Moving to St. Thomas

"We are headed to St. Thomas March 1st to explore our dreams in the Carribbean - Of course we have a few questions that we were hoping to get some help with..."
-That's what the board is for!

"We have come to realize from research that it is advantageous for us to stay in a short term rental place while finding an apartment to live in."
-Yeah, the street is so uncomfortable, and ya get wet when it rains...

"We have heard of a few of the following places... If you've heard anything about any of these we'd love to hear feedback, otherwise if you have any other recommendations that would be great as well since this is our first and foremost concern upon arrival - Villa Fairview, MidTown Guest House, Pirates Cove Inn (can't find that one online though), and Sea Horse Cottages."
-I thinkPrate's cove may not have a website, as it recently changed names (and presumably owners). Their number is 340-715-0483. Another option might be Islandview Guesthouse. Sean just moved here from Colorado ( I met him on this board before he got here...not we hang out together and ride our cycles) and he stayed there for one night,then another place for a week, and is going back there to live today, and he's gonna work for them. He was very impressed with them, as they treat everyone like family from the time they walk onto the property. It's cheap, too.

"As far as apartments go - Does anyone have any advice as to where we should begin looking?"
-Call the Daily News at 340-774-8772 and ask forCirculation. Then tell them that you want an Island Trader mailed to you. They will charge you $4. The Trader is the best publication to find an apartment (no web site). However, trying to find a place before you get here isnext to impossible. You will definitely not want to rent a place sight unseen, and they probably won't want to rent to a person if they haven't met them personally.

"We have found it pretty hard to find listings online other than in the Virgin Islands Daily News... Are there other places to look online, "
-The Daily News doesn't have many rentals, as the Trader has the market on that.

"or are there places we should begin looking once we get down there that we wouldn't know about from the States (i.e. bulletin boards, property management places, other papers, etc)??"
-Not that I am aware of. I mean, there are a few places that have bulletin boards, but they are the kinds of places, like conevenience stores, laundries, hair salons, etc., that people don't go to every day. The trader, or drving around is your best bet.

"Oh... and we have a dog! What is your opinion on finding a place to live with a dog?"
-It can be done. Some don't like to have them, and some do for the security factor. I've got a pooch and my landlord loves havinghim cuz he's somuch fun.

"We aren't shipping a car down"
Good for you. Too many cars here anyway.

" - Is it going to be difficult for us to get around without a car?"
-Not 'difficult', per se, but it can be daunting. Try to utilize the dollar cabs (safaris) as much as possible. And always leave early if you have a specific time to be someplace. Hunting for an apartment will have to be by taxi...can get expensive. Why don't you just pick up an Island Trader (has lots of cheapcars for sale in it) when you get here and buy a car in the first day or two? The plate stays on the car, and as long as the inspection sticker is still valid, you can drive it for a few days to find housing, and then get it put into your name. If you get pulled over, just act like you borrowed it from the owner. Play dumb, ya know?

" What about bikes? "
-Pedaling onthesehills is not a viable optioin. No sidewalks or shoulders and waaaaay to hilly!

"What if we don't live in the exact same area as the job we find... will we be able to get there without a car? "
-The island is only 13 miles long and 3 miles wide. Nothing is far away.

"How should we tackle this transportation limitation?"
-Buy a $1,500 - $2,000 car in the first couple of days. Or you could rent one, but that's gonna be pricey. Better off to buy a cheapie first.

"Any other advice about things we wouldn't expect coming from the 'mainland' would be greatly appreciated, of course!!!"
-Waaaaaayyyyy toooooo broad a spectrum! Haha! Go back an read a lot of the old posts onthis board and you willget an idea of what I mean.

"Thank you all for your time, help and hospitality!! Hallie and Justin"
-When you get here on the 1st, is it for a PMV, or are you just going full bore and sticking it out on the first trip? A PMV is a really good idea,

Thanks again for the help with our questions, for the most part your advice is what we have gathered already from doing research and talking to people. However, we did have another guestion that we have yet to find a concrete answer to. We both have Verizon wireless service, and through talking with them have realized that they do not provide coverage on St. Thomas. As far as I can gather, providers here offer global phones, and i was wondering if the island had its own netwrok. If anyone could shed light on this, as to service providers, costs, and a means to contact someone about this we would be much abliged.

To answer your question about whether this is a pre-move visit, no it is not. We understand the general concensus that visiting first is considered a smart precursor to moving, but we feel confident in what we are doing. With a visit not really being realistic for our situation, we fully welcome any information and advice you may think we are forgetting.

Justin & Hallie

Dear Hallie and Justin,

www.piratescovevi.com is the website for Pirate's Cove Marina. The correct number for the Inn at Pirate's Cove (short term rentals) is 774-4655. Not sure where Marty got the other number, but it's not one I recognize for Pirate's Cove.

