mmstl

We will stay in St John for five days in late November, rent a villa in the Coral bay side throught BookitVi.com. The rental agenet told me I need a car to get around. I do know I need a car, but I can't figure out how long do I need it, do I need it my entire stay? I will be arriving from STT late afternoon first day, leaving at 8:00an by ferry the last day. I know I will rent a dinghy from Noah Arch for one day, maybe do a half day sailm and the rest of days driving to beaches, snorkeling and hiking. Is there a private taxi can take you from Cruz Bay to the villa we rent or other way around? How much will it cost, will it cost more than one day's car rental rate? Another question is what type of 4 wheel drive I need? We only have two people, does it matter whether is it soft-top or hard-top? Somehow by reading previous posts on this board I got the impression the you can not lock a softtop car, i.e.you can't leave your valuable in it when you go on hiking or snorkeling. Any advice is appreciated.

tpatricco

Staying in Coral Bay you will need a car the whole time.

Depending on where the villa is you most likely will need 4 wheel drive too.

There's pretty much no walking to anything or frequent public transporation in this area. Definitely no taxis.

tewels

You will need a car on all days, especially staying in Coral bay.

mahobaygirl

The above posters are correct, you will need a rental the entire stay and you will not regret it. They used to say that there were no taxi's to Coral Bay, even if this is no longer true, it will cost a fortune. The rental company can meet you at the dock, but most are within walking distance of the ferry (depending on how much luggage you bring).
The smallest and cheapest rentals are the sidekicks, we always rented a hardtop. You cannot take the roof off, even if it is a soft top. Also you do not want to lock your car. You need to leave the important stuff behind in your locked villa and carry just what you need. If it is locked, the potential intruders just think there is something in there to steal and they may break in!
It is a great island,my fave, have fun.

mmstl

Thanks, you guys are great. I am going to rent a car the whole time. Guess the $70 or more a day price is a shock to me, get used to $20 something daily rate we normally get using coupon code or priceline.

If we can't leave valuables in the car, what is the benefit of renting a hard-top over soft-top? It's about $100 dollar difference here. And how do you carry the camera(not underwater ones) and stuff when go snorkeling, leave them on the beach? I was thinking we can leave them in the car. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

tpatricco

There isn't really a benefit of renting hard top vs. soft top. DH and I have rented the base grade Suzuki Sidekicks and had no problems with them On our last trip we had a Jeep wrangler and found the ride rather rough and utilitarian. We were also spoiled with a Mitsubishi Montero for part of the time (we had guests and needed a bigger vehicle) The Montero's suspension was much more comfort oriented!

We generally only take what we need and leave the rest in our villa. our camera always goes with us, and we do leave it on the beach (not out in the open) and have never had a problem and we do go snorkling for awhile where our stuff is unattended.

St. John is one of our favorite islands too! Where is your villa located mmstl?

Tuxedocat

First of all, let me say congrats on choosing the "path less traveled." There are some of us on this board who are big Coral Bay afficionados. It tends to be more quiet and focused on the wonders of the natural beauty of STJ. You definitely need a car the entire time, and I totally understand the sticker shock. Dependent upon where you are in the Coral Bay area, the taxis can be very costly. It is about $25 one way. You may also not be within walking distance of restaurants and stores, or the beach. We are on STJ alot, and very luckily, knock on wood, we haven't experienced anything bad. The places you are more likely to encounter issues regarding locking things in your car tends to be in secluded places or in and around more commercial areas. If you lock stuff in your glove compartment, or keep any valuables out of sight, locking up your car generally does not encourage people to break in. I had a friend who hides things under the hood of his car, a bit extreme. But a disposable camera tossed under the seat seems perfectly fine IMO. When I travel, I try to leave as much of the valuables at home i.e. expensive jewelry, etc. I don't carry alot of cash and try to use the credit cards. I carry my driver's license and keep the passport hidden/secured at the villa/hotel. If you have expensive camera equipment, this tends to be my only pain in the neck, I do hide it in my car when I'm not using it, and I try being smart about it, making sure it looks like there's nothing to take. Also, just because things look bucolic never assume anything. I would keep all doors, windows locked when you are away from the villa or asleep at night. There is a police substation right in Coral Bay and the officers are very friendly. If you have any questions or concerns, you should never hesitate to ask them for tips. Just use common sense, and you'll be fine. Have a wonderful time! This is a great time of year, not high season yet but all the businesses are open.

tpatricco

Here's some pics of my last trip to STJ: http://www.pbase.com/tpatricco/st_john_may_2006

mmstl

tpatricco, great photos. Tuexdocat, thanks for the advice. No we are not going to bring jewelry to any trip. Just worry about the camera and camcorder when we're out swimming. I read it from traveltalkonline board that people actually put them in a zip lock bags and bury them in the sand. Now that's another great idea besides hidding it under the hood. LOL. Maybe I worry too much, always do.

tpatricco, the villa I rent is St John Livin', I don't know where is it except it's on Coral Bay side. It's a pretty new property, I did not find a review here, the only review I found is on VI online forum, here is the link http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.co...07123256.shtml.

You can tell this is my first time to STJ. Tuexdocat, you are exactly right, peace and quite is what I am looking for when I choose a villa in Coral Bay. Can't wait for the nights when I sitting in the hot tub and counting the stars.

tpatricco

mmstl - I can tell where your villa is by the view from the photos on their website. You're in a great location very near where we rented in May. My advice - make sure you have 4wd, the roads up the side of the "hill" are a bit hair raising at first. We always used our 4WD to drive up to our villa. The roads in that area are concrete paved but have loose gravel at least in sections.

Be sure to go out to Salt Pond Bay, hike up to Ram's Head and drive out to Little Lamesur Bay beach - my favorite on STJ. Just thinking about it makes me wish we were going back soon!

Have a great trip! Trish

amtw

mmstl,
Please post a review of Livin' when you get back! That is the villa that we have rented for our trip in May. I would love to learn more about it! Thanks!!