beach stretching for nearly a mile. It is one of the most popular tourist beach destinations on the island. With its clear water, soft sand, and palm trees, it is commonly considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Virgin Islands. Magen's Bay was previously owned by Arthur Fairchild, who gave most of it as a gift to the Municipality of St. Thomas and St. John in 1943 for use as a public park. The far Western portion was donated by Fairchild's nephew's widow, Christine Wheaton, in 2002. The Bay is currently administered by the semi-autonomous Magen's Bay Authority.
From the port I took a minivan into the city center to investigate what was unique about St. Thomas. I soon discovered that St. Thomas is known for its diamonds as much as it's known for it's beaches. The city center is filled with hundreds, I was told 366, jewelry stores that sell mostly diamond products. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis and world economic meltdown there were almost twice as many stores. You'll also find high-end jewelry stores like Cartier in town as well. I tried to find out the history of the diamond stores in St. Thomas and couldn't get a definitive answer. It seems that the stores came as a result of the cruise ships and that St. Thomas is tax free. So once more and more cruise ships started arriving and word got out that St. Thomas was the place to buy tax free diamonds many tourists would come with the intention of purchasing something from one of the local stores. With that came more stores and more competition which led to lower prices.
Today St. Thomas is a haven for those looking to purchase a few small pieces and great discounts and no taxes. I actually purchased something myself and was very pleased with it. Needless to say that I had it checked as soon as I returned to the states and it was appraised as described in St. Thomas, always the pessimist.
I couldn't have prayed for a more beautiful day for my visit. The sky was a deep rich blue with a few clouds for character. The sea was calm and warm and the wind blew a periodic cool breeze which helped to keep things cool. For lunch we ate at Glady's Cafe where, surprisingly, I had the best oxtail that I've ever had in my life. Glady's had the recipe down to perfection. We almost didn't eat there as it seemed like a whole in the wall. However, once we got in we realized that it was a great place with perfect food and good service. If you're in St. Thomas and you're hungry for local or American food, then stop at Glady's Cafe... and they didn't even pay me for that promotion.
As always, here are a few more pics to end the post.
