The pink Great House towers over the hill. Estate Shoi. Nearby stands an 18th-century sugar factory, the stone walls of which survive in a very different manner. st croix. Below, green fairways descend toward the Caribbean Sea, passing palm trees, rocky cliffs and three beaches with their own unique personalities.
Settings belong to: pirateFamily-owned resort just outside Christiansted It has been welcoming visitors ever since. 1947. But the building’s story goes back much further, to the Great House (in fact, the oldest family-owned hotel in the Caribbean).
Today the Buccaneer took over. 340 acres Overlooking Christiansted Harbour. 131 rooms, 18 hole golf courseEight tennis courts, two swimming pools, three restaurants and enough space to make the resort feel like its own corner of St. Croix.
We’ve always loved The Buccaneer. Because it’s an increasingly rare resort in Caribbean travel: a resort whose history, identity and hospitality still belong to the surrounding islands.
Resort with a St. Croix Story
The pirates began as follows. 11 rooms in 1947opened by armstrong family It is located on a cattle farm that has been in the family since 1922. This hotel was the first hotel on St. Croix to be built and operated by an island family.
Nearly 80 years later, the Armstrong family is still involved with the resort. Continuity is important. The Buccaneer does not present Caribbean history as a design theme taken from elsewhere. The story is told in Estate Shoys, St. Petersburg. Croix and comes from generations of family ownership.
The oldest remaining buildings on the site are: 1653when charles martelThe Knights of Malta built French mansions far from the sea. In 1733 Denmark acquired St. After purchasing Croix, the governor Frederick Moss of Prock They used the property as a residence and converted the Great House into a sugar mill. that historic sugar millBuildings from the Danish era still remain on the site.
The property later produced cotton and became a cattle farm before the Armstrong family opened a hotel.
During your stay, you will encounter pieces of the past. The old factory serves as a landmark and event space. that great houseIt remains the visual centerpiece of the resort. Inside “Fighting Ships” mural by Stanley Stubenberg Reminiscing about another era of island travel.
None of it feels separate from the modern hotel. History is simply present as part of the path between breakfast, beach, golf course and rooms.
Great House above Christiansted
that great house It occupies one of the resort’s highest points, overlooking the sea, golf course and hills surrounding Christiansted.
Breakfast is served at: terraceThis is where the view reaches across the building towards the water. A daily buffet is included with each stay. It’s an increasingly uncommon resort tradition that helps give The Buccaneer a residential rhythm.
The Great House also offers the following rooms and suites: 800-square-foot Great House Suite. Other accommodations are spread throughout the grounds, from hilltop rooms to villas to waterfront categories. Mermaid Beach and Grotto Beach.
that Deluxe Oceanfront Room It is one of the most popular parts of the resort. Located over the water between Grotto Beach and Mermaid Beach, our accommodations include: 16 foot wooden ceilingIt has large picture windows, a seating area and a stone terrace facing the sea.
The proliferation of accommodation options is also part of the appeal. The Buccaneer doesn’t feel like a single hotel building surrounded by amenities. Roads, gardens, hills, beaches and rooms are arranged throughout the property to make it feel like a private Caribbean estate.
3 beaches, 3 different accommodations
Mermaid Beach This is the social center of the resort. The water is generally sheltered and palms provide natural shade and mermaid restaurant Place your lunch and drinks close to the sand.
You can rent snorkeling equipment, kayaks, paddleboards and floating mats from beach huts. There are games near the beach, space for swimming and long afternoons under umbrellas.
The Mermaid serves salads, wraps, Caribbean cuisine, and stone oven pizza in an outdoor setting. The restaurant serves dinner on select evenings and the tables are close enough to the water to preserve the laid-back character of the beach.
Grotto Beach It has a quieter atmosphere. This is where the resort’s second swimming pool is located. Beauregard on the BeachThis is a friendly restaurant serving sushi, tacos, seafood, and cocktails. Live music and weekly entertainment are often included in the schedule.
The golf course’s three holes are located next to Grotto Beach and offer one of the resort’s signature views, with the fairway meeting the ocean and golfers passing close to the sandy beach and restaurants.
whistle beach It is the most remote of the three. Located over a hill on the outer edge of the estate, it remains in its natural state and is largely undeveloped. The beach is used as a small wedding venue and visitors Beach House at Whistle Point There is a private path through the lawn to the sand.
Having three beaches will change your experience staying at The Buccaneer. You can enjoy the activities at Mermaid, the quieter pool and beach at Grotto, or the quieter stay at Whistle. Each feels connected to the resort, but none feel interchangeable.
