Please Register / Login to take part in discussions about the Virgin Islands.
My future wife and I will be on our honeymoon on May 9th in St. Thomas, Sapphire Beach. I was doing some research and getting together the plans for that week. And I run across a few questions I would like to ask you members here as most of you have experience with the islands.
When we arrive at the airport, would it be best to have a private cab waiting or not worry about that? Would the going rate to Crystal Cove be $9-$12/person plus extra luggage? We would also need to stop by and get groceries on the way in. Would their be a better way in going about getting from the airport to crystal cove and also stopping to get groceries for the week?
Also, the one thing my fiance wants to do is horseback riding. I saw that St. Johns offers that, so we would head over there for the day and do that. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge with this as I can't find much on horseback riding in St. Johns? Another questions is, what would be a very nice restaurant to eat at afterwards? Probably in St. Thomas as we would come back and get ready. I have a list of Dining places but would like some advice and little more information on dining. Thanks for the help.
Hopefully you're renting a car for your stay here, in which case pick it up when you arrive and then stop to pick up your groceries en route to Crystal Cove. Dependable and Amalie both get excellent reviews (and allow you to take their vehicles on the car barge to St John) and good places to stop for groceries are CostULess and Plaza Extra, both on Route 38 (as is Sapphire/Crystal Cove) which is a main road and easy to find.
If you're not renting a car you might want to rethink that as getting around without one is very expensive by taxi (see taxi rates in link "St Thomas" top bar this page) noting that they charge per person - and exploring at your leisure is half the fun of being here!
There is trail riding offered on St John (no "s") at Carolina Corral (I believe www.carolinacorral.htm) and as far as dinner afterwards on STT there are so many options so it all depends on what you're looking for, what you like to eat, price range, etc. Give us a few hints and you'll get a lot of suggestions.
We've always used Dependable and you can take the vehicle to St John
I thought about the car rental, but was not sure as everyone has mixed reviews on it. I want mind paying for taxi service I just do not want to get cheaped, which is the reason I asked if the pricing was about right from the airport in the first post. As far as dinner, pricing is not a big concern. I had read about Herve, blue moon,...
If you look at the taxi rates, the fare for 2+ people from the airport to Sapphire is $11pp, not including luggage and tip. If you're going to be using taxis for the duration of your stay then it would be a good idea to print out the rate schedule. Not sure where you're finding mixed reviews about renting a vehicle but you should look carefully at the taxi rates in relation to where you'll likely be going and then compare that total with what you would spend on a rental. You might be very surprised at the considerable savings you'll enjoy by having your own transportation. Even going between Sapphire and Red Hook will cost you min $5/pp each way - that's a $20 round trip for a very short distance when compact rentals run around $40/day.
As far as dining, I'm a huge fan of Banana Tree Grille for a special occasion. Same owners and same Executive Chef for over 25 years, beautiful spot overlooking the main cruise ship dock, town and harbor. Consistently excellent food at reasonable prices, great service and ambiance. Cheers!
Since you don't mind paying for taxis, the rates are regulated. You can find them at under the photo at the top of this page under St Thomas, Transportation, Taxi Rates. If you want a taxi to stop at the grocery store on your way to Crystal Cove you will need a private taxi. Alternatively you can take the regular taxi from the airport to Crystal Cove, and after you settle in at Crystal Cove you can make a taxi run to the grocery store and back.
Yea, we have decided on renting a car as we will be traveling to st. John also and just take it on the ferry...using budget. When we travel to st. John is there anything that we might should try to do?
Glad you went with renting a vehicle!
#1 When you arrive GO STRAIGHT TO THE COUNTER to avoid a long line after getting your luggage!
For the record a PRIVATE taxi from the airport to your destination with a stop would cost $90! So wise choice!
Actually, you can get a 'private' taxi with Rachel to your destination for 25/per person, no stops. So in theory, a private taxi really is only 50 bucks. To me, its worth the extra 5 bucks a person to not have to deal with multiple stops and the like...
does rachel have a taxi medallion? if she does, she can operate as a taxi. if she does not, well...
Are you renting from a private owner at Sapphire? My manager, who has several units, picks guest up at the airport and makes a grocery stop on the way to Sapphire. I tell my guests to rent a car for three or four days, go to St. John, explore St. Thomas and go out to dinner on the days they have a car. For the rest of the time relax on our beautiful beach and take the shuttle to Fungi's or Agave if they want to go out. Anyway, check with the owner. Maybe you have this option.
Rachael most certainly has a taxi medallion and has been a driver on the island for more than 20 years.
She is extremely professional, requiring paperwork for STJ guests so that she can park at the dock, etc.
