Hello Ellen,

Thank you for your words of appreciation!! 🙂

Are the taxi's all lined up at the airport waiting to take passengers?
Yes there are taxis lined up at the taxi dispatcher booth/waiting area at the airport.

Do they all charge the same price?
Yes, there are published, set rates. They are set by destination, per person.
Please visit
https://www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_around_stt/taxi_stt/
for the regulations.

Are there shuttle buses to take you to the hotel's (pay, wait for them to load up, and then take off, stopping at each hotel along the way)
I know what you mean, I have taken them in the states before. No we don't have anything like Airport Shuttles that go to 10-15 major hotels along a route for x amount of money.

What's the best way to get to your hotel?
Take a taxi or rent a car and drive yourself there.

What's the fastest?
Take a taxi and pay the difference between sharing the cab with others not necessarily going where you are going therefore making your ride longer as its stops to let others off or pick up people and get it as a personal cab just for you.

What's the cheapest?
not many options... taxi or rental car...

If you want a taxi tour of the island, would the hotel concierge arrange that; or are you on your own?
Both. The hotel can call a taxi for you or you can call yourself or just go outside the hotel and see if there are taxis outside- which there usually are two or three at major hotels and approach one and say you want an island tour can they do it or can they call their dispatcher and have someone sent. Expect to pay about $30 for 1-2 people for 1 to 11/2 hours. Additional People around $12. If you want to stop at places not on the traditional island tour it might be a bit more.

Have a great time and come back and post a little vacation review so we can hear all the fun things you did!!

--Islander

Islander, thanks for answering my questions; you do a great job!
Thanks also for not telling me to rent a car - even though I know you advocate it!
There is nothing more frustrating than asking a question, and getting answers as to what you "should" do, as opposed to what you asked, I notice you don't do that, and I appreciate it very much!
Luck to you,
Ellen

Hello Ellen,

Glad to help and I hope you have a great time.

I think I am may be quilty from time to time of telling people they might want to do "this" rather then "that" or suggesting alternate plans. 🙂

If you have other questions feel free to ask.

--Islander

I have taken taxis for 2 months almost every day, sometimes 2 to 3 times a day since i arrived, and heres my experiance

Almost never...never, have i been charged the same rate twice to go to the exact same location at the same time of day . there have sometimes been pick up fees, late night fees, bag fees, extra hill fees because they think an areas too steep, rush hour fees, and just..."thats how much i charge" fees. If you read the prices at the airport they will say what the fees are. once your in the taxi, who knows. If you think that this is not true, then you have not taken many taxis. Its easy to own a car and look at the posted rates. its not so easy when you depend on taxis for your only transportation. Dollar taxis are always a dollar (unless you go pass the same stop twice, ha ha! I learned that lesson, just wanted to see what would happen if i went around the whole island, second time at kmart, they frown upon )

Renting a car was great, though they didnt have the one in the ad...hmmm..only jeeps for alot more...in october....hmmmm. Having your own car to get off the beaten path was the best thing i have done here. The north side is great, very pretty and clean. many say its too cold ( around low 70's) and too remote ( town is all the way OVER the hill..about 2 miles... People might even wave at you...try not to make eye contact...they might wave again...

word of advice, When you get off the plane and go to get your luggage, a nice man will come up and ask you if you need help pulling your bags off the carousal. he will pick them up for you, put them on his cart and you will marvel at his speed and be so glad someone is helping you with those monsterous things and then....he will set them down about 10 feet away from where he picked them up and proudly announce " that will be 7 dollars". You could pay him and think " thank you, how could i have gotten them all the way over..well...here from here" OR- like i did when my friends arrived after i had done that say...."no thank you....um...No thank you....umm please stop touching my bags..uh...hey..what did i tell you, No...put my bags down, im not paying you 7 dollars to move them 10feet"....your choice. OR- when i told my local friend arriving back from Puerto Rico " hey , dont let him touch your bags, it cost 7 dollars!!" he laughed and said.."ha ha, thats only for tourist!" Its all up to us to create our own destiny people...i choose to carry my own bags.