Thursday, April 2, 2026
Already time to head to our final destination!
We checked out by promptly 10 am. (Side note- a definite downside to changing locations is the packing up part. Even though we have carry ons only, we still have a lot of stuff with us- and it’s worse when beach wear, wet swim suits, snorkel gear, beach bags etc are all involved, too. It just feels like a big production! Especially since we were there for 5 nights and many/most things got all unpacked.)
The plan was to drive to Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas’ only “bigger” city) and explore a little there and get lunch.
I wanted to do this anyway, and I had figured it fit in best this day. We had to kill some time anyway before check in at our next place, we also had to return our rental car at the airport (also in Charlotte Amalie) and the water ferry to Water Island is right there, too.
We drove ~25 min from our condo to Charlotte Amalie and parked in a lot by Fort Christian.
This is a historic site you can tour for a fee, but we didn’t. Just snapped a pic from the outside.
We wandered around the tourist markets a bit (mostly designed for cruise ship people, since the port is nearby). We bought a few magnets and my dad got a hat, etc.
Took a pic at the St. Thomas sign:
It was HOT!! I really have not felt hot much on this trip because there’s always such a nice sea breeze, but here there wasn’t. 🥵
Since it was so hot, we decided it was a good time to climb the famous 99 Steps. 😅
It’s another historic spot – 99 steps that used to lead up to a watchtower. It’s a beautiful spot! (*Also, more than 99 steps are involved because there are first a bunch of other steps to get up to the 99 steps!)
It’s so pretty though and definitely worth seeing.
Here are my parents climbing. A younger couple, maybe in their 30s, stopped them and said my parents are their #goals for when they are older, and that they are actively trying to stay super fit and active now to ensure they can still do things like this in their 70s and beyond, too! 😊😊
Cool view of these statues from the top- The Three Sisters. This commemorates 3 women who led a major revolt for better wages and living conditions against Danish colonialism.
At the way top is Blackbeard’s Castle. With more time, this would have neat to tour, which includes access to the top of the watchtower. But it was $15/person and we didn’t really feel the need. I snapped a pic through the gate.
We considered getting lunch at the on site restaurant/bar but it was pretty full- and hot too.
Instead we hiked back down:
And then walked down Main Street, the main jewelry store and shopping drag. There are several pretty alleyways.
St. Thomas is known for its fine jewelry – there are dozens of stores full of sapphires, rubies, diamonds and more.
We decided to get lunch at this very cool brewpub called the Taphus. It was nice and COOL in there and I really liked the vibe! They also were one of the very few (if any?) places we have encountered that has tap beer- and they have like 20+ local brews on tap.
(I just had a nice, cold Coke though. 😜)
We ordered 2 pizzas to share. This was fun!
After lunch, back to the car to move on.
This part had potential to get a little tricky. We needed to get rid of the car (at the off site rental office), and then somehow get all of us and our stuff to the ferry dock. It was also pretty close by (like 5 min drive), but not walkable at all. Plus we had ALL our luggage… and backpacks… and beach bags and some groceries…
Ultimately we dropped everyone off at the ferry dock with all of our things to wait, and then Ivan and I went alone to return the car. We figured we’d probably have to take the car rental shuttle back to the airport and then take a taxi from there.
Well, we lucked out! We dropped the car off (thankfully took NO time at all- I was nervous given our pick up experience!), and then when the shuttle pulled up, since we were the only people waiting, I asked the driver if he could possibly run us to the Crown Bay Marina instead of the airport. He said sure, no problem! SCORE!!
We dropped the car and were back in like 10 minutes flat – and no overpriced taxi fee! (It was free- we just tipped the guy.)
The ferry only runs on the hour, and we got back at 1:45- so we managed to make the 2 pm ferry. Perfect!
The ferry ride is only like 15 minutes or so. We passed right below one of the huge cruise ships docked:
The property manager from the new villa was waiting at the dock for us to take all of our luggage in his pickup truck. (There are no vehicles on the island except for a few locals).
He took my mom and the boys to the house, and my dad, Ivan and I caught a ride to the beach in the free beach shuttle to the beach bar place where we had rented our golf carts for the next 3 days.
Got those picked up no problem and headed back up the hill to our house! The island is small- so nothing is far.
