Cost of groceries----

[beachbum~-~]

We were there in January and found that it was actually cheaper to eat out. Unless we don't know the places with deals~~~ The food prices seemed to be close to 3-4 times what we pay at home. Are the prices for food a lot better in STT? I plan on going back next year.

Also, this was our first time staying on the island. Do most of the villas have sugar, flour, ketchup, mustard etc... The villa we stayed at had very little in that area so we spent a lot on basic items that we only used a small potion of and left the rest behind. Wondering if the cleaners take it or the people that stayed before us just didn't leave anything. The liquor cabinet was empty too and the owner did say the people before us emptied it. Not very nice since. We didn NOT return that favor. The people after us had our leftovers;)

[liamsaunt]

As far as staples at the villa, you just never know. I've rented places with all sorts of condiments, spices, sugar, etc., and places with absolutely nothing in the cabinets. It's luck of the draw. Same goes for the liquor cabinets. Some places have enough stash to practically open a restaurant, and some places don't have a liquor cabinet at all. You just can't know until you get there.

I personally don't find the grocery prices for most items to be all that much more than what I pay at home, other than a couple of exceptions (chips, bread, anything frozen). But I think from reading other discussions on this topic here that groceries where I live must cost more than in other areas of the country. Either that or I am selecting different types of food at the market.

[PA Girl]

As far as staples at the villa, you just never know. I've rented places with all sorts of condiments, spices, sugar, etc., and places with absolutely nothing in the cabinets. It's luck of the draw. Same goes for the liquor cabinets. Some places have enough stash to practically open a restaurant, and some places don't have a liquor cabinet at all. You just can't know until you get there.

We have also experienced both extremes. I remember our very first STJ rental was one of those jackpot! houses - pounds of unopenned STJ Spice coffe, a fully stocked (with wine) liquor cupboard, it was awesome.

Beachbum - I do understand what you mean about being cheaper to eat out. It is cheaper for us to stop at Deli Grotto for beach sandwiches then to go to the store and buy lunch meat, rolls, mayo, mustard, chips, etc. because half of it ends up wasted or just a bit used and then left behind at the villa.

I think how a family eats really impacts one's opinion of grocery prices.

Unsupervised, my crew will fill carts full of junk, or in the case of my husband, $15 0.25 pound pieces cheese and $10 pepperoni sticks. The $7 bags of chips add up.

[kma27]

We were just there in February and we paid $169.00 at Food Mart in STT for a week's worth of breakfast & lunch items mostly. I don't know the locals afford to eat down there!

[melmd]

We have not had luck with the places we have stayed having anything left over

To cut down on cost I bought items as they went on sale over the six months leading up to our trip and mailed them down to the company that we rented from and they held on to it for us at no charge.

I found the prices on a lot of the items we needed to feed the kids to be much more expensive on island.

[Capn Dan and Ruby]

Feeling you! We do ship some packs of chicken and some other condements to do lunches in a mailed box with our sunscreen, then pack tortillas in our cary on. We also usually have room for stuff like oatmeal in our cary ons as well. Then we just suck it up and go to the grocery store. I just don't count on stuffbeing left, then I am pleasantly surpirsed. We never do the cooler thing, but have thought about it.

[dc3group]

There's a sandwich in every beer.