USVI-On-Line

Well, I have been lurking on here for the last few months & am excited to say that we are finally at the 21 sleeps count down YEAH....

This is our fist trip to St John & I am sure not our last, Huby & I are already thinking about a second trip & we haven't even had our first one LOL..

Firstly I want to thank everyone for all the valuable information they have provided.
I feel we have just about everything together, just gotta get thru the next few weeks & the flight down.

So for my ??'S,
Anyone know the price of Cigaretes in the Island, debating whether we buy from duty free or pick them up there. We found them much cheaper in St Marteen's in April.

We have decided to not rent a vehicle right off the bat, want to get our bearings for a few days & then we will more than likely rent one for a few days.
We have rented a villa from Don Schnell, that is apparently about a 5 min walk to Cruz Bay so we are planing on placing a refreshment order with Mixology to be delivered to the Villa. Figure we can walk into town to pick up a few staples every few days, planning on eating a few breakfast & dinners out, and eating a few other meals at the villa enjoying the amazing view of St John.

Am I right to assume that we will be able to walk to Salomon & Trunk Bay from Cruz bay, 10-15 walk or is that not the case???

If we land at 2:00 pm when can we expect to be on STJ, we have hired a private taxi in STT to get us to the Ferry???

What time will sunset be in mid Nov?

Thanks
The Shopper

Hi, I will answer the questions I can. Which of Donald Schnell's villas did you rent?

You definitely cannot walk to Trunk Bay from Cruz Bay. However, there are taxis that will take you there no problem. And, there are always taxis waiting at Trunk to take people back into town also.

You can walk to Solomon and Honeymoon via the Lind Point trail. Just realize though, that you will need to walk out of town, and up the hill to the start of the trail. Not a big deal to some, might be a pain to others (allright, I admit it, me!).

You might be to St. John by 3:30-4 PM...not much earlier, esp. if you are picking up luggage you checked. The taxi to Red Hook takes about 45 minutes, then the boat ride to STJ another 20 or so.

Hope this helps.

Hi Liamsaunt

Thanks for the info.
We have rented Villa Bougainvilla.
Do you know of it????

So I guess I will have to give the walk a try & if it seems to be to much, will have to get a cab.

Tks Ruth

How exciting...a first trip to STJ.

I'm going to make a prediction....you'll rent the a jeep after your first trip to town.

Seriously though, rent the jeep-like vehicle.
Think about it...do you want to waste your precious
vacation time huffing & puffing up & down those hills?

Walking the narrow roads with fast local drivers and tourists that aren't used to driving on the "wrong" side of the road as they gawk at the scenery will be dangerous. You'll be spending your time watching for cars rather than enjoying yourselves.

Bite the bullet and line up a jeep ahead of time. You'll spend more on taxis and waste time waiting for them to possibly arrive.

Here's an illustration of where you are. The Dolphin is probably the nearest market for provisions, though Gallows Point has a little store with basics a couple of hundred feet down the street.

theshopper3,
In the interest of full disclosure I'm "a smoker" I was going to claim knowledge about the cost of cigarettes on STJ by blaming my husband as being "the smoker"...but he has never smoked, so it would have been a total fabrication(or lie). Cigarettes are quite cheap....$2.00 a pack.
During our visit last month I resisted the urge to stock up on $2.00 a pack cigarettes( they cost between $5.00 & $6.00 a pack in NY), with a promise to myself that I was going to quit when we got back home. I must regretfully report that I have failed once again....but I refuse to give up trying to lose this nasty habit. Wish me luck! ...mia

Hi Mia! I'm not one who will rag on you for smoking because I used to be a smoker, myself, but I quit when they hit 75 cents a pack, thinking that was too expensive. It's hard for me to believe they are now up to $5 - $6 a pack! That alone should be your incentive! How about this as an incentive? When you can quit, then each time you'd usually buy a pack, take that $5 and put it in a St. John fund! You'll be back on the island before you know it! Good luck with your efforts!

