Cool Breeze for your car rental. They treat us very well and were cooperative when we wanted to change cars after our friends left and we wanted to try a small jeep. They even got me the red one I wanted.

Not familiar with villas near Cruz Bay. We prefer Coral Bay but even if you wanted to rent our favorite house there, the owners are there in October.

Have a good trip. I can't wait to get there on May 20th.

Most of the places you mentioned don't really close or if they do close, only for a week or so (usually in September) to do a deep clean and touch up painting. Even if some places are closed in October, there are plenty other places open. Most of the bar type place remain open year long.

For car rental, you can try St. John Car Rental. They have good reviews and their lot is right in town if you need to park there. Although, parking in October is usually pretty easy.

For a place to stay, I'm not much help! But you can check out some of the other forums, especially TripAdvisor, and get a ton of information. You can search the forum first, if you can't find what you are looking for, ask the forum and you should get a lot of info. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147409-i432-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

Not sure what your idea of steep is and given the terrain of STJ that might need to be relaxed to open up many wonderful villa options. Look at Sago Palms. Not convenient for walking to Cruz Bay but perfect for North Shore views and access. As Ruth said you will have many options for bars and restaurants and parking is much easier. Traffic (?) in general is much lighter and life even more laid back during the off season. We find it a better chance to really meet and get to know people rather than social passing.

I went to STJ 2 1/2 yrs ago with a large group of women in October. Weather was awesome and our villa was worth every penny. We stayed through destinationstjohn and stayed in the Hali Lani Villa. Great view, morning and evening time. Will be back in 21 days, staying at Bay Vista Villas at the Westin. Looking forward to seeing the island again and being on island time. Good luck on your search for a villa.

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Both villas look very nice....especially the Sago Palms. As far as what I consider steep, I went out past the Westin up one of those roads with all these switchbacks right after it had rained....bad idea. Needless to say, no one in the car thought we were going to make it. I'm just terrified of hills that look super steep, and I'll never go to that part of the island again....out of fear for my life! 🙂

If you have any questions about Sago contact Private Homes. They are really very good and can provide you with the information you need.

Though a bit above your price range at 3K, Jazz Villa above Chocolate Hole is very nice. We stayed there 2 years ago and found it quiet, with a nice view and great pool. Property was well maintained. The short driveway off the street is a bit steep, but well cemented, smooth and easily negotiated.

Well you might try Sopra Mare on VRBO - Special for October. Should fit your bill.

Keep Left

Thanks again, everyone.

What's the status on passports in the VIs. I need to research that, because my friends don't have them. Can they still bring birth certificates?

I know that if they want to take a boat to the British VI, they will need passports. I'm not sure about flights in general.

From the 'Select/Travel Info' menu above

"Q: Do I need a passport? Driver's license alone sufficient? Birth certificate?
A: Accepted documents for Proof of Citizenship for Americans: 1. A passport issued under competent authority, 2. An Alien Registration Card (this applies to United States of America permanent residents only) 3. A certified copy of a birth certificate and government issued photo identification like a driver's license 4. A Certificate of Naturalization, issued by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service."

However, I always suggest travelers today get a passport. If they apply and don't get them due to a timing delay then the above does apply but it gets so much easier when you have one.

Hi All....still haven't booked a car and am trying to decide between Conrad and St. John Car rental. I think I mentioned earlier in this thread that we had a rude run-in with Conrad, who wouldn't swap out a jeep whose engine light kept coming on the brakes kept squealing. However, I just emailed St john car rental last week asking a few questions, and the email response I got back was pretty rude....simply 'Fill out the forms.' I said 'I might if you'll answer my questions' and got another....'Just fill out the forms.' I'm not filling out a form with my credit card info if you can't answer a simple question.

So my question is this......between the two, who has newer and better maintained vehicles?

I love STJ car rental. I do everything by phone, they are not that computer savvy and I have found that it is much easier to just call.
They have a ton of info on their website, what is your question, one of us may have the answer

just wondering which company keeps their cars maintained best....which has newer cars.

I've never rented from Suttons so I can't say what their fleet conditions are. We have rented from St. John Car Rental for the last 17 or so years. I recommend them without hesitation.

leslieeliz wrote:
just wondering which company keeps their cars maintained best....which has newer cars.

DId you ask them in an email if there ws a company that had better cars than them? If so, I can imagine that they were rude in response.

I have been using and recommending STJ Car rental for over 15 years. If you are looking for a rental car on par with a stateside rental, you will likely be disappointed no matter who you rent from.

Just a few car rental comments in general.
The island beats up a vehicle in many ways. Parts can be much harder to get and when you have new to the island drivers, scratches and dings are not cost effective to repair.
A check engine light is not an indication that the car is unsafe, and after a simple test a car rental company can determine that it is not a safety issue and rent the car. There are only a certain number of cars on island and for each company. If an agency has a car with a check engine light on and the code indicates that it needs a non safety related part, and that part is not in stock on STT and will take 2 weeks to get, should they tell the next 2 renters that they are out of luck, sorry, no car? Or should they put the renter out in a car that is safe and just has an annoying light on?

It may seem like bad service to a visitor but in some cases (not all) it is just a small local business trying to do the right thing for their business and their customer.

Thanks to all for the responses. I'll try out St. John Car rental after all. No, islandgirl, of course I didn't ask if others had better cars! I said that we'd have four people.....asked which car (between two) would be best for four people and climbing hills and if they had those cars available for my dates. I don't think it's that hard to check the computer and say....yes, they're available and this one is best. Short and simple. It's a lot better than 'fill out the forms.' I know everyone's on island time, etc, etc, but I believe any business should be polite to its customers.....unless the customers are being ridiculous. But then again, email isn't the best form of communication. Thanks again!

Computer? That is funny....the have a big paper calendar on the wall.

The email responses come from some one off site, so that is most likely where the communication breaks down. I am guessing she has no idea what cars are available.

It really is island time 🙂