jpb1999 said:

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One last question; what is the easiest flight combo to get to StT from Central Texas? Least amount of connectors.

Thanks to all!!

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I've got one booked out of Austin on 5/31 that stops in Atlanta. FYI there are good deals to be had if you look around. My round trip total with Delta was $162. That lasted about 24 hours, but two of us got it. The following day the total was $262, which another person in the group booked. The next day, we tried to add a fourth person and her total was $668. Crazy how quickly things changed, but glad we got the alert when the price dipped. Good luck!

We prefer taking the ferry and renting Jeep on STJ. Maverick provided some good reasons. One other is if you rent on STJ and have mechanical issues, the rental company should be more responsive.

We have taken three ferries, Red Hook (1st trip), Charlotte Amalie (2nd) and Crown Bay (3rd). Red Hook is the shortest ferry trip but a long-ass taxi to that end of STT. I don't think the CA ferry is an option anymore. The Crown Bay ferry is about a five minute ride from airport. Tickle's dockside bar is right there. If you have time grab a drink. If time is short, grab some Painkillers or beers for the ride to STJ.
Maverick also mentioned the BVI. They are currently closed to boat entry but in pre-Covid times and presumably after, there was a ferry from Cruz Bay to JVD. Not sure about to Virgin Gorda. We did take the Charlotte Amelie ferry to VG a few years ago. We love the VI, both, and STJ is on our list of potential retirement landing spots.

What Villa did you stay in? And do the villas charge high fees like VRBO and AirBnB? Also would 1 villa accommodate 6-8 people? Looking to go there this summer for in-laws 60th anniversaryvv

We rented Villa Solare, which is a 5 bedroom, 4 bath, for about $1,000 per night through AirBNB. We had 3 grandparents, 4 parents, and 5 kids under 5, and we had a blast.

We've stayed at Alice by the Sea on the Coral Bay end. It had two upstairs and two downstairs BRs. It was just wife and I so not sure what downstairs looked like, they were locked. Last time we stayed at Fish Bay, Palm Vista Villa. It had one Master upstairs and two downstairs smaller BRs.

Would you consider an early June rental without air conditioning? We found a really nice place but no AC. It is up above Coral Bay.

I wouldn't. It is pretty hot and humid.

Most houses are built to take advantage of the breezes. We have rarely used AC in Caribbean. A few places were closer to water or there were no winds and we did. Coral Bay gets some good breeze if you're up high.

Even in many of the nicer villas, the main living area is setup to take advantage of the trade winds and doesn't have AC. The bedrooms, however, usually have mini split systems which I would consider essential during the summer at least.

Thanks to all the responses. We've booked a place with AC in bedrooms.

I've read about the testing requirements. We just had to cancel a trip to Hawaii last minute due to my wife's + COVID test. Using only Hawaii's "trusted partners" for testing was kind of a PITA.

Does the USVI require testing only with certain companies or can you use any company convenient to you? It sure would be nice to be able to use a CVS or Walgreens site or even one of the free DSHS testing options around me.

dodger02 said:

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I've read about the testing requirements. We just had to cancel a trip to Hawaii last minute due to my wife's + COVID test. Using only Hawaii's "trusted partners" for testing was kind of a PITA.

Does the USVI require testing only with certain companies or can you use any company convenient to you? It sure would be nice to be able to use a CVS or Walgreens site or even one of the free DSHS testing options around me.

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When we went in December you can use any as long as it was nasal PCR. In fact, I failed to print mine off before leaving home like instructed so I just showed the guy my phone as I had it pulled up as I went through the line and I have doubts he even had time read it or match my name to travel docs or my ID.

Cool. I'm searching for cars right now...and that doesn't seem to be a simple task.

I'm on the STJ TripAdvisor page, Jeep rentals have apparently been pretty hard to get for several months. Will be interesting to seei if it's just because Europe and most of the world are off limits

dodger02 said:

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I've read about the testing requirements. We just had to cancel a trip to Hawaii last minute due to my wife's + COVID test. Using only Hawaii's "trusted partners" for testing was kind of a PITA.

