GOING TO ST. CROIX
Where to stay
The Buccaneer is a luxury resort that features three beaches, tennis, golf and fine dining. 5007 Estate Shoys, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 800-255-3881, thebuccaneer.com.
Where to eat
Zion Modern Kitchen — 2132 Company St., Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 340-773-9466, zionmodernkitchen.com.
Activities
Cruzan Cowgirls Horseback Riding Tours — 907-841-1990, cruzancowgirls.com.
Big Beard's Adventure Tours offers half-day and full-day snorkeling trips to Buck Island Reef National Monument. 866-773-4482, bigbeards.com.
Cruzan Rum Distillery — 3A Estate Diamond, Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 340-692-2280, cruzanrum.com.
Mounted on a chestnut-colored horse named Bacon, I felt the warm emerald-green water of the Caribbean Sea lapping at my thighs, and it suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea if horses can swim.
Fortunately, Bacon proved that they can. He took to the water like a fish, so I loosened my grip on the reins, closed my eyes and enjoyed the sea breeze on my face. When I turned and waved to my horseback riding companions behind me, I saw that they were as awed as I was by the serene tropical beauty of St. Croix, the largest of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands.
These days, Bacon lives the good life. He is well cared for and his days are filled with leisurely swims and pleasant walks through the rain forest, but it hasn't always been so. According to Jennifer Olah, founder of Cruzan Cowgirls Horseback Riding Tours, just two years ago, Bacon was "not a happy horse" and riding him was a nerve-wracking experience. Like all horses on the tour, Bacon is a rehabilitated rescue animal, one of Olah's first.
“When I found him, he was so tangled in the trees, he could hardly move,” Olah says. “He was tied with ropes, and he wasn’t in good condition.”
Bacon had been ridden harshly in island bush races, informal weekend races that take place in fields or on the beach, and like any neglected or abused animal, he was mistrustful of humans.
The biggest obstacle was convincing him that he would not be disciplined for walking instead of running.
“He would try to kick when you got on,” Olah says. “He would start to tremble and sweat because he was expecting that we would get on, get a stick, hit him and make him run. When he realized it was OK to walk, he was the happiest horse on the planet. He went from being miserable to, ‘I’m chill.’ That’s one of the biggest rewards of what we do.”
It’s hard to grasp that this docile, content horse was once the rebellious, frightened animal Olah described. My equestrian skills are pretty limited, but mounting him was easy, and he never seemed agitated or anxious. Because he was relaxed, I was relaxed, able to thoroughly enjoy a ride past the ruins of an overgrown sugar plantation, remnants of St. Croix’s Danish colonial past.
Bacon is just one of many Cruzan Cowgirls success stories. To date, Olah has adopted approximately 37 horses.
The horseback riding tours introduce visitors to the island’s natural beauty, culture and history. Not only do they fund the animals’ upkeep, the rides also serve as a crucial part of the rehabilitation process. Every time the horses have a positive interaction with humans, their fear decreases and their trust grows. I felt privileged to play a small part in building that horse-human bond.
Buck Island Reef National Monument
Not all of St. Croix's captivating creatures live on land; many inhabit the ocean. One way to get acquainted with the extraordinary and diverse marine life is to join Big Beard's Adventure Tours half-day snorkeling trip to Buck Island Reef National Monument, a 176-acre uninhabited island just 1.5 miles off the northeast coast of St. Croix.
A snorkeling lesson was offered at Turtle Beach, our first stop, but I’m a seasoned snorkeler, so I set off on my own to explore the wonders of the Caribbean Sea.
The snorkeling off Turtle Beach was impressive, but the best was yet to come. On the other side of Buck Island, we were introduced to a marked underwater trail that guides snorkelers through the protected barrier reef, one of the best known ecological sites in the Caribbean. Signage depicting common sea life makes it easy for snorkelers to identify the creatures they encounter.
I lowered my mask, adjusted my snorkel and followed my guide through a subaquatic garden teeming with exotic flora and fauna. A school of neon blue and yellow angelfish, the peacocks of the sea, greeted us by fanning their tails, and I marveled that such brilliant hues exist in nature. Rocks and shells of all shapes and sizes shimmered like jewels. Gliding over boulder-sized brain coral, I examined the deep, yellow grooves and watched tiny fish play hide-and-seek in the gently swaying sea anemones.
More than 250 species of marine life, including stingrays, moray eels and several species of endangered sea turtles, inhabit these waters. I was completely spellbound and could have stayed until I saw each and every one. I have snorkeled in other parts of the Caribbean, but this was the most enthralling experience by far.
A taste of rum, a taste of history
The beauty of St. Croix is it can be as laid-back or as exciting as you want. I had enjoyed my share of active pursuits, so the next day, I got into a mellow island vibe. I spent the morning basking in the sun at the Buccaneer Hotel's Mermaid Beach like a sluggish island iguana.
Suddenly, my dreamy, sun-soaked brain had a frightening moment of lucidity, warning me I was about to make a terrible, irreparable mistake.
As I saw one fruity cocktail after another delivered to my fellow beachgoers, it hit me. I hadn’t had a single drop of rum on the island famous for producing the spirit.
This egregious oversight required immediate action.
Time was running out. I would be leaving this tropical paradise soon, and I couldn’t bear the thought of the raised eyebrows and incredulous, open-mouthed stares I would get back home if I didn’t return a rum aficionado, able to provide detailed descriptions of the delicious concoctions I had consumed in exotic locals around the island.
I zipped over to the Cruzan Rum Distillery for a guided tour and tasting. OK, I was mostly there for the tasting, but the tour was interesting.
I strolled past open fermentation tanks the size of swimming pools and learned that the rum is aged in charred oak barrels that once contained Kentucky bourbon.
Cruzan Rum has been produced on the island since the early 1800s, and vestiges of another age remain at the distillery.
Back when St. Croix was a major sugar cane producer, the cane was crushed by equipment powered by a windmill that still stands on the property. Molasses, the byproduct of sugar cane, is a crucial ingredient in producing rum. Today, the sugar cane is imported.
Finally, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. My tour group was herded into a charming old plantation house where we bellied up to the bar. With 21 rums and 13 flavors, choosing wasn’t easy.
Some stuck to that old standard, rum punch, while adventurous imbibers ordered cocktails made with tropical fruit-flavored rum, such as mango, coconut and guava.
My favorite was the Velvet Cinn Horchata, a creamy, cinnamon-infused beverage that smelled like Christmas.
Here’s to St. Croix. Cheers!
