Hi Brenda,
You might enjoy have a car at your beck and call, the island seems to creat things to do after you get there.....we use a local, I just call them before I leave and they meet me at the airport. A lot cheaper and much better service than the coporate rentals.
Driving on the left is like driving on the left here, except cars are coming to you...but not to worry, the speed limit is about 30 there, so its slow enough to be safe....the hardist part my partner had was turning in intersections, took them a minute to make sure they picked the right lane.....
Downtown gets downright busy when a cruise ship is docked, but there are back streets and ways around you will learn. Navigating is fairly simple, there are only a few main roads that cover the whole island.
Have fun and lets us know how it turns out...

Andrew

We always rent a vehicle for our stay. We like the freedom it provides. There are Taxis everywhere but with my luck there wouldn't be one around when I really needed one. If you are into exploring and seeing the real island(s) than you better have your own vehicle. Driving on the left takes about 10 minutes to get used to. It really helps to have a great navigator like I do. Deb keeps an eye on traffic, signs and the map for me. Having a car also allows you to experience the car ferry out of Red Hook and as a bonus of surviving the loading and unloading process you get to see the beautiful island of St. John. We have always used Dependable Car Rental and they always treat us like family but there is a wide selection of agencies on St. Thomas to pick from.

Hi Rick...
We always use Dependable when on St Thomas...I can recomend them with confidence....if we stay more than the weekly rate, they always adjust the price to the weekly day rate instead of an over charge like the coporates do....thats just good business.
Hope Brenda and guest enjoy and come back soon.

Andrew

Hello,

As mentioned, renting a car allows you freedom to explore, beach hop, sight see, stop when you want, go when you want... park at Drakes Seat for 30 minutes if you like without the clock ticking on your taxi... go to smaller local beaches like Hull Bay or Dorothea... shop, restaurant hop. Makes things easier. Taxi service is easy too. If you don't plan to leave your hotel/resort often then a taxi is fine. If you want to get out there and explore - rent a car. Taxi rates - depends on where you are going and from where.... visit

https://www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_around_stt/

You can also take your rental car to St. John and drive around there - double check with the rental company some don't like you to take the car over.

Driving a different way then what you are used to always takes getting used to... Rental cars usually have stickers on the dash to help you remember. Some roads are narrow. Most roads are curvy as they wind around the hilly island. Congested - no not really, in town always seems busy during the day particularly when there are ships in, Raphune Hill - Tutu area at the end of the work day and Mafolie - Skyline early in the am when people are going to work... Drivers here are friendly - some drive fast... you can drive slow and stay to your side of the road - they will pass you if they want... if they honk ignore it or pull over a bit and let them by. The speed limit as mentioned is low so you aren't suppose to go fast anyway.

Have a great time.

--Islander

I would be intersted in securing a rental from a local company, may I get some recommendations please?

What island are you visiting? Dependable Car Rental - the one mentioned in the post is on St. Thomas and its a local rental agency.

--Islander

Hi,
Does anyone have the phone number, website, etc, for Dependable car rental?

Thanks,

Diane

www.dependablecar.com

I used them back in Sept., and as stated above they were terrific. The truly did treat us as family and for eight days, gave us a discounted weekly rate. I recommend them highly.

I'd like to chip in a suggestion about taking a car rental on the barge to St John. If you buy a roundtrip ticket you MUST get on the same company's barge for the return trip or else you must pay an additional oneway fare. The oneway cost is $22 and I find that the little extra you pay for two oneway fares gives you more freedom for your return to STT.
I also find dependable to be great to work with.

We have always used Dependable and found that they have always gone out of their way to help us out (even the year when I had a senior moment and messed up the reservation). I'd rather support a family run operation than an international chain.

Forgot to give you the phone number 1-800-522-3076

James,

Are there other family-owned local companies in St. Thomas that you would recommend other than Dependable? Also, could you supply their phone numbers? Is Dependable located right at the airport or off-location? Is an off-location rental company the way to go because you save on airport taxes?

Hello Darlene,

Dependable has a web site with information on location ect. www.dependablecar.com

--Islander

Brenda:

We're visiting St. Thomas in April. We booked a Hertz Midsize for the week.
With the AAA discount it comes to $191. (with the extra charges). I don't know what the daily rates are (for 4 days). Dependable wanted $342. for the same size vehicle and timeframe.

Mike

Hello Mike - you got a really great rate!! So for others with AAA make a note of this!!

--Islander

Ditto what Islander said. That is a good rate!