Hello Carol,

Gallon Milk 4.99
1/2 Gallon Milk 2.99
Tropicana 96 fl oz Orange Juice 5.99

For more visit http://www.vimovingcenter.com/cost_of_living/, thats the cost of living page; scroll to the bottom past the rent/utilities tables and you will find a grocery list with prices.

There isn't much at Bluebeards Beach Club, you will need to head out for restaurants, shopping, sightseeing...

Downtown includes residential areas, shopping area, historical sites, some restaurants/bars, schools, churches, red-light seedy area, ball field, hotel/inns etc. At night the shopping area and sites are closed, restaurants/bars open - stick to the open places, which are mostly along the waterfront.

--Islander

I used to be the Sales Manager for the Elysian and Bluebeard's Beach Club (both owned by Fairfield), so I know them both quite well. The only reason, regardless of what they say, that you are being moved is because of the fact that the majority of both properties were sold as 'fixed week' timeshares, then, when Fairfield took over, they started with the 'floating weeks', so now they have to play shuffle the guests to accomodate everyone. A real pain for the owners and exchangers. Fairfield has done a nice job renovating, but I, personally, wouldn't recommend spending any of my money on a Fairfield timeshare. My personal opinion, of course. Regardless of which one you end up staying in, you will be happy. The rooms are furnished nicely, the properties are in much better shape than they have been in years past. Are they comparable to timeshares in the U.S.? Not really, but then again, you ARE in the VI, and we are just a bit different here. Plenty to do on both properties, as long as you like the beach and the pool. The gambling machines can be addictive! Watch out! Haha! Tennis, jet skiis, snorkeling, parasailing, etc. can all be had. Safety is not an issue at either place. Milk is anywhere from $5 to $6 per gallon, depending on brand. Avoid St. Thomas Dairies, unless you are accustomed to recombined milk. Island Dairies, Macarthur, and Suiza all come from cows, so they taste like Stateside milk. Hamburger, fires and soda...depends on where you eat. At the resort, figure about $12. Best burger on STT is at the Shipwreck Tavern, across from the cruise ship dock. 3/4 of a pound! YUMMY! No need for fries with that one! The prices for food here are going to be somewhat higher than you may be used to if you live in, say, Kansas, but, if you live in NYC, then it will be about normal. Remember, it's an island, so everything has to be shipped in. This adds to the cost of things. Restaurants, well, they can be inexpensive (places like The Delly Deck, Charlotte Tamales, etc. - each person will probably spend around $10-$15) or they can be pricey (places like Craig & Sally's, Agave Terrace, Virgilio's, etc. - each person will spend around $50-$60). Pick up a yellow magazine at the airport called "St. Thomas/St. John This Week", and they have a section with a guide giveing you an idea of prices at various restaurants. "Menu, Please" is another good one to pick up.

No need to worry, you will have a great vacation! Have anymore questions, feel free to e-mail me.

Hi, I just spent a week on St. Thomas and did not notice the prices being any higher then here in San Diego. I bought almost a weeks worth of food. Now, I did not buy any meat so I can't help you with that but everything else was the same as if I purchased something here that wasn't on sale. Example, I usually get a 12 pack of soda around $2.50 - 3.50. Paid the same there.

Marty, Thanks for the info. I don't think you gave your email address, did ya? I WISH we hadn't bought the timeshare, but we did and now we are VIP's with 500,000 points!! We were told that the reason we got moved was because we had a 2-bedroom plus at Elysian and the "Board" voted to make them all 1 BR's or studios to be able to get more money. Don't know if that's true as we have been lied to before by a few Fairfield people....which is why we own now....lied to by the salesman in Colorado. What's your email address?

Thanks a ton for that website. It really helped me get a feel for the prices and what to expect. It wasn't as bad as I feared. I'm sure we can get some groceries now and still have money left over to dine out as well! 😉

I was thinking I needed to bring lots of bottled water with me, but now I realize that I can buy it there for not much more than at Walmart! You people are really so helpful. Thanks for your input.

If you can stomach reconstituted milk it's $4.99 per gallon. The real stuff..... hold on to your seat...... $6.99 per gallon.

Carol, don't be bummed out! When you are there go and check out the other fairfield properties. Explore the islands. We usually are only in our room at night when we are there (too many great things to see and do). Read a lot of past posts from this board and pick what appeals to you the most then ask away. PS, if you click on the authors name it will give you e-mail or PM info.

