i highly recommend renting a car unless you are at a resort, where taxis can find you easily. even if at a resort there is extra freedom with a rental car. paying for taxis can easily eclipse the cost of a car rental, depending on what you want to do.

here, the cars are american style, with wheel on the left, so driving on the left is not as challenging as it sounds. driving in european style car while also on the left is more difficult for me. i switch back and forth when in the states all of the time.

occasionally, i have had to put a bit more attention into approaching a large intersection with a lot going on when stateside.

here, the roads are very hilly and in town the speed limit is relatively low. most don't drive faster than 35mph here. you take your time, you enjoy the ride.

i always tell folks that even if their lodging is 40 or so minutes from whatever they want to see, that the islands themselves are not very big, and in many places, the morning commute for as little as 50 miles from home can be 1 hour or more... on the other hand... here, as the crow flies, not much distance... the hill and dale is scenic and peaceful to me.

still your choice, just thought the perspective might help.

I believe you should rent a car, and if you have a large party, say 4, you will save about 45 dollars just on the ride to a resort like Sapphire. You should plan your trip around the days you have the car. For example you might want to go to St. John. Take the vehicle ferry and save a few bucks. Also, you can get food, run around, go out to dinner or lunch or just go to the various sites. A tax will cost you about 35- 70 a day.

Bow you need to drive on the left.

Have a good vacation.

billd

The first time we went to STT (way back in the day) we did not reserve a car for when we arrived. By the third day we knew we needed one as we had had enough of waiting around for a taxi, waiting for the taxi to fill up or make other stops on the way (not sure if they still do that). So we rented a car. Unfortunately, we were smack dab in the middle of Carnival on STT so it took us half a day to find an available rental and then trek across the island to Sub-Base to pick one up from Budget's location there. Lesson learned.

Driving is not hat difficult. Just "keep your shoulder to the shoulder". When you approach an intersection, just flip the turn lane locations in your mind; you can turn LEFT on a red; when you approach a roundabout (there are a couple on STT) - just follow the car in front of you - hopefully, they are going the same way as you are. You will have it down quickly. For the first couple of trips, Hubs did all of the driving but now I don't have a problem either.

If you venture over to STJ, navigating the road to the north shore beaches can be a bit daunting. Be sure you are in a good sturdy vehicle, give yourself and the cars in front and behind you room to maneuver, and honk when you are approaching a switchback to announce you are coming up or down.

If one of my traveling companions in '07 who was about 5' tall and driving a honkin' big Dodge Durango could do it, anyone can! The only problem she had was backing that thing onto the car barge but one of the attendants took care of that for us which was very nice.

It's so nice to have the freedom of your own vehicle.

Have a great time!

We have always rented a car and never had an issue driving on the left side of the road. BTW it was helpful to have grown up in Boston where the "rules of the roads" are a little different anyway. Keep your eyes open when you drive and remember to drive conservatively and give the other guy the right of way. You won't have a problem getting around.

And the maximum speed you'll be driving is 35MPH with most of your driving in the 20-25MPH range so no worries!

Rent a car. Be adventures. It isn't that hard to drive on the left, just stay focused. With a car you have so much more freedom.

Read up on the taxi rates here: https://www.vinow.com/stthomas/getting_around_stt/taxi_stt/#rates The rates are per person and add up quickly if you go to a beach, to town, to the store, to dinner, etc. You can easily add $20 or more to each activity.