Belvedere is a settlement on the north coast of the island of

Saint Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

in the

United States Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

. Belvedere lies along North Shore Road or Route 80.

History

The area was a major sugar producing area during the colonial period. Belvedere was exploited by the Danish at least as far back as 1763. There is a historic sugar plantation located at Belvedere. A sugar mill was built by the Danish at Belvedere in 1795. Today this is known as the Estate Belvedere, a lavish location for

wedding reception A wedding reception is a party usually held after the completion of a marriage ceremony as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple ''receive'' society, in the form of family and friends, for t ...

Geography

To the west of the village is the aptly named Cane Bay. Belvedere lies along the Ram Head Trail which leads along the coast to Belvedere, overlooking the bay.

Estate Belvedere

The sugar mill has been converted to Estate Belvedere, a luxury villa regularly used for wedding receptions; it retains much of its original structure. and covers 8,400 square feet. The villa has 6 bedrooms and accommodates 14 people, with king-sized beds and charges up to $1400 a night. It consists of several buildings; the main house contains a library and a gourmet kitchen and has 2 king bedrooms and a queen bedroom and there is a detached cottage which accommodates two people. Past the courtyard fountain is a two-story guesthouse with two suites, containing two queen sized beds and a kitchen. The estate is noted for its three and a half acres of gardens with flowering

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

and

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. ...

, multi level terraces and historical ruins. It also has one of the largest private pools on the island, measuring . The villa also has a notable collection of Caribbean art and historical memorabilia and a powder room with a handpainted tropical mural.

References

External links

*{{HAER , survey=VI-9 , id=vi0130 , title=Estate Belvedere, Jamaican Train, North Side, St. Croix, VI , photos=3 , cap=1 Historic American Engineering Record in the United States Virgin Islands Populated places in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands