smetz

I'm renting a villa in St. John for 8 days in June, with a group of 6 in my family. My wife suggested bringing along some spices, so that we don't have to spend a lot of money on bottles of salt & pepper, red pepper, parsley, etc., for just 8 days. I don't want to lug the whole house with us, but are there other things we can easily tote that would save us some money?

virginia

spices are a good idea. very pricey to buy on island and then you use a tsp. some villas let the spices bought stay in the kitchen some have them cleaned out. you don't know what you'll find though...
tuna in the pouches. pb&j. coffee or tea. sugar if you use it is worth putting in a zip-loc. box of cereal - just take the sealed plastic bag inside not the actual box. choc in zips to put in the freezer! < for your wife

smetz

virginia: great ideas, thanks. I especially like the tuna pouches. My wife mentioned coffee but I rejected the idea, and I'll have to apologize to her, because I wasn't thinking of putting it in a zip-lock. If you are from Virginia, as opposed to being named Virginia, you also might agree that some old bay would be a good addition.

mymoosie

Don't forget to bring extra ziploc bags. They come in handy in and out of the kitchen (ie. wet swimsuits, packing stuff to take back home that might leak, etc.)

Davepa

Lucky you, we were there in Nov.
We always take coffee in a zip lock and coffee filters.Filters weren't easy to find in Nov. for what ever reason. Meat selection isn't great and what there is is expensive. We take a soft sided cooler with frozen meats. Fill in available space with frozen water bottles. The cooler is great for the beach and folds up in the suitcase for the trip home. We take picnic size salt and pepper as well as a small bottle of olive oil in a zip lock. Take what you like because if you find it it will be expensive. We have found spices at the villas we rent but you can't depend on what you like being their.

virginia

actually it's my name and i'm living in maine for now. but old bay is an excellent idea. you surely won't find it there.
and extra zip-locs are really handy for any/all food you've opened. tiny ants like to get into stuff. we've lost bread in the reg plastic bags and pastries in paper bags to them.
now we keep virtually everything in the frig.
fyi - salty snacks stay fresh if kept in freezer.
dave - me too. we take a full size cooler with frozen meats, juices, butter, and premade stuff like marinated chicken and choc chip cookie dough...

Packed2Go

We've been renting here and there for the last few years and I always bring a bottle of Alexanders 4 in 1 spice mixes (4 different spice blends segmented in one plastic bottle). They serve as rubs, marinades, or dips if mixed with oil or sour cream. I also raid a take out restaurant or two for packets of mustard, mayo, relish, small jellies, peanut butter if I can find it and salad dressings. I also like to take along a few honey sticks to use instead of maple syrup on pancakes or fr.toast. They all go in a zip bag into the suitcase.

Pulley

Smetz, we brought spices & being from SC we included Old Bay (Frogmore Stew). We usually take Starbucks coffee in their own bag, it packs easily. We also bring lots equal & splenda. Like Davepa said we take frozen meats in a soft sided cooler. We only go out twice for dinner (Cafe Roma & Uncle Joe's) not because we're cheap but it's fun to cook in bathing suits while going back & forth to the pool. What villa did you rent?

RobertoB

Another approach to consider is mailing a package ahead of your arrival to a St. John mail store. I've noticed this trend on some specific STJ forums. Many are doing carry on only using this method.

Something to consider.

Having said that, we'll be taking our favorite ice tea blend/coffee/Splenda and Trader Joe's granola.

brenandg

Good points from everyone. We bring lots of zip lock bags. We use them for food, passports, stuff we are taking to the beach that we don't want to get wet like your book etc. A heavy shower can turn up quick. We have seen lots of those little red ants too. I use the microwave to store some items.

http://stjohnspice.com/

This is a fantastic little shop to check out for spices and hot sauces and other goodies. They will ship your purchase home as well. Try some of the Cruz Bay Grill Rub while at your villa.

We also go to Cafe Roma and Uncle Joe's BBQ every trip.

Pulley

Brenandg, if we're ever on St. John at the same time I'll buy you some ribs from Uncle Joe's. We'll be there 08/21 -30 this year.

cruisin_tigger

I always throw packs of microwave popcorn in, sometimes the flavored packets of oatmeal, or poptarts. All easily sized for packing.

Does the villa have a W/D? If so, do they supply laundry detergent? This site is good for tons of different travel sized stuff, including laundry detergent.
http://www.minimus.biz/Domesticsmain.aspx

smetz

Well, this has been one very informative post. Thanks for all the great ideas - laundry detergent is one I really like, and the website for the sample packs is terrific. Pulley, we will be in a villa called Adeste, which is in Coral Bay. Looks like it's close to Skinny Legs, and should be a nice place, if the pictures are accurate.

brenandg

Hi Pulley,
Sure wish I could take you up on that offer. We are going May 10th-17th and then again the end of November or early December. Have you tried Candi's BBQ yet near The Marketplace? Last time we heard that Uncle Joe's sauce is much better so we stuck with them. We called in our order ahead for take out and it was ready exactly on time!!

mymoosie

Mmmmm... Uncle Joe's BBQ. Glad to hear he's still around.

crest332

I would just go with a few spices, coffee and tea bags, and splenda/sugar packets. Just the things that will seem particularly expensive to buy a whole container. Plus those things don't weigh much. When we went to St John, we took a whole separate bag of food but really I wish we hadn't bothered.

We had no problem finding good meats (steaks, salmon, etc) nor any other food we wanted. There was one day that bananas weren't available but that was it.

I would definitely not bother with jars or cans or anything heavy. Yes food might cost more there but it's vacation!! You're already saving money by eating in rather than having to go out for every meal so make it easy on yourself.

Pulley

Brenandg, one of the couples we went with last ate at Candi's and said it was good but not as good as Uncle Joes. If aint broke don't fix it!

EJC

If you like bacon in the morning, take the "Makin' Bacon" microwave rack. My biggest problem with bacon is; grease everywhere. With this handy little unit,,, No muss, no fuss. The microwave also stays clean. I never vacation without it.

tivertonhouse

A well-sharpened chef's knife (knives on island are dull, stolen or non-existent). A Microplane grater (will zest all that great
fruit rind, cheese). An OXO vegetable peeler.Knife has to go in your checked luggage or TSA will have a fit.

Poohbear663

I'm new to Fodor's and was just being nosey I REALLY like these suggestions. I just booked a last minute trip for my girlfriend and me to Grand Bahama Island next Friday to celebrate my birthday.

My question is: Do you think this idea would work for us if we are taking a one-day cruise ship over from Ft. Lauderdale, but will be staying at a villa on GBI for four days before cruising back? Could we get away with packing some of these dry goods and, e.g., little canned tuna/cracker packs, PB&J etc. to keep in our villa?