A night at Ivan's on Jost vs. just a day trip
Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 10:50 am
Since more and more folks are asking about day trips to Jost and he plusses and minuses of ferry vs. charter I thought I might throw this idea out to folks who are a bit more adventurous.
As some might know, last June we traveled to St. John with friends and extended family. We had a great villa (Casa Luna) but knew that we'd want to take a side trip to Jost for some private time.
Having done the ferry experience before from STJ and only getting about 5 1/2 hours on island and a charter boat with about the same amount of time, I decided that we would take the morning ferry over and extend our stay at Ivan's campground and do an overnight, returning to STJ on the next afternoon ferry.
Because Ivan's is so inexpensive I had no problem shelling out $$ for the villa bedroom that would go unused one night.
We had very few expectations and had seen Ivan's on a previous visit so we knew generally what to expect and decided to stay in a cabin for $55.
We did prepare a bit in advance and only brought the essentials:
-backpack
-large nalgene water bottle
-beach towel
-sunscreen
-bug spray
-limited toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste and soap)
-one bathing suit
-one change of clothes
-1 pair of flip flops (and I wore my Keens as back- up-- after all no one wants to "blow out a flip flop, step on a pop top, cut their toe and have to cruise on back home.")
The cabins are brightly painted, and ours had an overhead light, mini fridge, fan, built in shelving, a mirror and a king size platform bed.
It also sported a fabulous little front porch with a clothesline and a few chairs. The cabin was situated 10 feet from the beach.
The accomodations were perfectly comfortable and adequate. We didn't use the kitchen and ate out at the other restaurants on island while we were there.
As a long-time visitor to the US and BVI's I slip easily into island time when there. My usual high maintenance standards I live by at home seem to melt away when I set foot in the VI's. This mindset is essential if you want to enjoy yourself at Ivan's.
We rented a car, which made life a bit easier, especially going into town for meals. We're lazy like that. I suppose you COULD walk. But it was hot and I was happy to drive. Like I said, I'm lazy like that.
There are VERY limited grocery options on Jost, but a little on-line research will reveal that Bobby's on Tortola will happily deliver groceries to the ferry dock for no extra charge and they are extremely reasonable price-wise. This of course isn't necessary if you are only staying one night.
Showers were OK and in-line with many bathrooms in the VI. Bring shower shoes.
Bathrooms were OK. Again like many in the VI.
People were great. We hit Foxy's BBQ for dinner. $28 -- all you can eat in one pass. Excellent food. We have eaten at Foxy's many times for lunch (on day trips) so a dinner there was a new experience. We loved it. Foxy's BBQ is held on Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are advised.
Christines bakery in town is great for breakfast breads and bakery treats.
Ali Babba's was great for breakfast. Apparently Ivan meets his buddies for coffee there in the mornings. It was good to listen to the banter over a Carib and eggs.
Ivan's beach is lovely and quiet. Plenty of shade and seagrape to tuck into if you want to get out of the sun. Decent beach chairs. Some patched up with bits of woven material.
Overall we found it to be refreshingly simple and a back to basics approach.
I think it is an excellent value for the money as long as you are in the right frame of mind before you go.
Jost is home to only a few hundred people. On each visit we have found everyone to be kind and helpful if they sense the same from you.
We liked it so much for one night that we're headed back this December and will stay in the same cabin again for a week.
Because of our previous overnight experience and the fact that we are staying longer this time, I plan to bring a few items along to make life more comfortable in the spartan surroundings:
- netbook (they have wi-fi)
- extension cord for iPhone and other digital paraphenalia (I like to be off the grid but I can't go cold turkey!)
- my own padlock
- febreeze and some bounce dryer sheets (keeps things fresh)
- extra clothespins and my own rope so I can hang things out to dry.
- bungee cord (hey-- you never know what you need a bungee for!)
-our own sheets (bought at a goodwill store for cheap that we don't mind leaving behind)
- Candles (citronella and scented)
-Our own towels (bath and beach) and washcloths (To my knowledge these are not provided).
With a little extra planning I'm expecting that we will spend a perfectly comfortable and extremely inexpensive Jost vacation.
To be sure, Ivan's is not for everyone but if you are looking for an inexpensive get-away-from-it-all experience then I suggest you give Ivan's a try.
Here's the cost breakdown if coming from STJ.
Total OVERNIGHT cost for 2 people:
Ferry $120 ($60 pp r/t)
Ivans $55
1 day car rental $75 (this was for a big car, smaller cars run $55)
Plus food and beverage costs -- which we would have spent on STJ anyway so this is a wash as far as I am concerned.
Total Cost $250
Total amount of time on Jost: 29-30 hours
Total DAY TRIP costs for two people:
Ferry $120 ($60 pp r/t)
Taxi (2 trips min) $20 (if you make more than one stop you can raise this to $30)
Food and Beverage costs (again a wash)
Total Cost $140
Total amount of time on Jost: 5 1/2 hours
So for about $110 more you get roughly six times the amount of time on Jost and can sit back, relax and not feel rushed.
AND if you don't feel like you NEED to have a rental car then you can bring those costs down as well.
Granted this cost is on top of a villa and jeep rental that you've already paid but is very much in line with what a private charter might charge you for just a day trip. I like to think of it as an excursion.
Again, this isn't for everyone but I have to say that Jost is a very different place at night and we really enjoyed it (obviosuly since we're going back).
