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Hi - We were on STJ from 18-28th and had a great time. Just the two of us (last kid in college this past September). Stayed at Aria ville which we give a B+ to. Also toured some other vills both for a repeat trip for 2 and a family trip in the summer.
Thanks to all on this board and other we knew some great places to start with respect to dining. Uncle Joe's A++, also Chilly Billy's three times also an A. Skinny's twice, Vie's twice, Chateau Bordeaux for the big dinner out - also A++. Also the deli in Mongoose junction had very good sides.
Stayed near the intersection of North Shore Road and Centerline which is the only place we later looked at future villa's - we like the location that much. We did not need the Cruz Bay dining each night which would be the only impediment as I think driving on STJ at night is a real challenge.
The Coral Bay end of the island even more laid back than the island in general and we were only 5 minutes away. Went to about 10 different snorkeling beaches, liked Jumby for reading, Francis for people watching, Haulover North for pure snorkeling.
Car Rental - Penn's. Woul dnever use another due to their lots central location and the size of the lot itself. Penn's is also a trucking company so when we went to park we had 15 open spaces from which to choose. Across the street from Chilly's Billys so that's how we often started a trip to town.
Used Christopher's Taxi - great. He was busy on our return so showed up with his wife who drove us in her huge pickup truck. How's that for service. The economics of a private taxi an indulgence for 2 but if you have more people it makes economic sense as well.
Markets - tried both Dolphin and Starfish as well as two on Coral Bay end. As to the first two we prefered the central location and atmosphere of Dolphin. Subjective of course.
Lastly we mailed the box of snorkeling stuff and misc to ourselves at the Mail Center. They charge $5-$15 to hold on to the box until you pick it up. It saved us from checking luggage which was huge.
That's enough I guess - high points for sure - we're going back this summer and next Feb. We have been to SXM (twice) and STT (once) and only have eyes to STJ at this point.
Mark and Susan
Thanks for the report. Do you have any info about the Mail Center, phone #, email, etc? How far ahead did you ship? We would really love to travel without checking bags, but it is hard to do with snorkel equipment. This is what we have been looking for.
Here is the contact info:
There is the Mail Center, www.mailcentervi.com, 340-714-7250, that is located above Starfish Market that will hold packages for three days, no charge. Good luck and have a nice trip.
The "no charge" part has changed but it's still not much.
