Lively St. Thomas is the duty-free mall of the Caribbean—take along your credit cards and an oversized shopping bag. Aside from nearly 400 duty-free shops and boutiques that sell everything you could possibly want to buy, you'll find spirited nightspots, good restaurants and luxury resorts around St. Thomas' main city and port, Charlotte Amalie (pronounced ah-MAHL-yeh).
St. Thomas is the most developed of the U.S. Virgin Islands—in fact, it's one of the most developed in the entire Caribbean. Steep green hills run across the middle of the island and beautiful beaches ring its shores. Hotels, villas, resorts, small inns and private residences, each on their own piece of paradise, mix with public and commercial structures. Consequently, traffic is a major problem on St. Thomas, especially in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
Some areas of St. Thomas were hit extremely hard by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017, while others received only minor damage. Luckily, this means that tourism did not take as hard a hit as other islands in the region. Historic Charlotte Amalie fared relatively well and was one of the first areas to be restored to full power. The island's stunning beaches and colorful tropical foliage have regained their natural beauty. However, some attractions and resorts are still recovering. Investigate current conditions prior to planning a visit.
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