Ed

Any recommendations from whom to rent a 4 wheel vehicle for 3 adults in May? I'm assuming A/C is a must. I've seen a number of outfits advertising on the web, but a recommendation would really help. TX

Nancy

I have had good experiences with Spencers and St. John Rental Cars and can recommend both.

However, there are many local agencies and I have never seen a negative post about any.

If there are three in your group, I would recommend a 4 door with automatic transmission. A/c is a nice option, but not as important as the automatic, unless you are very comfortable driving with standard transmission. Except for in town, you are usually driving up a hill or down and stops and starts are often on an incline.

Most rental management companies offer to handle the car rental for you, sometimes at a discount from the direct book rate. The typical weekly rate is $350-$400.

We liked Spencers because they were willing to meet us to deliver our car after hours in the event that our flight was delayed until after they closed. If you will be arriving in the afternoon and think that you won't be on St. John until after the agency has closed (5:00-6:00 p.m.), this flexibility might be important. Some rental management companies can do this for you as well.

Larry

One suggestion: Reserve a jeep with windows, a roof and locking doors. OUr first Jeep (which we traded) was the open safari type. Lots of fun, but you can't leave anything in it when you go to the beach as anyone walking by has free access to the interior. We were lucky that a fully locking model was avaiable from another outfit and swapped it for the same price. The first jeep was from St John Car Rental. The Second was from Denzel Klien. Denzel Klien also lets you use the rental lot for parking when you drive in to town at night, we used if 3 times instead of searching for parking.

BTW--I don't think 4WD is a must, as all the roads are paved.

John

I'm just curious, did you really feel that it was necessary to have a Jeep that you could lock up solid? Is there a lot of crime on St. Johns? We plan on going in May, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, John

Charlie

Yep tis a good idea to have a locking vehicle,it's also a smart idea not to take anything to the beach that you can't afford to lose.Don't mean to scare you but that's life just about anywhere nowadays.Some of the best beach areas on St.John are isolated(Salt Pond Bay for example)and anything in an open car or left on your beach blanket while everyone's in the water is at risk.I mention Salt Pond Bay because my wife and I lost a small amount of money,my drivers license and our perscription eye glasses left unattended on the beach while we both snorkled.We watched as a person came from the trees/bushes behind the beach and helped himself of our belongings and we couldn't get to shore in time to do anything about it.This a problem not only in the Caribbean but anywhere that tourist put themselves in isolated positions,we just returned from Maui and you wouldn't beleive all of the car windows that are broken at trail heads/beaches etc.The point is,think smart,don't take what you can't afford to lose but by all means don't let this stop you from enjoying yourself. St.John is paradise go and enjoy all of it,have a great trip.

Karen

No place is crime-free but why go asking for problems? There are some reports of things being taken from the jeeps or cars left open or even snatched while the swimmers left things alone on a beach - even on St. John!!! It is not a problem unless it happens to you!!!

Larry

To follow up, the open air jeep did not also did not have a glove box. Knowing the risk that someone could easily walk off with our beach stuff, and with the car and condo keys tied to my suit, we like to have a few dollars somewhere just in case. With the locking jeep, we could leave a few $ in the glove box and feel better. Also, we were able to leave beach chairs and snorkel gear in the car w/o any worry.

Charlie--the guest book in the unit we rented (Cruz Views) had the exact same story regarding a couple at salt pond that saw a petty thief in action as they were snorkeling. Any chance that was you? That story was the main reason we wanted the locking jeep.

Charlie

Hi Larry
Nope that wasn't our story in the guest book,on that trip we were camping at Maho Bay Camps.That goes to show thar this type of incident isn't an unusual occurrence.As a follow up on my little story,the day of the theft when we got to shore I was able to follow the foot prints of the thief through the bushes and seen him drive off in a PARK SERVICE truck.I reported the incident at park headquarters in Cinnamon Bay and they said that this wasn't the first such report and that they were surveiling a park employee.A few months later we were notified that the worker had been arrested for petty theft and discharged from the Park service.

ed

Thanks to all for the tips. I'll be reserving a hard top, locking vehicle for sure. I have one question for Larry. We too will be staying at Cruz Views (unit #1). Do you know if the units come with beach towels, beach chairs, beach umbrella, a cooler, etc for those beach outings? Or is it case by case for each unit? Thanks.

larry

I don't know if all units have those items, although ours did. Each unit has a different owner, but I think they are all run buy ther same company. I think its CaribbeanVillas. I suggest checking with the rental company before you pack.
You will love Cruz Views--Enjoy!!