USVI-On-Line

This St. John forum is such a great tool for helping plan a trip! I'm getting married on October 22nd, 2011 and have a villa booked in St. John for a 10 night honeymoon. I've gotten a lot of info from this board, but I was hoping to get a few more questions answered as well as to have some ideas condensed into just this one post.

The villa I have booked is Perelandra. Does anyone have experience staying here? Reviews on VRBO and Trip Advisor have all been good.

If my plane arrives in STT as scheduled at 1:50PM and I pick up my rental car at STT with no issues, which ferry time could I expect to get on to St. John?

Are bugs going to be a problem late Oct / early Nov? Should I bring bug spray?

I'm renting a boat for one day (no captain). What islands and beaches are a must to visit? Where can I go to really take advantage of the two of us having the freedom of our own boat for a day?

Which is more cost effective: Buy a Polar Bear Cooler and bring cold food from home? Or save my money on the cooler and just pay the extra to buy food in St. Thomas or St. John?

I'd appreciate any other random or unrelated tips and advice. Thanks! I hope these questions and answers will benefit some others, too!

I have never stayed at Perelandra but type that in to the search on this forum and I'm sure someone has!~The car barge is either at 3:00 or 5:00 from Red Hook:
http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#St. John Car Barge: Red Hook to Cruz Bay
Bring bug spray just in case. If there are heavy rains in the weeks before you arrive there will be mosquitoes.
Definitely go to Jost! The Soggy Dollar is fun....Also stop at Sandy Cay and Pirates Bight. Just so beautiful. (you will need to take your passports if you go to the BVI!) If you're snorkelers' stop at the Indians.
Food in the VI can be costly but certain places are cheaper than others. It's a toss up. Some people don't want to be bothered. I take my polar bear filled with pork loin, steaks, bacon, etc. and buy everything else there.
Happy Honeymooning! You picked a great place to go to start your new life together. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to. Folks on this forum are so helpful!

Get a massage by Suki at Maho Bay

First of all welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your upcoming wedding. You are picking a great place to spend your honeymoon.

Although it is late in the season, you should consider trip insurance.

The topic of where to rent a car is still the source of controversy here. We are in the STJ camp. The problems that can arise due to having a STT car on STJ are too much for us to consider. When one adds the round-trip cost of the car ferry is it really cheaper to rent on STT?

Bring bug spray and wrist bands with you. Buy them now. They are unlikely to be available at home in October.

Bev has a good list for your boat day. I don't think you can do all of that in one day.

We bring the cooler full of meat. The cost and quality are the reasons.

Come to the Beach Bar Sunday afternoon around 5 pm and meet some of the Forumites.

The most important thing you can do when you get to STT is to get on Island Time. You will be the center of a hurricane of activity during that last two weeks before the wedding. Sit back and relax. The schedule, pressure and all of those obligations will be gone. Have a cold drink and enjoy the 10 days.

JIM

What Bev and Jim said!

Definitely Jost- hit Sandy Cay or Sandy Spit first (have to check in at Jost or Tortola).

I like bringing meat in the Polar Bear- cost and quality are my reasons, too. Check the stocks at your villa before shopping- often there are a lot of condiments left at the villa.

Of course BB on Sunday around 5:00- hang out on the beach in front of BB- that's where the forumites gather.

Make sure to drive all around the island- stop everywhere you feel like and explore.

Relax, enjoy, ask the locals lots of questions (look for Pia at the info desk by Freebird). And keep asking questions here- so many helpful people! You will love it- welcome!!