USVI-On-Line

My 3rd trip to STJ...unfortunately we are taking the 3 teenagers this time so it is a bit of a different trip!

Staying in a Villa just a 5-10 min walk from Cruz Bay. Wondering if it is better to have a rental car or just plan on walking to town to catch taxi's. Probably go to North Shore beaches a couple of days and catch a charter at the NP dock.

I remember parking is a nightmare and I can't decide which would be better...what about getting groceries on the first day? Will cabs take you to/from the grocery store?

Any 'experts' have any experience/advice?

You will get differing opinions so here is mine. More freedom with a car since taxis only go to certain beaches. The cost of taxis for five both ways will add up. Groceries may be rough but you do have 5 sets of hands to walk/carry. Maybe try to rent a few of the days?

Which villa are you renting? Some of us might be familiar with its location and able to judge whether walking into town is reasonable or not.

I consider having a Jeep a necessity on STJ. You just can't get to so many places without your own transportation.

I don't think parking is a nightmare (tricky, perhaps), but we go in the off season.

You can skip a vehicle arrival and departure day and plan on beach time at the walkable Salomon/Honeymoon and Frank Bays. Taxis only reliably run from Cinnamon Bay to Cruz Bay and will be pricey. You can tak the bus to Salt Pond.

But, to be honest, we have enjoyed our trips without wheels less.

Cheers, RickG

Renting a car is expensive, Rick's advice is good when staying in cruze bay, that saves you 2 days..Being able to explore st. john requires a jeep--I really think you'll be glad you did...

Teresa_Rae wrote:Which villa are you renting? Some of us might be familiar with its location and able to judge whether walking into town is reasonable or not.

I consider having a Jeep a necessity on STJ. You just can't get to so many places without your own transportation.

I don't think parking is a nightmare (tricky, perhaps), but we go in the off season.

We are staying in Tropical Panorama...

I agree that you can probably do without a vehicle the first and last days of your trip. However, if it were me, with three teenages to corral, I'd rent a vehicle from Amalie on St. Thomas, load everything up once and take the car barge over.

I can't imagine walking to town to catch a taxi with coolers, beach cars etc and the cost will be more than a rental car - 5 people roundtrip to Trunk will be $60 plus tip and Cinnamon $70.00 plus tip. Taxi's don't really go past Cinnamon (they will but you need to pre-arrange to come back at a certain hour) so no Maho or Francis and definitely no Coral Bay.

Minimum charge to go anywhere by taxi is $4.00 per person so a grocery store run at the "basic" rate for 5 would be $40 plus tip

Pia

rpurkey wrote:

Teresa_Rae wrote:Which villa are you renting? Some of us might be familiar with its location and able to judge whether walking into town is reasonable or not.

I consider having a Jeep a necessity on STJ. You just can't get to so many places without your own transportation.

I don't think parking is a nightmare (tricky, perhaps), but we go in the off season.

We are staying in Tropical Panorama...

tropical panorama location.jpg

That villa appears to be right next door to a place we rented several years ago. It's on a fairly steep road and we still ended up driving into town most nights for dinner...but that was in 2005 when the off season meant much more plentiful parking than what exists today. I think we only walked for dinner once and that was just to go to Gallow's.

I would not want to schlep beach stuff from that location into town every day, just to pay for expensive taxi rides.

Rent a jeep! Our kids are 23,20,15 and even though a jeep wrangler is tight, we manage to fit all beach gear and paddle boards on top. You are traveling from my home state, TN, which is too far not to take advantage of the entire island without having to worry about taxis. Last time I tried to catch a taxi to Maho, the guy pitched a fit and started yelling at us! That was a first though and we just figured he was having a bad day. Rented a jeep ever since and it's been well worth it. Like other post said, skip arrival date and departure date. Most villas have a property management company meet you at the dock. We once had a driver so nice she took my wife to Starfish Market so you may check that option. If that doesn't work, do like us and pack a cooler inside your suitcase with frozen items wrapped in foil. It will still be frozen when you get there! You can still walk into town to eat if you don't want to worry about parking. But just for beach access alone, rent the jeep!

We stayed a week at Gallows Point without a car - never again. The bus ride to Salt Pond was terrible and the cabs to other beaches was too expensive. Live and learn.

rent the jeep and forget about it!!! you never know what might come up or how you will feel on any particular day. Having the wheels gives you the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want.