I can address a couple of your interests.
Tan Tan Tours is worthwhile although we only did a half day - it was interesting and fun and you get to see several places that you might not be able to get to otherwise. It is a little strenuous and you need to be in good shape to do a full day.
Golf at the Buccaneer is great. It is a resort course, but has some spectacular views. It is my favorite course. The Carombola course is nice, a Robert Trent Jones design, but no different than any other nice course on the mainland.
The Reefs has a 9 hole course on the East End that is fun to play if you are not very good or are just learning.
Street crime is an issue, but common sense helps a lot. We have visited St. Croix about 15 times in the past 3 years and have never had a problem.
Buck Island is definitely worth seeing. We have been a few times, but I cannot remember the name of the company - it is located on the end of the dock nearest the Fort.
Have a good trip. St. Croix is a great place.

Dear TXGal,
I have lived on St. Croix for 7 years and have some personal suggestions for your trip:
1. 2nd Rental Car - If you want to rent a 2nd car DO IT NOW! The majority of the car rental companies already have all their cars booked for the dates you will be on island. Call Centerline Car Rental (my personal favorite) (340) 778-0450. They will meet you at the airport.
2. Golf - I agree w/arnoldod-Buccanner Golf Resort is very nice w/spectacular sea views. The holes are challenging and a favorite. Carambola is nice, mid-island. Typical Trent Jones designed course.
3. Tan-Tan Tours--Well worth it! Suggest the 1/2 day. Why burn an entire day riding around when you could do something else the other 1/2 of the day.
4. Diving - Cane Bay Dive Shop on the North Shore - great Wall dives, professional dive masters and guides.
SCUBA - downtown Christiansted - Ask for Ed or Molley (owners) great people, boat dives, wreck dives,
night dives...whatever you want
Dive Experience - downtown Christiansted - again, great owners & dive masters. Great trips
5. Buck Island - Try the full day trip on with Big Beard on the Renegade. Includes a rum punch/beach b-b-q.
Great trip! Lots of fun! Lots of RUM!
6. Beaches - Lots of great beaches on island. Depends on what you're looking for...
a. lots of people & fun - Cane Bay Beach on the North Shore
b. looking for solitude - Jack & Isaacs on the east end
c. snorkeling - Cane Bay, Chenay Bay, Shoys, beach at Bucaneer, lots of options
** Suggestion: don't take much money w/you or leave items unattended on the beach (merely a suggestion)
7. "To Lock or Not Lock" car - Do it either way. Just don't leave anything of value behind.
8. Christmas Eve/Day - when you get on island, pick up the local newspaper "The Avis". Check it out for restaurant activities, places that will be open, etc.
9. Kayaking - Virgin Kayak - Cane Bay North Shore (340) 778-0071. Brian & Jill Updyke (owners) Give a great Salt River historical tour or whatevery kind of trip you want.

Sounds like you've get the "safety" part figured out. Like you mentioned, just be smart.
You're gonna' have a great time! Enjoy!

Dear TX gal

You said that you didn't want your days to be "jam-packed". Well, I'm exhausted just reading your list of activities...
lol...I guess you can keep up with this active schedule. My idea of an island vacation is to slow down and watch the water move around. However if all of your group want an active day full of planned activities, then you have done a wonderful job.

You have a great list of local businesses. The response you have received is wonderful. So Do it all or don't do a thing. Make sure you understand what the other four people on your trip want to do....or don't want to do.

I know I would be ready for some "veg" time by the third day.

LOL island time 🙂 I totally understand what you are saying. I feel like I have a lot of activities listed as well. Plus, all of those activities really add up $$$$ wise. I guess I figure it is better to have a selection and not do them all than be bored bc we don't know what to do! Thanks for your thoughts!
~TXgal

I too had a bit of a time getting in touch with Wave of Tan Tan Tours, but you should persist, even after you arrive on island. It is SO worth it. I took the full day tour, but whatever you decide make sure that your tour includes the tidal pools at Annaly Bay - that alone is worth the price of admission. And, while being in shape would help, I'm a woman of "a certain age" with some mobility issues and was able to fully participate in everything offered by the tour. My one suggestion would be to make sure you wear "water socks" or whatever those cheap shoes for wearing in the water are called. Excellent for scaling the rocks and useful when swimming to avoid rocks, coral chunks and sea urchins.

Thanks Joanne! How did you finally end up getting a hold of Wave? I've emailed and called.... So you highly suggest the full day tour? I keep hearing mixed thoughts, full vs. half day.
Although, everyone says Tan Tan Tour is a MUST!

