Cruzin Scooters – Scooter Rental & Bar, St Croix

Before flying over to St. Croix  from St. Thomas recently, a friend told us, “Be sure to check out the Scooter rental shop that’s also a bar in Christiansted”. Hmmm. Quite the combination. Sounded just strange enough that we wanted to check it out.

(Update: 6/2021. A recent search for contact information for Cruzin Scooters indicated that they may be permanently closed. If this is not correct, please let us know so that we can update this information.)

We caught a quick glimpse of Cruzin Scooters & Full Bar as we walked out of our hotel in Christiansted on our way to the boardwalk. It was right across the street, just off the boardwalk, and during the day, looked like a normal shop. Later that night, after returning from a relaxing evening at BES Craft Cocktail Lounge, the quiet shop had transformed into a rowdy little bar. All of the scooters and bikes were parked out front, making room for a small dance floor, and the musician was really rockin’ on the keyboard.

Cruzin Scooters, Christiansted, St. Croix
We walked in to see what was happening and were greeted by owner Philip who asked if he could get us a drink. We tried to chat a bit over the music and asked how he’d come up with the idea to put a bar in a scooter rental place. He said it just seemed like a good idea, after all, people tended to congregate in the area, so he applied for a liquor license and got it. Of course, the liquor is available only after rentals shut down for the day- scooter rentals by day, bar by night!

Cruzin Scooters, Christiansted, St. Croix

The musician, Zenith Apollo, was just killing it on the keyboard. Originally from the states, he had music in his blood; learning from his musician mom who’d performed at the Grand Ole Opry. He’d been friends with Philip in the States, and had come down to visit Philip and ended up staying.

Cruzin Scooters, Christiansted, St. Croix
Zenith Apollo would sing and play for a while and then he’d accompany a friend or a friends child as they sang a tune or two.

The vibe was super casual, biker-bar(esque) and we had such a good time that we stopped in once again the next evening to enjoy an ice cold beer at a most unique Caribbean bar.

Have you stopped by Cruzin Scooters to rent a scooter or enjoy a cold beer while on St. Croix? Tell us about it!

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Frank Robinson and BES Craft Cocktail Lounge, St. Croix


His business card reads “Frank Robinson, a bartender who cooks” and should, in our opinion, include, “award winning mixologist and one of the nicest guys around”. Frank recently opened his own cocktail lounge called BES Craft Cocktail Lounge in the heart of Christiansted, St. Croix.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
We wanted to visit BES during our recent adventure on St. Croix and wandered into Frank’s establishment at about 9pm on a Thursday to an intimate and well designed space with lighting and music that created a welcoming vibe and a perfect place to meet, mingle and chill. We introduced ourselves to Frank, who behind the large bar, was busy creating some beautiful craft cocktails – cocktails where many of the elements are handmade, include interesting and creative flavor combinations, and are tailored specifically to the drink. If you’ve never experienced a true craft cocktail, well, the results of the hard work can be quite…satisfying.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
While assembling our cocktail choices using fresh and local ingredients and liquors infused with fruits, vegetables, roots and herbs (you can see the array of infusions in bottles and jars behind the bar), Frank alternated between moments of intense concentration and bouts of joviality – his infectious, booming laugh filling the bar.

BES Craft Cocktail Lounge - copyright Rum Therapy
We ordered a drink called “The Darker The Berry”,


featuring Plantation Rum and a caramelized spiced orange,


and a “Crucian Queen” that included Cruzan Single Barrel and a Tamarind-Habanero Syrup.


Both unlike anything we’d tried before and both quite delicious.


Did we enjoy our visit with Frank at BES? So much so that we returned the following night, where we enjoyed a private rum tasting with Frank, who so very kindly brought in some of his private and vintage Cruzan Rum stock to share and compare with us.


During our rum tasting, we picked up a mouthwatering aroma coming from the kitchen and ended up ordering some Beef Meatballs Smothered in Curry Sauce, created by none other than Frank (remember – the bartender who cooks?) which tasted even better than they smelled, if that’s even possible. Excellent night, excellent experience at BES.

Have you enjoyed some time at BES Craft Cocktail Lounge? We’d recommend putting it on the list of places to visit while in Christiansted!

To find out more about BES, follow them on Facebook and Instagram or give them a call at 340.773.2985.

