Been reading the forum and finding it very useful.

I'm looking for some advice. I am planning a honeymoon for the end of May 2005. I nor my wife to be have ever been to the Carribean. I had decided that St. John was the island that fit us best and was looking into GP. I just saw that their rates are really jacked up beginning next year and they changed their "seasons" a little bit. An oceanview room, in 2005, is $395/night vs. $265 in 2004. Is it still worth it?

I have ~$5000 to spend(not including airfare). The Gp would be ~$2300 for 6 nights w/AAA discount. Would $2700 be enough for us to enjoy the island for 6-7 days. I want to rent a jeep/car to explore, would like to go diving/eat & drink well/ maybe take a sailing trip etc. Basically do it up within reason.I just don't know if this is possible on my budget. I have no idea how much things will cost, and I do not want to cut corners. Any suggestions from those who have been to St. John or other places that may fit my criteria would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ahead of time.

$395/night does seem high for GP in late May, which is not "high season." Have you priced the Westin? I assume Caneel Bay is higher.

We usually spend about $200/day for "everything else," but we are not gourmands, nor divers. Sailing/snorkeling trips run about $80 to $100 per person. Vehicle rentals (almost always 4WD on St. John) are $50-$70/day.

Meal costs will depend on how well you wish to dine, but shouldn't be more than 50% above what you would pay at home.

St. John is our favorite island, but it might be worth a look to see what the rates are at Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda at that time of year. It's usually a bit lower than Caneel.

Forgot to mention -
Lots of people rent villas on St. John (haven't done it myself).
Should be able to beat $395/night in late May, but you'd need to do some careful research to get the right place.

May is during the low season and you would be able to rent a nice villa for below $300 per night/$2000per week. Car rental would be 300-400 per week. Diving can run you anywhere from$75-$95 for a 2 tank dive depending on whether or not you have your own equipment or need to rent gear. Rates get lower if you book a package of multiple day dives. I have found it's more cost efficient to rent a villa rather then stay at a hotel/resort and I prefer the privacy unless you want the bells and whistles the resorts have to offer but I definately think a villa is more romantic for a honeymoon. If your interested in a villa I have some suggestions.

Thanks to all for the info so far.

Jofus I would be interested in hearing about some villas you think are worth checking out. I figure I should check out all my options before making a decision.

Since I have never been to St. John, or the Carribean, and I want my honeymoon to go smoothly I therfore don't want to cut it close with money. A previous poster said expect to spend ~$200/day for two to eat/drink/entertain ourselves. This seems about right to me, but I wanted to see what others thought of this figure (higher/lower). Is a great 6-7 night Honeymoon on St. John doable for $5000? Would anyone suggest going somewhere else to stretch you money a little further? It seems that the quality of surroundings on St. John is hard to beat, and that one can go to St. Thomas to shop etc., and take advantage of a daytrip or two to change up the scenary.

Also as far as the villas at Gallows point: does anyone know if the upper oceanview are that much better than the lower oceanview? The balcony looks great, but I think it might be nice to walk right out of your room onto the grounds from the lower unit? thanks again ahead of time for any info.

I have been to St John four times including this past May/June and actually stayed at Gallows. We stayed in an upper - had the one that basically overlooked the pool and water. Beautiful view. It was spacious - two floors. I found I needed to keep the doors shut - which blocks a lot of the view (doors have screen and shutters) to keep mosquitos out that time of year. Could keep them off me when outside with spray but they definitely came inside when they could. Many of our friends stayed at the Westin to be all together. Some of them had great rooms. Pool area is also very nice. Most of my favorite beaches are out and about and require a car or taxi. We mostly took taxi's. I would stay at a less expensive place and spend more doing things. I loved our sailing trip on the ScubaDo to Jost Van Dyke. Have also been to a couple other islands via boat on my trips. It can be pricey to be on a boat without many other people. I liked Gallows but not sure I think its worth that much - doing more would be better to me. We were never in our room during the day. The pool is also very very small and there is basically no beach. You can snorkel there however.

HM2005

The following are an example of some of the villas that are available on St. John:

http://www.windspree.com/homes/lasirena/

http://www.bookitvi.com/rhumb.htm

http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/happy_...appy_moon.html

They range in price from $1400 to $1820 per week. This is just a sample. Each of the above rental agencies has listings of probably twenty or more villas. Even if you eat out the villa represents a good value. No matter where you stay, pick up a copy of 'Feet, Fins, and 4WD'.

http://www.caribmart.com/usbritviris.html

HM2005 Check out calabashcottages.com they have 3 villas in your price range. I stayed at Windwardside last year and loved it. This year I rented Happy Moon through vivacations.com Little Plantation is available there and you can search their site by $,location, # of rooms, etc. Also check out Caribbeanvilla.com, I believe Bayview and Aria villas are in a good price range for you

Good luck on your pending nuptuals! Fantastic.

In my opinion, unless you are spendthrifts you should be able to live like a king for that kind of cash. I'd look into a nice villa w/pool or hot tub, and nice views. Rent a jeep, eat most dinners out and most breakfasts in. Make lunches for beach based picnics and ruin your liver at each and every opportunity.

Although there are hundreds to choose from, check this villa as a possibility. I have no personal interest in this place but a friend did stay there and they loved it.

http://www.islandhideaways.com/villa.php?villa_id=536

Regards,

mm

My husband and I have stayed at Gallows many times over the last four years. The first few times when he was a medical resident and money was very tight. If we would have had $2700 to spend for 6-7 days we would have been in heaven. Even now that our situation is much better, we never spend as much there as other vacations even in the States. You can take a sailing trip for $75pp. We even had a charter boat all to ourselves last year at that price (if no one else signs up). You can have some great dinners hanging out by the water at the Beach Bar or somewhere in Coral Bay for $50 with drinks for two or of course spend much more. The great thing is the beaches which are free and you will most likely spend your time out all day there and get a quick sandwich to eat for lunch. Woody's is also a fun place at Happy hour when it's $1 a beer. Every place is casual. You've also got your kitchen. We found we only used it for breakfast and ate out most other meals. Even if you spent $200/nt (very nice) on dinner, rented a car for 6 days ($420) took 2 sailing/snorkeling trips ($300 for both of you) that would still only be about $2100 which would leave you $600 for everything else. Very do-able.

I would also recommend having an idea when you want to go sailing. You can save it for the last few days and return your car since you will be on sailing all day and won't need it and can take the ferry back to the airport on your departure day. That can save over $100. Staying at Gallows is so convenient we walked down the short walk (5min) to Cruz Bay for dinner almost every night. Parking is a pain and would be a negative about staying in a villa, especially since there are only 2 of you.

Another option is a harbour view room at Gallows. We've stayed in both HV and Ocean View. We did not experience any noise problems in the HV from Cruz Bay and still had water to look at. Actually found the view more interesting. The lower levels won't have the cathedral ceilings which give the illusion of a bigger villa.

Don't worry, you will have a great honeymoon!

Thanks for the input, and jbm, thanks for the first hand info. I actually will become a medical resident in july so its good to hear that you guys actually made it to the carribean during while your husband was a resident. Have you stayed elsewhere in the carribean that compares to St. John? What would you change about your trips, if anything, if you had them to do all over again?