Tag Archives: st. croix

Activities, Caribbean, Resorts, To Do

Buddymoons: Couples Are Taking Friends on Their Honeymoons

Honeymoons aren’t just for two anymore. After spending months planning your special day, why not make it last by inviting your closest friends on your honeymoon? “Buddymoons,” as the phenomenon is playfully named, are growing more popular. According to an article in Conde Nast Traveler, a recent survey on wedding travel found that 12 percent of Americans have attended a group honeymoon or buddymoon in the last five years.

As Conde Nast Traveler recommends, it’s best to pick a longer trip for your buddymoon, with a range of potential activities and sightseeing opportunities. Stick to groups of less than 10 people, mostly couples with similar outlooks and budgets. It’s always a good idea to minimize stress on your honeymoon!

If you’re planning a buddymoon, Divi Resorts offers a range of honeymoon packages at luxe resorts on Aruba, Barbados, St. Croix and St. Maarten—most with all-inclusive options. Spend a week in paradise with your other half, and give a few other couples in your friends circle an excuse to escape too!

Activities, Divi Carina Bay, St. Croix, To Do

Dive on St. Croix: Introducing All-Inclusive Dive Packages

dive on st. croix

Dive on St. Croix. Courtesy of SnorkelingDives.com/Flickr.

You can dive on St. Croix and get a luxe all-inclusive experience—you don’t have to choose! Discover the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation when you book one of our brand-new five-night or seven-night dive packages at Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort.
St. Croix is a diver’s dream, with many beaches, vibrant coral reefs, shipwrecks, river canyons and plenty of crystal blue water to explore. Dive the famous Cane Bay Wall that runs about 7 miles parallel to the northern shore of St. Croix. It’s rated as one of the top dive spots in the Caribbean with its beautiful, living coral garden home to an enormous variety of tropical fish and other aquatic life. The year-round water temperature averages around 81 degrees Fahrenheit, and visibility ranges from 60 to 100 feet.

Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort is the only all-inclusive on St. Croix, so it’s the perfect place to enjoy a little bit of everything—from indulgent amenities to exciting activities. Divi Carina Bay features one of the only casinos on the island, three restaurants with bars, two freshwater pools, tennis courts, complimentary mini golf, kids’ club, non-motorized water sports, nightly entertainment, Wi-Fi and much more.

Our new all-inclusive dive packages, rolled out this summer for the first time ever, offer the best of all worlds for you to enjoy:

5-Night Dive Package

-Includes 5 nights accommodation, unlimited meals and beverages, 6 tanks, 6 boat dives, 3 days diving transfers, round-trip airport transfer

-2017 rates start at $1,275 per person*

7-Night Dive Package

-Includes 7 nights accommodation, unlimited meals and beverages, 10 tanks, 10 boat dives, 5 days diving transfers, round-trip airport transfer

-2017 rates start at $1,819 per person*

To book one of these packages, call 1-800-338-3843 or email info@canebayscuba.com. Dive on St. Croix with the best!

*See our website for details.

Activities, St. Croix, To Do

Witness “Mango Melee” on St. Croix This Month

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mango melee st. croix

If you’re visiting St. Croix in July, you’re in luck. Every Saturday during the month of July, St. Croix locals celebrate tropical fruits (especially the mango) during the Mango Melee. This festival at the St. George Botanical Garden educates the public on home growing techniques and the many ways to use this special fruit. You can even taste the winning recipes from a culinary competition.

To get into the mango spirit, try mixing up this mango mojito recipe from Cruzan® Rum, the major rum producer that has called St. Croix home since the 1800s.

Cruzan® Mango Mojito

Ingredients

1 part Cruzan® Mango Rum
4 chunks of fresh mango
A dash of fresh lime juice
A splash of simple syrup
4-6 mint leaves
Club soda

Muddle mint and mango chunks with simple syrup in a tall glass. Add lime juice, Cruzan® Mango Rum with ice. Stir and top with club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.

Aruba, Barbados, Caribbean, St. Croix, St. Maarten

Top Caribbean Summer Destinations for 2017

As you plan your summer vacation, don’t forget about the Caribbean! It’s beautiful part of the world year-round, including in summer. You’ll find all the familiar things you love about the Caribbean—the amazing beaches, cooling tropical breezes and delicious food—and fewer of the things you love a little less. The crowds are thinner in summer, and seasonal hotel rates are lower. Check out a few of the best Caribbean destinations for summer travel, as recommended by the Caribbean Journal: Barbados, Aruba, St. Maarten’s French side and St. Croix.

We love traveling in the Caribbean during summer. It’s the perfect time to take your kids, since they’re out of school. And with the reduced crowds, it can be that much easier to score a palapa on the beach for a day.

Is it time for your family to think Caribbean? What do you enjoy about the Caribbean in summer?

