Image courtesy of Lovango Resort & Beach Club
What if we told you there was a paradise island that’s easy to get to and doesn’t require a passport? Well, there is: the US Virgin Islands, which include St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
We recently spoke with Gwenn Snider, owner of Little Gem Resorts, a collection of sophisticated hotels on Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and the US Virgin Islands. This summer, we aim to hit all three. But the latter—specifically Lovango Resort & Beach Club, Gwenn’s USVI getaway—is especially calling our name.
Gwenn shared her favorite things to eat, drink, see, and do in this dreamy Caribbean locale. Get her insider tips, and then get packing.
For travelers who want to explore the US Virgin Islands, where should they start?
Most people know and love the Virgin Islands for St. John because it's a national park, and 60% of the island is in conservation. The hiking and beaches are pristine. St. Thomas is much larger. While there are beautiful places to go on St. Thomas, it's much more developed. St. Croix is another world. It's 40 miles away from St. Thomas and St. John.
I'm biased, but the best place to start your exploration is from Lovango. You get the best of everything. You're 10 minutes by ferry to St. Thomas. You're five minutes to Cruz Bay, the main town on St. John. And yet you are in your own peaceful, tropical isolation. You're in a neighborhood, so to speak, when you're on Lovango.
When is the best time to visit Lovango and the USVI?
The season is very long there. We're open from December through July, and we get visitors from all over the country. We're super popular during the holidays. It's a great family time. But I don't know if there's any best time. It's when people want to get away from whatever weather they're experiencing at home.
What’s your favorite room at Lovango?
Our rooms are unique in that we have luxury tree houses, glamping tents, and these new beautiful one-bedroom villas. I don't know if I have a favorite room. We have this spectacular, completely unobstructed view of a bird sanctuary, so you really feel like you’re in your fantasy tropical island. But I love our tree houses. They're so much fun and there's a lot of whimsy in them.
Who is the ideal Lovango guest?
We always say we're for the curious traveler, because we're not a typical hotel. We don't have a monolithic building. We look for people that have a spirit of adventure, but also a taste for luxury. Whether they're hiking the island, which takes some fortitude, or they're snorkeling (we have amazing snorkeling), people are in when they get here. Lovango really captures the essence of our guests, which is the curious traveler who isn't looking for that hermetically sealed experience.
What is the best thing to eat at Lovango?
Image courtesy of Lovango Resort & Beach Club
The Sandpit pizzas are pretty irresistible. I don't know how else to say it. It's always good when I leave after four months because I don't know how many more of that delicious bread I can have. There's also amazing taco bowls, and we make our own ice cream sandwiches that are also incredible.
Kyle, our chef, is really creative. He's managed to grow a garden on this volcanic island. For example, he harvests the tomato for his tomato salad. We also grow breadfruit on the island. It's quite miraculous. It is the single largest absorber of carbon dioxide on the planet. It’s also so nutritious that one family of four could live off of one breadfruit tree for their entire lives.
What’s your favorite beach bar in the islands?
There’s a bar on St. John called the Windmill Bar, which is not on the beach, but it's cantilevered way up in the hills above Cruz Bay with absolutely incredible views, great drinks, and live music. It's pretty awesome.
Where do locals go for a night out?
Windmill Bar is one. There's also a new new-ish bar in Cruz Bay called Wine Shop, which is a really nice spot for drinks and tapas. There's a place called the Hideaway that just opened up. It also has incredible food.
What is your favorite dish in the US Virgin Islands?
There's a dish I love at a restaurant called the Terrace. It's their mahi mahi, which they do over wild rice. I'm like a moth to a flame when I walk into that restaurant. I have to order that.
What is one food or drink you can’t leave the islands without trying?
A Painkiller. That's the local specialty. It's this frozen drink concoction full of every liquor you can imagine. Most people don't leave the Virgin Islands without having a Painkiller.
What are your favorite beaches for lounging the day away?
On St. John, all of the national park beaches are great. There's Maho, Trunk Bay, and Cinnamon. We run a trip from Lovango to Honeymoon Beach, which is directly across from Lovango. Those are your pristine, in-your-dreams, white, sandy beaches. We also have what we call Crescent Beach, which is completely private. We've got day beds down there, and the snorkeling is amazing.
What is one experience you insist people have to really get the islands?
Image courtesy of Lovango Resort & Beach Club
Get out on the water and do a charter, whether that's sailing or power boating. Explore around St. John—the snorkeling is amazing. There's a great taco bar in Coral Bay, which is at one end of St. John. There's also a pizza boat. There are a lot of fun ways to break up the day. But getting on the water is key to enjoyment. Also: hiking. There are amazing hiking trails on St. John. The Reef Bay Trail takes you to some beautiful areas.
What are the best spots for kite boarding and windsurfing?
You can do that right in Pillsbury Sound, the main body of water between St. John, St. Thomas, and Lovango.
What are your favorite boutiques across all the islands?
I created the shopping experience at Lovango. We have women's resort wear, a men's boutique, accessories, a branded shop. I think we’ve become a shopping destination.
On St. John, there are a couple of really nice places. There's a place called Golden Hour, which is a deluxe cosmetics and beauty wellness shop. That's really nice.
What is a good souvenir to take home?
There's something called the hook bracelet. It's a little bit like a clatter ring. It's really symbolic of the Virgin Islands. You wear the hook facing your heart if you're in a relationship, and away from your heart if you're single. You can get them everywhere.
What does your perfect day on the island look like?
One of the things that's really amazing about living in a tropical place is that it's a dream every time you wake up. It sounds trite, but the waters are turquoise, the pelicans are diving, sometimes the dolphins are swimming around, the temperature is great. What I personally love is that the environment is so gentle.
My days are structured around having a beautiful morning swim, walk, or hike, and just enjoying this gentle environment. But I don't know that I have a must-do “dream” day, because honestly, I'm living a dream.