Two swim suits, 2 pairs of shorts, 2 t-shirts, a lot of sunblock and all of the money that you have.

Difficult question....we need more information....what island, how long, renting a car, life style, will you be visiting other islands, diving, sailing, etc.

i am staying in magens bay, st thomas for a week- july 8-15. i am renting a car. will not be going to any other islands. hoping to do some diving sailing, etc. i am going with my family- myself, husband, neice(16), son (5) and daughter (14).

I would try and make it over to St John for at least one day. Leave clothes home. Shorts and tropical shirts for the guy's and a sun dress for the girls is all you need to go uot at night. during the day it's swim suits a cover up if you are going to town.

zip lock bags! or a dry bag!
There is a lot of sand and water.
I would aslo pack all your goops and glob stuff in a zip lock
There is no worst way to start a vacation in paradise to find out upon your arrival that your sun dress, suits, and favorite walking shoes are covered in SPF 30.

Definitely do a day trip to STJ.

ditto advice on the money, tons and tons of sunscreen and sunglasses, tons of bug spray, sandles, bathing suits, a couple of coverups and you're done. Don't even think about missing STJ or you'll be missing paradise. If you overpack, good luck to 'ya lugging all the useless stuff that will never come out of the suitcase in all the heat.

Do a search on this forum for "packing tips". A number of us posted on this same topic a few weeks ago and there was some great advice.

Bug spray, bug spray, and more bug spray. Plus anti-itch stuff. Sunscreen, swimsuits, shorts, a really lightweight blouse for covering up in town, sturdy sandals with toe protection, a dry bag of some sort for snorkeling. And a sense of adventure.

If you plan on having a day of hiking or shopping (walking) around town, bring comfy shoes. I ditto the ziplock idea. We put all of our "goopy" stuff in ziplocks, then brought extra. You might want to have at least one extra large ziplock so you can go to the beach the morning you leave, then throw the wet swim suit in the ziplock.

If you have room, bring a hat so your scalp won't burn (mine always does ;))...whether a ball cap, floppy hat or straw "cowboy" type hat.

This may or may not be important to you, but we brought our own snorkel equipment. I like the gear I have, plus, I don't like reusing things like mouthpieces that others have used, even if they have been sanitized. It just skeeves me. 😉

Have a great time! And do try to spend at least one afternoon on St. John. It's a cheap ticket for a ferry ride over, and it's soooo wonderful there. We've decided that's where we're staying next time.

I've rented snorkel gear and never thought about other people having used the mouthpiece. But then when I eat in restaurants, I never think about other people having put the fork or spoon I'm using in their mouths.

O.K......2 adults and 3 children (my apologies to the 16 yer old).

Assuming that you have your lodging & rental car paid for (or at least know the prices) I'll start from there.

If you're staying at a condo then you can prepare several breakfasts and lunches thereby saving money. Shop at a local super market or small market. Prices are about equal to or 10% higher than the NJ/NY metro area. Liquor is much cheaper. Again restaurants are expensive to some extent, but if you seek out the bargains the pricing is about what you would pay in the NJ/NY area. There are Mc Donalds, Wendy's, KFC, Pizza Huts if you prefer fast foods. Most restaurants are kid friendly (burgers and the like). Diving....(I need some local help here) I haven't tried diving in STT for at least 7 years and then only once. I don't want to offend anyone but I was not impressed with the diving in STT. There are some good snorkeling spots, however.

Day Sailing (with snorkeling) will cost about $100. - $125. per person and usually includes lunch & drinks.

St John is a must! Take the ferry out of Red Hook and spend the day there. If you rent from Avis or Budget (check on this since it could change) you can take the car ferry over to St. John.

Beach hopping on STT is also a must...Magens, Coki, Sapphire are good ones.

Meals...figure for your family about $150. - $200. per day if you eat out for every meal (unless you really splurge).

As for bringing cash....I always use my credit card or MAC card at cash machines....but $300. to $500. in cash, for a start would be recommended.

As far as what to pack......I always bring too much....shorts, bathing suit, sandals, sneakers, shirts/tops, perhaps one (only one) long slacks/dress for that special night, sun block (the sun is really strong here), bug spray (especially where you're staying), flash light & batteries (we do have the occasional power loss), sun glasses, hat, etc.

Since you're spending a week....recommend that you buy the fold-up lounge chairs that come in a bag at the K-Mart or Cost U Less in STT (about $7 - $15), this will save you money each time you rent a lounge chair on the beach. Then either ship them home as baggage or leave them for the next guest.

Hope this helps.

F.I.

And that's fine if it doesn't bother you. It's just something that skeeves me because I've seen how "sanitized" some of them get (or lack there of), so I prefer to bring my own. Plus, like I said, I prefer the gear I own anyway. No big deal. *shrug*