A Thorough Guide To Frederiksted St Croix USVI
St Croix in the US Virgin Islands – a paradise in the Caribbean. Of the three islands that make up the USVI, St Croix has the reputation as the most laid back and authentic. Visitors to St Croix will find pristine white sand beaches, turquoise blue water, friendly people, and a real sense of history and culture. St Croix is not a big island – you can drive from one side to the other in an hour. And it only has two main towns. The larger Christiansted on the northern coast, and the smaller quieter Frederiksted, 30 minutes away on the island’s west end.
When I travel, I try to seek out the “soul” of a place. I try to avoid resorts, I want to eat in plenty of local restaurants, and I want to explore the backroads. Basing our St Croix vacation in the quieter, less-developed Frederiksted gave me that opportunity. Plus the beaches on the island’s West End are fantastic! Let me show you everything I discovered in Frederiksted St Croix USVI.
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Contents
Where to Stay in Frederiksted
Frederiksted St Croix does not have any chain hotels, large resorts, or big condo buildings. Instead you will find scattered smaller boutique hotels. Itโs truly a sleepy beachside town.
Cottages By The Sea
We stayed at Cottages by the Sea. This small hotel is a collection of cottages located directly on the beach, about 1 mile south of Frederiksted town center. The 27 cottages come in various sizes, and most have full kitchens and private patios. Several have direct ocean views. Ours had a โgarden viewโ, but we could see out to the ocean from our bedroom window, and the beach was just steps away. The interiors are updated and well-kept. The bed may have been the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on while traveling.
The beach here was beautiful and peaceful. White sand, turquoise water, very little surf, and few people. We would spend most mornings intermittently relaxing in the propertyโs beach chairs and floating in the Caribbean.
Iโve since learned that we were lucky to get a reservation here. Many guests are regulars and visit annually for long periods of time, often booking for the following year at departure. I think we must have scored after someone else cancelled. Plan ahead if you would like to stay here. Here’s a link to the property on Hotels.com.
The Fred
The Fred is the newest hotel in Frederiksted St Croix. It occupies a restored historic estate on the beach just south of town. We were told multiple times by locals that this 22-room boutique hotel has a Miami South Beach vibe. We drove past several times and the music was definitely thumping. The Fred seemed to be the most upscale lodging in the area.
Victoria House
If I hadnโt been lucky enough to get our cottage at Cottages by the Sea, the Victoria House was lined up as my second choice. Like The Fred, it is also a recently restored historic estate. It sits in the middle of town, directly across from the waterfront. The views from the propertyโs forward rooms seemed great. The rooms look to have a beautiful Caribbean decor, and I read that the management & staff was awesome. But unlike the other two hotels I’ve mentioned, it is not directly beachside.
Things to Do In Frederiksted
While vacationing in a Caribbean paradise, beach time is the priority. And Frederiksted St Croix has some great beaches. But my wanderlust doesn’t allow me to stay at the beach all day every day. There is plenty more to do in and around Frederiksted if, like me, you want to get out of that beachside lounger from time to time.
Beaches
Rainbow Beach – One of the most popular beaches in St Croix sits about 1 km north of Frederiksted. In fact, TripAdvisor ranks a visit to Rainbow Beach as the #2 activity on the whole island. The beach is beautiful for sure, but so are others on the island. Perhaps it gets the high rank because West End Water Sports sits on the beachโs edge providing convenient water toy rentals. And then one of the islandโs best eateries – Rhythms – is there too (more on that below).
Sandcastle Beach – Cottages by the Sea sits on Sandcastle Beach, and Iโve already extolled its virtues. All beaches in St Croix are public, so anyone can enjoy this beautiful beach where we spent our idyllic Caribbean days.
Dorsch Beach – This stretch of beach sits immediately south of Frederiksted. It’s narrower than the other two, but it seemed very popular with the locals. They would park along its length towards the end of every day, and eat, swim, listen to music, and watch the sunset.
Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge
Sandy Point is another beautiful beach south of Frederiksted. This 2-mile long white sand beach sits at the very southwest tip of St Croix. This is the beach where Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman meet up at the end of Shawshank Redemption – supposedly Mexico, but actually St Croix. Sandy Point is only open on weekends and is closed altogether from April to August for turtle nesting season. The endangered leatherback turtle nests here, along with two other endangered sea turtle species – the hawksbill sea turtle and the green sea turtle.
