St. Croix’s best kept secret: Sand Castle on the Beach

Sand Castle on the BeachBY CANDY PARKER
Lesbian.com

If you’re among the millions who have been entrenched in the chilling effects of the Polar Vortex for the last several weeks, you may be daydreaming of a warm weather getaway. Recently, as the snow piled up on the deck and the temperature topped out in the single digits, I found myself doing just that. Anxious to convert that daydream into a mid-winter escape reality, I took to the internet to do a little research and discovered the best kept secret in the Caribbean – Sand Castle on the Beach in St. Croix.

Sand Castle on the Beach, a late-1960s property designed by renowned architect Richard Macdonald, is one of the first LGBT-owned beachfront properties in the Caribbean. The intimate venue can host approximately 40 guests in 21 individual accommodations, ranging from the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Dolphin Villa to a handful of sea view suites to several “no frills” rooms for the more frugal traveler.

The venue offers an array of enticing pursuits for every activity level, both onsite and within a convenient half-mile radius of the resort. For those looking to relax, Sand Castle on the Beach offers massage, yoga, Ai Chi and, of course, those classic vacation favorites – floating in the pool and reading in a hammock. For the more active vacationer, diving, paddle boarding, jet skiing, hiking, horseback riding or strolling the seemingly endless miles of beach collecting sea glass or shells are all conveniently available.

Adding to the luster of Sand Castle on the Beach is their Beach Side Cafe, which offers live music every Saturday night, wine tastings with small plates on the second Friday of each month and imported beer tastings with food pairings on the last Friday of the month. The accompanying Iguana Lounge features a refreshing selection of frozen tropical refreshments, a wide array of world-class beers and an affordable wine list honored with the 2012 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

St. Croix is known as a welcoming Caribbean destination and if you check Sand Castle’s beach cam at the right time, you will find visitors mingling on the beach each evening to enjoy the spectacular sunset together. The island offers spectacular weather year-round, though I learned you may want to avoid vacationing there during the annual holiday period from mid-September through October when the Cafe and many of the island’s attractions are closed.

For more information on Sand Castle on the Beach, visit www.sandcastleonthebeach.com or call 1-800-524-2018. Use promo code Lesbian2014 to receive a 15 percent room discount when booking directly through Sand Castle on the Beach and be sure to enter Lesbian.com’s exclusive Sand Castle on the Beach vacation giveaway.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

*