I just came back from St. Thomas about a week ago and I truly did not find the prices for groceries there to be that great of a difference from here on the mainland. Of course there will be some difference on some items but overall it's not as riduclus as some people on this site make it out to be. I found that K-Mart, Cost-U- less and Plaza Extra had great prices. Of course if people here on this site is staring people to Star Fish and all the other independent grocers there prices are going to be very high because they do not have the buying power like the big chain stores.
What I lost of food item I made it up with the cheap booze prices Lol

We own fixed weeks at both Bluebeard's & the Elysian. Honestly, I feel a little more on vacation staying at Bluebeard's than I do the Elysian for some odd reason. The resort is not as big as the Elysian and therefore is quieter. It does offer various shuttles to & from the Elysian and also over to Bluebeard's Castle, Magens Bay and also to downtown. Bluebeard's has done a great job with their renovations and everything is very nice now. Have never tried the restaurant-have always had other places we've wanted to go. Hook, Line & Sinker in Frenchtown is reasonable, Tickles Dockside Pub at Crown Bay Marina is very reasonable, is right in the marina where you can sit right near the boats! As Marty mentioned, Shipwreck & the Delly Deck are great & are very close by there at Havensight. Bottoms Up restaurant over toward the Elysian has specials every night & is also located in a Marina I think that's across from the grocery store (can't think of name of grocery but is before you get to Red Hook). They used to offer a spaghetti dinner for $8. Molly Malone's in Red Hook, East End Cafe has great italian food, Burrito Bay Deli has awesome breakfast and lunch burritos! If you happen to be downtown shopping, visit Gene & Harriet at the "19th Hole" which is located just below the BLUE "Royal Dane Mall" sign on Main Street--Gene makes the best frozen drinks on the island & they're such a great couple to sit & visit with at their open air bar. As far as safety at night, stay on the main roads, don't park in dark areas. My husband & I don't wear hardly any of our jewelry (not that we have alot but what we have we cherish!) For jewelry-go to Imperial Jewelers if interested-they'll give you a great deal & you'll be very happy! Paradise Point up from Havensight is a great spot for watching the sunset BUT you will have a great vantage point right on the beach at Bluebeard's OR we sometimes go up by the office & watch from up there. At Bluebeard's you will also have the advantage of seeing the cruise ships go in & out which is kinda cool. We will sometimes go over to the Marriott & go down by the pool & watch the ships glide right by the hotel. Its also a beautiful sight of the harbor from there-especially at night. Feel free to email me if you want-I'll try to answer as much as I can. We've been going to St. Thomas since 1992. Don't worry-you will end up having a great time--relax!!

THANKS! We are one of those cruise ship people.... sorry to invade the island for just a day.
We'd like to shop and have a few drinks at the 19th Hole.
Any other relaxing things to do? Any things that we should buy? Any best places to buy them?
I appreciate your help.
Kathy

Shopping - Down on the waterfront downtown there's a place called "Local Color" that has nice, quality women's stuff-clothes, purses. etc. They are not exactly cheap but not super expensive either. They advertise that perfume/cologne is cheaper but I've found the stuff that I like is costwise very similar to the states BUT you have to remember that in the islands there is NO SALES TAX either! Other island stuff--Cruzan Rum--ALOT cheaper there than in the States. And, at least here in Ohio, you cannot find the light & dark rum version of it, only the fruity rums are available. They make pineapple rum, coconut, orange, etc. & they are yummy! But, can you take it back on the cruise ship??? I thought I heard someone say not too long ago they have a ruling on that. JEWELRY is probably the BEST buy--at Imperial Jewelers (on Main Street) Charlie, Nick or Karen is who you want to see. Shop around a little first to see what you like & to get a feel for the costs-then go to Imperial & start bargaining with them! If you don't see what you had seen somewhere else, tell them what it looked like & they'll find it or something similar for you. A friend of ours has been dealing with this jeweler since the 1970s! Also downtown-there is an open air market right on the waterfront that actually has decent prices too for a variety of things. There's even a Harley Davidson shop for any of the guys with some cool stuff! I also like Island Traders for "souvenoirs"-they're also on the waterfront & the guys would probably like that place too-walk all the way to the back as there's some cool things there too.