Because we visited in May, we were not able to visit Sandy Point. But, the turtles donโt nest exclusively along the Refuge. Cottages by the Sea had a turtle watch station on the premises, and we were shown pictures of baby turtles hatching on the hotel’s beachfront a few weeks prior to our arrival. Turtle spotters patrol the beaches in the area nightly.
Two Important Travel Tips
I always ensure that I’m connected to a VPN when using any sort of WiFi connection during our travels. A VPN is essential for keeping your personal information out of the wrong hands. My longtime VPN of choice is the #1-rated NordVPN.
And having access to high speed data at all times – even when not connected to WiFi – is also essential to my travel style. An eSIM is an inexpensive and convenient way to make sure you always stay connected, no matter where you are. The eSIM options from Saily are a great choice.
Fort Frederik
Fort Frederik is an 18th century fort located at the northern edge of the town center. From 1754-1917, St Croix belonged to Denmark. Forts were constructed to protect each of the islandโs two main towns – Christiansted and Frederiksted (both named for Danish Kings). Fort Frederik is now a US Historic Landmark and open weekdays for self-guided tours. The admission is $5. Touring the fort provides a glimpse into the islandโs colonial past. And since it was also used as a prison, it also offers some understanding of the hardships faced by the slaves used to help build the islandโs sugar industry.
In fact, Frederiksted has a nickname – Freedom City. It was here, at the fort, where a slave uprising began in 1848, ultimately leading to the ending of slavery on the island. The historic Danish Customs House sits next to Fort Frederik, and in front stands a statue commemorating the uprising.
Frederiksted Pier
Just south of the Fort, a long pier juts out into the ocean. While St Thomas is one of the busiest cruise ports in the Caribbean, only one cruise ship docks at St Croix each week. And it is here at the Frederiksted Pier, not in larger Christiansted.
The Pier is also a popular diving and snorkeling spot on the West side of the Island. Several dive shops can be found right across the street in town.
Explore Downtown
Downtown Frederiksted is not large – approximately 5 blocks in both directions. You can easily explore the whole area in less than an hour. Itโs an eclectic mix of beautifully restored 2- story Victorian buildings and buildings crumbling from time, neglect, and hurricanes. In between, youโll find hidden courtyards, unexpected street art, free-roaming chickens, and shops scattered here and there. Some may call it a bit run-down. I personally love the authenticity found in this sort of place.
A Convenient Base
St Croix is not a big island. As I’ve already mentioned, you can drive from one side to the other in an hour. From Frederiksted, itโs easy to see everything else that St. Croix has to offer. Iโve outlined some of our other island adventures and dining choices in other St Croix posts. Click here to read about our half day adventure snorkeling Buck Island Reef – one of the great coral reefs in the Caribbean. And click here to check out some of the other great things to do on St Croix.
Where to Eat in Frederiksted
We stayed in Frederiksted for 5 nights. During our stay, we had a chance to eat at many of Frederikstedโs most popular restaurants. Hereโs my take on each.
(2024 Update note: I had to remove three restaurants that I originally reviewed in this post. Sadly, they have since closed, including one of my favorites)
Rhythms at Rainbow Beach
This is a beach side bar and restaurant located at the south end of Rainbow Beach. We ate lunch here and both of us opted for the daily special – a sandwich featuring a freshly caught tuna steak with a ginger aioli. It was delicious. The accompanying fries were also crisp and flavorful. Rhythms sits right above the ocean with a commanding view of the Caribbean and Rainbow Beach to the north.
TripAdvisor: #3 in Frederiksted Google: 4.6 My grade: A
Pollyโs at the Pier
This is the most popular place in Frederiksted for breakfast. It features a breakfast menu of build-your-own breakfast burritos and scrambles. Wraps and rice bowls for lunch. It has an indoor dining area, a patio in the back, and a few tables out front with a view out across to the Frederiksted Pier. TripAdvisor ranks it #1 for Frederiksted and #2 for the entire island. We ate breakfast here one morning. I thought the food was pretty average, and the servings were small.
TripAdvisor: #1 in Frederiksted Google: 4.6 My grade: B-
Louis & Nachoโs Beach Bar
This beachside bar shares a space with two other popular Frederiksted St Croix eateries. Louis & Nachos is on the upper floor. Turtles Deli and Smoke STX BBQ are located in an adjoining building, and use the open space directly underneath L&N for a dining area. The menu features tacos and nachos, and the view out across the Caribbean is great.
