Need help on St Thomas ASAP

[RogueX]

This is a case of a little research would have gone a long way.

 

[ronandannette]

St Thomas is a civilized place. It's not like they have to scrounge and eat berries for food. And most of the locals speak English as it is a U.S. Virgin Island. Heck, even if it was a British Virgin Island, they would speak English too.

If they travel along the coastline roads, they will find many resorts. . . with restaurants.

People are just being a little sarcastic because we're all dying to know how someone finds themself on a vacation to somewhere they know absolutely nothing about, much less on their honeymoon. I hope the OP comes back and gives us a little insight because it really does seem absurd.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

OP, I wish we had been to St. Thomas, so I could offer you some real suggestions, without all of the snark.

I hope this isn't the OPs first experience with the CB. If so, they will probably never return.

 

[ronandannette]

OP, I wish we had been to St. Thomas, so I could offer you some real suggestions, without all of the snark.

I hope this isn't the OPs first experience with the CB. If so, they will probably never return.

I gave them a real suggestion - Coral World; including links for booking. OP has been a member since 2000 and has 2,200 posts; unlikely any of this comes as a shock.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I gave them a real suggestion - Coral World; including links for booking. OP has been a member since 2000 and has 2,200 posts; unlikely any of this comes as a shock.

I'm sure the real suggestion was appreciated. I saw a couple of those, which is great.

I have no idea what the OP's post history is here. I know I posted on the DIS a long time, before I made my way to the CB. I quickly learned that it's not always as friendly as the rest of the DIS, but it doesn't need to be that way. This is supposed to be a discussion board not a search engine.

 

[Cheburashka]

At first I thought this was going to be one of those asking for money scams. "I'm stranded! Please wire me some cash."

 

[Imzadi]

OP, I wish we had been to St. Thomas, so I could offer you some real suggestions, without all of the snark.

I gave a real suggestion. Okay, after the snark.

It's been a couple decades since I've been there, but as I recall, St Thomas is kind of split into two parts, the well to do beach side resorts with money, posh places to stay, touristy destinations for shopping and restaurants and such.

Then there is the extremely, extremely impoverished areas where the locals live, juxtaposed, often bordering all the posh resorts. And the children play ball in the streets and parking lots, as the beaches have been taken over by the resorts. It was like looking at Harlem projects near the beach.

Look at the road map below, as I said in my previous if your friends travel along the coastline roads, especially the main one along the southern coastline, they will find many hotels and resorts. Beach side resorts with good restaurants. One does not have to stay at those resorts to eat there. And they can get more suggestions of where to go from the staff there for places to go and things to do. A previous person already mentioned Charlotte Amalie which is along that road.

 

[cobright]

I can think of 3 places that we hit every trip…
Prime fore steak
Caribbean Fish Market for seafood
3 Palms for ‘fine’ dining.

 

[JaxDad]

People are just being a little sarcastic because we're all dying to know how someone finds themself on a vacation to somewhere they know absolutely nothing about, much less on their honeymoon.

Especially people on this board. I would guess most DIS members stumbled upon this site as uber-planners researching details for Disney vacations.

 

[Jonfw2]

Friend’s son arrived in St Thomas today for honeymoon. Staying in Sapphire Bay area in an AirBNB.
They need help in finding places to eat, best transportation and things to do! They have never been to St Thomas before and need help - especially for where to find food!!!!

I was expecting carjacking. Or at the least, lost passport.

 

[Donald13]

People are just being a little sarcastic because we're all dying to know how someone finds themself on a vacation to somewhere they know absolutely nothing about, much less on their honeymoon. I hope the OP comes back and gives us a little insight because it really does seem absurd.

For me it’s the “ASAP!!” It’s rude to tell others that you need help immediately and also I’m sure no one asked her to ask here. She just took it upon herself to get involved And yeah I look at a menu. Before going to a local restaurant I can’t imagine planning a trip and have no idea where to eat. Oy

 

[Minnie1222]

Looking at Imzadi's map above, Sapphire Beach is the area between Lindquist and Red Hook. I would be surprised if they don't have an eatery at the marina there. If not, Red Hook (~2 miles away) has several restaurants (opening time at owner's discretion).
Joking aside, if they immediately need food, go to the Ritz-Carlton (~10 minute drive from Sapphire Beach going toward the East End reserves). Breakfast is available right now until 11:00.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

For me it’s the “ASAP!!” It’s rude to tell others that you need help immediately and also I’m sure no one asked her to ask here. She just took it upon herself to get involved And yeah I look at a menu. Before going to a local restaurant I can’t imagine planning a trip and have no idea where to eat. Oy

Yes - it's the "They need help finding food ASAP!". Seriously, who goes on their honeymoon with no clue where they will be in relation to island businesses - where to find necessities such as food and transportation options?? I picture these people sitting in their rental starving and staring at the walls wondering how to use a phone to call for a taxi or look up restaurants via google or yelp. Are people really that helpless these days??