Just off the cruise ship there at Havensight Mall--you can take the tram up to Paradise Point for the most beautiful view of your ship and the harbor. There are a few little shops up there too with a bar (BUT, I'm partial to the 19th Hole downtown--Gene makes the BEST and he makes a heckuva "Bushwacker" which is a 5-6 shot frozen drink but oh boy is it good!) Across from Havensight is the Al Cohen Mall --there's a clothing/jewelry store right next to the Shipwreck Tavern that has nice quality islandwear & nice jewelry--I have bought several pendants there & almost bought a ring for my husband but Charlie at Imperial ending up winning!

Relaxing?? Have a taxi take you to Secret Harbour (most "boat" people head for Coki Beach or Megans") You can rent snorkeling eqpmt there & snorkel right off the beach. Its a beautiful beach with a bar/restaurant on sight too. It would definitely not be as busy as the other beaches!

Have fun!!! And, if you go to the 19th Hole you MUST tell Gene & wifey Harriet that Judy says "howdy" & that we'll see them in January!!

My wife and I went to St. Thomas for our Honeymoon in 2000. It was our first time in the islands and we got "hooked" at the airport to do the tour or Bluebeard's Castle (all we wanted was the free day sail). After looking at the Castle we happened to see a book with photographs of "Limetree Beach Resort". We told the salesman, Jamie, that if he wanted to sell us anything it would have to be something like that. The way we felt, why go to the islands and then sit up on a hill which is nowhere any beach. Jamie told us that it was currently under construction (from the huricane damage). I ended up driving the three of us there, took a tour of the construction site and bought a week. We knew full well that a timeshare wasn't really a good investment but it forced us to take a vacation every year which is something I never did. We've gone back every year and at times extend out stay beyond the one week. Sometimes we stay on St. John the second week as is our plan for this year. We love the Beach Club. We get frustrated at the shortcomings but when all is said and done it is just what we want from our "Island Paradise". The staff has always treated us wonderfully and we can't wait to get back there this year. We'll never trade our week but then again we'll never buy a second week as we have too much fun exploring other places to stay when we extend out week. I'm hoping that the company changes it's plans to expand (but I doubt it). Anyway, we consider Bluebeard's Beach Club our Island Home. Rick & Deb

Rick and Deb, Thanks for your thoughts. Actually, since I started this thread, all of the wonderful people that have shared have set my mind at ease and we will be checking in a week from today...and we are soooooo excited. We own timeshare in Williamsburg, VA and Pagosa Springs, CO, but I sure wish we owned in St. Thomas instead. That way we could rent it out a whole lot easier if we needed to. This message board idea was a very good one!

Rick & Deb,

I must echo your comments. We purchased two week at the Elysian in 1999 for the same reasons you did. Yes the Elysian has it's faults but....what resort dosn't, we get frustrated at times and want to sell (that's why we own in Las Vegas also) but keep coming back every year for two weeks, not even thinking of going anywere else. And yes it makes us take vacation every year also 🙂 We've met some fantactic people over the years that own at the Elysian (even locally) and have made friends that live on island...it's like "going home". Buying a time share is not the best investment a person can make but, if it's used for your enjoyment (like a boat) it's worth it.

Just got back home 6/24/06 from spending a week at Bluebeards Beach Club. The room we had was nice enough, a little dirty... a small one bedroom apartment type room. My feet were black on the bottom just walking from the shower to the bed!!!
However, nothing and I mean NOTHING else was available here except the beach (chairs and snorkling if you had your own mask, fins and snorkle) and shuffle board court. Shuttles were available for a price. Laundry...$2.50 to wash, another 2.50 to dry, another 2.50 for detergent and another 2.50 for softner...had to buy tokens for this and there only seemed to be $5.00 available each day.
Beach towels are provided, but get there early..by 9-9:30am all the clean ones for the day were gone.
We had a lower level room and had to handle our own luggage. This was really hard for me since I have an auto-immune disease and do not have much strength in my arms and legs. Those with me had to take my luggage back up to the car at the end of the week.
The fan in our bedroom did not work when we arrived...reported it the day we arrived...it was fixed our last day there. And the AC decided to stop working on day 3. Took almost 2 full days to get it fixed.
We really felt that the resort was mis-leading guests by not telling them that almost everything was closed for repairs. There were many angry guests the first couple of days after we checked in. Most of the problems could have been avoided with a simple phone call, email or letter explaining the situation ahead of time and giving the option of rescheduling or going elsewhere if these things were important to the guest. If we had not been upset by this, the other issues we had may not have seemed like such a big deal.

Carol, you can find Marty's e-mail address by clicking on his name, or leave him a Private Message on this board.