Wow,
Talk about answers........... This is great.
Thanks for the map although I must say it looks like a long way from the villa to anything LOL.... Maybe getting that car sooner than we expected.

I was a little concerned about doing the walk at night after a night out for dinner & a few cold ones.
Just have to work on hubby about driving( I know it isn't fair, but I don't want to drive, & I think that falls in the entertainment dept, which is hubby's dept)

Mia, thanks for the info, I know in this day & age smoking is a touchy subject. Do you know if they carry Marlbourgh Lights??? They are about the only American ones that we care for.
$2.00 a pack sure beats $60.00 a carton at home.

Tks The Shopper

Here is my 2 cents worth of advice.You should rent a vehicle now. Remember the Island is not flat, if you were able to flatten the Island it be the size of Texas (not really but just to make mt point).Our first visit was last March and we found the driving to be fine.Also you will want to bring a cooler,chairs,towels,also rent snorkling gear and what ever else you nromally bring to the beach. You will be restricting your self of seeing all that the Island has to offer.

I am under the impression that Donald Schnell also has rental vehicles. As the other posters mentioned after a day or maybe two you will not want to do anything else but ride around the island yourself to all the wonderful beaches. If you go to Coral Bay the cigarettes at Love City market are the lowest on the island (17.95). Some of the other stores have them for 19.95 and 21.95. While you are in Coral Bay stop by Skinny Legs.

I have to echo what everyone else has said. Rent a car now and have it for the week.

It is not that hard driving on the left and you will not want to make the trek to Soloman or Honeymoon with all your beach stuff from the villa, that is a huge haul.

Have a great time and don't forget to come back and post a trip report.

shopper.....Yes they do have Marlboro Lights.....in fact that happens to be my brand! I feel like we have bonded ...mia

California Girl,
Thanks for not judging...it is such a miserable habit to break and I have been at it since college, which is many, many years ago. I know that it is socially unacceptable and I am extremely considerate of those who are near me. You would think that the stigma attached to it would be incentive enough.

Well, if you're a smoker the "walk" to Solomon Beach might well be the end of you...or at least convince you to rent the jeep-like car.

I'm a reformed smoker as well and have nothing but sympathy for smokers. I'm so glad to have it behind me but it is SO hard to quit...I should know...I quit many times before it finally "took" and I still have the odd craving even after years. Addicting?...I'd say so!

As far as the driving...tell your chauffeur that it is really no big deal and nothing is very far so there's never a long drive involved. You'll be hard pressed to use ahalf a tank of gas in a week...really.

I concur with everybody else...you'll definitely be wanting a vehicle right away. St. John is an incredible place, and you really need to drive around to see and enjoy it all.

Also, just a friendly reminder...please take your cigarette butts with you when you leave the beach. This summer I noticed a major influx of cigarette butts in the sand on the beaches in St. John...even some floating in the water...it was very disappointing.

You'll have a great time

I somewhat concur with everyone's advice - except the car rental part. I DO agree that you will want a car for part of your trip, but I know Bougainvillea and I think you could spend a day or so and get your bearings and save $65/day without suffering too much. Walk to town for dinner a few nights - you will walk to town in a lot less time than you will spend looking for a parking place. It's an easy and safe walk to the villa (I live in the same area and I'm also a smoker and I do it all the time) or to Solomon/Honeymoon (well worth the effort) and you do have the option of taking a taxi back from Caneel. I think staying anywhere in this neighborhood (Frank Bay) is a very good choice for first-timers.
It's not that busy until Thanksgiving, so you shouldn't have a problem getting a car when you get here and when you're ready. Worst-case scenario might be that you have to switch cars, but that's a fairly simple process.
There are provisions available for a day or so at Gallows Point Gourmet market, as well as great coffee and pastries in the morning. This is VERY close (100 yards maybe? 200?) or you could easily walk to Dolphin Market.
See you on St. John!
-Ruth
(Are you Ruth also??)