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Hello all. I'm an American soldier currently serving in Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division. In August I get leave for 20 days or so. I no longer have a home to go back to so I was wondering if any of you guys have any tips on how I can go about spending about 3 weeks on St. John or St. Thomas for as little as possible. I am toying with the possibility of a campground. All I want to do is relax and drink lots of alcohol, meet some nice people, and maybe go swimming a little bit, nothing fancy. Any ideas would be great. Thanks
My son is with the 173rd Airborne Division and has just spent a bloody year in Afghanistan and it seems that he might be heading back next fall with an SF unit. We will be in St John the first week in July and St Thomas the second week. I can't help much with a place to stay but would be honored to have a meal and a few drinks with one of our American heroes. Feel free to contact us via e-mail if there is anything we can do. And let me add a huge "THANK YOU"!
Rick & Deb
Haven't been there yet, going in July & have done extensive research on line. There is very inexpensive camping on St. John in the national park at Cinnamon Bay & is not usually booked up in the summer (winter is busy season). I do mean inexpensive, like you said, nothing fancy but can be had for about $27/day or $58/day with tent & gear in place. For about $70+ a day there are screened in cottages near the beach at the same place.
Website for campground, tents & cottages:
http://www.cinnamonbay.com/cincamp.htm
From what I gather, the night life is more on St. Thomas but it's not that difficult to get back & forth. St. John is more laid back.
Hope this helps.
Kevin
Maho bay Campground sometimes offers a very discounted rate inlieu of a few hours work on the property for those with a few skills. Contact the manager at Maho regarding this program. Good Luck and enjoy your stay!
Here is the web site for Maho Bay Campgrounds. They have employment opportunities listed at the bottom.
Make every effort to absorb 'island time'. God knows you probably need it and certainly deserve every minute you can get. Alcohol is not the cure all and STJ has a way of treating many ailments. Hopefully it will treat yours as well.
Thank you for your sacrifice.
Logan,
Wherever you book, make sure they know you are an active soldier. Perhaps they will give you a military discount being a U.S. territory. Enjoy every deserved second.
Go Screaming Eagles!
I definatly recomand Cinnamon Bay Camp grounds. I just made reservations for the 1st week in July. Ive stayed at Cinnamon Bay before and I recomend if you have your own tent to stay at a bare site.
If you want to stay on St. Thomas, stay at the galleon house - their rates are cheap and they serve a really nice complimentary breakfast -- eggs etc....
Logan, Cinnamon would be a great cheap option, I live on STT and could loan you a tent and Thermarest. The campground closes for the month of September for hurricane season. Let me know if you want the tent... the bare site is only $27/night and no 8% tax.
I've seen a place along the road to Red Hook in St Thomas that advertises rooms by the week (there's a similar place at one of the marinas - Pirates' Cove Marina???) The advantage is they're along public transportation routes so you can easily and cheaply get around the island. Hopefully someone reading this thread will know the names and something more about these facilities. I've only seen the signs while riding by (on public transportation!)
Galleon House recommended on this thread is a nice option, but you'd have to bus it to the beach. It's in town so you could hang out at the Greenhouse Bar/Restaurant. In town you have access to cheap fast food like McDonald's, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, Wendy's. Or, you can bring your own MREs, LOL!
