Family-run since the 1940s, this gracious resort is St. Croix’s premier lodging. It’s also steeped in the island’s colonial plantation heritage. Three hundred years ago this was one of the island’s biggest producers of sugarcane, and its crumbling stone sugar mill is but one of its historic touchstones (it’s fun exploring the place to see the others). On the more modern side of the equation, the sprawling 340-acre resort is big enough to encompass a par-70 18-hole golf course, a 2-mile jogging path, two freshwater pools, and eight Laykold tennis courts (with a pro shop). The baronial-arched Great House has a restaurant, the open-air Terrace; and a full array of spa treatments is available at the newly renovated Hideaway Spa & Salon. The free daily Kid’s Camp (ages 4–12) is available year-round, and introductory scuba lessons are complimentary. As for accommodations, they’re either up in the hilltop Great House main building or dotted along the beach (it’s a short but steep walk between the two). Rooms are big and comfortable, many outfitted in colorful floral prints, and those along the beachside are luxuriously over-sized—particularly the Doubloons, which come with whirlpool tubs and patios overlooking the sea. The resort also has a handful of luxury suites, which range from roomy family cottages to swank honeymoon-ready units with four-posters and whirlpool tubs. A handful of former slave quarters have been turned into hotel rooms. It also has a beach house to rent at Whistle Point.