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Caravelle Hotel & Casino – Comfort and Convenience in the Heart of Christiansted


During our recent VI adventure, we were given the opportunity to visit Caravelle Hotel & Casino, a newly refurbished waterfront boutique hotel in the heart of Christiansted, St. Croix, and we jumped at the chance.
In previous visits we found ourselves wishing for more time to explore this pretty, historic town on the north side of St. Croix and we were excited to have the chance to do so.

Christiansted, St. Croix - copyright Rum Therapy
Our trip to St Croix from St Thomas was via a Seaborne Airlines sea plane. The short and convenient flight left from Charlotte Amalie and landed in Christiansted Harbor within walking distance of Caravelle Hotel, just down the scenic boardwalk. You can read more about the sea plane flight here.

Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy
Caravelle Hotel recently underwent extensive remodeling, re-opening in 2016 and now has a breezy, modern tropical feel on the inside, while the exterior vibrantly retains the Danish architectural charm found in much of Christiansted.

Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum TherapyLobby
In addition to the new décor in all 42 rooms and the lobby, Hotel Caravelle now incudes a new on-site casino with 76 slot machines.

Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy
What we loved the most about our stay at Caravelle Hotel & Casino was its close proximity to the many fine amenities found in Christiansted. All within walking distance, (or request a ride on one of their golf carts), you will find fine dining options such as balter, St. Croix, Zion Modern Kitchen and 40 Strand Eatery. BES Craft Cocktail Lounge is just a few blocks from Caravelle Hotel and is an excellent place to relax and enjoy craft cocktails masterfully created by award winning mixologist Frank Robinson. In addition to the many dining and drinking options, we enjoyed shopping at the nearby jewelry stores which offer beautifully handcrafted and original pieces, boutique clothing shops – and exploring the rich history of Christiansted at Fort Christianvaern .  We also enjoyed learning about (and tasting!) some of the authentic flavors of St. Croix on the Virgin Islands Food Tour – an excellent guided food tasting and cultural walking tour in Christiansted. Or, if you don’t want to leave the comfort of Caravelle Hotel, you can dine and/or enjoy a cocktail at Rum Runners (downstairs and on the water), or stop in Big Beards Adventure Tours (attached to Caravelle) to set up an excursion to beautiful Buck Island.

In addition to all the wonderful things to explore in Christiansted, we took the two St. Croix rum distillery tours: Captain Morgan and Cruzan Rum.  We easily toured both in one afternoon via a taxi so that we could enjoy the rum drinks offered at the end of each distillery tour.

After all of the exploring, we had a hard decision to make; pull up a lounge chair at the pool overlooking Christiansted Harbor, or take a short water taxi from the boardwalk to the pretty beach on Protestant Cay. We ended up doing (and enjoying) both!

Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy
Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy
And – at the end of each day, this was a really great place to land…

Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum Therapy
Caravelle Hotel & Casino - copyright Rum TherapyView of Christiansted Harbor from our room

Caravelle Hotel & Casino – comfort and convenience in the heart of Christiansted.

Are you ready to enjoy some time exploring Christiansted, St. Croix? Get more information on Caravelle Hotel & Casino on their website and follow them on Facebook and on Instagram.

A special thank you to Caravelle Hotel & Casino for arranging our wonderful stay.  Stay tuned in the next couple of days as we post more about some of the fun things we experienced in Christiansted!

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All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Taking the Sea Plane from St. Thomas to St. Croix


“Port to port with no airport” is the phrase used by Seaborne Airlines representative Angelia when spoke to her about the short flight on a sea plane from Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas to Christiansted Harbor in St. Croix.

Sea Plane - copyright Rum Therapy
And sure enough, we conveniently boarded the sea plane from a dock in Charlotte Amalie, received our flight safety information from the pilot while in the cockpit, then skimmed over the water of the harbor, passing boats and buoys, taking off on our way to St. Croix.


20 minutes later, after a smooth and scenic flight, we descended into Christiansted Harbor, gently touching down on the water and then pulling up to the dock to de-plane.

No airports – no fuss and there we were, just feet from the boardwalk in Christiansted! How convenient is that? 

From there, we were able to walk right down the boardwalk to our hotel in Christiansted without having to rent a car or get a taxi – although both are available right at the Seaborne Terminal as well, if needed!

Boardwalk St Croix - copyright Rum Therapy
Check out the Seaborne Airlines website for more information on the Sea Plane flight from St. Thomas to St Croix and other flights available.

Sea Plane, St Croix - copyright Rum Therapy
A special thanks to Seaborne Airlines for providing our flight from St. Thomas to St. Croix! 

To see more posts on St. Croix and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

 Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC