Choose your dream St Thomas villa rental with CVOA.

CVOA's St Thomas villas offer amazing views of the other U.S. Virgin Islands and the shimmering Caribbean Sea.

St. Thomas is the most cosmopolitan of the three U.S. Virgin Islands and "the happening place to be" in the Caribbean. Charlotte Amalie, the historic harbor and capital, is one of the busiest and most beautiful ports in the Caribbean. Here visitors will find an abundance of first-class duty-free shopping and an eclectic mix of dining choices, including fine dining. Visit the beautiful beaches of St Thomas including Magen's Bay, to bask in the sun on palm-lined beaches and swim in the azure waters. If adventure is your thing, there is plenty to choose from; diving, snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, yachting, world-class sport fishing and golfing, to name a few! Don’t forget a visit to Blackbeard’s Castle along with other interesting historical sites such as Fort Christian.

Allow the excitement and cool emerald hills of St. Thomas to captivate you. Enjoy this lovely island while staying in a luxury St. Thomas villa from CVOA.

Saint Thomas, is an island in the Caribbean Sea, a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States with a land area of 31.24 sq miles. Charlotte Amalie is the territorial capital and port of the island. According to the 2000 census, Saint Thomas makes up approximately 47 percent of the U.S. Virgin Islands total population with 51,181 residents.

St. Thomas, USVI History

The Ciboney people initially settled the island about 1500 B.C. The Arawak and then the Carib tribes later supplanted them. In 1493 on his second voyage to the "New World", Christopher Columbus sighted the island. The Caribs seem not to have survived the first decades of European contact, possibly due to deportation and extermination or disease. Over the next 150 years, pirates probably used the island as an occasional base.

As early as 1666, the Danish secured a presence on St. Thomas and established control through the Danish West India and Guinea Company over the complete island by 1672. Sugar cane production became the main economic source when the land was divided into plantations. This resulted in a high dependency on slave labor and the slave trade for the economies of St. Thomas and neighboring islands of St. John and St. Croix. The largest slave auctions in the world were held on St. Thomas when the Brandenburg American Company took control of the slave trade in 1685. St. Thomas was known for its fine natural harbor, known as "Taphus" for the drinking establishments located nearby. The primary settlement there was renamed in honor of the wife of Denmark's King Christian V, as Charlotte Amalie in 1691. King Frederick V later declared it as a free port.

St. Thomas was in decline by the early 19th century, although the sugar trade had brought wealth to the free citizens of the island. American competition, drought and hurricanes threatened the continued export of sugar. The position of Saint Thomas' sugar producers was further weakened with the abolishment of slavery in 1848 and the resulting rise in labor costs. The island still retained a strategic importance due to its fortifications and harbors. In the 1860s, this prompted the United States government to consider purchasing St. Thomas and its neighbors from Denmark for $7.5 million. Domestic legislative support for the bid was not given.

As part of a defensive strategy to maintain control over the Panama Canal and the Caribbean during WW I, the United States purchased St. Thomas along with St. Croix and St. John, for $25 million in 1917. The flag that now represents the United States Virgin Islands was designed by P.W. Sparks, a U.S. Naval officer. Sparks married Grace Joseph Sparks, a local Virgin Island woman; Sparks asked his wife and her sister, Blanche Joseph Sasso to sew the first flag, when Rear Adm. Kitelle, his superior, commissioned the flag‘s design. That flag remained in use until a factory made flag could be obtained. The U.S. Presidential seal was the inspiration for the flag. Instead of using the arrows representing the three islands: St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, Sparks decided to have the eagle facing the olive branches, representing peace. This tidbit of history was entered on April 30th, 1986 into the Congressional Record in Washington, D.C., vol.132, No.56, by the congressional delegate, Ron de Lugo at the request of the Sparks family. The holiday, Transfer Day, is a yearly celebration of the acquisition of the islands by the United States in 1917.

In 1927, residents were granted U.S. citizenship and in 1931 administrative duties were taken over by the U.S. Department of the Interior. During WW II, American forces were based on the island. The U.S. Virgin Islands Organic Act was passed in 1954, officially granting territorial status to the three islands. This allowed for the forming of a local senate with politics dominated by the American Democratic and Republican parties. By 1970, complete home rule was achieved.

Tourism on St. Thomas began to rise in the post-war era. The number of visitors rose considerably due to the American embargo on Cuba and relatively cheap air travel. In spite of damage by Hurricane Hugo (1989) and Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn (1995), the infrastructure of St. Thomas continues to improve as visitors continue to arrive.

Places

Magen's Bay rivals the shopping on St. Thomas as one of the most popular destinations on the island. Located directly across from Charlotte Amalie, on the northern side, it is a crescent shaped bay with a mile of white sand along with small stores and several bars. The trip to Magen's Bay from downtown by taxi, costs about $15. Visitors pass Mountain Top, a small collection of shops commanding an excellent view of Magen's Bay and beyond. When descending on the return, one has great views of Charolotte Amalie's harbor.

Hull Bay is the next bay to the west of Magen's, on the Atlantic ocean. The island's only surfing is found here in the winter months. Although there is a shop where you can rent boards, in typical island style, you would be lucky to catch the owner there to rent you one. Better to call ahead a few days and leave a message.

Brewer's Bay is a small beautiful beach within walking distance of the University. It is especially inviting at sunset. The landing strip for the airport is just on the other side with the sun setting somewhere in between.

Sapphire Beach is a nice white sand beach open to the public. The Sapphire Beach Resort is available for accommodations if that is where you want to be. Visitors can rent a snorkel to check out the crystal clear water and coral. There are several beach bars where it is common to enjoy live music especially at night. You may want to try the pretty tasty BBC (Bailey's, banana, coconut), if you have never had one.

Coki Beach is the best snorkeling beach on St. Thomas boasting normal underwater visibility up to 100 plus feet! It is a great beach for kids to learn to snorkel. The water is very calm and you can feed the fish as they swarm around you in about 3-4 feet of water. Vendors sell dog treats to feed to the fish. Before making it to the beach, locals will constantly ask you to buy something, but once there, you are pretty much left alone.

Transportaion

The Cyril E. King Airport services the island.

The USVI is the only place under United States jurisdiction where the rule of the road is to drive on the left. This was passed down from the then-current Danish practice at the time of annexation, to limit losses of livestock. The majority of cars though, are imported from the United States mainland because St. Thomas is a U.S. territory. As a result, the steering column is located on the left side of the vehicle.