 

[Donald13]

Yes - it's the "They need help finding food ASAP!". Seriously, who goes on their honeymoon with no clue where they will be in relation to island businesses - where to find necessities such as food and transportation options?? I picture these people sitting in their rental starving and staring at the walls wondering how to use a phone to call for a taxi or look up restaurants via google or yelp. Are people really that helpless these days??

Lol right. This is so weird.

 

[JimMIA]

My take on this thread is that the OP was simply trying to help her son's friend, and turned to the DIS. I think most of us have done that at one time or another and have gotten a lot of help. Nothing to freak out about, IMO.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Never been to VI (Brit or US) solo just under the guidance of one of my sisters. The people seemed to speak English but what do I know.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes - it's the "They need help finding food ASAP!". Seriously, who goes on their honeymoon with no clue where they will be in relation to island businesses - where to find necessities such as food and transportation options?? I picture these people sitting in their rental starving and staring at the walls wondering how to use a phone to call for a taxi or look up restaurants via google or yelp. Are people really that helpless these days??

Yes, sorry, it was the tone of that sentence. Or the way I read it.

But, on a serious note. I bet the honeymooners were sold a bill of goods, in terms of their AirBnB and didn't know it until they got there. They probably looked at photos of their accommodations, saw it looked wonderful inside. It had a great view of the beach they could walk to right outside the window. And the price to stay there was too good to be true. And it was.

As I mentioned, there are extremely impoverished places in St Thomas. I'm talking ghetto slum-like areas, when one is not in the rich touristy areas. They probably didn't know their AirBnB was maybe smack dab in the middle of a slum area.

Backtracking, to get there, as another poster said, they get on these rickety, open-air taxis. Sort of like golf carts, no windows and barely a frame along the sides to hang onto. St Thomas has very mountainous terrain. If you've ever seen the movie, Romancing the Stone, remember the scene where Kathleen Turner is in a rickety bus and the driver is driving at break-neck speeds along very narrow, windy, twisty mountain roads, never breaking speed, as they maneuver the roads and avoid stuff. That was probably the honeymooners' driver. (It certainly was mine when I was there.) And no, one did not want to veer off the main roads into the moutainous, possibly isolated areas where they might not find their way back out of.

Add to that, they drive on the other side of the road in St Thomas. And there are GOATS randomly standing in the road in places. I remember screaming at my driver, "Don't hit the goat!" He ignored me. Also ignored the brake pedal as he swerved at top speed around the goat, narrowly missing a car coming from the other direction as he swerved back to our side of the road.

Having survived the trip from the airport, we arrive at a posh, enclosed, luxury resort. Yet, I can imagine the honeymooners instead, arriving at their slum neighborhood and watch as their driver speeds away in the distance, with people around them eyeing their luggage. Sure the inside of their AirBnB looks exactly like the photos. But, they are now afraid to go outside. And the view of the beach, yes, it's there, but even the locals don't use it. And the description of "a short walk to restaurants and shopping," is not one the honeymooners want to make.

To me, that could be why the possible sense of urgency and desperation that I read in the OP's tone.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

Yes - it's the "They need help finding food ASAP!". Seriously, who goes on their honeymoon with no clue where they will be in relation to island businesses - where to find necessities such as food and transportation options?? I picture these people sitting in their rental starving and staring at the walls wondering how to use a phone to call for a taxi or look up restaurants via google or yelp. Are people really that helpless these days??

We did no research on where to eat/go on our honeymoon...but that was in 1999, and it was Reno, NV. (yes Reno. Had a free hotel stay, thanks to DH playing in a golf tournament; and we decided to use it to go honeymoon. We'd been together for 7 years at that point, DD#2 was 6, and we didn't need to spend a bunch of money to go far away at that time.) Figured the hotel had a restaurant, or if not, there were bound to be some in that big city.



OP--tell your friend to tell her son that he obviously has a cell phone, as he called her. He can google just as well as the rest of us can.

 

[pahoben]

This article may have some useful tips.

https://www.desertislandsurvival.com/alp

 

[AndreaDM]

Well, I'm going to St. Thomas for the first time in March, also staying at Sapphire Beach, and thanks to Trip Advisor already have a list of must-try places! I also have a grocery store in mind for a pick-up order since we'll be there 7 days.