review of places and services
Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 7:27 pm
To follow is a brief review of the places, companies and services we used on our trip:
Private taxi/water taxi: http://www.watertaxi-vi.com/
We booked with Dohm's, who also arranged our private taxi from the airport with Christophers. We found them to be very friendly, helpful and prompt. Julie even arranged to have some ice cold Red Stripe waiting for us on the boat. The cost was $210 total, and was well worth it in my opinion.
Provisioning: http://www.blueskymanagement.net/
Shanna Dickerson did a great job with our provisioning. She allows you to make your own shopping list, rather than choose a package which I really enjoyed. She can also be reached at shannadickerson@me.com. The cost was a 20% upcharge on the groceries plus $50 delivery fee as we were in Coral Bay.
Villa: http://www.vrbo.com/281412 We decided to go very basic on our accommodations as we knew we would be out on the island the majority of our time. We also were drawn to the eco friendliness of this little cabana. I will go into more detail in a villa review in the next couple days. I'll just summarize by saying this place was a great value, and John and Marcia were super wonderful hosts. I wouldn't hesitate to stay with them again. The cost was $500 for the whole week!
Car Rental: http://www.conradcars.com/
We chose Conrad Sutton for our rental. We liked that they were open later (6PM) in case we didn't arrive on time. They were also very competitive in price. The clerk there was very friendly and funny. We did get a little taste of island time there, but it was not too bad. We got a Jeep Liberty that was in great shape and we were very happy with it. We never were able to use the lot for in town parking, but we did only try twice and both times were during busy times of day. We would use them again. The cost was $510 for the week.
Snorkeling charter: http://www.islandrootsusvi.com/
We chose Island Roots initially as the cabana we were staying in was owned by Captain John and his wife Marcia. John fit us into his schedule last minute and took us out for a St John snorkeling trip all day. The boat ride was very smooth, and we were provided beer, soda and snacks. We packed our own lunch. We found Captain John to be very knowledgeable, friendly and fun. He took us to many different locations and kept us well entertained all day. Next trip to STJ I plan on booking him for a BVI trip. Although it was only Sherry and I on the boat, it could have held about 6 people I think. The cost for us was $500, but this was discounted since we were staying at his property as well. I believe the normal price for this private charter would have been $600.
Restaurants:
Baked in the Sun - highly recommended, their fresh baked bread is delicious and their desserts are very tasty. http://bakedinthesun.wordpress.com/
Aqua Bistro - highly recommended. Most everything I had here was wonderful (we ate there twice). Especially good was the Ponzu Tuna and the Conch Fritters. http://www.aquabistrostjohn.com/
Shipwreck Landing - Was really good, not over the top great, but I would go back. The dessert was definitely over the top great though. http://www.shipwrecklandingstjohn.com/
Fatty Crab - The food was original and super tasty. I will definitely be visiting them again. Also, the bartender and waitstaff were really really great. The coconut panna cotta is a must have. http://www.fattycrab.com/menus/st-john/
Skinny Legs - I'll start this review by saying I don't eat beef, so I did not try one of the famous burgers. That said, the turkey sandwich was quite good, as was the brownie dessert. The drinks were reasonably priced and tasty and the atmosphere here is very fun.
http://skinnylegs.com/
Miss Lucy's - The Sunday brunch was fabulous. Everything was delicious and the bloody mary was just right. I seriously had a dream about the pina coloda pancakes the other night. Arrive early for the 10AM brunch for a seat right on the water. Another "must visit" in my opinion. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R ... lands.html
(linked to the trip advisor page as miss lucys page seems to be down)
High Tide - Only had drinks here. They were good, but the location was definitely the draw here. The service was a bit lacking, but hey, island time right?
When we sat at the bar it was a little better and the bartender was very funny. http://www.hightidevi.com/
Shopping: Starfish market had all we needed for groceries and the little bookstore across from it had great smoothies and books. Mongoose Junction was a little too "cruise-shippy" for me, although I did enjoy Bamboula. Wharfside village was a little more to my liking, and the Parrot Club is a nice place to soak up the AC on a super hot day while blowing some cash on penny slots and having a drink.
