I've searched and searched.... and have my heart set on St Johns. My wife and I are looking for something beautiful, relaxing, and with great snorkeling for under $2500. This would include land, air, food, and car if needed. Is this in any way possible? I've looked at resorts with and w/o all inclusives as well as villas. Please help!!

Most important questions, where are you flying from and what time of year are you looking at. FYI, St. John has no all inclusive resorts. But dependent on when you go and where you're coming from...

We'd be flying out of Charlotte, NC and can travel anytime in Sept and Oct.

it can be done..i've done so. rates are down for rentals in the fall.still your best bang for your buck would be a condo rental.we've rented a condo at CRUZ VIEWS..prices vary but anywhere from $110-$160 a night/www.caribbeanvilla.com...we use this company for all our villa/condo rentals...as for airfare, i was just on the usair site and prices are looking good from new england for oct. for some dates..i would jump on it ASAP !!! as for food you can spend alot or not,depending on your pocketbook.good luck !!i'm booked usair 10/11 !!!

Thanks for the info. And now to be even pickier... We really don't feel like cooking much while we're on vacation... Are there some reasonable restaurants around? How's the snorkeling near these condos?

USAIR is showing fares as low as $363 from CLT to St. Thomas. Go for it.

You don't need to do much cooking to save some money. If you rent a condo in the Cruz Bay area, you can go to one of the supermarkets and keep stocked on basics for breakfasts and snacks, and maybe even pack a few sandwiches for picnic lunches. For dinner, Cruz Bay offers some cheapy options like pizza, Woody's for what I refer to as Caribbean fast food, and Polly's for relatively inexpensive Mexican food with lovely views. You can also pick up breakfast at the take-out place near the ferry dock (can't remember the name)and enjoy your coffee and breakfast sitting on the beach watching the ferries come and go. Live like a local and you should be able to eat well if not spectacular for under $20/pp per day. Oh, and of course, buying your own alcohol and mixers at the supermarket also helps keep that bar tab down. The snorkeling near Cruz Bay is not so spectacular. Although, I've heard it's pretty decent off of Gallows Point. These less expensive condos usually mean you may have the convenience of being near town, but you need to travel a bit to get to a decent snorkel spot if not a beach. To save money, you could take an open-air taxi to the northshore beaches, about $6/pp each way. Maybe rent a car for $45-65/per day for a few days to explore other parts of the island for better snorkeling spots.

So where would more of the better snorkeling be on the island?

jamicah:
I have heard that Waterlemon cay on the North shore has the best snorkeling on St John.We liked Hawksnest bay,Trunk bay,Cinnamon bay and Caneel bay.You really can't go wrong with the snorkeling in St John .
We never made it to Waterlemon as we had our 2 yr old with us and it is a hike to get there.We plan on going back in March and will go to Waterlemon and Little Lameshur bay on the Southeast shore.Both are hikes to get to..but have heard that it's worth the hike.

Good luck!!

For air check www.travelocity.com.
We got tickets for 6 for $451 each from RDU.If you can play with the dates a little..you might find cheaper tickets.Also I checked on the prices for about 1 month and they kept going up and down.After the last time they came down to 451 I bought them.At one point tickets were $730 each..don't let this scare you as they usually come back down some.Travelocity was cheaper than expedia,cheap tickets,orbitz and priceline.

jamicah:
If you are not picky the St John Inn has rooms for $120-165 depending on which room you get.It is nothing fancy but if you plan on exploring alot and will not be at the room alot..it might work for you.It is convenient to Cruz bay.Here is the website: www.stjohninn.com

Just came across an apparently great site for finding very inexpensive 1 bedroom villa/condo options: Caribbeandays.com
Definitely check this one out. Saw several for under $1,000 per week some even right on the water!

So what about car/jeep rental.. What kind of rates should we expect for a 7 night stay?

As to other beaches on the island, is it tough to find parking?

The key to meeting your budget object, as the others have noted, is the airfare and accommodations. I would try to rent a car for the entire week as there’s so much on St. John to see. I have not stayed at either of these rentals but there’re both on the low end of St. John rentals. Kokomo Cottage (http://www.bookitvi.com/kokomo.htm ) rents for $950 a week and Angel’s Roost (http://www.bookitvi.com/angel.htm) for $1100.

Courtesy is showing a Suzuki Vitara for $330 a week and a Grand Vitara for $420. They’re also offering a 10% discount during September and October. If you can swing it I’d opt for the Grand Vitara, Jeep Liberty, or Ford Escape.

The snorkeling is everywhere on St. John with beach access. You should have no trouble parking during September/October. Haulover North is a site that we’re particularly fond of.

jamicah-

look at BERMUDA- it is BEAUTIFUL in Oct.

We got married in OCT and spent a week on Bermuda..Go for an all-inclusive resort--look at The Reefs, Wyndham Resorts and Pompano Beach Club.

The Food is great at these places and food, like any caribbean island, is flown in , so regular restaurants off site are VERY exp..

There is GREAT snorkling and deep sea fishing in Bermuda--you get around by Moped and it is gorgeous PINK SAND beaches...It doesn't get much better....

jamicah:
Bermuda is very very expensive.I would think more so than St John.

In my experience Bermuda is way more expensive than STJ, and with very few budget options on the island. Plus summer in Bermuda is HIGH season, but it's low season in STJ.

Love Bermuda too, but it is way more expensive than St. John, and the snorkeling cannot even come close to St. John.

Looking at food costs.. I have heard it's more expensive since the food is primarily flow in. How much are we looking at if we were to get our meals at the grocery store and just eat out for dinner for a 7 night stay?

Do you eat lobster, steak? Chicken? It's kinda tough to estimate a stranger's eating plan.

For example: DH & I are perfectly happy in a villa on STJ, we make eggs & bacon for breakfast some days, or cereal & fruit. It's hot & we're off snorkling all day, we take snacks and eat when we're hungry. We graze on cheese & crackers in the late afternoon. We throw something on the bbq and make a salad for dinner. We eat out about 1/3 of the time.

Do you eat three big meals per day? I can't guess.

Suggestion: If you plan to cook, bring at least basic spices in ziplock bags, as buying whole jars when you only need a little bit would be costly. A small bottle of olive oil IMO is also a good thing to bring as we use it in many dishes. A small cooler of frozen meats might be worthwhile as well, as we have found the meat (and especially poultry) quality is not as good as at home here in NJ. With a small amount of extra effort we save a worthwhile amount of money and live comfortably too.

We can offer you suggestions, but you have to know yourself and make your own decisions.