Oct. 16, 2007 — St. Croix claimed the spotlight in the November issue of Caribbean Travel magazine, dubbing the island “the next hip Caribbean destination.”
The 12-page spread features interviews, color photographs, historical information and news about entertainment hot spots.
Caribbean Travel, a premier travel magazine, got its initial taste of Crucian lifestyle through a visit from Rich Rubin, its cuisine correspondent. It was his praise of St. Croix that led to the recent feature. Travel journalist Laura Kelly wrote that she “came back with a major crush on the island.” She was joined by two correspondents and a photographer to explore St. Croix's countryside while offering restaurant and resort reviews and capturing picturesque snapshots of island scenery.
Kelly spent a week lounging in the ambiance. She described her experiences with an exuberance that could re-energize the most ambivalent resident. Kelly visited the annual Taste of St. Croix held at Divi Carina Bay Hotel and Resort, described as a “food and wine festival.” Her observations on the sights, sounds and smells of the island should give readers insight into living island-style — even though she did spell kallaloo with a “c,” as it is in Jamaica.
Trips to the Buck Island National Reef Monument and Salt River Natural Historic Park and Ecological Preserve will lure the new wave of eco-tourists. St. Croix's historical background under seven flags is also mentioned. Kelly compared the towns Christiansted and Frederiksted to “the feel of Miami’s South Beach on the brink of the late 1980s renaissance” and the “raffish magnetism of New Orleans' French Quarter.”
Local residents, including Donna Brosiries of From the Gecko boutique in Christiansted, and Rodger Dewey, St. Croix Foundation executive director, were among those quoted in the article. Dewey spoke to the magazine about the foundation’s present and future projects.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. was also interviewed by Kelly. He agreed that all the elements are in place for St. Croix to grow. Emily Graci, development director of the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts, is one of two V.I. residents whose face graces the magazine spread.
In the article, Kelly asks the familiar question about St. Croix : “How did this place, despite being blessed with abundant natural assets, lose its mojo — and how does it get it back?”
She talked about the devastation of Hurricane Hugo, the after-effects of the television coverage, and the decision by cruise lines to bypass St. Croix, but she also took care to mention the population's resilience and the resurging commerce.
Recommendations are given to enjoy the good life found on St. Croix — kayaking, eco-adventures, hotels and restaurants. The story also offers contact information to entice and invigorate readers to “come to St. Croix, mon.”
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