Hope I've covered everything
Private taxi/water taxi: http://www.watertaxi-vi.com/
We booked with Dohm's, who also arranged our private taxi from the airport with Christophers. We found them to be very friendly, helpful and prompt. Julie even arranged to have some ice cold Red Stripe waiting for us on the boat. The cost was $210 total, and was well worth it in my opinion.
Provisioning: http://www.blueskymanagement.net/
Shanna Dickerson did a great job with our provisioning. She allows you to make your own shopping list, rather than choose a package which I really enjoyed. She can also be reached at shannadickerson@me.com. The cost was a 20% upcharge on the groceries plus $50 delivery fee as we were in Coral Bay.
Villa: http://www.vrbo.com/281412 We decided to go very basic on our accommodations as we knew we would be out on the island the majority of our time. We also were drawn to the eco friendliness of this little cabana. I will go into more detail in a villa review in the next couple days. I'll just summarize by saying this place was a great value, and John and Marcia were super wonderful hosts. I wouldn't hesitate to stay with them again. The cost was $500 for the whole week!
Car Rental: http://www.conradcars.com/
We chose Conrad Sutton for our rental. We liked that they were open later (6PM) in case we didn't arrive on time. They were also very competitive in price. The clerk there was very friendly and funny. We did get a little taste of island time there, but it was not too bad. We got a Jeep Liberty that was in great shape and we were very happy with it. We never were able to use the lot for in town parking, but we did only try twice and both times were during busy times of day. We would use them again. The cost was $510 for the week.
Snorkeling charter: http://www.islandrootsusvi.com/
We chose Island Roots initially as the cabana we were staying in was owned by Captain John and his wife Marcia. John fit us into his schedule last minute and took us out for a St John snorkeling trip all day. The boat ride was very smooth, and we were provided beer, soda and snacks. We packed our own lunch. We found Captain John to be very knowledgeable, friendly and fun. He took us to many different locations and kept us well entertained all day. Next trip to STJ I plan on booking him for a BVI trip. Although it was only Sherry and I on the boat, it could have held about 6 people I think. The cost for us was $500, but this was discounted since we were staying at his property as well. I believe the normal price for this private charter would have been $600.
Restaurants:
Baked in the Sun - highly recommended, their fresh baked bread is delicious and their desserts are very tasty. http://bakedinthesun.wordpress.com/
Aqua Bistro - highly recommended. Most everything I had here was wonderful (we ate there twice). Especially good was the Ponzu Tuna and the Conch Fritters. http://www.aquabistrostjohn.com/
Shipwreck Landing - Was really good, not over the top great, but I would go back. The dessert was definitely over the top great though. http://www.shipwrecklandingstjohn.com/
Fatty Crab - The food was original and super tasty. I will definitely be visiting them again. Also, the bartender and waitstaff were really really great. The coconut panna cotta is a must have. http://www.fattycrab.com/menus/st-john/
Skinny Legs - I'll start this review by saying I don't eat beef, so I did not try one of the famous burgers. That said, the turkey sandwich was quite good, as was the brownie dessert. The drinks were reasonably priced and tasty and the atmosphere here is very fun.
http://skinnylegs.com/
Miss Lucy's - The Sunday brunch was fabulous. Everything was delicious and the bloody mary was just right. I seriously had a dream about the pina coloda pancakes the other night. Arrive early for the 10AM brunch for a seat right on the water. Another "must visit" in my opinion. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R ... lands.html
(linked to the trip advisor page as miss lucys page seems to be down)
High Tide - Only had drinks here. They were good, but the location was definitely the draw here. The service was a bit lacking, but hey, island time right?
When we sat at the bar it was a little better and the bartender was very funny. http://www.hightidevi.com/
Shopping: Starfish market had all we needed for groceries and the little bookstore across from it had great smoothies and books. Mongoose Junction was a little too "cruise-shippy" for me, although I did enjoy Bamboula. Wharfside village was a little more to my liking, and the Parrot Club is a nice place to soak up the AC on a super hot day while blowing some cash on penny slots and having a drink.
Hope I've covered everything