Get a rental taxi's will break the bank.

We rented taxis the first time down, and I'm glad we did. We were only there for 4 nights, and there was only 2 of us, so it didn't "break the bank". We rent each time we go down now.

The taxis are expensive, but they really take the stress away from 1st timers. You get to concentrate on having fun instead of "where" to go, remember - stay left - and the stress that getting around on in an unfamiliar place can bring.

There are benefits each way - just really depends on you. DO remember that it will cost almost a day's rental for each round trip you take in the taxi, so if you want to go-go-go, then you should rent. If you tend to only go 1 or 2 places per day, it's not that big of a difference.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

When we were on the island in May we chose NOT to rent a car so my husband could relax on that vacation and not worry about anything! We also DON'T drink and drive so taking public transportation was the way for us! We would take the Safari bus whenever possible and cab it back to our resort! I kept a log of our expenses and we paid 186.00 in public transportation which included the 30 something dollars to and from the airport. I did look into renting a car at first and found nothing under 250 (254 to be exact) and now feel we made the right move! Especially after seeing those hills and turns, I'm glad hubby didn't have to navigate around those!!! But its "to each his own", for us it worked out and I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Good Luck!

Taxi rates are per person, so that might affect what would be best for you. We had a group of 4, so we rented a Jeep and to save money, turned it in on our next to last day. We spent $270ish on 5 days, but when we went to dinner that night and out and about the next day, the cheapest fare was $24 one way because we had so many people with us. The Jeep was definitely a money saver for us, but only because of the group.

For the driving part, I'll admit I'm not the best driver in the world, but had no problem whatsoever driving.

Taxi rates are listed right on this VINow site and here's the link:

www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_around_stt/taxi_stt/

If you really want to get out and about and explore (and buy groceries if you're staying in a villa or condo) then a rental is the only way to go. Poster "Elisa" didn't say where she was staying but, since she mentioned the safari buses, could it have been Wyndham Sugar Bay on an AI plan?

As she says, each to his own but you can read through countless threads on the subject on this forum (just use the search engine) for an overall plethora of experiences and guidelines to enable you to reach your own decision. Cheers!

By far rent a car. We were there in Feb on a cruise and only had a few hours on St. Thomas. My in-laws were with us and wanted to go to a beach that was not full of crowds, but had some snorkeling they could enjoy too since they brought their stuff. I suggested we go to Sapphire. The ship,Caribbean Princess, was docked at Crown Bay . From Crown Bay to Sapphire cost us $11 a person each way or $88 the whole trip. I would perfer to have rented a car, but being there for such a short time it really wasn't feasable.

In May ,we were back and rented for a week. For 7 days it costs me $200 and change plus taxes. Just remember to KEEP LEFT!

Scott

NO AI for us!!! Never actually! We stayed at Point Pleasant and ATE OUT EVERYNIGHT! Went into Red Hook several times, All you can eat Crabs at Iggy's, Roberts, and yes we stayed behind and ate at Fungi's one night and Agave one night! Went into "Town", went to K-Mart, went to the Marina Market for breakfast stuff and munchies, etc.....even went over to Sapphire Beach to check it out and another night back over there to catch the Morning Star.