location can be dangerous at night. A good bet is to stay at the Carib beach or emerald beach resort. I believe they are farily inexpensive.

Thanks NA.

I don't so much care about the "inexpensive"ness of the hotel, just the convenience and safety.

Does "dangerous" also apply to the various B&B's and inns that are up the hill from downtown as well? A non-exhaustive list that I am considering includes the Crystal Palace, Bella Vista, Green Iguana, Hotel 1829, Mafolie Hotel, and Blackbeard's.

Because there is little information on the internet about some of these places (i.e., reviews) compared to some of the larger resorts on the eastern end of the island, I am considering those resorts, as well as a few on St. John.

Bill

Bill, in the over 10 or so years that I have been running Crystal Palace, I have had only one incident. An incident where the guest did not follow my instructions(even acknowledged it!) and ended up in trouble. I always tell guests which way to walk and stress where not to go. Once this is done, it should be no problem. Not to worry.

Ronnie

Hello Bill,

Palms Court Harborview is above Savan, which is part of downtown. Savan includes shops, the Catholic Cathedral and school, small local restaurants, residences, offices and strip clubs. So during the day you have church/school - ok area. And at night you have red light district. The seedy element is always there to some degree depending on where exactly in Savan you are... closer to the Cathedral - ok and then further back into Savan - not ok. I will walk through during the day but definitely not in the late afternoon and evening; primarily because I am concerned with just being in the wrong place at the wrong time and I wouldn't recommend visitors walk through because you aren't familiar with the area so might just wander down the wrong road. Palms Court is above Savan, heading towards Solberg. I'd take taxis to get around from there, wouldn't walk. I am not very familiar with Palms Court so can't help with the accommodations aspect itself.

1829, Green Iguana & Blackbeards are on the other side of downtown, the latter two being right next to each other. Crystal Palace and Bella Vista are sort of above downtown in the middle. As Ronnie pointed out there are some routes/roads you shouldn't walk (primarily at night) because it’s unlit, not populated, seedy element. Again I'd recommend taxis, adhering to the recommendations of your inn-keeper/host. These are nice, well maintained inns.

Mafolie is a hotel, its a short drive up Mafolie road heading out of town. So its not quite in town.

You mentioned convenience as deciding factor for your accommodation. What do you want to be close to or to have?

--Islander

Islander,

Thanks for the input! I have decided on the Crystal Palace, if they have avaialability. I sent Ron an email from his website, and I am looking forward to hearing from him. Convenience to shopping is the "convenience" I am looking for, so I think the Crystal Palace will keep my wife close to her diamonds, perfumes, and watches (as well as my liquor!).

Now, Islander and others, do you have any ideas on how to get a better deal at Caneel Bay, where I would like to spend 3 nights post-cruise?

Bill

Hello Bill,

Crystal Palace is indeed convenient to shopping downtown. So diamonds and liquor here you guys come ;).

Caneel Bay - not sure about this one. It’s off season right now so they should have lower rates then during season. I noticed they were participating in the summer special I saw on AA but it required a 5 night stay.

--Islander

Islander,

And, we'll make sure to buy the diamonds first, then drink the liquor ... otherwise there could be trouble!

I have looked everywhere, but for the three nights in November, I cannot find a lower price than their regular rates. So, we have booked a courtside room, and we'll eat in Cruz Bay - no worries!

Now I just have to play the waiting game with United to see when they are going to drop their fall rates in line with American. Right now, it's about $200 pp more expensive to fly on United, but they have a direct flight from Washington Dulles to STT, which is a plus.

Bill

Hello Bill,

Some of the stores serve drinks while you shop. 😛

I noticed a few people writing that they bought airline tickets and then when the rate went down got a voucher for the difference. I haven't ever done this and when I first read about it was surprised. But anyhow - does United offer this. Might be worth looking into.

--Islander

Hi guys. I have previously commented on the vouchers. I wanted to note that on my last "voucher request" to USAIR (2 weeks ago when my son went to Florida), rather than getting a voucher for the reduced airfare, USAir actually credited my Visa card directly!! I don't know if this was a mistake, or not. I was surprised. But, the day I went online to check him in for his flight I noticed the fare drop, called USAir and asked for a voucher ($166) and received a direct credit instead. NICE!!

Islander and Bluwater,

Thanks for the thought. The rules on the ticket are that they are non-refundable, and any changes result in a $100 cost. Anything left over can then be credited. Bluwater, I wonder if you had a refundable ticket vs a non-refundable?

Our return flight will likely be on USAIR via a code share with United.

Bill

Ahhh...semnatics. be careful

My tix are always NON-REFUNDABLE. And, yes, you DO pay $100 for a change. But, yo uaren't changing....

The $100 is for a change of date or flight time. USAIR's policy is that you can ask for a voucher for the difference if the airfare goes down for the SAME flight (same date, same flight number) before you travel. YOu just have to call and say "hello, I've noticed that the fare for my flight has gone down, and I would like a voucher for the difference" period. They should then ask you where to send the voucher and off you go. I haev been doing this for years. How do you think I go so much? I am not a rich girl...LOL.

Don't let them talk circles around the voucher. It's a real option. After you book your ticket, log on every few days and check the fare. It's BOUND to go down at some point, unless you got a great deal in the first place.

There is absolutely no fee for the voucher.

More excellent advice! I will buy my tickets this week and be worry free!

Thanks again!

Bill

One more thing about this....

Once you are issued a voucher, you CAN call and get additional vouchers if he fare goes down yet again.

Example:

You originally pay $560 for a ticket
Two weeks later that fare drops to $460
You call and get $100 voucher sent to you
A week later the fare drops to $260
You can call and get another $200 voucher sent to you

You can then use those vouchers for other flights. You can combine vouchers that you've receive from various flight reductions on different flights. Thus, if you're holding $800 in vouchers from three different flights - you can combine them and buy a $800 ticket.

If you buy a ticket with vouchers and THAT flight's fare goes down, you CAN call and get more vouchers. So, buying a ticket with vouchers doesn't restrict you from fare-watching for additional vouchers.

Vouchers can only be used for tickets in the name of the person on the voucher. Thus, you can't use the vouchers to buy tickets for you and your wife if the vouchers are all in your name. Your wife would need her own vouchers.

Just a warning about American Airlines. The voucher in exchange for a lower fare is called a "rollover." I used more than $200 in rollover vouchers from AA last year to purchase my ticket this year. However, as of Nov. 5, 2004, AA is charging $100 for this courtesy. So unless the fare goes more than $100 below your purchase price you won't be getting a voucher for a lower fare.

Additionally, you can reserve your seat online, but you have to talk to an airline rep to purchase your ticket using a voucher. At this point AA will charge you you an additional $5 for booking with an agent and also deny you the 1,000 mile bonus for booking online. They certainly are not doing much to maintain my loyalty.

Gerie

Can you see the big smile on my face? I bought my tickets on United last week. Today, I checked the website, and fares dropped $50 per person! So I called a reservations agent to see how the refund/vouchers would work. She checked on her system, and lo and behold - I am now saving nearly $300 per person.

The vouchers should arrive in 1-2 weeks!

Bill

Does anyone know if Northwest or Continental gives these vouchers? It seems like the price always goes down after we book our flights. Thanks.