ST. ELSE WHERE

Part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix is often overlooked compared to her sister islands of St. Thomas and St. John to the north. But a visit to this lesser-known gem reveals a place rich in gifts from deep culture and history to fantastic food, beautiful beaches, and a soulful style that may have you yearning to stay

- TRACEY MINKIN

Alexander Hamilton arrived in Christiansted as a boy by 18th-century sloop. I, on the other hand, behold the Caribbean capital's sun-baked harborfront graceful arches and vivid facades-from a zippy little pink Boston Whaler with a disco ball under her striped awning and iced canned cocktails in her hold. Hamilton, after losing both of his parents by the age of 13, left for the colonies soon after a catastrophic hurricane in 1772. I arrive on a cloudless day. What separates us is circumstance and centuries. What unites us is St. Croix.

And what a splendid place to share. Because among the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix could be considered the secret saint. Everyone knows about St. Thomas and St. John, it seems: the former, a cruise ship staple; the latter, a blend of national park and villa-dotted estates. But St. Croix, with its French-inflected name and distance (nearly 45 miles due south) from its kissing-close USVI siblings, feels like a place apart. And that's just what makes it great. From historic towns to glorious beaches, from a burgeoning hotel, restaurant, and bar scene to iconic chicken shacks and rain forest bars, St. Croix is an island of surprise.

The surprises begin upon arrival, with rum punch served in a peacock-shaped ceramic cocktail mug, in the opulent Peacock Room at the King Christian Hotel. This is the boutique hotel's welcome drink, a signal of hotelier Chris Pardo's youthful footprint in the heart of Christiansted. In fact, Pardo's recent renovation is of an entire harborfront block, which includes not only the hotel (reopened in 2021) but also a string of Instagram- pretty eateries and bars. It's easy to imagine a lazy day going from spot to spot, snagging café tables in the shade of the colonnade and watching the traffic-pedestrian, equestrian, and nautical-roll by. But the first of several St. Croix journeys beckons: this one into the island's history.