Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

 

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Saint Thomas is one of the most beautiful islands in the Virgin Islands. This island is located in the Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated territory of the United States. Saint Thomas has a land mass of only about 32 square miles and is very mountainous with stunning beaches. The people are lovely here and are super friendly.

When we were looking for tours of the island on the internet before our trip, Godfrey Tours stood out with great reviews and a terrific price. We booked the tour with Godfrey Tours through Viator. We met up with our guide just outside of the port and were pleased to meet and spend the day with Godfrey himself. We loaded up on an open air bus where Godfrey started giving us the history of Charlotte Amalie, the local town before he dropped us off to do a little time shopping and looking around. Charlotte Amalie is the territorial capital of the Virgin Islands.

He dropped us off across from the park next to Fort Christian which dates back to the 1600’s. We did not go in but got some good pictures of this historic building from the outside. From that park, we spotted a guy in full native costume walking down the street. Not sure what he was but I know he did not appreciated his picture being taken. Then I ran into a US Army service member in full uniform and spoke with him. He was stationed here with five other US military guys and was here working as a military recruiter and loved his job. Then we walked around a few of the shops and then got back on the bus.

We rode up a very curvy and hilly drive up the mountain where we had great views of the islands. Godfrey gave us a full history of the island. You could hear the pride he had in his island and he shared his story and love of the island to our group. Looking down on Magen’s Cove was a joy with the gorgeous aqua colored water. The color of the water changed as the sun went behind the clouds and out again. We stopped at a grand shop that sold all kinds of souvenir items and also sold their world famous banana daiquiris for sale. Most people on the tour ordered one and raved about it so I ordered one and it was delicious. The bananas on the islands are super flavorful compared to those you buy in the supermarket in the US making this such a tasty treat.

After that we headed back down and went to Magen’s Cove for some beach time. Godfrey stopped there and let us out so we could go and enjoy the beach. He gave us a time to meet back up with the bus and off we went to enjoy the day. On this hot day in March, the water was refreshing, maybe even a little chilly but it was not super clear since waves were coming in. We lucked out by seeing a Sea Turtle as soon as we got in. He was a good size. What a blessing. We met some nice people on the beach and enjoyed our time with our new friends. We had packed a couple of sandwiches from the ship to eat while on the beach which was a great idea. Our sandwiches kept us happy till we would go back to the ship. It was a lovely day on the beach.

Our tour was great and we really got a bargain. The tour lasted six hours and only cost $40 a person. I would highly recommend this tour. He really worked hard to make this excursion a memorable and fun time. It was a great day, thanks to Godfrey.

Till next time. Bye for now.