No Passport, No Problem: Caribbean Travel Comes Easy at This USVI Resort

A sea breeze waved my ponytail like a flag as I watched a group of grey pelicans take turns flying into the air before plunging straight down into the azure waves of Water Bay on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. If they tipped their heads back after surfacing, I knew they caught a fish. This playful scene was repeated over and over as I walked along the palm-tree-lined beachfront of the island’s Margaritaville Vacation Club.

St. Thomas is the second largest (and second smallest) of the three main US Virgin Islands. The capital city, Charlotte Amalie, is a busy cruise ship port, but the island has lots of coves and bays that are hidden from the bustle. That’s where you’ll find Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas — perched on Water Bay on the island’s east side, miles from the capital.

Photos: Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas

Suites are the name of the game at Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas. Every guest building contains a combination of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom suites. The resort is divided into two areas: the bayside area — where I was, surrounding the pool and facing the beach — and a hillside section overlooking Water Bay. Each building is named after a Jimmy Buffett song. Mine was Havana Daydreamin’.

A ceiling fan recreated the island breeze inside of my first-floor studio, which featured a king-size bed, a living area with a combination sofa and chaise lounge, a dining table for two, and a kitchenette on the opposite wall. A Margaritaville-branded blender designed for frozen drinks took up a sizeable chunk of the kitchenette counter. Appropriate.

Decorated with framed Jimmy Buffett album covers, my suite had ample space to spread out, which I needed for my snorkeling gear. One unique room feature was the drying rack across from the large bathroom that included two beach towels ready for use. I did a lot of swimming and snorkeling during my stay, so the drying rack came in handy.

But my favorite feature of the suite was the patio, a tranquil spot where I enjoyed a bagel and coffee each morning. The patio had a small table with two chairs and a giant leafy hedge blocking most of the view. That might be a dealbreaker to some, but for me, it provided a buffer between the pool area’s music and frolicking families and kept the patio cool all day long.

Back inside, a sign on the nightstand informed me that the area is also turtle habitat. At night, the resort dims the lights around the property to protect nesting areas and asks guests to do the same by turning off their lights or using the blackout curtains provided in every room.

Photos: Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas

Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas has several on-site amenities — a dive shop, a combination sundry store, a deli, a coffee shop, and a fitness center among them — but a big part of its focus is on providing guests with experiences.

To start, the hillside suites have their own pool with a swim-up bar and sweeping views of Water Bay and nearby islands. Guests have the option to climb a long flight of steps to reach the hillside pool — which I used as my daily workout — or take a shuttle cart. (Shuttle carts are available to get around the property, but I found the grounds easily walkable and enjoyed spotting tiny lizards, large iguanas, hens, roosters, and baby chicks as I strolled along.)

Another cool resort area is the outdoor Six String Music Stage overlooking the beach. A small courtyard with rows of colorful Adirondack chairs faces a small stage where different local musical acts perform each night in a range of genres. My first night featured a reggae band, the next a DJ spinning pop hits, and the last night was an acoustic guitarist who not only sang songs by Jimmy Buffett but also Jack Johnson and Zack Brown.

One of my favorite experiences at Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas was a sunset cruise from the resort’s pier. Before boarding the 50-person Snorkel Cat catamaran, we were told to put our shoes in a basket because it was a barefoot cruise. As we boarded, we were greeted with glasses of Champagne. As we sipped our bubbly, Captain “Big Tuna” gave a safety talk, so we were all prepared for the two-hour sail.

Photos: Carrie Dow

Crew members Lauren and Sean were also our bartenders because the sunset cruise included an open bar. They served two signature Caribbean cocktails: Rum Punch and Painkiller. Simple mixed drinks and wine were also available. Big Tuna added that cans of beers (Bud Light and “Bud Heavy”) were available in a self-service cooler by the bar. The crew then passed appetizers like bruschetta and shrimp cocktail once we got underway.

First, we sailed through the Windward Passage past the hillside mansions of St. John, the neighboring US Virgin Island. We then turned into the Atlantic Ocean around a small resort island called Lovango where Big Tuna pointed out wild goats climbing the rocks. As the sun dropped into the sea, he suggested that everyone look behind the boat to see a few wispy clouds turn light pink and orange to everyone’s delight.

Champagne Sunset Sails are offered daily, and the Snorkel Cat is also available for snorkeling tours, which you can book at the Margaritaville dive shop or online.

Photos: Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville is the resort’s only full-service restaurant. It’s helmed by Chef Burton who originally trained at the high-end Caneel Bay Resort on St. John. On my first night at the resort, my group enjoyed Caribbean egg rolls, jerk BBQ chicken, and chocolate lava cakes for dessert. My other meal at Margaritaville Restaurant was the famous “Cheeseburger in Paradise” with a choice of a single or double beef patty cooked to medium perfection and topped with American cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

As for drinks, what would Margaritaville be without margaritas? We were able to talk our server into creating a “flight” for us. We each ordered a different style of margarita and had the bartender divide them into four sets of four small glasses. They even put salt on the rims for us.

Beyond Margaritaville Restaurant, the resort has three casual walk-up drinking and dining spots (so frozen concoctions are never far away) — the LandShark Bar & Grill next to the restaurant facing the beach, the 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar next to the bayside pool, and the License to Chill Bar & Grill at the hillside pool.

Coki Beach

Photo: byvalet/Shutterstock

Occasionally, the resort’s beachfront gets bigger waves that are not ideal for young children or non-swimmers. However, Coki Beach, a large public beach at the end of the resort’s peninsula, is more protected. It’s a short walk away, but you also have the option to ride resort shuttles to and from the beach. Along with soft sand and crystal-clear turquoise water, Coki Beach has lounge chairs and umbrellas for rent, two small restaurants, scuba and snorkel rentals, souvenir shops, and restrooms.

Island excursions

Photos: Carrie Dow

The concierge at the Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas has plenty of recommendations for island activities. My favorite was the Virgin Islands Ecotours kayak tour in Cas Cay only a 15-minute taxi ride away. Our guide, Gabby, took us on kayaks through secluded mangrove bays, pointing out wildlife like the Cassiopeia (or “upside-down”) jellyfish, a creature that lives on the bay’s bottom. The jellyfish looked like coral from the surface, but when Gabby picked one up and flipped it over, you could see the its mouth and gelatinous body.

After paddling through a narrow channel with a mangrove canopy, we paddled across another small bay, stopping at a tiny beach with a canvas-covered picnic area. It was swarming with hermit crabs scavenging for food dropped by previous visitors. There were so many that their shells made click-clack sounds as they bumped into each other.

Next, we snorkeled in the clear bay. Gabby led us to an inlet with a giant school of silver and yellow mutton snapper just below the surface, along with a colorful array of smaller fish like blue tang, damselfish, trunkfish, and the black-, white-, and yellow-striped sergeant major.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie

Photo: Carrie Dow

For a day in downtown Charlotte Amalie, the resort has a “shopping shuttle” that can take guests into town. The historic port has dozens of shops selling duty-free clothing, watches, artwork, and jewelry along walkable streets and alleyways with names like Palm Passage.

After indulging myself with a beautiful giclee (a type of digital print) of pelicans by local artist Jonna White, I met up with my travel mates at Gladys’ Cafe for lunch. The cafe was hidden in an alleyway between a watch store and a coffee shop inside a historic Dutch-era building with brick walls and tall archways on both sides of a long bar. I kept things light with a tuna salad sandwich because I knew we were coming back to Charlotte Amalie for dinner.

After lunch, we searched for the 99 Steps, a historic brick stairway built by the Danish in the 1700s. We used our phones’ GPS to find it as there weren’t any signs or markers. Located near the Galleon House hotel, the steps were being refurbished with some of the bottom rows torn out; however, the upper half was finished, so we carefully walked to the top to take in the views.

Charlotte Amalie is also famous for its jewelry stores. The city’s oldest is Cardow Jewelers on Dronningens Gade. Opened in 1954 and run by third-generation family members, the jewelry store recently opened a speakeasy bar called the Cardow Rum Room featuring the family’s bespoke Extra Virgin Rum at the back of the store. There, my group took a cocktail class where our guide, Daniel, not only explained how Extra Virgin Rum is made but also taught us how to make our own Rum Punch and Painkiller cocktails.

Photos: Carrie Dow

After a late afternoon break at the resort, we returned to Charlotte Amalie for dinner at Blue Eleven. Opened by Chef David “Benji” Benjamin, the restaurant has daily tasting menus that feature fresh local ingredients from the land, sea, and soil. Guests can choose between seven-, nine-, and 11-course tastings. We made a night of it by selecting the 11-course menu, which lasted over three hours. I especially enjoyed the jerk chicken and spicy plantains, pan-seared mahi mahi and conch, and the house-made dessert of a pillowy glazed donut with a dollop of espresso ice cream.

Because the US Virgin Islands are a US territory, no passport is required for American travelers, making St. Thomas ideal for a quick, easy tropical getaway.

St. Thomas’ Cyril E. King Airport has direct flights from the East Coast, including many less than four hours from these major cities: Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Newark, and New York City. Airlines with daily service include American, Delta, and United.

While taxis are available to get around St. Thomas, you can save time by booking a private shuttle or taxi online in advance. We used Big Love Taxi for all transfers. Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas is about 30 minutes from the airport.

Rental cars are also available, but they drive on the left in the US Virgin Islands. Steep hills with narrow roads add to the degree of difficulty. If you would prefer to rent a car, Margaritaville Vacation Club St. Thomas offers free on-site parking.

Book Now