provisioning - yes or no?

Travel discussion for St. John

Do you opt for provisioning when available?

Poll ended at Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:10 pm

Yes, of course!
10
29%
No, I like to do my own shopping
23
66%
No, I don't eat any meals at my villa anyway.
2
6%
 
Total votes: 35

stjohnnewbie
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Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:37 am

provisioning - yes or no?

Post by stjohnnewbie »

We have the option of having our villa stocked. I have no idea what to put on the list, so I'm thinking of just skipping that. We will be there for 11 days and I know we will want to have some nights in, but deciding what we'll want two months from now seems a little overwhelming to me.

Anyone do it and love it or just prefer to do your own shopping?
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PA Girl
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Post by PA Girl »

Because I consider grocery shopping to a waste of valuable vacation time, I would absolutely provision!

We had our rental truly provisioned on VG and Anguilla and it was wonderful. (By truly, I mean it was a "tell us what you want" not a "here is a list of things we will drop off" service.)

What rental company is offering this option?
stjohnnewbie
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Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:37 am

Post by stjohnnewbie »

We are renting from owners and their local manager will stock the villa with a list of groceries we will provide.
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PA Girl
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Post by PA Girl »

stjohnnewbie wrote:We are renting from owners and their local manager will stock the villa with a list of groceries we will provide.
Nice feature!
stjohnnewbie
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Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:37 am

Post by stjohnnewbie »

Yes, and I think just one of many of this villa! The owner has been a delight to correspond with. I will post a trip report afterwards with all the details.
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liamsaunt
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Post by liamsaunt »

I love the provisioning services. I like being able to skip shopping on the arrival day. I especially like having all of the heavy items delivered for me--bottled water, beer, wine etc. Last time we stayed at a villa I used villafood. I was able to order things that were not on their grocery list. I was very pleased with the service. They even put everything away for me, not just the stuff in the fridge, but the dry goods etc.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
Xislandgirl
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Location: Slightly left of center

Post by Xislandgirl »

I just can not justify the extra money. That is a meal out for the 2 of us.

I have no issue at all doing a little shopping. It is not like I am doing a full week of shopping; just the basics to get us through.
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Barb Y
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Location: Western NY

Post by Barb Y »

I have had some of the essentials ordered through villa provisioning (incl. beer,rum,etc...) I takes so much stress off that first day and the need to spend a few hours shopping. Loved being able to chill and pick up extras as we went along.
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lazylane
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Post by lazylane »

we use www.villafoodvi.com and get the Breakfast #1 and Lunch packages. That way, we have munchies and something there in the morning after a long travel day. WELL WORTH the money, have done it for years. We are also cooler people and pick up fresh items on island.
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stjchica
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Post by stjchica »

Why don't you order stuff for the day of arrival, and some snacks, etc just to see how it goes and how you like it..then you will know for your next trip without getting into the commitment,etc of ordering for the whole stay? We do it and love it
~Pam~
"Barefoot in the snow white sand
A bag of sea shells in her hand
She finally found a paradise it seems..."
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Need2GetAway
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Location: Upstate NY

Post by Need2GetAway »

I was just looking at the villafood.com web site and it doesn't say if there is a fee added to the cost of the groceries, or if it is built into the price. Anybody know?
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Need2GetAway
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Location: Upstate NY

Post by Need2GetAway »

Oh, I just found it listed here:

http://www.villafoodvi.com/index.php?op ... 3&Itemid=4

That is under meal packages, but I suppose it applies to grocery shopping too. I think it's pretty expensive.
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CariBert
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Location: Dallas, Texas

Post by CariBert »

We always have the first days worth of stuff provisioned. When we arrive in the late afternoon, after a loooooong travel day, I just like to crash by the pool with a cold beer (provisioned) and some crackers and cheese (provisioned), instead of hitting the road going to a store and trying to pick those things up after we get there.

We have breakfast stuff, so when we get up the next day, we can take our time, get on Island time, and then think about what provisions we will need for the rest of our stay.

But the arrival and first day.....you betcha! Provision away!

Oh yeah, we have used Katy Lady.....

-Bert
The liver is evil, it must be punished!



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stjohnnewbie
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Post by stjohnnewbie »

Oh, wow, looking at villafood will be so helpful in giving me a place to start in creating a list -- I'm definitely going to do this. And drinks and crackers and cheese for the first night are going on the list for sure, that sounds so nice!
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stjdeb
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Post by stjdeb »

We did this through our rental company for the first time this year. It was a service offered through Viva Vacations and we made our own list. There is of course a fee charged for delivery and a markup on the items purchased. But, it was wonderful not having to shop the night we arrived. It was 7:00 and dark by the time we got to the villa with our greeter, so an incredibly long day! Having drinks and sandwiches at the villa was priceless. We ordered mostly breakfast foods, some sandwich stuff and drinks to last a few days. Would recommend it to anyone with a late arrival!
Deb
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