St Croix Island Of Opportunity

H aving just returned from         Many roads are a nightmare, and    St. Croix, I’m still trying     “scenic drive” should not mean     to figure out what’s            the absence of anything            happening with this island. Is it     resembling pavement. Simply        dying a slow death from neglect,      cutting the 6’ tall grass          or swollen with opportunity &         obscuring oncoming traffic on      poised for serious growth? Its        most northern roads would make     current state might lead one to       those steep, sharp turns far less  either conclusion.                    hazardous. It would also let                                             visitors enjoy the gorgeous        While there, I had a great time,      views, not to mention restoring 2  enjoyed some spectacular scuba        full lanes for vehicles.           diving, ate excellent food at                                            super prices, and even had time       The island has a lot of history,   to drive most of the island           but sometimes it’s hard to see or  looking through history and           even find. For example, while      rainforests.                          visiting the Whim Plantation,                                            most of the signage describing     But the thing is, most everywhere     the exhibits and past culture      I looked, the place seemed like       were either faded away, washed     it was falling apart. It reminded     out, or missing entirely.          me of the 3 C’s of rehabbing                                             houses – Clean it up; Cut the         In Christiansted, I followed a     grass; & Cover the walls. With        map that notated the location of   the exception of a handful of         the house where Alexander          places in Christiansted, and the      Hamilton once lived. But arriving  Frederiksted Pier & park area,        at that spot, found no sign,       much of the rest of the island        plaque, or other indication I’d    could use some serious attention.     arrived at the correct place.                                            After asking several locals, one   finally verified the correct          tourists.                          structure.                                                                                                     Otherwise, the promotion noise     St. Croix has so much going for       rings hollow. They should stop     it, that it’s hard to understand      doing it immediately, and just     why those who should be               fade away entirely.                interested in its welfare don’t                                          appear to be doing anything about     For those who may be interested    improving the islands image. The      in finding their own place in the  advertising and promotional           sun, I have to say that St. Croix  materials found in all the usual      still has a lot going for it,      places indicate that tourism is       regardless of whether it gains     indeed desirable, and an              more prominence as a tourist       acknowledged contributor to the       destination. It’s a beautiful      local economy, but I got the          island, and one where prices       overall sense it wasn’t a             remain well below most other       particularly high priority.           Caribbean destinations. You can                                          still find plenty of places to     This was really surprising to a       build, or existing places to buy,  first-time visitor, but the           without breaking the bank.         message coming across was clearly                                        one of “what you see is what you      Whether the tourism industry gets  get – take it or leave it”.           its act together or not, doesn’t                                         really matter to someone looking   I would suggest that those there,     for a good deal on property. If    in government and other groups        things stay as they are, property  involved in the tourism industry,     values will continue to grow       who clearly talk a good game, get     gradually, and the island will     serious about sprucing up their       remain much as it is.              island and making it inviting to                                         On the other hand, it’s a good        I for one hope they get serious    time to get in, and values could      about fixing up and promoting the  increase dramatically. The            island. The handful of things      islands large size (compared to       mentioned earlier would be a good  many others) would allow for          start, and take hardly any time    years of growth before it comes       to rectify.                        close to becoming densely                                                populated.                            Whether they do or not, as                                               someone interested in scuba        So whether St. Croix stays            diving, it’s still worth several   stagnant or spruces up and gains      trips back, just to spend time     attention, there’s not really a       visiting the famous “Wall” along   down side for those looking for       the north shore, where the reef    property.                             drops off a few thousand feet                                            down – awesome diving!             About the Author: For more details check out St. Croix You can also review our island travel guides for planning an awesome Caribbean vacation, and read the latest destination reviews at http://www.j2venture.com Published At: www.Isnare.com