St. Thomas is small enough to drive across in under an hour and hilly enough that the drive takes longer than the map suggests. Where you stay decides how much of your holiday goes on the road, and on an island with no Uber and a per-person taxi tariff, that matters more here than at most Caribbean destinations.
The island divides into five areas. The airport sits on the southwest coast, which puts Charlotte Amalie ten minutes away and the east end closer to three quarters of an hour.
The Five Areas
Charlotte Amalie: closest to the airport
The capital, the cruise port and the duty free shopping district, roughly two miles east of the terminal and about ten minutes by road.
This is where to stay for history, walkable streets and shopping. Accommodation runs to smaller hotels, guesthouses and hilltop timeshare complexes rather than beachfront resorts. There is no large beach resort in the town itself.
It is also the practical choice for a short stay or an early departure, given the three-hour arrival advice at the airport.
South Side: resorts within reach of town
The stretch of coast immediately east of Charlotte Amalie harbour, roughly fifteen minutes from the airport.
This is where the island’s largest resort complex sits, on the Frenchman’s Reef peninsula, along with several smaller beachfront properties. Sunset views across the harbour are the draw. Beaches here are smaller than those on the east end.
Close enough to town to walk or take a short taxi ride, far enough to be quiet at night.
East End and Red Hook: beaches and the St. John ferry
The far east of the island, roughly thirty to forty-five minutes from the airport depending on traffic through town.
The best-known beaches are here: Sapphire, Secret Harbour and Coki. So is the diving and snorkelling, and so is the Red Hook ferry terminal for St. John, which makes this the obvious base if St. John is part of the trip.
It is also the most expensive area and the furthest from the airport. On a per-person taxi tariff, two transfers for a family adds up. Weigh a rental car against it before booking.
North Side: quieter, and near Magens Bay
The north coast, including the approach to Magens Bay, one of the most photographed beaches in the Caribbean.
Accommodation is smaller in scale: guesthouses, hillside hotels and private villa rentals rather than resorts. Prices are generally lower than the east end.
The trade is the roads. The north side is reached over the ridge that runs down the spine of the island, and the descent is steep and narrow in places.
Water Island: the fourth Virgin Island
A short ferry crossing from Crown Bay, which is the nearest point on the mainland to the airport.
Accommodation is limited to villa rentals and a small number of guesthouses. There are no resorts and no hotels of any scale. Everything runs on the ferry timetable, which is the point for some visitors and the objection for others.
Where the Hotels Are
The map covers the whole island, which is the only way to see the five areas in proportion to each other. Cyril E. King Airport sits at the western end, near the bottom left of the island. Red Hook and the east end resorts are at the opposite end, around eight miles away in a straight line and considerably further by road.
Use it to check what a given area actually offers before committing to it, and to see how far a property sits from the airport, the Red Hook ferry and the beach you came for. Rates and availability update live, which a written hotel list cannot do.
What Reopened After the 2017 Hurricanes
Hurricanes Irma and Maria closed most of the island’s large resorts in September 2017, and the recovery ran for years rather than months. Any hotel list written before 2018, and there are still plenty online, describes an island that no longer exists.
The properties below are confirmed as operating:
The Westin Beach Resort and Spa at Frenchman’s Reef, 392 rooms, opened September 2023
Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort at Frenchman’s Reef, Autograph Collection, 94 rooms, opened May 2023
Club Wyndham Elysian Beach Resort, east end, 69 suites, reopened December 2020
Limetree Beach Resort by Club Wyndham, formerly Bluebeard’s Beach Club, reopened December 2020
Bluebeard’s Castle Resort, hilltop above Charlotte Amalie
Margaritaville Vacation Club, Smith Bay
Several of these are vacation club or timeshare properties rather than conventional hotels, which affects how they are booked and what a nightly rate includes. Check before assuming a standard reservation.
This is not a complete list of what is open on the island. It is the list that could be confirmed. Verify any property against a current booking before paying a deposit, particularly anything you find named on an older guide.
When to Go
December to April: high season
Dry, warm and busy. Hotels run near capacity and rates are at their peak, with Christmas and New Year the tightest window of the year. Beaches are crowded and the cruise schedule is at its heaviest, which affects Charlotte Amalie more than anywhere else. Book early.
May to July: shoulder
Still sunny, with rainfall picking up gradually. Crowds thin and rates ease. The Atlantic hurricane season opens on 1 June, but activity in June and July is historically low.
August to November: low season
The cheapest months, and the wettest. Hurricane season runs to 30 November, with the statistical peak from mid-August to late October and September the most active month. Some restaurants and smaller properties close for part of this period.
Travel insurance covering hurricane disruption is worth more here than the saving on the room. Check what a booking allows if a storm closes the airport, because a cancellation policy written for a normal delay will not help.
Getting from the Airport to Your Hotel
Taxi fares on St. Thomas are set by the Taxicab Commission and charged per person rather than per vehicle, and the per-person rate falls when two or more travel together. Confirm the total for your party before loading the bags. The taxi page covers how the tariff works.
For a longer stay with daily journeys, a rental car frequently costs less than repeated per-person transfers, and it removes the dependence on a shared van that may drop other passengers first.
Villa and apartment addresses are worth writing down. Some driveways on the island are too narrow for the vans that serve the airport, and the driver may set you down at the nearest accessible point.
Check the arrivals board if someone is collecting you, and read parking first if they are driving.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the trip. Charlotte Amalie suits shopping, history and short stays, and is ten minutes from the airport. The south side puts large resorts within reach of town. East End and Red Hook have the best beaches and the St. John ferry, but sit thirty to forty-five minutes away.
Charlotte Amalie is about ten minutes from the terminal, the south side around fifteen, and the north side longer because the road climbs over the ridge. East End and Red Hook run thirty to forty-five minutes depending on traffic through town. Water Island is reached by ferry from Crown Bay.
The Frenchman’s Reef complex reopened in 2023 as two properties, The Westin Beach Resort and Spa and Morningstar Buoy Haus Beach Resort. Club Wyndham Elysian Beach Resort and Limetree Beach Resort reopened in December 2020. Older hotel lists still name properties that closed in 2017 and never returned under the same name.
August to November, which is also the wettest stretch and the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Rates drop and availability opens up, including late bookings. Some smaller properties and restaurants close for part of the period. Insurance covering storm disruption matters more than the saving on the room.