John, If your have snorkel equip. I would bring it, we keep ours in a separate bag with surfshoes, beach mat, towels and small bottle of dish soap (one drop of soap spread inside a mask will keep it from fogging for hours). Some beaches are rocky I highly reccomend the surfshoes. There is a small grocery in Red Hook less than 2 miles from Saphire. Sunday is Saphire's beach party and Wednesday at Bolongo. The roads are not to bad on STT once you get used to driving on the other side. Jeep or Taurus I Have no opinion. Unless you take it to STJ for exploring then a jeep is worth it.

2 story villas are very nice. The snorkeling rental equipment is decent. For hotel guests, you can have it all day. You can also use the float mats, beach chairs, etc...which non-guests have to pay for. I know they also have kayaks and I *think* they might be free for guests. I don't recall ever paying for them. I don't know if you are officially allowed to take the snorkel equipment to other beaches....but I would imagine the bottom line is that you either return it or you don't...and if you don't, you pay for it...so it shouldn't matter where you take it.

As for parties, the Sunday Beach party is Sapphire's big event. There's music, dancing, they grill food for purchase. The beach bar gets very crowded since it is where the dance floor is. The party runs from about 2-5:30. Sapphire should provide you with a schedule of events. I am not sure of how things are run now that they have changed hands. They used to have something going on most days/nights.....Madame Voodoo came on Friday nights....she walks on glass, eats fire, limbo dancing, and she is normally accompanied by a good band. There was a manager's cocktail party with free food and rum punch once a week.

There may be bands on other nights. For this reason, I don't recommend getting a villa in building A close to the beach bar. Building A is OK as long as you are on the other end of it...unless you want to be staying right above the beach bar and over the music that can sometimes go late.

For other nightlife in the area, head to Red Hook (just around the corner from Sapphire) and also try Iggie's (Bolongo Bay) and Fungi's (Point Pleasant - very close to Sapphire, same road).

As you are driving from the airport to Sapphire, you will pass a K-Mart (good for Liquor), a Pueblo supermarket (just up the street from L-Mart - good prices - not such a great market but large), and a Cost-U-Less (offers food in bulk, so maybe not good for food but has really great Liquor prices).

Sapphire is also convenient to the Food Center (This is a nice, large market....if I were you, I would go here for food and Cost-U-Less for liquor. I'm sure they sell island fruit. If not you will pass a larger fruit stand on the side of the road between the Food Center and Sapphire). If you keep your eyes open, you will find ripe genips and mangoes on trees.

Rent the Taurus and spend the $160 on something else (maybe a hook bracelet for your wife). 4WDs are best if you are on STJ and it is raining or has just rained since the hills are steep and the roads get slick. I've done entire STJ vacations in a sedan and been fine (except the entrance to my villa being improperly graded once).

Tip: if you find that traffic is bad going from Sapphire to town (Charlotte Amalie) on the usual route 38, drive on the South side of the island (residential areas). You will find that it feels like a completely different island and traffic is MUCH less than on the busy North side. To explore the South side, exit Sapphire and turn right. This places you on Smith Bay Road (route 38). Travel on Smith Bay road til you climb a fairly steep hill just after the little area where the gas station is and a few stores are. At the top of the hill is a stop sign and the opportunity to make a very sharp right onto route 42, which becomes 40. Make the right. This is Skyline Drive, which is the spine of the island going across the very top. You will get amazing views. Take this all the way to route 35, which will head down to your left and take you right into Charlotte Amalie. You will avoid the traffic and get the best views of the island, island chains, beautiful homes and villas, etc. Going the other way that most people use takes you though the industry and business areas, and it is crowded and not nearly as pretty. This is why people who haven't gone to the south side say STT is too crowded.

Look at this map: http://www.usvi-on-line.com/st/stmap.shtml

Bluwater,

I think you have the Northside and Southside mixed-up...

We rented a Jeep on STX once and were sorry that we did. If you are making stops at any time and have your snorkel equipment with you -- its hard to pack it in the little space in back out of view. Save the money.

Thank you... that's true.

Here is what I'm thinking.

Jeep Pros:

+ All 4 passengers can enjoy the view
+ You really get to take advantage of the Tropical Weather (We live in Montana)
+ Longer rides that may be boring in a Taurus can be fun in a Jeep
+ May be helpful when we take a day trip to St. John

Jeep Negatives

- More expensive ($160 more)
- No storage to lock valuables, etc. We will have some valuable electronics (digital camera, video camera, cell phones, cash, etc.) We were thinking it may be better to lock that stuff in the trunk of a Taurus than to leave in our hotel room if we are gone for the day.

