Hotel Caravelle on St.Croix, a small European-Style hotel on the water in Christiansted, a great location, great rooms, great value. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/St_Croix/hotelcaravelle/hotel/801/20/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Mon, 9 Nov 2009 18:58:58 EST This charming hotel blends old world charm with modern amenities. The 43 newly furnished and spacious rooms offer private bath, air conditioning, cable TV, direct dial telephones, refrigerators and AM/FM radio for your convenience and comfort. Watch colorful sailboats glide by as you enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner at the award winning RumRunner's waterfront restaurant and bar. Hotel Caravelle is also the perfect setting for weddings and honeymoons. Comfort, convenience and a seasoned, friendly Caribbean staff assure you a warm welcome at the beautiful Caravelle Hotel, your headquarters for everything in St. Croix. AMENITIES: ACTIVITIES: Experience all the advantages of a Caribbean resort – sailing, fishing, swimming, sunning or snorkeling. A variety of scuba diving packages are available with daily departures from the Hotel dock. Take a relaxing sail to Buck Island with the crew from Big Beard's Adventure Tours. Rent a car for a day and take a ride to the Botanical Garden, Whim Plantation or the Island's other town, Frederiksred. Or take a short walk to the St. Croix Aquarium. Free-port shopping at the Caravelle Arcade and Pan Am Pavilion is right outside your door. The beaches, tennis courts and two 18-hole golf courses are nearby. THE SEA: You could spend hours gazing at the Caribbean's gently lapping layers of blue, turquoise, and aquamarine, and you probably will. However, we encourage you to venture off the shore and experience St. Croix's sea from a different angle -- on it, or in it! You'll never gaze at the layers of blue in the same way again. Go diving or snorkeling. Behold the secrets of the sea for which St. Croix was voted a top Caribbean diving destination. Take a sailing tour to Buck Island; you'll understand why the island and its reef have been made a National Park. If you try sailing on your own, or kayaking, parasailing, or windsurfing, you'll learn to work with the sea, its waves and whims. If you spend your time fishing, you'll get to know the sea as a source of exotic abundance. Even if you choose just to go for a relaxing swim, you will never gaze upon the seascape in the same way again. The Caribbean's waters are welcoming, and St. Croix is an easy place to accept the invitation! Join us on our most popular trips to Buck Island aboard the 42' Catamaran Renegade or the 40' Flyer. Visit Turtle Beach, voted one of the ten prettiest beaches in the world. We will take you to St. Croix's beloved underwater trail and take you snorkeling along the protected coral reef. Afterwards, we'll have a beach BBQ with all you can eat and drink. We also have sunset sails, private charters, and weddings aboard our beautiful boats. Let SCUBA's team of Dive Professionals show you why they were rated in the TOP 10 in the Caribbean/Atlantic and why their customers call them “The Friendliest Dive Shop on Earth.” Visit SCUBA to try diving for the first time, get certified, or become a better diver while witnessing the largest living reef of any Caribbean Island. SCUBA also has a large selection of T- shirts, swimsuits, and Scuba Pro dive/snorkel gear. Caribbean Adventure Tours offers guided kayaking tours of Salt River National Park and Ecological Preserve. Paddle the tranquil, protected waters of Salt River and enjoy the Park's unique combination of ecological, historical and cultural highlights. Explore birding areas and mangrove groves, observe ancient Indian burial grounds, sunbathe, hike and swim on a pristine secluded beach, and paddle to Christopher Columbus' landing site as his crew did 500 years ago. Join Hail Mary on a cruise of the Christiansted Harbor. Sites include Fort Christianvaern, The Scale House, Steeple Building, and the lush rolling hills of Christiansted and beyond. You may even be lucky enough to catch a sea turtle peeking above the surface. THE LAND: St. Croix is an island of plenty -- plenty of palm trees, pink hibiscus, plush green hills, and plunging cliffs. The diversity of life to be found between our eastern desert and our western rain forest is astounding. Where else does it take but a half-hour to go from a cactus to a loaded mango tree? A drive through this generous land with an occasional stop for a walk or photo might be enough activity for many, but sportier sightseers can catch the beauty from crests, courts, and courses. Or....leave the car behind and take a long hike or explore on bicycle or horseback. Indeed, there are plenty of places to soak in the sun, plenty of spots in the sand for frisbee and beach volleyball, and plenty of time to do it all -- remember, you're on island time now. Carambola Golf Club - Carambola Golf Club offers eighteen holes of the most beautiful and challenging golf in the Caribbean. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and built by Laurance Rockefeller, the Club is the recipient of Golf Magazine's Gold Medal award and annually hosts the Konica USVI Golf Classic featuring LPGA professionals. Nestled in a verdant tropical valley, the course features rolling terrain, ninety-four bunkers and four of the best par 3's around! Cruzan Rum Distillery - Using only the purest natural ingredients and processes, Cruzan Rum has for over 300 years made this best-selling rum at its distillery on St. Croix. For a small fee, guests can have a guided tour of the distillery and see first-hand how rum is made. Tours conclude with complimentary rum drinks at the Pavilion Gift Shop. Tours are available Monday through Friday 9-11:30am and 1-4:15pm. The St. Croix Heritage Trail is a self guided driving tour of the island's historic sites and natural areas. The trail provides linkages between many of St. Croix's major historic attractions such as Whim Plantation Museum, St. Georges Village Botanical Gardens, and Christiansted Historic Site as well as several plantation ruins. Natural areas and bird watching locales are depicted on the comprehensive map. Plans call for the development of pullovers and overlooks with further interpretation through signs and wayside exhibits. An information packed brochure with a detailed map is available for a small fee at many hotels, car rental agencies and tourist information centers. The highlight of your vacation will be an historical, narrated sightseeing tour of St. Croix from the back of an open-air safari bus. One low price covers your tour and admission to the attractions. Ideal for both land based visitors and cruise ship passengers who would prefer a professionally guided tour. It's a fun way for kids (young and old) to experience the island. English, French, Spanish, and Danish guides available. Open air Safari buses (covered top) and air conditioned buses available. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Hotel Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/St_Croix/hotelcaravelle/hotel/801/20/ Mon, 9 Nov 2009 18:58:58 EST