We rented a Jeep Commander from Hertz. It had the 3rd row seat in the back. The only problem that we had was fitting all 7 of us and our luggage. A couple of us took a taxi to and from the airport, other then that we were fine on all of our travels.

Molly

Thanks for your response. We're staying on St. John, so Hertz is out.

There's 6 of us, so we do have a LITTLE room in the back seat area. We realize luggage is a real issue, but the other 2 couples really don't want to drive so we're trying to fit into a single vehicle. I'm encouraging everyone to pack LIGHT and be ready to hold a suitcase on the way to and from the villa.

VI

VI Lover are you and your other well prepared to cater to the whims of those other two couples who "really don't want to drive?" Have you traveled with the other two couples before?

I can understand if the rest of the group is elderly, infirm or handicapped but if they're all able-bodied capable stateside drivers then I can't see any real reason for you and your spouse to take on the responsibility of schlepping the whole group around during your vacation when another vehicle rental would relieve you of the brunt of transportation and enable you all some flexibility where general outings are concerned.

Might be time to have a bit of a chat with those other two couples. Cheers!

STT - Great Concern!! Thanks!

We've talked it over quite a bit. Yes - we've traveled with them before and have already had a couple of "trip meetings" to discuss the vacation - what we'll do and when, and are comfortable that it will all be fine. I truly believe that if we get 2 vehicles, we'll just end up following each other around. Our days are pretty simple when we vacation - sleep in a little - breakfast - beach - lunch - beach - villa for dinner - maybe an hour or so at a local bar for an after-dinner drink - back to the villa by 10pm - early to bed. In fact, this is our first time with multiple couples at a villa and we picked a pretty remote location so that we're more encouraged to cook-in and enjoy the evenings in a "home" instead of in a "bar".

Thanks again for the concern!

VI

VI Lover,

I usually book my car rentals through Travelocity to compare rates. They will give you a list of all vehicles available from each rental car company. If you click on the "view details" you can then see the seating capacity of the vehicles.

Molly

Will Travelocity let you pick your rental car company? I never use those sites because some of those web sites don't let you pick your rental company, and that's very bad if you are staying on STJ and end up with Hertz. I know I probably pay more, but I just book directly through the vendor.

But if you find a cheaper rate and you can pick the company, I say go for it. Can't hurt to check it out.

I think Discount has some bigger vehicles, although Austin told me that if you have more than four people plus luggage in any vehicle, you should probably be very good friends. (Those were his exact words. lol)

We had a large group last year and split off in groups of four and two with a liberty and a little two-door Suzuki thing (sidekick?). It was a little more expensive that way, but it worked out better in the long run, I think. It gave us more flexibility and we didn't all have to travel together in a giant pack.

The great thing about Travelocity is that they will show and compare rates for all of the major car rental companies.

Well - it turns out my question was easily answered.

I already had a reservation with Budget for a full-size SUV (Dodge Durango or similar). I emailed the STT office with my question and received a written confirmation that I do, indeed, have a 4 wheel drive vehicle reserved. We're all set!

Thanks for the responses, though.

VI

Have a great trip!!!