monalua

Mainly, which beaches can you not make it to if you only have a car? Staying in town so not worried about villa driveways. Of course want to go to Trunk, Hawknest, Cinnamon, Salt Pond, Honeymoon, Francis, etc. Please advise! Want to save money and rent a car, but don't want to be limited in terms of basic exploring. Thanks!

Sunnyboy

If you consider the total cost of your trip, the price differential between a car and a 4WD is not enough to make an appreciable difference. You said you want to explore the island. Why take the chance on missing something because you didn't opt for 4WD.

BarbaraF

We were there a long time ago (13 years) but recall the most harrowing experience driving up a road just outside of town that was so steep, the jeep kept slipping down the road. It was touch and go whether we were going to make it up the road -- and my husband is a great driver. Things may have changed in all those years, but in my experience, you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle if you are going to drive around the island at all, if only for peace of mind.

cdt

The vast majority of beaches on St. John can be reached without a 4WD.

However - have you found a rental place on STJ that will rent you a 2WD? I thought they only rented 4WD.

If you're planning to rent a 2WD on St. Thomas and bring it over to STJ, remember that many agencies won't allow this. And even for the ones that do, you may have a long wait (and possibly extra expense) if you have a breakdown or accident on St. John.

RAB

Last time I rented a jeep there, I was told that they (the rental company) did not allow their jeeps to be driven on unpaved roads, which kind of defeated the idea of exploring.