Virgin Islands – Water Island from Malika Risley on Vimeo.
My husband and I just came back from a cruise to Easter Caribbean. One of the ports of call was Saint Thomas island. Saint Thomas is part of US’ owned Virgin Islands. My sister-in-law recommended to go on Bike ‘n Swim excursion on Water Island located a short ferry ride from St. Thomas.
We had a wonderful time and I was truly mesmerized by the island’s beauty and by the exotic lifestyle of its residents.
Water Island is about 2 1/2 miles long and 1 mile wide in its widest part. Since It is in the shape of a mountain with the highest point of 300 ft, water is visible from almost any location. The tropical imported landscaping fits perfectly into its idealistic scenery. A beautiful, man-made Honeymoon Beach completes this secluded paradise.
A few private homes are scattered throughout the island. That’s about all the civilization you will find. The island has no public transportation (except for the ferry to and from the island), stores, gas stations, banks or anything else of such manner. Forget about the fire station or the medical emergency room. They do however have one operational fire truck parked on the side of the road for just-in-case situation. Currently there are 105 full-time residents, 25 of which are children. They rely on St. Thomas for groceries, supplies, banking, schooling and other businesses.
Ironically despite its name, Water Island has no fresh water supply. Residents have to buy fresh water from the desalination plant located on Saint Thomas. Fresh water is more costly for Water Island residents as it has to be transported by a barge from St. Thomas. To save money residents collect rain water from the roofs of their houses and they don’t flush their toilet after number one.
So the paradise doesn’t come without a price. Despite the fact, the property values are quite high. A little over 1000 square-foot, two bedroom, two bath home with a great view will go for no less than $500K.
A smart advice from the resident: if you ever consider moving to such place, try it out for at least six months first. If you survive and enjoy it, then the move might be right for you.
Personally, I think Water Island is a great vacation spot, but that’s where I draw a line for now!
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
We are going to for a cruise in april. One of the ports are ST THOMAS. My wife and I are thinking about three options:
GO to MAGEN BAY
Go to ST Johns
Go to Honeymoon beach
what you recommend us?
Thanks
on Mar 11th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I haven’t been to the other two places, but Honeymoon Beach on Water Island is nice. The beach is small, so unless you love to lay out on the sun or swim there really isn’t a whole lot to do. During lunch time you can buy a burger right there on the beach for whopping $9.
I liked the Bike ‘n Swim excursion on Water Island because you get to see the whole island while riding a bike and then at the end they give you about an hour to spend at the beach. This was perfect for us, an hour at the beach was enough for me.
Hope this helps and have a fun cruise!!
on Aug 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 pm
i love water island, i just walked around and spent most of the time at honeymoon beach which is a paradise. i am not sure whether i want to leave there just because of lack of medical emergency support but i always remember it with pleasure.