Renting a Car- What to do?

[CDEphoto]

My husband and I are planning to rent a Jeep to tour St Thomas and St. John.

Does anyone have any suggestion of must see places. I would like to include at least one stop for a hike and also a good restaurant- one with a really nice view. We will be sailing on the Navigator April 2006. Any replies will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[sunluva7]

I know this doesn't answer your question, but IMHO I would not rent a car in St. Thomas. The combination of driving on the left and the steep, narrow, winding rounds through the hills make for some harrowing driving. I haven't been to St. John, so I don't know about their roads. We did rent a car in St. Martin, where the driving was no problem.

[Sox_Fan]

I think it's pretty ambitious to try to tour both St. Thomas AND St. John while in port for just one day (IMHO, I'd go with St. John over St. Thomas). If you decide on St. John, you'd be better off to ferry over and rent a vehicle there rather than take the car barge from St. Thomas. The book "Feet, Fins, and Four-Wheel Drive" (available thru Amazon) provides several jeep tours around St. John, detailed info on the hiking trails, as well as a wealth of information about the island - including the "must-sees" you're looking for.

[islandbound1day]

We are actually renting a jeep at budge in St. Thomas and driving it over to the car ferry and going straight to St. John. We plan on going to two of the beaches and having lunch at Duffey's Love Shack. If we have time then we may try to see a little St. Thomas after we get back after lunch.

[Boo's Mom]

Stacey....... make your reservation with a US based company (not a middleman)...and confirm, confirm, confirm.

 

We used a middle man. (not sure why)... and it was a joke.

 

In short: this is what the rental company on St Thomas said to us: "I told that guy that I did not have any rentals for you."

 

We ended up using a taxi...and, as posted earlier...the driving was very crazy. A bit like a circus...on the opposite side of the road. :o

[Betsy's Mom]

:confused:

 

We live on St Thomas and this is a pretty ambitious plan. The barge fares have gone way up due to the oil costs.I believe you need a passport or local picture ID to get on the barge. Do not know the schedules of the barges, but check that out as you will be tight for time. There is a Duffy's in Red Hook if you want to eat there. Parking in Cruz Bay, St John is non existant. I also would suggest renting the car in St John as you will waste a lot of time driving to the barge in Red Hook.When you look at maps the Islands look small, but it is all up and down hills and traffic does not always move well, sometimes not at all.

If you do drive St John go to Coral Bay and eat there, much more senic. Duffy's in Cruz Bay is on a side street, no view of anything.

We can watch the ships leave from our condo and you would be surprised at how often a water taxi goes out to bring people who have over estimatd what they can do!

Have fun! B.

[islandbound1day]

Hi. Thanks everyone for the imput. The cost for all of us to take a taxi and then a ferry over to St. John and then rent a car is a little too much. It is kind of defeating the purpose of renting a car and doing it on our own to save money. I think we have got a pretty good plan. We rented our Jeep with Budget for 66.00 and I received an emailed confirmation of the rental and I also verified it by phone. We have printed out all of the ferry schedules and requirements off of the main St. Thomas visitors bureau website. Hopefully since we have 12 hours there, we will have enough time to see a lot in St. John. Thanks again!

[North Carolina Cruiser]

I have never been to St.John or St.Thomas, our ships goes to St.Thomas. So why are so many people going to St.John?? Is it that much better, less crowded or what??? From what I have been able to find St.Thomas is beautiful!!! So why St.John???

[dbmiller1956]

This will be our second trip to St Thomas in October and we are also renting a car. We have always rented on our cruises, this is #9 and never had any problems. As others stated, always rent with a large well-known company and allow yourself at least an extra hour to get back to the ship. For example, if your ship requires you to be back at 430p, plan to be back at 330p. This allows for any issues you might have. Also some of the roads through Charlotte Amalie are extremely narrow, so be very careful through town. Once you get used to driving on the right side, it is a breeze!

As for things to see in St Thomas, you have to drive to the top where the first Banana Daiquiris were made, lookout at Megan's Bay from the deck...then drive down to Megan's Bay and look up. It is an amazing view from both angles. Drake's Seat is a great place for photos, you can see over to the other islands. Also make one of your last stop Paradise Point. Most people take the gondola up to the top, but you can drive up there. It makes for a nice end to the day. We have never gone to St John's, because we found St Thomas to have enough to see. Plus the ferry time took out of our sight-seeing.

We will be there in October 2005, so will let you know if there is anything else exciting to see. Send me your email and I will give details.

Deena

[North Carolina Cruiser]

dbmiller1956,

 

Sounds great! I'll also be there in October, Norweigan Crown. Sunday the 30th I think? Thanks for any help. Also Islander if you would please :) send me the name of a good local shop at my e-mail address. I read about one in one of your earlier post but I can't find it now, thanks!!!vernonlee75@hotmail.com

 

32 days till the CROWN!:D

[2Feathers]

St. Thomas (STT) vs. St. John (STJ) really depends on what you like to do... They are very different in most ways. STT is very busy, has better shopping, more places to eat. I've never rented a car there, but to me it seems like it would be much harder to get around, with the traffic and narrow, hilly roads. If you want to walk around, shop, eat, drink, see a few sights, and maybe hit a beach that has chair/umbrella rentals, drinks and other amenities, STT may be the perfect destination.

 

STJ is very laid back, quiet, better beaches (IMHO), better snorkeling. Other than Trunk and Cinnamon, most beaches have few if any amenities, but if you're a "beach person" and want to experience the true Caribbean beach atmosphere, STJ is definitely the place for you! We've rented jeeps in STJ several times, and while you still have the narrow, hilly roads, you have very little traffic once you get out of the main town of Cruz Bay, and there are only a few main roads, so its hard to get lost. We've found it very easy and fun to get around the island on your own.

 

For us, there is never any decision. We ALWAYS head over to STJ, which to me is the most beautiful place I've ever seen. (We've also spent two extended land vacations there.) There is so much to do there: lime away on a beach, snorkel, hike, see some sugar mill ruins, rent a dinghy or a boat, take a day sail... The beaches are uncrowded and pristine, there are great little restaurants and hang-outs, and some neat shops and boutiques. Renting a jeep in Cruz Bay (STJ) has always been easy for us. No "big name" companies, but we've never had problems. And most rental agencies will allow you to park in their lots, so you don't have to worry about finding parking places in "downtown" Cruz Bay, which can definitely be scarce. As someone else suggested, if you go to STJ, head over to Coral Bay, on the other side of the island. The views on the way over are amazing, and there are several quaint and infamous restaurants/bars over there. Check out several beaches - they're all different, all beautiful.

 

StaceyB and NC Cruiser... Report back to us when you get back and let us know what you decided to do and how it went! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful day, whichever you choose!