USVI-On-Line

We booked our trip to St. John at the last minute, so we're having difficulty finding a rental car. Has anyone rented in St. Thomas and with what company? I heard Budget is a nightmare, so will stay away from them. How much is the car ferry and how often do they run? Do you need to make a reservation this time of year? We're arriving and departing on a Monday, so it might be less crowded. Also, since we're close to Cruz Bay, a scooter would suffice for the beaches - anyone ever rented one?
We also want to rent a boat for two days - a small one to travel around the island and another to go to Jost. We've rented before at the marina, but couldn't remember the name. Should we reserve them in advance?
Lastly, is it necessary to make an advance reservation for diving? We've gone with the dive shop at the Westin and we're also familiar with Low Key. Any other competition, perhaps one that leaves a little later or, better yet, will let you rent equipment you can take on your own? I know serious divers go first thing for good vis, but we like to sleep in on our vacation. There's an operator on Tortola that leaves 10-11 a.m., but that would be a hassle.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

We rent from O'Connor at the Westin
http://www.oconnorcarrental.com/

Here is a list of all the St John car agencies
http://stjohnbeachguide.com/Auto%20rent ... panies.htm

Don't know about renting in St Thomas but many do it, when we were shopping around we checked St Thomas prices and they were much cheaper, but we went with a company on St John for less of a hassle.

Scooters on St John I have not seen, nor would I want to try, those turns and hills are crazy. Have a friend that was in a scooter accident in Bermuda and she is still recovering 2 years later. I feel better in a liberty

The first time we were in St John we took cabs to some of the more popular north shore beaches and we were always able to get a cab back, the cab trucks run pretty frequently along the more popular beaches.

Oceanrunners is the boat rental company in Cruz Bay Harbor http://oceanrunner.vi/

Naughti Nymph also rents boats at the Westin
http://www.st-thomas.com/nautinymph/

Noahs Little Arks rents dinghys that you can take to many of the harder to get beaches
http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm

Don't have info on Diving, but i am sure someone else will.

When are you going?

Hope this info helps and good luck

Thank you so much for the info - we're leaving on January 15. Unlike most people, we do a lot of spur of the moment trips. Didn't have much of a problem finding a place to stay, but rental cars are scarce on St. John. It's our fourth time there and we are within walking distance of Cruz Bay, so we could get by without a car if need be. I had seen a scooter rental on one of the lists, but my husband wasn't keen on the idea either, so guess we'll skip that...

I'll check out the boat companies - we have rented there before, but I couldn't remember the names of the companies. It is fun to explore the beaches that way and then we don't need a car.

I would not rent a scooter but here is a list of the rental car companies (some are "less" known) - try Varlack they sometimes have last min availability


Car Rental
• Avis 340-776-6374 or 800-331-1084
• Best Car Rental 340-693-8177 Fax 340-693-8860 night: 340-775-0815
• C & C Car and Jeep Rental 340-693-8164
• Conrad Sutton Car Rental 340-776-6479 Fax 340-693-8099
• Cool Breeze Car Rental 340-776-6588
• Courtesy Car & Jeep Rental 340-776-6650
• Delbert Hill's Jeep Rentals 340-776-6637
• Hertz 340-693-7580 800-654-3131
• Hospitality Car and Jeep Rentals 340-693-9160
• L&L Jeep Rental Inc, 340-776-1120 : [www.bookajeep.com]
• Lionel Jeep Rental 340-693-8764
• O'Connor Jeep Rental 340-776-6343
• Paris Car Rental 340-776-6171
• Penn’s 340-776-6530.
• St. John Car Rental, Inc. 340-776-6103 Fax (340) 776-6103
• Spencer Jeep Rental 340-776-6628 Fax 340-693-8399 1-888-776-6628
• Sun & Sand Car Rental 340-776-6374
• Sutton Conrad Car Rental 340-776-6479
• Varlack Car Rental 340-776-6412 fax: 340-693-8276

Pia

Thank you so much for the list - it has a lot mire agencies on it than the one I was using.