St Croix

Swimming here means warm, clear Caribbean water all year, from about 26°C in winter to 29°C in late summer, and the beach is at the centre of most stays. The west end has the long, quiet sands: Sandy Point, a wildlife refuge with some of the finest sand in the islands, and Rainbow Beach just north of Frederiksted, where the water is calm and the sunsets face you. On the north shore, Cane Bay is the classic place to snorkel from the beach.

The east end around Christiansted has smaller reef-sheltered coves such as Shoys, plus Isaac and Jack Bays, reached on foot over the hills. Buck Island, a short boat trip offshore, has a perfect white beach. The beaches are smaller and fewer than on a big mainland coast, and Sandy Point gives way to nesting turtles for part of the year.

Crucian cooking is the reason to eat here: johnny cakes, saltfish and fried pates from roadside stands, kallaloo, goat stew with fungi, and roti from the island's Indo-Caribbean kitchens. Lunch at a food stand or local café in Frederiksted or out in the countryside tells you more about the island than most of the menus aimed at visitors.

Christiansted has the main group of restaurants, along the boardwalk and in the old Danish streets. They serve fresh fish and a good dose of mainland American food, and there is a small fine-dining tier. Rum is made on the island, and the distilleries near Frederiksted are part of the visit. Overall the range is narrow, and much of it is imported and costly.

The island's heritage is Danish colonial, and so is the history of slavery and sugar that paid for it. Christiansted is its best expression: a waterfront of arcaded ochre and yellow buildings, the Steeple Building, the Customs House and the low yellow ramparts of Fort Christiansvaern, all kept as a national historic site. Frederiksted, at the other end of the island, has its own red-walled fort, where emancipation was proclaimed in 1848, and quieter Victorian streets.

Across the countryside, ruined stone sugar mills stand on the hills, and the Whim estate museum shows what plantation life was. Salt River Bay holds the site where Columbus's crew landed in 1493. It is a meaningful, compact set of sights, but not a deep one.

Going out is easygoing and early. Most of it happens in Christiansted, where open-air bars along the boardwalk and in the old courtyards draw a mix of locals, sailors and visitors over rum drinks. Elsewhere on the island it is beach bars at sunset, with a livelier night in Frederiksted when a cruise ship is in.

There is no real club scene, and most places wind down well before the small hours. The exception is the Crucian Christmas Festival season, when village fairs and street parties run late.

The best of St Croix's outdoors is underwater. Buck Island Reef, a national monument a short boat ride off the north-east coast, has a marked snorkelling trail through elkhorn coral. At Cane Bay the reef drops away into a deep wall close enough to shore for divers to swim out from the beach, and the pier at Frederiksted is a well-known night dive.

On land, the island is drier and gentler than its neighbours: grassy hills and cactus to the east, where Point Udall and the trails above Jack and Isaac Bays give wide sea views, and a damp pocket of rainforest in the north-west. Salt River Bay can be kayaked by night through glowing bioluminescent water, and leatherback turtles nest at Sandy Point in spring and early summer.

St Croix stands on its own, about 60km south of the other Virgin Islands, so separate outings are few. Most visitors use the island's two towns, Christiansted and Frederiksted, as their base and visit one from the other, rather than going anywhere further.

The main day out beyond the island is St Thomas, with Charlotte Amalie's harbour and duty-free streets, or St John's national park beaches. Both are reached by seaplane in about twenty minutes or by a longer boat crossing, which makes it a full and fairly costly day. Island-hopping is far easier from the northern islands than from here.

Families come for the water. On calm west-end beaches like Rainbow Beach, children can paddle, and the reef at Buck Island or the shallow coves near Christiansted give an easy first snorkel. Sea turtles, tide pools and a fort to climb around add a little variety. For American families there are no passports or currency to deal with, and the island pace is gentle.

There is nothing built for children, though: no zoo, aquarium or theme park. Every outing needs a car, the midday sun is strong, and some of the best coves are reached by rough paths. Most families base themselves at a resort or villa with a pool, and plan their days around the beach.

A hire car is the way to see St Croix. The island is small, and Christiansted to Frederiksted is about forty minutes' drive, but public buses are sparse and taxis are costly and better for single trips. Driving is on the left, usually in left-hand-drive American cars, and roads vary from good highway to potholed country lanes. The climb to the north shore is steep and winding.

The two towns are compact and pleasant to walk, Christiansted especially. Beyond them, though, sights and beaches are spread across the island, and walking between them is not realistic.

Shopping is a small affair, centred on the arcaded streets of Christiansted. Here local jewellers make the Crucian hook bracelet, the island's signature piece, and there are galleries of Caribbean art and shops selling rum, hot sauce and resort wear. Frederiksted adds a few craft stalls when cruise ships call.

The island has no luxury streets, department stores or real markets for visitors. Anyone who wants serious duty-free shopping goes to St Thomas.

St Croix is an expensive place to stay. Almost everything is shipped in, so restaurant meals and supermarket shopping cost more than on the American mainland, and beachfront hotels and villas are priced for the winter season. Hiring a car adds to the daily cost, and taxis are no cheaper.

The island is gentler on the wallet than the other Virgin Islands. Local food stands, small guesthouses in Christiansted and free beaches help, but this is not a budget destination.

The island's own music is quelbe, the scratch-band folk music played on gourds, banjo and flute, along with the stilt-walking mocko jumbie dancers. Both are best seen at festivals, above all the Crucian Christmas Festival around the turn of the year and the agricultural fair in winter.

Outside those, the offer is thin: a small performing arts centre with occasional concerts and touring shows, community theatre, and live bands in beach and harbour bars. Frederiksted has a tradition of open-air jazz by the waterfront. No regular concert or theatre season exists to plan a trip around.

St Croix has no bathing or spa tradition of its own. Wellness here means a few resort spas and massage studios, the odd yoga class, and mostly the pace of the island itself. Days are unhurried, evenings are early, and the quieter West End and the villas on the east end hills make it easy to do very little.

For a calm, low-key week this works well. Anyone wanting thermal baths, a serious spa or a retreat programme will find little to choose from.