Current Press Release
for November 13, 2001
Call 1-800-372-USVI for more information.
November 13, 2001 UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS UPDATE U.S. Virgin Islands Among Top 10 Overall Favorite Honeymoon Destinations in Modern Bride Magazine Modern Bride Magazine, a top bridal source for women in America, selected the U.S. Virgin Islands as one of the top 10 overall favorite honeymoon destinations in the world. Results from Modern Bride’s fifth annual “World’s Best Honeymoon Survey,” which polled more than 3,000 travel agents, are announced in the publication’s December 2001/January 2002 issue. In the survey, travel agents recommend destinations according to 12 different categories including most romantic, best nightlife, best beaches, best diving/snorkeling and more. Commissioner of Tourism Pamela Richards accepted an award for this prestigious honor during the final gala event of the American Society of Travel Agents’ 71st World Travel Congress in New York City, on Tuesday, November 6.
Pink Fancy Hotel on St. Croix Offers New Sailing Vacation Packages The charming Pink Fancy Hotel on St. Croix recently created a new sailing vacation package that provides avid sailors and beginners alike, a one-of-a-kind educational vacation. The hotel has partnered with Annapolis Sailing School’s satellite office in Christiansted, St. Croix, to provide guests the opportunity to learn to sail in the beautiful waters surrounding St. Croix. The hotel’s sailing packages include accommodations, sailing classes and daily breakfast. The two-day sailing course and three-night accommodations package begins at $520 for a single and $845 for a double (now through December 14, 2001), and $550 for a single and $875 for a double (December 15, 2001 – May 15, 2002). Rates for the three-day sailing course with four nights of accommodations begin at $725 for a single and $1,190 for a double (now through December 14, 2001) and $765 for a single and $1,230 for a double (December 15, 2001 – May 15, 2002). The five-day sailing course and six-night accommodations package begins at $1,025 for a single and $1,660 for a double (now through December 14, 2001) and $1,085 for a single and $1,720 for a double (December 15, 2001 – May 15, 2002). Payment must be received in full 30 days prior to arrival date. For additional information about the Pink Fancy Hotel, call (340) 773-8460, or visit the resort’s Web site at www.pinkfancy.com.
Paradise Jam Dockside Jamboree On St. Thomas Welcomes NCAA Basketball Teams Visitors and residents alike should not miss the upcoming Paradise Jam Dockside Jamboree, held at Havensight Mall on St. Thomas, November 16, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Many NCAA basketball teams will be at the event including Clemson, Eastern Michigan, Miami, LaSalle and more. Participants can register to win door prizes including tickets to the college basketball games. Live entertainment will include “Cool Session Brass,” “The Imaginations,” “Antilles School Steel Hurricanes,” the V.I. Housing Authority Steel Orchestra and the rhythmic dancing of mocko jumbies. Guests can purchase local arts and crafts and dine on favorite local delicacies. For additional information, call (340) 777-5313.
Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino on St. Croix Introduces On-Site Weddings Located on the beautiful south shore of St. Croix, the Divi Carina Bay Resort and Casino recently announced that on-site weddings are available at the property. Divi Carina Bay Resort provides engaged couples a “Treasured Memories Wedding Package” that includes: a non-denominational wedding ceremony; witnesses; a wedding bouquet and boutonniere; services of a professional wedding coordinator including licensing processing assistance; 36 photographs by a professional photographer; a bottle of champagne; and a beautiful wedding cake. The cost for this package is $550 per couple. Additional services are available for an extra cost and include videotaping, steel pan music and Internet broadcasts. All guest rooms have ocean views and include air conditioning, cable television, a VCR, a small refrigerator, microwave and private bath. For more information, call (800) 823-9352, or visit the resort’s Web site at www.divicarina.com.