It’s super fun to tootle around in the golf carts! Everywhere on the island has amazing views. It’s so unique!!! So far I am loving this whole experience. Most people only visit Water Island as a day trip from St. Thomas, so it has a super authentic/remote feel to it.
When we got to our house, my jaw dropped. I have said before, I try to prioritize lodging with good views, and we have stayed at many places with pretty views. But I have never seen views like from this place!!! It is absolutely astounding.
From inside, it’s floor to ceiling windows! Depending on where you stand, it almost feels like you’re on a huge boat! (From the kitchen, all you can see is water as far as your eye can see.)
It is incredible. The house has sort of a “island cottage vibe” while still feeling luxurious too. It’s amazing!! The best “mistake” ever! 🤣🤣
If you’re ever looking for a very relaxing or more off the beaten path place to stay, I would highly recommend. (It’s not actually hard to get to at all- Water Island ferry is just a 5 min drive from the airport, plus a 10-15 min ferry ride ($10/person each way).
It’s just that the island is small and there are exactly 2 restaurants on it and only one main beach. So most people tend to stay on St. Thomas…. But this is a super cool way to spend a few days, too!! I think this plus some days on St John could be a great trip for people wanting a more off the beaten path type trip.)
Ivan, my dad, Asher and I went out to check out the only store on the island, a (very) little convenience store. (Sort of a misnomer because it is not particularly “convenient”, lol.) They do sell some staples, and we picked up another loaf of bread and some drinks and some microwave popcorn and Asher bought a couple Hot Pockets. Oh, and we grabbed some instant ramen! 😅
Our driveway:
Heading down the hill:
Back at our place, we basically just all relaxed for a while and settled in.
I mean. What?!?! These views!!!! I just can’t even comprehend them. Like, you need to COME HERE and stay here and see these views with your own eyes.
The boys’ room is the only one without a view, boohoo. Haha. It’s actually super cute and cozy though. I think they’re happy there!
Our room with a King bed and an entire wall of sliding doors out to the balcony:
A cruise ship heading back out to sea. Cool to see.
Trying to capture the full views- they encircle the whole house, basically! And the balcony is huge.
I want to get down to that little private beach. 🙂 The host told me how.
Eventually I decided to crawl into my bed and read for a while, simultaneously enjoying the views from there:
At 6 or so we cleaned up a little and headed down to Dinghy’s, the only restaurant open at night! Ha. I guess they have a monopoly. 😉 (Heidi’s is also open for lunch, up on the hill.)
Parked down at the beach- Honeymoon Beach- and grabbed a table. Like I mentioned, not too many people even stay on the island, so it wasn’t too busy. A few people had sailed there and came up on shore to eat, too. (Some Puerto Ricans that had a couple of BIG beautiful boats!)
The beach was soooo pretty!! It was sunset time.
Randomly, there is a pickleball court right on the beach! The boys had fun playing that for a long time while we got our drinks, etc.
Nearly empty beach!! My favorite kind.
Dinghy’s:
The sky was so pretty….
The place has lights strung about and it has a very fun island vibe.
Pickleball in the dark, ha. 😉
Gorgeous.
The boys also played the “hook the ring on the nail” game.
The only negative is that St Thomas has a lot of no-see-ums!! I have a lot of little bites on me… and they itch. I mean, it’s not awful, but it’s annoying. Fortunately at least unlike mosquitoes, you don’t really notice them biting you… you just suddenly have itchy bites later on. It’s a whole thing here that people talk about- I knew about it in advance so I was expecting it. (It’s totally not been a deal breaker or anything though.)
Back at our place- the views by night are equally stunning:
It wasn’t too late, so we decided to watch a movie. We put on Jack Black’s Anaconda. Felt nice to just relax and watch a movie. I really like this house!!!
I then crawled into bed – for some reason I felt super tired. Haha. Passed out hard and woke up at 7:30 this morning!
We have 2 full days now to enjoy Water Island before we fly home Sunday. There is not much to do here, really, so should be nice and low key. (There’s the main beach, of course, plus a few other things to explore.)
We’re planning to go on a full island tour in a little bit.
I’d also personally be pretty happy just chilling at this house for much of the time!
GRATEFUL KAE 