USVI-On-Line

Good news: I have secured new employment and we may take advantage of the little time we have to do a quick 3-night getaway. STT is a DIRECT flight for us, and the only other affordable Caribbean destination, flight-wise, is Nassau.

Has anyone ever done a quick trip like this? We'd probably stay in town and not rent a car. It would be our 3rd trip. Or would you suggest we just stay on STT?

go to STJ--if you can, get an early flight out and a later flight back--I have done a 4 day trip and it was fine (short, but fine) if you can squeeze in even one more day it's worth it.

We had a four night stay shortened to three nights because of bad weather. I would not hesitate to do it again (except the hurricane part) and hope to get a chance before October. Three nights on St. John is - well, it's still three nights on St. John. We're also from the East coast.

We just got back from 4 nights on St John (not a direct flight-coming from upstate NY). I suggest go for it. And for 3 nights, you certainly can do carry-on as well.

the delta/stt nonstop has great sch with daylight savings time. if you take the 10 am flt you're in stt before 2pm. that flts return is approx 1hr later but on some days they have a return lving a little after 4 due to sec flt.

never done a 3 niter but have done a 4 and 2 5's with snorkel buddies. what we always do (and even better for short trip) is extend time by renting car on stt can catch 3:30 barge, time to check in and get any needed supplies and enjoy 1st sunset in cruz bay. you then have 2 full days for favs at beach, 2 more evenings and leisurely last morning, maybe do a good bye drive around island before noon barge. go to bw at emerald beach have lunch on water & 1 min drive to airport without traffic so there by 2. we often go to stt earlier and either go by mt top for views and banana daq or stop by open air market in town. the point is you get 3 full 24 hr periods on stt or stj and as a return visitor, you plan and do what you want.

go for it. ski buddy and i supposed to go to park city 3/29 for 3 days but looks like weather forecaste is rain, not snow. we've talked about a 3 day return to stj (he was a 4 day newbie to stj in nov) as alternative. we both non rev and loads look go but really haven't been able to find a good place to stay where we can repeat my time tested ritual of grilling on deck, liquoring up and watching sunset and stairs glow. doesn't take a lot to make us sr citizens and ss receps happy!

papabou

Go to STJ! We did a 4-night in January. Non-stop from Newark. We stayed at Caneel (I just waxed on and on about Caneel in another thread) It was a quick fix for us, wish we could've stayed longer but it was a nice little escape.

Anyway, you said you'd probably stay in town, but I've read on the forum that Caneel has some good rates available. You wouldn't need a car and could use their ferry for transportation to Caneel. It's a bit pricier than the taxi/ferry combination but very convenient...just an idea.

Don't hesitate. Go.

Congratulations on your new job! Were you able to get on with a DA's office?

I say celebrate by spending three days in St. John. Three days is better than zero days!

Jamie

I've done a 2-nighter from DC to STJ. Kind of crazy, but great fun. Go for it...

I've done some 5 nighters. You'll only have two full
days so this is what I'd do: Rent a place on the beach(Secret Harbour, Elysian, Sapphire); You arrive
at 2PM so rent a car from Avis at airport(I have the
keys to the car(parked just steps away)as bags are
coming off the carousel). Scoot across the island,
check in, throw the suits on & enjoy a couple of hrs.
of sun/surf. As a twice yearly visitor, I count it a
lost day if I don't hit the beach my first day. The
next day, take the car ferry to STJ early and do the
north shore beaches(I love Francis-no facilities, tho)& if it's Saturday, you can stay til 9:30(last car ferry-don't miss it!)And this way, you'll get your St. John fix. Your next full day, drive up to
Mountaintop, get a banana daquiri & hit their gift
shops & then head to the beach(your beach or another
such as Coki(an active beach-check the cruise ship
sked. as this place gets busy if 3 ships + are in).
Third day(departure), check out late after a morning
dip, hit downtown(park in the lot just east of Fort
Christian), do lunch at Bumpa's(2nd floor right on
the harbor), browse the jewelry stores, etc. & then
drive to the airport, arriving about 2 hrs. before
take-off. You'll have time to check in the car, check
baggage(for 3 days I'd use carry-ons-you won't need
much clothing). This is my personal modus operandi &
maxes your island time, but I'm sure there will be
other opinions.
JSBill

If you love STJ, then you may well be kicking yourself if you stay on STT. Only 3 days, maybe skip the room, rent a jeep, drink rum til the wee hours, sleep on the beach in the am, shower at cinnamon, and play hard! It's not enough time to truly relax and unwind fully, so why not go full out...and get into the Coral Bay vibe.

I did a three night stay from Philly....I surprised my mom for her birthday. (Was soooo cool, snuck up behind her on the beach). Anyway, even 8 hours on STJ is worth it. I say go for it. You'll be amazed how just a short trip can give you new life!

good luck!

Congrats on the job! Thats GREAT news! I've never done a short trip but I would if thats all I could get...especially since you can get a direct flight out of Atlanta...I say GO FOR IT!!!! A short trip is better than no trip! LOVE IT!!!!

jdw - yes, I was able to get a position with a DA's office, so as of mid-April I will officially be an Assistant District Attorney. Very excited.

To anyone out there who is currently jobless, I ended up having a couple of offers to choose from. There are jobs out there in many sectors, you just need to work every contact you have and be persistent.

I realized last night that we are trying to go over Easter weekend. Yikes, lots of places are booked. Caneel is not available, nor is Samuels Cottages. I will look into Cruz Views this morning.

What is St. John like over Easter? Packed beyond belief?

We're booked. Cleaned out our FF miles and got the last Cruz Views unit for a last minute special rate. Can't beat a weekend on St. John for $600 total for two people!

What should I expect over Easter weekend? I'm guessing it's prudent for me to book our dinghy rental in advance?

To squeeze out a couple of extra hours, some markets offer really late night flights to San Juan. (For a while Jet Blue had a EWR flight that arrived at 1:30 or 2.) Catch a nap at the airport or stay at the airport hotel, then catch a 6:00 am Cape Air Flight to STT. You might even catch the 8 am ferry.