I tried a couple of different kinds of tacos and they were OK. In fairness, I can be hard to please when it comes to tacos. But, the flour tortilla was too flimsy for the filling, and they seemed to use a universal remoulade on all the tacos. Also, my mahi mahi taco was filled with shrimp. When I pointed this out, I was told that it was indeed mahi mahi. Sure tasted like shrimp though. I did enjoy the unique filling for the jambalaya taco which featured a flavorful combination of Andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp (or was it mahi mahi?)
TripAdvisor: #7 Google: 4.4 My grade: C+
Turtleโs Deli
Turtle Deli serves up the largest sandwiches I have ever seen. To get one of these monsters, you place your order in a ground floor building offset from the main building. The kitchen is then located just next to the outdoor dining area underneath Louis & Nachos, where you pick up your food when ready. The ingredients were freshโฆ with the exception of the bread. It had a tendency to fall apart and made eating such a large sandwich difficult.
TripAdvisor: #2 Google: 4.5 My grade: B
Cafe Roots-N-Kulchah
(2023 Update: It appears that this restaurant has moved to Christiansted – so if you are staying there, check it out)
I generally donโt seek out vegan food when I travel. But I noticed that this small cafe had some rave reviews on Google, and so checked it out. Rastafarianism is prevalent throughout the Caribbean, not just Jamaica, and Rastafari eat vegan. So, vegan restaurants are common in St Croix. Roots-N-Kulchah is located down one of Frederikstedโs side streets and features a few tables inside with a few more outside in a small courtyard. The chef features just three menu items each day, chosen from his board of options depending on the availability of ingredients. I ordered the dayโs curry served over a sweet potato. It was packed with flavor and fresh ingredients. And beautifully plated!
TripAdvisor: #13 Google: 4.6 My grade: A
La Reine Chicken Shack
Though not in Frederiksted, La Reine Chicken Shack is only a 20 minute drive away. Itโs one of the most popular places to eat on the whole island with locals and tourists alike. The Shack is famous for its rotisserie chickens – roasted over open coals in the back. The food here is inexpensive and the menu features a lot of other Caribbean favorites, too. Not just chicken. They are also well-known for their excellent Johnny Cakes – a Caribbean staple of fried dough. A tourist couple we met at our hotel drove there two nights in a row just for the Johnny Cakes.
But if you visit, get there early in the day. We arrived around 5 pm and they were sold out of most everything. Chicken and Johnny Cakes was our only choice.
And I hoped for more from the chicken. I expected juicy smoky goodness after watching them slow roast over the coals. But instead, I found it quite bland. The Johnny Cakes were a revelation though. Warm, chewy, slightly sweet, and delicious. I could not fault our hotel friends for their repeat trips.
TripAdvisor: #9 (for St Croix as a whole) Google: 4.5 My grade: C+
Final Tips and Thoughts
Driving in Frederiksted
In order to see all that St Croix has to offer from your base in Frederiksted, I would definitely recommend renting a car. But note – the Virgin Islands are the only place in United States territory where cars drive on the left-hand side of the road. I personally did not find it difficult to adjust. Also, many of the roads in St Croix – especially around Frederiksted – are not in great shape. Lots of potholes everywhere. I rented a Jeep and Iโm glad we did. Its tires and suspension were better suited for the driving conditions.
Beware of the Sandflies
I never saw a mosquito, but returned home with approximately 80 sandfly bites. Iโve since read that sandflies are a common issue in the Caribbean. Ironically, I had bug repellant with me. I never used it though, because these little buggers are truly no-see-ums. The bites really didnโt start to bloom until the last day of the trip and on the itchy plane ride home.
The Most Clever Way To Advertise Ever
One evening we were sitting on our patio, and a dog walks around the corner and sits next to us. She was wearing a vest with a large laminated card tucked inside. Of course, we had to pull it out and look. It was an advertisement for a local water sports company. She actually sat with us for a while. Ultimately we heard a whistle from the beach and she left. Mrs TT followed the whistle too, intending to return the card. The owner told her to keep it and introduced the dog as his director of marketing. Brilliant! There is no way we would not have looked at that card ๐
Weather
We visited in mid May. Temperatures reached the high 80s during the days, but the usual beachside winds kept things relatively comfortable. The air conditioning at our cottage was definitely appreciated. Overall, it wasnโt nearly as humid as I expected. May can be one of the islandโs rainier months, but we never experienced any. Of course, be aware that hurricane season in the Caribbean starts in June and extends into November.
