Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

A City with a Swashbuckling Past

There’s something irresistible about the sparkling turquoise blue water that gently laps on the shore of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. This stunning harbor, filled with pleasure boats and encircled by emerald hills dotted with pastel houses, was once the center of a bustling pirate culture, as swashbuckling knaves such as Blackbeard and Drake traded stolen wares in port. Today many of their old warehouses have been converted to shops and malls, where you may spend your pieces of eight on an array of treasures those buccaneers could never have imagined.

And if you’d like to steal a little beach time, head to Magen Bay for snow-white sand and pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming scenery. Don your shades and enjoy a little sun, sand, and surf not to mention shopping if you so desire. If you’d like to be under the sea (don’t worry, there aren’t any octopus’ gardens that we’ve found), Coki Beach offers some of the best snorkeling in St. Thomas, with underwater visibility of at least 100 feet.