jizaref1

Hi,
We are traveling to St. John in Feb/Mar. We haven't arrange a car yet, unfortunately. My question is: is it better to call around to find a hard top at whatever company has it? Or is it better to go with a reputable company like Conrad Sutton who has a car, but only the soft top that doesn't lock?

How worried should we be about a non-locking vehicle? And what other car companies are recommended?

Thanks,
Jeff

jizaref1

Any experience with the O'Connor car rental company? They have the car I want, just want to make sure they are a trustworthy business.

Thanks again,
Jeff

J62

I would have no concern with a soft top on St. John. You're not going be toting a lot of stuff around with you, and you'll mostly be driving to beaches, into town for shopping or out to dinner.

scarboroughmom

We rented a jeep from O'Connor last November. We were satisfied. The car was clean and in good repair. The service was good. I would have prefered Conrad Sutton, because you could use their lot to park in Cruz Bay. They had a 4-day minumum at the time and we only wanted the car for 3 days.

VillaBob

All the local rentals are good in St John, but for this time of year you should book it ahead of time. You'll be fine with a soft top but I wouldn't keep any valubles locked in to be cautious. Conrad Sutton is who we use all the time (6x), they include insurance with their rental. ($1500.00 deductable which can be easily covered by your own auto insurance or the credit card you use). There are many other places that you can check online for. Look for web sites on St. John and you'll find many. St John Car Rental is another good one. Good luck and have a blast, we always do. Make sure you drive every where...that's where the beauty of the island is.

RaymondLuxuryYacht

Hi, we're going to St. John in a couple of days. I had not bothered to reserve a car in advance, because I assumed we could just rent one while there. I just made some calls, though, and two places were already all booked up (Conrad Sutton and St. John Car Rental). So maybe we might be out of luck. Can anyone tell me what the approximate taxi fare from the Westin to the heart of town in Cruz Bay would cost? Or a fare from the Westin to, for example, Trunk Bay? And any suggestions on alternative ways to get around to the various beaches if it turns out we're unable to rent a car? (e.g. getting around by moped, renting a small boat to get around the island, buses or shuttles to various beaches, etc.)

We're already on "island time," so if it turns out that we can't get a car, oh well -- we'll enjoy ourselves whatever we do. But all suggestions welcome.

ezron

Just a heads up--the taxi fares on StJ are per person. So if you have 4 in your party it can be quite expensive to get around without a rental car. You might check renting on STT and ferrying the car over(works rather easily)

Tuxedocat

The taxi to Cruz Bay from the Westin is about $4/5 pp and to Trunk Bay I think it's about $6/7 pp. It's been a while since I took the taxi. O'Connor's works directly with the Westin so I would call the Westin and see if they can make the arrangements for you either with O'Connor's or with another company. I have used Denzil's with good luck as well. They are located across the street from the visitor's center and dock. Mostly, we rent from the airport and drive to the ferry but it may be easier for a first-timer to rent on STJ.

lia_b

Sorry I am piggy backing onto this thread. We are also trying to rent a Car in St. John for the end of May. The problem is that we will only be there three whole days plus the day of arrival and departure which we are not counting on. Therefore, we were looking to only rent the car for one or maximum two days. We booked a day charter to Virgin Gorda for one of those days. O'Connor at the Westin has a four day minimum. Are there any places that you can recomnend that will just rent for a day or two. I hate to rely on taxis given that we are four, it will add up.

Tuxedocat

I didn't have that problem with O'Connor. We rented from them on a day basis on two separate occasions. Perhaps it was because we inquired last minute and they gave us what they had left. I don't know if these companies have that policy if people are trying to book in advance, but certainly, I've rented from O'Connor and Denzil's on a daily basis. If at all possible, I recommend renting a car because it gives you the freedom of movement which can really maximize your St.John visit.

lia_b

TuxedoCat, well that gives me some hope. It probably is the case with reserving in advance. Hopefully when I get there, they will have something available. They did mention something to that effect but were non commital.

CaliNurse

RaymondLuxuryYacht and LiaB, I've read good things about C&C on St John. Anyone else know of them?
http://www.cccarrental.com

Have a beautiful St John trip.

Coden

Anyone know anything about Bougainvillea Leasing? That is who our rental agency has made our car reservations with.

Thnx!

texthejhawk

How about Courtesy car rental? Anyone have any experience with them?

Tuxedocat

I haven't heard anything negative about CCC or Courtesy car rentals. I wouldn't worry too much about using either. Some companies are more preferrable than others due to location or variety of choice in cars. Otherwise, there isn't really a huge difference. For a few days, and especially if rentals are scarce, I'd put up with a few less bells and whistles.