I have not checked out the USVI but in the past we have found good accommodation at both of these web sites: vacationhomerentals.com and vacationrentals.com.
You could also try findvacationrentals.com or e-vacationrentals.com

2beachbums, in the interest of full disclosure, we have vacation rental home on Water Island - Flamingo Point Estate (www.flamingopointusvi.com) which is advertised on this site. The answer to your question about renting a car / taxi is "it depends" and "yes". Normally, while staying on Water Island and then going to St. Thomas for the day....say you're just going downtown shopping....you would catch the "dollar ride". You would plan one or two day to do the whole St. Thomas touring thing and rent a car. You'd just have to get off the Water Island ferry, walk about a block or so - not far - and rent a car from two rental companies nearby. If you want to keep the car overnight and do another day of touring/exploring on St. Thomas, you could go to the Crown Bay Marina office and normally they will rent a parking space to you for overnight. You "could" leave the rental car in the lower level of the Nisky Center parking lot but....it's not a secured area (Crown Bay Marina parking is gated/secure) so you'd be taking a risk.

If the vacation rental places that you've reviewed thus far do not meet your requirements, please provide additional information - budget? - so that the board participants may direct you.

Thank you for your help and input. Basically, I am frugal and want to make sure I have researched all of my options. We really only need a one bedroom with a sofa sleeper or a small 2 bedroom. (We are hoping to find another couple in the future to rent your 4BR house with! - love it!) We would like to stay around the $1200 - $1500 for 7-8 nights. Also, thank you for the info RE: the car rental companies.

Does anyone know if you can leave a car overnight in the Crown Bay cruise ship / retail parking lot??

You might try Secret harbour, they have 1 bdrm with extra sleeping in living rooms, you would need rental car BTW their right on the beach!

Peggy - the OP is looking for somewhere on Water Island, not STT - and Secret Harbour wouldn't be within their budget, as lovely as it is! 2beachbums - if you can't find something within your price range on WI and look into STT you could check out Island Beachcomber which is reasonably priced and right on a very nice beach. Good luck in your hunt!

My Kids stayed there over Thanksgiving, with all the discounts they got it was around $125.00 night! 🙂 Maybe it helped I showed them my drivers license. As there is no barge to take car to St. Thomas. Just giving them another option!

Cheers!

Peggy wrote:
.. . As there is no barge to take car to St. Thomas. Just giving them another option!

Cheers!

Sort of a untruth, you've got to wonder how the 200+ vehicles got to Water Island over the years. Most times when you rent from someone on Water Island a vehicle is provided for transportation use on the island. To pay $70. per day for car rental, plus the additional parking fees at Crown Bay Marina, is hard to justify unless it is for a group that leaves each day to tour multiple locations. Most visitors who choose Water Island as a destination make trips to St Thomas or St John for a specific destination and then return for the night. For a couple with a seven year old child the use of a taxi, when visiting St Thomas or St John, would probably be more economical, not to mention not having the frustration of looking for non existing parking places at many of the "hot" spots.

Rockydock is right on! For example, for Flamingo Point Estate, registered guests and drivers age of 26 years of age or older - we make available a vehicle for transportation on Water Island at no additional charge.

Hello, Water Island is a wonderful place to visit. Children and adults love it. It is clean, safe, and great fun.

Please take a look at our properties. http://www.slowmocean.com We have a 2 BR, 2 bath and a 1 BR 1 Bath. Both are kid friendly and come with golf car for transportation on WI.

Email me and let me know what your price range is.

Once you get to WI and see how beautiful it is. You might not feel so strongly about going to Magen's and fighting the cruise ship crowds.

halfman: the OP posted budget on 1/23, $12-1500 for 7-8 nights. Cheers!

Thank you everyone for your replies. I talked to a property manager (does most of the properties on WI) the end of January and she said that most everyone was booked for our time period and that it was not likely that we would find something to meet our needs. Hopefully next time! We ended up finding something on STT and are planning to visit WI during our trip.
My son was really looking forward to the movie at the beach. However, it doesn't look like the ferry runs that late back to STT. Does anyone know if there is transportation back to STT on the nights of the movie on the beach at Heidi's?

Thanks!

To get your answers direct from the source, you can call the ferry operator at:
WATER ISLAND FERRY
Steve Rampino, 340 690-4159
-or-
Heidi at: 340 690-0325

Hello 2beachbums,

The Water Island ferry doesn't have a set scheduled trip on the movie night. They will make a trip if they have 6 minimum, you need to call them earlier in the day and let them know you are interested and to see if they have others interested. If they don't have 6, you can inquire on the cost of them making a special trip for your group.

--Islander

Try this place http://www.virginislandscampground.com/default.asp