My husband and I and our 2 16 yr old twin boys went to STX last June and here are my suggestions:
-get the second car. What if you want to do something and the others have another plan in mind. You may not to get to squeeze it all in.
-there are alot of STX sites on the internet regarding beaches, restaurants, etc. I researched (and researched) in alot of detail because I have the same philosophy about being an educated traveler. Plus, read the archives of this board. I got ALOT of info about what our final itinerary was to be.
-the safety thing really wasnt too bad for us. We didnt stay out real late but while in town after dark, we watched our backs. The owner of our resort gave us good advise about what to do and what not to do. If you have a question, just ask someone and they'll be honest.
-We didnt leave anything in the car and we kept it unlocked at all times (that really was a wierd thing for my husband). We didnt have any troubles there.
-Here is what we felt were the highlights of our trip:
Domino Club-seeing the beer drinking pigs and drinking mamma wannas and just hanging out in a very cool bar in the rain forest
Running in a race at the Univ of VI- we found it in the paper. What a thrill for me!!
Buck Island- truly the best beach there and great snorkeling. We researched and found the tour that was best for us. I cant remember the name but we left Green Cay marina for a full day and it gave us the most time on Buck Island. We packed our lunch (from Just in Case Deli-high recommended) which was great for us.
Food-everywhere we ate was wonderful.--Rum Runners, Chenay Bay (that is where we stayed-nice), Tutto Benne,
Case Place, Sunset Grill (lunch), Tamirand, Cheeseburgers in Paradise, and many more
Jack/Issacs Bay- if you are into hiking and remote beaches, check these out. They are wonderful.
Other beaches (all of which we enjoyed. the diversity of each is fun)- buccaneer, shoys, chenay bay, Cane Bay, Divi, Sunset Beach.
We really explored the island by trying to hit a different beach and/or site everyday and I feel we really got a good sense of the island. We would go back again in a minute. The road maps are hard to follow so we got the Berndtson and Berndtson map which along with the maps you get on the island, we only made a couple of wrong turns. I did turn into the projects once but it was in the day. I think that may be close to where you are staying but it's not a big deal.
Happy researching. To me, that is part of the fun of it.

Great advice, Phyl!
PS-- Just in Case Deli is a great find, isn't it? We load up on their chicken/crab/or tuna salad and make sandwiches back at the condo. The balcony, that view, and those sandwiches... YUM! 🙂

I just kept trying to get Wave on his phone. Eventually I found him but it was after I arrived on island. I can understand that, with so much to do (or not) on island, one might want to take just the half day tour but trust me, your tour MUST include the tidal pools - they are breathtaking. If they're included in the half day tour that's great, but I'd be surprised. I also enjoyed the stop at the Mt. Victory Camp to see the endangered red-footed tortoises there. The whole trip is an absolute gas!!!

BTW, Wave's full day tour includes a stop at the Domino Club but, if the pigs aren't "drinking" it's definitely worth a trip back to see this if you plan to be in the area. Honest, this sounds sooooo tacky that I avoided it for my first seven or eight trips. Finally went and was shocked at what a good time it is. Dragged some "upper crust" friends there a couple years later and they too were surprised and delighted - it is such a hoot!!

Thank you so much!!!!!! This info is fantastic! Wave's wife did return our calls yesterday. And we have decided to do the full day tour the 2nd full day we are there. We have opted to skip deep sea fishing (for whatever reasons- I think it's more trolling and less action- whatever that means). We are taking a tour to Buck Island, still not sure with who yet; we'll figure that out when we arrive. We might do this Christmas Eve. Other than that, we plan on diving, golfing, and relaxing! I am very excited! Thanks for all of the advise, and I'd love to hear any more 🙂

Please take into account how busy the island is during the Christmas holiday. Especially if you have a largish group, if you have a particular thing you want to do on a particular day, I would make reservations in advance.

Also, many of the better restaurants are closed on Christmas and Christmas Eve.

One last (yea right) question- where do the crab races occur?? I thought I read that they were at Cheeseburgers in Paradise Wed. night... but now I'm thinking that is incorrect. However, what a fun first evening meal that would be! I know we'll want a relaxed, typical island meal. Nothing stuffy at all. Maybe Rumrunners? Our plane arrives around 3:00ish... so we should have plenty of time, right? TIA!

I was wondering if Festival activities weren't gearing up by then???

We especially loved the Just in Case for a few reasons. They had EVERYTHING squeezed into that little store and their baked goods are something worth stopping in for. Plus we found out that they are Steelers fans (they even had a Steelers sandwich). We got talking and tound out that the owner hung out with my sister in high school. What a small world. One more suggestion: spend time talking to the people. They have such cool stories and who knows, you may meet an old friend of the family!!
: )

Crab races are: Monday's at The Brew Pub on the boardwalk in downtown Christiansted, Friday's at The Deep End Bar at the Green Cay Marina area. Start time is 5:30 (ish-Cruzan time). Wednesday's at the Divi Carina Bay Resort (I think out by the pool area). $2.00 for a crab, you give it a name, and they're off! Remember...No Pointing (this makes the crabs stop) and Tito will put duct tape on your hands. I've seen him tape people's hands to their bodies and the chairs they're sitting in. It's a hoot!