Long weekend in St John

Depending on when you come it may be hard to find a room in that price range. During "season" the cheapest rooms are around $175. In low season around $105. I would suggest Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel. It just opened a few months ago and I have heard very good things about it. Close to everything in Cruz Bay as well. Another option is the St. John Inn. Both have websites you can take a look at. Not sure if either offers a local's discount, but it never hurts to ask.

Totally worth the extra $20 for the plane. The stx ferry is called the vomit comet. It goes over open ocean, unlike the ferries going from stt to stj or bvi's. It goes pretty fast and it's usually rough. But the worst part about the ferry is they cancel trips all the time. We've had to buy tickets two times in stt at the last minute. Now I don't even bother with them. If you book far enough in advance there's not much difference in the price.

I second Cruz Bay Hotel. The biggest problem I think you will have there is noise since it's in town, so bring the earplugs if you are a light sleeper. If you get a rental car parking will be a pain, but otherwise it seems like a very cute hotel and a great price.

Just did such a weekend myself. I strongly recommend the seaplane. Besides being faster and less vomit-inducing than the ferry, it's a lot of fun! We stayed one night at the Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel and three nights at the Inn at Tamarind Court. Two totally different experiences. The former, which was around $180/night, is very new, crisp and cool. And it's in the heart of town so, yes, it's a bit noisy (especially because of the bar in the backyard, which plays pretty loud music late). But I'm a light sleeper and didn't have any trouble sleeping as long as we closed the windows and ran the AC. The Inn at Tamarind is about a five-minute walk up the hill from Cruz Bay, and is cheaper (around $150), but it's also older and a bit worn. But it's clean, the staff is friendly, and there's a restaurant on site.

I'd recommend either one, depending on your budget and need to be in town versus a few minutes out of town. And because we didn't rent a car, parking wasn't a factor in our decision.

If you need to stay within your budget of $75-$125, there are always the Cinnamon Bay campground, which has platform tents and cottages for around that price ( http://www.cinnamonbay.com/rates.html).

Bernie

It's season still right now, in a month or two Cruz Bay Hotel and Tamarind Court go down in prices. I know Cruz Bay in $125 in shoulder season (May,June, July).

Check out vrbo.com for private rentals. We found one through that site and stayed last December. It was a great weekend.