Club Comanche on St. Croix Offers Special Rates Club Comanche, located in Christiansted, St. Croix, recently announced new low rates, available now through May 15, 2002. The low rate for the hotel’s suites, deluxe and standard rooms is $65 per room, double occupancy. Economy-style rooms at the hotel are $45 per room, double occupancy. There is a $20 fee for an additional room occupant. Taxes are included. For additional information or to make a reservation, call (800) 524-2066.
St. Thomas Synagogue Auction To Feature Birch Antiques, West Indian Furniture, Art and Collectibles The Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas will host its third annual Antiques, Art and Collectibles Auction on Sunday, February 3, 2002. More than 25 pieces of West Indian antique furniture from international art collector Patti Cadby Birch will be showcased and auctioned off, amongst many other beautiful antiques and collectibles.
Highlighted West Indian furniture from the Birch Collection will include: a pair of late-19th century mahogany sofa tables; a mahogany center table with carved dog-head legs from 1870; two late-19th century console tables; a mahogany sleigh bed; and assorted tea tables, card tables and candlestands.
Patti Birch is a trustee of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and an honorary trustee and member of the Chairman’s Council at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Birch has been a St. Thomas resident for 45 years. In addition to items from the Birch Collection, the auction will also feature:
- furniture, linens, and decorative items from the estate of Frances and Sidney Kessler, developers of the Virgin Isle Hotel in the 1940s;
- more than a dozen pieces of furniture handcrafted in St. Thomas from local mahogany in the 1940s and 1950s;
- two large bronze deer formerly displayed in the Coach store in downtown Charlotte Amalie;
- a signed and numbered lithograph by Marc Chagall;
- a stamped and numbered print by Pablo Picasso;
- a 1972 oil painting by the late St. Thomas artist Eric Winter; and dozens of original works dating from the late-19th century to the present.
Proxy bidding will be available for persons who wish to bid on specific items, but cannot be in St. Thomas for the auction. Photos and descriptions of many items can be viewed on the synagogue’s Web site at www.onepaper.com/synagogue. For more information, call the synagogue at (340) 774-4312.
St. John’s Coconut Coast Villas Offer Low Rates for Month of December Visitors to St. John during the month of December will enjoy off-season rates at Coconut Coast Villas. The studio-style accommodations, near the charming town of Cruz Bay, offer couples the perfect getaway from the cold weather. All units are fully equipped with kitchens, queen beds, phones, televisions, air conditioning, ceiling fans and a private deck. A seven-night/eight-day stay at Coconut Coast Villas is only $770 per couple. For additional information, call (800) 858-7989, or visit the resort’s Web site at www.coconutcoast.com.
New Art Venue, Gallery Gia, Opens In Christiansted Gallery Gia, an innovative Caribbean art gallery, is the newest addition to historic downtown Christiansted. Housed in an 18th century Danish townhouse, the new art venue will feature the paintings of manager Deborah Broad as well as paintings, pottery, sculpture and glasswork from additional Caribbean artists typically not represented on St. Croix. The gallery will host a grand opening on November 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. that is open to the public. Gallery Gia is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For additional information, call (340) 713-9880, or visit the gallery’s Web site at www.gallerygia.com.
Marriott Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas Offers Special Rates for Holiday Shoppers With the holiday season quickly approaching, Marriott Frenchman’s Reef on St. Thomas announced a new special package for holiday shoppers. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, guests enjoy a duty-free allowance of $1,200 per person. Marriott Frenchman’s Reef encourages visitors to take advantage of this allowance – twice that of any Caribbean destination – with the resort’s “Shopping in Paradise” package. The package includes deluxe resort view accommodations, daily breakfast, one complimentary lunch at the “Hard Rock Café,” two spa treatments (choice of massage or facial), discount coupons at select resort shops, all resort fees and two daily round-trip ferry passes to Charlotte Amalie. Rates for the package begin at $279 per night for double occupancy with a three-night minimum stay. For additional information or to make a reservation, call the Marriott Resort Desk at (800) 223-6388, or visit the resort’s Web site at www.offshoreresorts.com.