Hidden Golf Courses in the Caribbean
Designed by: bob joyce and opened in 1973of the resort The par 70 course measures 5,668 yards.. Sea views appear from: 13 holesThree holes run along Grotto Beach.
The course is accessible enough for a vacation, yet varied enough to appeal to experienced players. While hills, trade winds and elevation changes add to the challenge, the reasonable distances allow many rounds to be completed in under four hours.
Routing stays with you. Some holes rise above the Caribbean Sea, while others dip toward the ocean. The course traverses a large part of the estate, passing tropical vegetation, historic areas and views towards Christiansted.
And surprisingly little is known about it outside of St. Croix.
One of the reasons may be the island itself. St. Croix has fewer resort headlines than St. Thomas, fewer golf stories than the Dominican Republic, and fewer luxury development announcements than Turks and Caicos. But the relative quiet is precisely what gives the round here its charm.
Tea Time doesn’t feel like an industrial resort operation. A golf shop is located a few minutes from your room, carts are available, walking is permitted, and club rentals and lessons can be arranged. Clubhouse chips and slices Drinks and light food will be served after the round.
In this course The only golf simulator on St. Croixmore 90 international courses Virtual play is available.
Golfers flock to the entire St. Louis area around The Buccaneer. Planning your trip to St. Croix is easy. Others may discover the course almost by accident, perhaps looking down on it while having breakfast or walking from Grotto Beach.
Either way, it’s one of the Caribbean’s best-kept golf secrets.
A resort built for active days
The Buccaneer has long been a hit with families because it has so much content and so much happens outdoors.
At the resort 8 tennis courtsIncludes two courts with lighting for evening play. Private lessons and clinics are also available, and the tennis center has a long history of attracting serious recreational players.
no way 2 mile trail The fitness center is open 24 hours a day and extends throughout the property. Two freshwater swimming pools provide an alternative to the beach, including one next to Grotto Beach.
Free children’s programs run during the day so families can enjoy time at the beach, golf, tennis and excursions around St. Croix.
The resort can also arrange sailing to your next destination. Buck Island Reef National MonumentIt is one of the must-have experiences in the US Virgin Islands. The protected island and surrounding reefs are famous for their white sand beaches, coral formations, and underwater snorkeling trails.
Christiansted Just minutes away, The Buccaneer is close to the restaurants, historic streets and port of the island’s main city.
Dine near the water
The Buccaneer’s three main restaurants each occupy a different part of the site.
terrace The Great House restaurant serves breakfast and dinner above Christiansted Harbour. This is our most formal dining option, with a dinner menu centered around Caribbean ingredients, seafood and contemporary cuisine.
mermaid This beachfront restaurant is perfect for lunch after a swim or a quick meal by the sand.
Beauregard on the Beach Sushi, seafood, tacos, cocktails, and live entertainment by the ocean bring a different vibe to Grotto Beach.
Geographical separation gives each restaurant its own purpose. You’re not going back to the same central restaurant three times a day. Your meal will take you to various parts of the resort, from the Great House on the hill to the beach below.
Weekly events include live music, Moko Jumbies near the sugar factoryFire show and cocktail reception. The resort also preserves several beverages associated with its early days, including: they cross confusion, Growing a Cane and Jump up and kiss me.
The name may be playful, but the tradition is real. Early visitors often mixed their own drinks and helped plan their meals in an era when it could take two days to reach St. Croix from the mainland.
Why Pirates Still Feel Like St. Croix
Many Caribbean resorts can offer beautiful beaches, oceanfront rooms, and a long list of activities. There are even fewer cases where these features can be linked to a specific island story.
The Buccaneers defeated St. Louis in a way that would be difficult to replicate. belongs to Croix. The architecture reflects the building’s past. Family ownership is passed down through several generations. The golf course follows the contours of the site. Restaurants, beaches and public spaces are scattered throughout the land. 370 years of recorded history.
Resorts have continued to update their rooms and amenities, but without erasing the qualities that keep people coming back in the first place.
You still come here for that. great houseLong views of the old sugar mill, Mermaid Beach and Christiansted. You’re visiting a golf course that many Caribbean travelers have never heard of. We came here because its 340 acres offer space to explore while maintaining a personal experience.
Best of all, the Buccaneers are in St. Louis. You are here because you feel inseparable from Croix.
In a region full of hotels designed to transport visitors into their private worlds, The Buccaneer does something a little more interesting. It takes you deeper into the island itself.
Cost of staying here
I found a pretty good deal on Google Hotels, currently at just $322 per night.