Safety
I never felt unsafe during our visit. Crime against tourists is reportedly rare in St Croix.
Island Time
Things definitely move slower on St Croix. Food is served a little slower and store clerks take their time. The pace of life is just different. No one is in a hurry. And isnโt that how a vacation should be anyway? It wasnโt difficult at all for us to adjust to Island Time. In fact, I really miss Island Time. And I know you won’t regret soaking up Island Time in Frederiksted St Croix US Virgin Islands!
If you would like to read more of my Thorough Guides from around the World, then check out:
A Thorough Guide to Traveling in Malta
What a great write up with amazing photos. Definitely worth a visit I’d say.
Thanks for checking out the post. Definitely worth a visit…
That is about as comprehensive as it gets for a guide, can’t imagine you missed anything there. The Cottages by the Sea seem almost perfect, right on the beach, and if they got great beds, even better.
Once again, I realise how little I know about American history. The Danish owned islands in the Caribbean.. what..?! And for a whole 150 years!!?
Roots-N-Kulchah sounds like a great find. Ellie & I try to reduce our meat intake and with food like this I’d imagine it should be pretty easy.
Yes, I could eat Vegan for a while if Roots-N-Kuchah was nearby
Great write up of my hometown. There’s so much more to be highlighted about Frederiksted so hopefully on your next visit you get to experience them. The only correction I’m advising you to correct is that johnny cakes is not made with any Cornmeal. That’s a different food item that is made in the south of the U.S.
Thanks for the feedback Will and I appreciate the correction. I’ll change it. And I do hope to go back some time and experience even more
Good and fair article, definitely aimed at tourists. I ve been going here for fifty years so I’ve seen the change. My quiet Pretty little island is going the way of places like rainbow Beach, rude tourist who don’t speak . Hope we don’t end up like Jamaica, but I’m pretty sure as we see the building happening the tourist will take over .
I sure hope that St Croix retains its character too!
We have St Croix on our list. After reading this great post we are moving this wonderful sounding place to the top of our list. Its our kind of place….mellow! Thanks!
Exactly! So mellow….
I lived on STX for 12.6 years. Most of that time in Frederiksted. I was an administrator in the St Croix school district.
Your review is well written.
Just two observations.
Rainbow Beach is one kilometer from Frederiksted.
I was surprised you didn’t get to the Lost Dog. Great owner, excellent staff and outstanding pizza.
Dr. Pollard
Thanks for the correction Dr. I changed it. And it sounds like I need to go back and visit the Lost Dog ๐
Thanks for the great write-up of my home island. I grew up where Turtles is now located, and watched the pier being built as a kid (rebuilt twice due to hurricanes), the waterfront park constructed and the fort recovered from the bush. Truly a great town to visit now. You should have visited the Chicken Shack earlier in the day – the potato stuffing and other sides are local favorites. My first stop when I visit.
Glad to know that you enjoyed it! And next time I’ll give the Shack another chance
Loved your review. We are heading back this June 2023. I read your post looking for more restaurants to try as we are A LOT at our resort which was Sand Castle on the Beach. Highly recommend their food as well. We also meet Sandy, the dog, she was an absolute pleasure to hang with.๐
We were next door to Sand Castle and never quite made it there to eat. So many options in the area. Next time though…
Tony and I are happy to have seen your write up on our home – Frederiksted – for 70+ years. Except for one or two new restaurants, things seem to have remained the same after we left 5 years ago. Actually much remains unchanged anyway, including the potholes! We restored many of the buildings in Frederiksted, dove many a day, restored Mt. Washington Plantation, ate at all the restaurants and loved every moment. God bless Frederiksted! Come visit and find the historic beauty tucked away around the beautiful island of St. Croix.
Seems to me that it would be a wonderful place to live ๐
Very enjoyable read. Frederiksted is my home and your article/review makes me beam with pride. Thank you for your visit and kind comments. Do come back soon. Now going to read your other travel reviews.
That means a lot coming from a local resident. Thanks Sandi!