Does the USVI require testing only with certain companies or can you use any company convenient to you? It sure would be nice to be able to use a CVS or Walgreens site or even one of the free DSHS testing options around me.

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We went in February and they will take either a positive antibody, negative pcr, or a negative rapid. There is a St. John Covid portal that you need to fill out and get a "green" qr code to enter into St. John. You don't need anything to get back home since it is a US Territory.

I found a Jeep Compass. It'll work fine.

So I'm reading that some of the car rental places can be sketchy with double bookings and "misplaced/lost" reservations.

I booked with My Car Rental VI and they explicitly say they don't overbook and I have a confirmation number. Their online reviews are very positive.

Has anyone had any negative experiences (or good ones) with car rentals on STT? We're looking to lock into a StJ VRBO and I'd hate to show up and suddenly not have a car. That would suuuuuck.

Slim Man in StJ is great. Now whoever is working in the lot the day you pick up may be on island time but you can call Slim Man Jr direct and he will hook you up.

dodger02 said:

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So I'm reading that some of the car rental places can be sketchy with double bookings and "misplaced/lost" reservations.

I booked with My Car Rental VI and they explicitly say they don't overbook and I have a confirmation number. Their online reviews are very positive.

Has anyone had any negative experiences (or good ones) with car rentals on STT? We're looking to lock into a StJ VRBO and I'd hate to show up and suddenly not have a car. That would suuuuuck.

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Used Amalie this past December. Right at the airport - met the guy outside of baggage and they took my buddy to it in the nearby parking lot and he pulled around to pick us up. No issues and was a nearly brand new 4 door Jeep.

St John Brewers Tropical Mango for the win

My wife and I are traveling to the USVI at the end of April for our anniversary. We are flying into St. Thomas but staying on St. John for the first four nights then spending the last two nights back on St. Thomas. What is the best outlet to book a rental car from for the duration of the trip? Would prefer a Jeep/SUV so we don't have any issues driving around the island. TIA.

I've read a lot of positive things about Amalie Car Rental on St Thomas. We always take the ferry and rent our Jeep in St John but if I were renting on St Thomas, it would be from them.

Red Pear Realty said:

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St John Brewers Tropical Mango for the win

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Very good! Their root beer is awesome too.

We got the last on available end of May!

Did you make the ferry on time?

We leave on May 27th. We changed flights direct out of Houston now and land at 3:30 so hopefully plenty of time. We've booked 2 days on the water, several dinner reservations etc. we'll be there a week.
Counting down the days!

Sorry, my reading comprehension skills failed, both threads mentioned May. We love STJ and may end up there in 3-4 years. It's not for everyone, due to the slow pace and DIY type holiday. We're trying STX for the first time in June.

I've vowed not to retire (5-7 years out) until I can afford to rent a places in the Caribbean for a month long stays 3-4 times a year. I hope y'all make it there.

Potcake said:

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Sorry, my reading comprehension skills failed, both threads mentioned May. We love STJ and may end up there in 3-4 years. It's not for everyone, due to the slow pace and DIY type holiday. We're trying STX for the first time in June.

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We are doing stx for the first time in July (other than cruises) staying at Marriott Frenchman cove. Let me know how it goes and any tips

In regards to the snorkeling, do most beaches have rentals available or do I need to go through charters and pre book online?

Most don't but there may be some around Cinnamon. I take my own but you may want to just rent equipment for the week.

Thanks. We are staying at St John for 4 days and St Thomas for 2 days. Is there anything that is a must do why we are there? We are pretty adventurous but right now only have a dive in Trunk Bay booked. I have been hesitant to book anything online not know what restrictions are in place due to Covid.

Wife and I rented a 17' dinghy last time and spent the day along the North shore which was pretty fun.

Rent snorkel gear here - super friendly and super easy - gave us credit for day we didn't use
https://www.stjbeachbum.com/

You booked Trunk Bay dive? Scuba or snorkel? If snorkel, no reason to book that - you can go there on your own and do it from the beach.
If you want snorkel trip out and about, we've done several charters. Island Roots is our favorite.