Activities, Caribbean, Divi Carina Bay, Divi Little Bay, St. Croix, St. Maarten, To Do

How to Experience the 2017 Solar Eclipse in the Caribbean

2017 solar eclipse in the caribbean

Partial solar eclipse, 2012. Image courtesy of Takeshi Kuboki.

In case you haven’t heard, the first total solar eclipse since 1918 to sweep across the U.S. is coming up on August 21, 2017. A solar eclipse happens when the moon temporarily blocks any part of the sun—solar eclipses only last a few minutes, but are spectacular to watch. What if you live outside the path of this year’s eclipse, though? Accommodations inside the path are growing increasingly rare. Rather than fighting for the last room at a roadside motel, you might consider watching the 2017 solar eclipse in the Caribbean. You’ll find fewer crowds, more little luxuries and, well, we have beaches—when’s the next time you’ll be able to view a stunning solar eclipse on the white sands of a beautiful beach?

The direct path of the eclipse passes just north of the Caribbean as it leaves the U.S. The northern Caribbean islands will all experience a solar eclipse at a magnitude around 0.8—the scientific way to say the moon will cover about 80 percent of the sun in those locations.

Our best-positioned resorts are Divi Little Bay Beach Resort on St. Maarten and Divi Carina Bay All-Inclusive Beach Resort on St. Croix.  They’re the closest to the eclipse’s direct path. August 21 is approaching fast, so be sure to make your reservations soon! Viewing the 2017 solar eclipse in the Caribbean is sure to be unforgettable. We’re excited to share this fascinating, unique experience with you and your loved ones.

Remember: you should never look directly at the sun. Even during a solar eclipse, the sun can permanently damage your eyes. Space.com recommends buying a pair of eclipse glasses for each person in your party, or creating a pinhole camera (easy instructions are here).

Activities, St. Croix, To Do

Sea Turtle Season on St. Croix: Here’s How to Enjoy It

turtle season on st. croixTurtles love St. Croix! Every year from April through September, sea turtles lumber ashore to lay their eggs on just about every beach on the island. A few weeks after the mother leaves the nest, dozens of baby sea turtles hatch from their shells and make a break for the sea, to live the rest of their lives out in the ocean. Turtle season on St. Croix is a rare opportunity to witness the life cycle of these amazing creatures.

Leatherbacks, hawksbills and green turtles all live in the Caribbean, and St. Croix is one of their common nesting grounds. If you’re on St. Croix this summer, it’s easy to join in local efforts to protect sea turtles and watch the beaches for nesting or hatching activity.

Turtlewatch with SEA

turtle season on st. croix

Courtesy of GoToStCroix.com.

The St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA) offers its members a chance to go on a turtlewatching trip with marine biologist and educator Jen Valiulis. Once you join the organization, be sure to sign up right away—space goes fast.

Upcoming 2017 Dates

June 29 – Leatherback Hatchling Watch 5:15 p.m.
July 26 – Leatherback Hatchling Watch 5:15 p.m.

These dates are only available to SEA members. Join for as low as $35 per person and get yourself on a future turtlewatch. Use this membership application and email sea.educator@gmail.com, or call 340-773-1989.

Group Turtlewatching

turtle season on st. croix

Courtesy of GoToStCroix.com.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers the Sandy Point Turtlewatch program to St. Croix community groups and youth groups. Groups must have at least 15 and no more than 30 participants. This program runs five nights each week (Tuesday through Saturday) from April 15 through July 31.

To schedule turtlewatching for a group, use this link or call 340-690-9452.  If you have any questions about the program, you can email sandypoint.turtlewatch@gmail.com.

If You See a Turtle in Distress

If you see a turtle struggling, stuck in the brush, acting strangely, injured or on a road, it’s important to call someone who is familiar with the species and is equipped to give it proper help. On St. Croix, those people to call are the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rescue (STAR) network. This group of dedicated volunteers are “on call” to assist with reports of sea turtles in distress. You can reach them at 340-690-0474.

Protecting Sea Turtles

turtle season on st. croixAll sea turtles are classified as either threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. There are serious penalties for harassing, harming, capturing or collecting sea turtles or their eggs. When it’s turtle season on St. Croix (and all year round), you can do your part to protect these wondrous animals by keeping in mind a few common-sense guidelines from GoToStCroix.com:

• If you encounter a dead sea turtle or a live, debilitated turtle, please call STAR at 340-690-0474;
• Report any suspicious or criminal activities related to sea turtles to STAR or the Virgin Islands Police Department at 911;
• Operate boats at safe and responsible speeds;
• Always keep dogs on a leash when on a beach;
• Keep beaches clean by disposing of trash properly;
• Turn off lights close to beaches to avoid disorientating nesting sea turtles and hatchlings; and,
• If you encounter a nesting sea turtle, keep your distance, turn off all lights and do not disturb.

Turtle season on St. Croix is a special time to witness the wonders of nature. Summer is a great time to bring your entire family to the island for fun and awe-inspiring environmental education!