It's still a difficult decision as driving around with the top off sounds like so much fun! It seems like this is becoming our toughest decision! (more so than finding a good place to stay)

I am leaving Thursday for Sapphire. I go most every January for a few weeks. I have sent a number of people to Sapphire and have made up a "to do and see" document. If you would like me to email it to you I will be glad to but it will have to be no later than tomorrow.

Yes, sorry!!! I said South when I meant North!! Duh! LOL 🙂

You would think I wouldn't mix them up since I lived on the NORTH side in NORTHstar Village...LOL

John , another con for jeeps:
VI rainshowers come on quickly and it often rains a couple of times a day....very briefly (couple of mins), but sometimes very hard for those few mins. If you are in an open jeep and a rain cloud passes over....well 🙂

I agree with your pros. Will they let you take the top off of the jeep? Warning: many jeep rental places tell you that you must leave the top on. We've heard that before from very disappointed travelers. They spent a fortune on the jeep and then couldn't remove the top. Best to check with your rental agent. Let us know.

Bill, please email me your list. I would love to get some fresh ideas for activities. [email protected]

So drive in the Taurus with the windows down. You get the breeze and scent of the island and avoid the hazard of a sudden shower drenching your cameras. You will get plenty of sunshine when you are out of the car and a drive with some shade overhead might turn out to be a benefit rather than a detriment. After a couple hours of sunshine on the beach, pack up and go for a sight-seeing drive to avoid sunburn. You can find another beach a little later if you need a second power-tanning session.

You will have the trunk to store things in when you leave the car... although don't assume the trunk is as secure as a bank vault. Cars do get broken into now and then and most vehicles have a lever or button by the driver's seat to pop open the trunk without a key. A car trunk is more secure than an open jeep, but it still pays to be careful what you leave in the car and where you park it.

Ok, so I'm almost convinced..

Last Question.

Will my Taurus be ok on STJ? Is it worth bringing my own vehicle over to STJ for the day to explore the island?

Thanks,
John

taurus did job for us for a week in october during monsoons. kids rented jeep for couple of days to go some places we knew car couldn't go, rain or no rain, such as rte 108 from coral bay to bordeau mttop and to lameshur. went about everywhere else on map. will neede to keep moving uphill on couple of northshore hairpins, especially appraching peter bay from west if pavement wet. must be careful loading and unloading on barge to avoid bottoming if car is loaded.

safe driving.

papabou

pls send it to me thks

In my opinion it isn't worth taking your car on the ferry over to St John. The car ferry runs much shorter hours than does the people ferry and for what it costs it's much less of a hassle to rent a car or jeep once on St John. I haven't checked the car ferry schedule lately, but the last time I used it the last one was at 7pm and we had to get "in line" around 5 in order to secure a spot and I think it was around 50 or 60 dollars roundtrip, but that could be wrong. Anyway, it isn't cheap. Once you get to St Thomas and decide what day you're going to go to St John then make a few phone calls and reserve a car for that day or if you already know what day you're going then do it as soon as possible because the rentals go quickly. I've used Varlack (340-776-6412) whenever I've rented on St John. They're a really short walk from the ferry dock. I think jeeps run about 70 bucks for the day and a Montero was around 80, but this was back in the summer. It's probably a bit more in season, but well worth avoiding the hassle and headache of the car ferry. They closed around 5 or 6 in the evening, but had a night drop for the keys if you plan on being out after they close.

Also, if you're staying at Sapphire then you should check out Lindqvist beach. It's mainly locals that go there and it isn't marked but it's just around the corner from Sapphire through the tall broken fence gate. Anyone can tell you where it is. The beach and water is about the nicest on the island, but back near the road and in the trees it's pretty trashy and you have to definitely be aware of your surroundings if you do decide to go there.
Have fun and be safe!

Just a note about car rentals and the barge to STJ. Make sure your rental company allows the car to go. Some do, some don't - and at the moment I can't remember which is which. Read the waiver. Barge fees have also recently gone up - and you MUST take the same company's barge for both legs of the trip. Where they all used to be $35 for a round trip, one is $45 or even $50. Stick to the ferry and if you need to, rent a car just for the day....save headache of jostling for the last ferries. It can be VERY aggravating, let me tell you!

re - other beaches - Lindqust/Lindqvist is a beautiful beach....but has it's hazards. Don't take anything ONTO the beach you mind losing. Because of the land dispute (you will see the chain link fence surrounding the property) many folks have in the past tried to make a point about trashing the beach. There a sedan is the best bet - before you even GET there, put valuables in the trunk. Don't leave anything other than towels & sunscreen unattanded on the beach should you snorkel. Vessup is just as nice a beach, and a bit safer. There's Latitude 18 restaurant right nearby, and the West Indies Windsurfing is also there, if you want to try your hand at a catamaran or windsurfer.

