"Our National Park"

Salt River Bay NHP and Ecological Preserve - St. Croix

Villa Soleil has an advantage over other vacation rental villas on St. Croix - we admit it. Nothing but open space between us and the Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve, with views of the entire Park from our villa! This US National Park was created in 1992 and encompasses 1,015 acres of land and water that is both historically and ecologically significant.

As a Villa Soleil guest you can take full advantage of National Park amenities. Immerse yourself in Villa Soleil's private solitude, bird watch from the deck, walk 10 minutes to the Park Trails, take a short 15 minute drive around Salt River Bay to the visitors center, and kayak or snorkel in the Bay.

Christopher Columbus anchored in Salt River during his second visit to the New World. This site is marked by a lighted buoy which does double duty as an entry beacon for sailors wanting to cross White Horse Reef; it is easily seen from Villa Soleil, especially at night when it flashes every 4 seconds. On Nov 14, 1493, Columbus' crew encountered natives in canoes in the Bay. They exchanged shots, making this the first documented encounter of armed resistance to European colonization, the area is now referred to as Columbus Landing. Columbus Landing Beach is across the Bay from Villa Soleil and a good place to try snorkeling. It was Columbus that named the island Santa Cruz, or Holy Cross, later changed under French rule to Sainte Croix and then anglicized to Saint Croix.

Salt River Bay National Park and Ecological Preserve includes some of the largest mangrove forests left in the Virgin Islands, Salt River Canyon - an underwater canyon dropping more than 13,000 feet and the most requested scuba diving area on St. Croix, estuaries and seagrass beds that are important habitat for many birds and marine animals, White Horse Reef (so named because the waves crashing over it at a specific point looks like the image of a white horse), and a freshwater marsh.

This US National Park covers an impressive era of human culture as well - from the prehistoric to the modern. All three major Native American cultures, the Igneri's, the Taino's, and the Carib's inhabited this area. Many historians believe it was a significant religious and cultural center for all of them. Christopher Columbus brought Europeans; the remains of the oldest known Fort in the Americas, Fort Flamand, is located in SRBNHP. This was the original capital of the island before it was moved down the coast to what is present day Christiansted. And of course, the West African slave trade was an active part of the sugar plantations. Judith's Fancy, the gated development where Villa Soleil is located, was a sugar plantation itself, named for the owners daughter.

Walking through the Preserve is one of the highlights of staying at Villa Soleil. From the villa driveway you head down the hill to the left, take a right at the corner then your first left, and another left. This paved road will lead you to the dirt road that ascends the hill on Cape of the Arrows that you can see from Villa Soleil. When you reach the top of this hill the Caribbean Sea stretches out before you, all the way to St. Thomas and St. John. You might catch a glimpse of them from here (or the Villa Soleil deck) if the weather is clear. Many small trails wind around the Cape here. You can then walk back by the coast, following the trail to your left. You will pass the remains of the car-carrying ship that went aground on the Reef before reaching the point just below the house. You may spy an iguana, some deer, or who knows what kind of migrating birds. Let the sheer amount of coral and shells washed up on shore amaze you. Check out the old hotel. Then climb the hill to the Villa and cool off in the pool!