RobertoB

Tradewinds Cottage does indeed look like a an excellent value. I like the way the web site is organized.

The L&L rental rate seems to be in line with others on St. John. Tradewind's site links to C&C and Courtesy. We've had good experiences with both of those. I think at this stage you're looking more for availability than price.

brenandg

While there is plenty to do on STJ, if I were you I would go for the day trip to The BVI's. Just being on the water for the day is worth it and the scenery is fantastic. We did the New Horizons II trip in 2006 and enjoyed it very much. It gives you a good overview of The BVI's but it is a bit busy as you will cover a lot of ground in the day. I think it's great for first timers. We make an effort to get to The BVI's each trip to STJ. It's your anniversary, go for it!

As for the rental car, that is marginally higher than we paid for a four door jeep wrangler last time, May 2008. We only wanted a two door, but that was all they had (we used Courtesy last time). Did you check Cool Breeze? They were cheaper last November and the rate included insurance. They don't have a parking lot in town though.

Tuxedocat

Loved that Tradewinds Cottage website! Someday when we start renting out our place I've gotta get me one of those. I know exactly where that is. We kayak over there from Johnson Bay. It is a really quiet area, even for Coral Bay. You are up on a hill so you should be fine. That doesn't mean it won't get toasty sometimes, but at night, you shouldn't have much of a problem, especially with ceiling fans, and it looks like they've got screens. You'll be right near Miss Lucy's in Friis Bay. IMO, it is about as romantic a Caribbean spot as any for that special 25th anniversary dinner. Oh, but I've already said that. I'd also recommend you look into Sweet Plaintains in Coral Bay which is excellent. Congrats! As for the jeep, there are quite a bunch of rental places in Cruz Bay. Of the companies not mentioned, you can also look into Denzil's, O'Connor's. The thing is, they're all comparable in price so unfortunately, you won't save much. Have a wonderful time!

LisaMS

Isn't that a cool interactive website for Tradewinds?

Okay, I'm probably going to book the tour with Horizons II because of all the positive feedback and just surprise the dh.

Ended up booking car rental with Denzil Clyne. You are right...it was more an issue of availability at this point but they did tell me they had a Suzuki Grand Vitara available at $67/day so that is what I went with. Mailed my deposit yesterday.

Now all I have to do is count down the days. Thanks everyone.