Just wanted other folks to have an option to consider when making their day trip plans. Perhaps a cheap overnight might make sense instead.
As some might know, last June we traveled to St. John with friends and extended family. We had a great villa (Casa Luna) but knew that we'd want to take a side trip to Jost for some private time.
Having done the ferry experience before from STJ and only getting about 5 1/2 hours on island and a charter boat with about the same amount of time, I decided that we would take the morning ferry over and extend our stay at Ivan's campground and do an overnight, returning to STJ on the next afternoon ferry.
Because Ivan's is so inexpensive I had no problem shelling out $$ for the villa bedroom that would go unused one night.
We had very few expectations and had seen Ivan's on a previous visit so we knew generally what to expect and decided to stay in a cabin for $55.
We did prepare a bit in advance and only brought the essentials:
-backpack
-large nalgene water bottle
-beach towel
-sunscreen
-bug spray
-limited toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste and soap)
-one bathing suit
-one change of clothes
-1 pair of flip flops (and I wore my Keens as back- up-- after all no one wants to "blow out a flip flop, step on a pop top, cut their toe and have to cruise on back home.")
The cabins are brightly painted, and ours had an overhead light, mini fridge, fan, built in shelving, a mirror and a king size platform bed.
It also sported a fabulous little front porch with a clothesline and a few chairs. The cabin was situated 10 feet from the beach.
The accomodations were perfectly comfortable and adequate. We didn't use the kitchen and ate out at the other restaurants on island while we were there.
As a long-time visitor to the US and BVI's I slip easily into island time when there. My usual high maintenance standards I live by at home seem to melt away when I set foot in the VI's. This mindset is essential if you want to enjoy yourself at Ivan's.
We rented a car, which made life a bit easier, especially going into town for meals. We're lazy like that. I suppose you COULD walk. But it was hot and I was happy to drive. Like I said, I'm lazy like that.
There are VERY limited grocery options on Jost, but a little on-line research will reveal that Bobby's on Tortola will happily deliver groceries to the ferry dock for no extra charge and they are extremely reasonable price-wise. This of course isn't necessary if you are only staying one night.
Showers were OK and in-line with many bathrooms in the VI. Bring shower shoes.
Bathrooms were OK. Again like many in the VI.
People were great. We hit Foxy's BBQ for dinner. $28 -- all you can eat in one pass. Excellent food. We have eaten at Foxy's many times for lunch (on day trips) so a dinner there was a new experience. We loved it. Foxy's BBQ is held on Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are advised.
Christines bakery in town is great for breakfast breads and bakery treats.
Ali Babba's was great for breakfast. Apparently Ivan meets his buddies for coffee there in the mornings. It was good to listen to the banter over a Carib and eggs.
Ivan's beach is lovely and quiet. Plenty of shade and seagrape to tuck into if you want to get out of the sun. Decent beach chairs. Some patched up with bits of woven material.
Overall we found it to be refreshingly simple and a back to basics approach.
I think it is an excellent value for the money as long as you are in the right frame of mind before you go.
Jost is home to only a few hundred people. On each visit we have found everyone to be kind and helpful if they sense the same from you.
We liked it so much for one night that we're headed back this December and will stay in the same cabin again for a week.
Because of our previous overnight experience and the fact that we are staying longer this time, I plan to bring a few items along to make life more comfortable in the spartan surroundings:
- netbook (they have wi-fi)
- extension cord for iPhone and other digital paraphenalia (I like to be off the grid but I can't go cold turkey!)
- my own padlock
- febreeze and some bounce dryer sheets (keeps things fresh)
- extra clothespins and my own rope so I can hang things out to dry.
- bungee cord (hey-- you never know what you need a bungee for!)
-our own sheets (bought at a goodwill store for cheap that we don't mind leaving behind)
- Candles (citronella and scented)
-Our own towels (bath and beach) and washcloths (To my knowledge these are not provided).
With a little extra planning I'm expecting that we will spend a perfectly comfortable and extremely inexpensive Jost vacation.
To be sure, Ivan's is not for everyone but if you are looking for an inexpensive get-away-from-it-all experience then I suggest you give Ivan's a try.
Here's the cost breakdown if coming from STJ.
Total OVERNIGHT cost for 2 people:
Ferry $120 ($60 pp r/t)
Ivans $55
1 day car rental $75 (this was for a big car, smaller cars run $55)
Plus food and beverage costs -- which we would have spent on STJ anyway so this is a wash as far as I am concerned.
Total Cost $250
Total amount of time on Jost: 29-30 hours
Total DAY TRIP costs for two people:
Ferry $120 ($60 pp r/t)
Taxi (2 trips min) $20 (if you make more than one stop you can raise this to $30)
Food and Beverage costs (again a wash)
Total Cost $140
Total amount of time on Jost: 5 1/2 hours
So for about $110 more you get roughly six times the amount of time on Jost and can sit back, relax and not feel rushed.
AND if you don't feel like you NEED to have a rental car then you can bring those costs down as well.
Granted this cost is on top of a villa and jeep rental that you've already paid but is very much in line with what a private charter might charge you for just a day trip. I like to think of it as an excursion.
Again, this isn't for everyone but I have to say that Jost is a very different place at night and we really enjoyed it (obviosuly since we're going back).
Just wanted other folks to have an option to consider when making their day trip plans. Perhaps a cheap overnight might make sense instead.