I have heard mixed reviews on whether or not to bring our rental car over to STJ...

Economically speaking, which is better? Leave car on STT or bring it with us? Doesn't the $45 round trip include 4 passengers? And wouldn't renting the car on STJ cost us nearly $80?

While I'm sure it would be a nice luxury to have a car sitting on STJ waiting for us... it may not be a big enough priority to have 2 cars rented for the same day. (we are already renting a vehicle for a week on STT)

In previous posts it was recommended that we bring our vehicle with us to STJ. Are we going to be miserable if we do that?

Montana John, it all depends on what & where you want to go. There are taxis aplenty on STJ, but many of the beaches don't have phones to call for a taxi. Just read your rental agreement on your car. I personally wouldn't want to risk a rental car on the barge if it wasn't specified in the contract. You know how island drivers can be 😉

Just a note - if you've read other thread about taking the barge to STJ, yes - you have to be aggressive to get on. You have to BACK the car on, so be prepared for that. Of late, supply trucks (tractor trailers and the smaller vans) have priority as that's the only way STJ gets supplies to the island. I have waited for over an hour for a barge, because big trucks are allowed on first. If it's full, they leave...regardless of the time. I don't think the number os passengers has anything to do with the fee. When I've been, I've had either 2 or 4 people (myself included of course) and the fee was the same.

Do you have any beaches in mine or other places you want to see while on STJ?

-k

This will be my first time to STT and STJ. Our plan was to spend at least one day next week exploring STJ and checking out the various beaches/restaurants you have all recommended. We appreciate the freedom of a rental car and the financial savings considering we will have the car rented anyway.

I understand that taxis charge by the person. It seems like the charges could add up quickly, which would make the bringing the rental car a pretty good deal. Even if we only spent $15 each on taxis (I'm sure it would be more than that) it would be $92 (including round trip passenger ferry service). That's twice as much as bringing our rental car over at $45 (round trip ferry charge).

We are renting through Budget on STT. I found it was cheaper than the locally owned, Dependable Auto, and also cheaper than the other national chains. (i.e. Avis, Thrifty, etc.)

Just as an FYI - check wind direction before you head over to STJ. Folks seem to like going to Trunk Bay for the underwater snorkel trail - nice beach...but it tends to be crowded when there are lots of cruise ships in STT. Jan 15 isn't too far away, and the past several days we've had 15-20kt winds coming straight out of the east. The silt on most of the beaches makes snorkeling not the best. Trunk Bay is on the North side of the island, and is suceptable to the North Swell (which we have a bit of at the moment). There's better beaches (IMHO) than there. I like Hawksnest or Cinnamon Bay - but that's just me.

You WILL have fun...rest assured. The local paper prints the weekly cruise ship comings and goings, so shopping in Town (Charlotte Amalie) can be a challenge when there's 5 or more =).

I'm used to telling folks in my shop about cool, out of the way places - so feel free to drop me a line off board for some of 'em. I don't neessarily want the whole WORLD to find the nice hidey-holes 🙂

-kim

We took a Ford Taurus from STT to STJ last June. It is a hassle jockeying for position at the ferry but we were lucky enough to have our villa host along as a guide and he managed to get us worked through the crowd and to the front of the line. We actually had two car loads and we all got on the same ferry. The cost then was $52 for the car which included all 5 of the passengers. We were happy we took our rental vehicle over but it could be chaotic getting on the ferry. We original were going to rent from Hertz but found out they don't allow their vehicles on STJ and went with Budget. Once we got past the somewhat rude Budget rep in the airport everything was fine.

We had no problems getting around with the Taurus and visited Trunk, Maho, Cinnamon, and ate lunch at Skinny Legs. Thanks to our villa host, we were also treated to some great views from private property owned by a certain country singer that frequents STJ. This entailed going up some very steep roads with hairpin turns which the Taurus handled fine. We only smoked the tires a few times getting up the roads.

While in STT we spent a lot of time at Sapphire beach and really enjoyed it. I ventured out a little far while snorkeling and wasn't sure if the current was going to allow me to make it back but obviuolsy I made it. After a few Red Stripes from the cooler I was just fine.

All in all I would recommend that you not worry about the small things and just enjoy yourself. It is much easier just to go with the flow (unless it is taking you out to sea).

Thank you very much.. your post is very helpful.

I have spent a great deal of time on this message board in preparation for our trip. It is not that I'm worried about the trip or even that curious. I think the best use of the board is getting me through the work day. This board gives me the ability to talk about the trip all day without making my co-workers jealous.

Thanks again!

Montana John