USVI-On-Line

a few questions if you might indulge these newbies....

1. Cheapest market to buy essentials like Chicken breasts, pork chops, veggies, soda? Dolphin? How bad is the mark up on these essentials? Double mainland prices more or less? Anything actually cheaper than mainland other than rum?

2. My wife and I want to take one short day trip to a BVI. Which is best among Tortola/VG/JVD? I guess by best I mean which drops you off in the best area for 3-5 hours of exploring, etc? What are we looking for? I guess absurdly pretty empty beaches, cool bars on the same, etc. Is it worth taking a ferry for this or are we going to need a ride somewhere once we get there anyway? Are these day trips worth it? We will be in a villa in STJ for about 9 days.

Thanks in advance....

I guess one more thing...anyone know how easy/affordable it might be to rent a small power boat to explore the island on our own? Where one might do this, do you need a licence, etc? Thanks again....

Prices at the markets will be about twice what they are at home. Either Dolphin or I like Starfish since I am always amazed at the selection they have.

Yes, you can rent a little dingy boat and you do not need a license. Noah's has them.
http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm

Thanks.

Would you say Dolphin is the cheapest for basics?

Where is Noah's, Cruz Bay?

Thanks again.

I just added a link for Noah's in my above post.

Prices seem to change. The government actually does a survey and there is a web site that posts the results. You can look it up here:
http://barnako.typepad.com/news_of_st_john_usvi/

First the market question, we have always used Starfish Market except for some odds and ends late at night. I have read that Dolphin is the best for prices but I cannot verify that. You'll find fresh produce is expensive along with things that are hard to ship in bulk like potato chips and bread products. Count on double price for these. We have only bought lunchmeats not pork chops etc and expect to pay 50% more than home. For snacks we brought microwave popcorn but found it reasonable in the store ($2 for 3 pkgs). Soda and beer were reasonable. $2/2ltr bottle of pepsi. Beer was $5.50 for a 6pack Bud Light or $13 for a 12 pack (go figure). I found it hard to find a cheap bottle of wine or champagne. I am not a wine afficianado and my choice at home is usually a $5 btl of riesling or white wine. Best I found was $9 but a better brand than I am used to.

You can rent a dinghy to explore the north shore only, no license required but since your trip is next week I would wait to reserve and see if there is a winter swell and/or north winds. Google Noahs little arks. You can rent kayaks from Cinnamon Bay camps or maho camps. With a kayak you can visit places like Whistling or Cinnamon cay where you will find a remote beach and excellent snorkeling. Crabby's also rents them in Cocoloba plaza in Coral Bay.

Daytrips- "Are these day trips worth it?" If this is your first trip I think you will find so much on St. John that you will not want to leave the island. A daysail around StJ and the small cays that dot the local waters would be my choice if I wanted to get to somewhere remote. That way you wont waste time from your vacation clearing customs to go to the BVI's. By staying in the USVI you will also leave the choice to take a sail instead of a powerboat ride.

the market question... today from
http://www.stjohntalk.com/blog/

"Supermarket Price/Reality Check"

"Have you guys been to St. John Market in the Greenleaf Shopping Center near the Westin? Maybe I should keep it to myself, but the produce is really good and approaches Stateside prices. Latest example – Driscoll Strawberries. $11.49 at Starfish Market. $4.95 at St. John Market!!!!! I couldn’t even get below $5.99 on my last big shopping trip to St. Thomas.

Plus, and this is a BIG plus, the people who work there are SUPER nice!!! Having said that, the meat selection is still typically better at Starfish, but I certainly intend to make St. John Market a regular, if not first, stop on my grocery expeditions."

from on-stjohn.com in July
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2009/07/13/the-st-john-market/

I have never shopped at St John Market.


Edited 12/17... not really too much difference in prices mid-December among the three larger Cruz Bay markets...

Published on St. John Source http://stjohnsource.com

DLCA Releases Holiday Food Basket Survey

The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs notifies the public of its holiday food basket survey findings, which was completed during the second week of December. The holiday food basket survey is designed to inform consumers of which stores have the best prices on grocery items typically used for a Christmas holiday meal. The number of items compared on each island varies as a result of comparison guidelines which require that items are identical in order to produce a valid survey.

On St. John three stores were surveyed: Dolphin Market, Starfish Market and Pine Peace Mini Mart. A total of 31 of the same items were compared at each location. The difference between the highest and lowest priced food basket was $15.23.
Some of the items that made up the holiday basket for St. John included: sweet potatoes, cabbage, parsley, onions, eggs, butter, scalloped potato, stuffing mix, bread crumbs, macaroni & cheese, vegetable oil, evaporated milk, and baking powder.
The lowest priced food basket was found at Dolphin Market with a cost of $93.10. Pine Peace Mini Mart came in second with a food basket cost of $96.99. Coming in third was Starfish Market with a holiday basket cost of $108.33.

Source URL: http://stjohnsource.com/content/news/lo ... ket-survey

Thnaks for the info!

Great to know as we will be at the Westin and then a Dever's Bay villa.....in 10 day and staying on island for 20 days --- so will need lots of food!

20 day stay--Lucky you!!

I believe that the Dolphin Market is still doing their discounts: http://seestjohn.com/st_john_life/st-jo ... discounts/

You'll find that grocery prices are all over the map in St. John. Prices can vary widely for the same item from store to store. We usually find that we are shopping several stores rather than buying everything at in one spot.

Dolphin has good prices on some things and some not so much. The parking is so terrible there that I think they try to keep their prices down. Their produce is very nice.

Starfish is a very nice market that has nearly everything that you'll need including a very nice hot and cold deli. Maybe it's just me but I've found that some of the employees at Starfish seem to have a rather negative attitude. But then we all have bad days don't we?

The new market by the Westin is very nice as well, though smaller than Starfish. The one thing that impressed me there was that their produce is beautiful and their staff very friendly.

If you are out in the Coral Bay area you can find pretty good prices on beer and soda and some grocery items at Love City Market. Lily's wasn't too bad for some things.

Thanks everyone for all of the tips...very helpful.

One other thing...everyone is mentioning delis- but I don't see much about meat/fish. Is that found at the deli? Which market is best for raw meat for the grill? I'm thinking chicken and pork mainly. (I assume you can get great jerk sauce everywhere?) and what is the best local seafood and where can I find it?

Thanks again.

IMHO I think that Starfish has the best looking fish and meat and chicken on the island. I warn you....their prices will probably make your head swim. Just remember you're on vacation and what would the restaurant charge you for that steak??

We actually bought a fish from a fisherman right out of the cooler in his truck in the parking lot at Starfish. I know you can find fresh caught fish in Coral Bay just past Island Blues too.

I try not to obsess over prices of groceries in St. John. Just know that things cost more to ship them there so you have to pay the premium for it.

After all you really don't go to St. John to 'get a good deal'. You're on vacation so relax and go with the flow. It's all good on St. John .

Diana2 I'm bracing for it, and I think your attitude is the right one to have. That said... forget steaks. That's why I'm thinking cheap meat like chicken and pork chops. Are we talking like $15 for a couple of chicken breasts? $10? $6? If I can just get that benchmark down in my head, let's call it the Chicken in Paradice Price Index, I'll be able to prepare myself. Just don't want to be gobsmacked when I get there.