My two cents- either rent a car until you find one, or buy one, and make sure you get it registered. Cops LOVE to pull over expired registrations- and I wouldn't advise "playing dumb" with the cops here. Renting a car isn't that expensive- last time I checked, there were places that would rent a decent car/Jeep for $35/day. And it will help you get around easier than taking the dollar ride. You can get around on safaris, but a car would give you more flexibility.

Cell phone companies here: Sprint, Centennial, Cingular/ATT. The local phone company also has cell phones. We have Sprint. Every carrier has its "dead zones", but I had Cingular and switched because it had less coverage than the Sprint phone we already had. No "inter-island network"- just regular cells on towers here- and you can get a phone here just like in the States- at Radio Shack, Sprint, Cingular, etc. Costs are comparable with stateside rates. Verizon may have roaming handoff here- I'm not sure, but I think they do.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Marty re: "nothing is far away". While it IS a small island, and he's quoting you the right dimensions, it would be a major pain (in my mind) to live, say, in Fortuna (West End), and work in Red Hook (East End) and have to commute (especially when there are ships in- the other day we had 9 ships!).

Even though the island is small, the roads are far from direct- we are more mountainous than people think!- and there's lots of curving, up and downs, and switchbacks. So sometimes it can take a while. There isn't traffic on par with what we were used to (Bay Area), but you can sometimes sit...and sit...and sit...on Raphune HIll, or over by PMP gardens, or on the roads near Tutu....or on the waterfront.

As far as other advice goes- Marty is right- you can find a landlord that will accept pets, but be prepared to look hard. Marty lucked out- what his landlord perceives as "so much fun", a lot of folks see as a big liability. Depending on what type of dog you have (Chihuahua vs. Great Dane), you may find it easier or harder....but in general, I've heard that it's harder to find a place when you have a pooch.

The only other advice I have is to research and plan- a lot of people fall in love with the notion of "paradise" and come here thinking there will be amenities/ease of doing things like they are used to on the mainland. The VI is a wonderful place to live, but it does have its quirks- and the best way to deal with them is to do your research, come prepared , and be polite and patient.

Best of luck in your move!

LR

hi,
i have a question no one has asked, what about medical? doctors, precptions and that type of thing , what is avaiable and what are the costs? we are not in our 30,s but would love paradise too.how plentiful is the job market?im not a senoir yet ,but my husband is we are deciding to come around december for a month visit. can you tell me how long the flight is from los angeles to st thomas?
thanks for all the information so far.
s.s

Hallie & Justin: I lived in the VI for seven years. A car is good to have, however you can get around by walking, biking or taxi. To really experience the island a car is good. Shipping a car can be tricky. I shipped a ford, however it was made in Canada and I had ot pay duty @ Customs as it was not considered US. I never knew it wasn't, unitl.

You can always find cheap cars that are old, a little rust, etc. to get around. In terms of living conditions, taxi drivers and local restaurant folk know all the locals that own homes wih apartments added. Also, try people in French Town which is just south of the sea plane bldg on the water front. Don't dress and act like a tourist. Wear jeans and hang out and be safe. Respect the naives and enjoy their culture. Everything moves slowly. Just settle back and enjoy the change. Apartments and groceries can be expensive. Good luck, Ron

Sue -

We do have fair, but limited, medical coverage. There are hospitals on STT and STX, but they are small and understaffed. My wife recently had surgery at the STT hospital, Schneider, and we had a good experience with the initial surgery. The follow-up surgery (to have hardware removed) wasn't as nice an experience - we waited an extra 5 hours (9 hours total) to get in to the OR. Not fun.

There are also some private services around the island which are quite good. My wife works part-time at Red Hook Family Practice, and I think they are excellent. My dentist is on St. John (Dr. Lewis at St. John Dental) since I hate driving downtown. Several pharmacies on-island, but only KMart takes TRICARE.

Irene and I are card-carrying (literally - HHS issues an over-60 card that gets you discounts on many things) seniors, and are presently very attuned to the medical situation. Frankly, we would probably go to the mainland for anything serious, and perhaps would have for Irene's shoulder if it hadn't been an emergency. We are considering buying some of the medical flight insurance (~$300/yr) that will take you to the states for major items.

Individually, the medical folks we've dealt with have been pleasant and competent, but the institutions are neither.

Max

Max: Make sure you read all the teensy tiny print for medical evacuation insurance. Most of them state that they will take you to the nearest hospital that provides the service. You will usually end up in Puerto Rico. Habla espanol??

Hallie & Justin- I have Verizon service too, but am discontinuing it since they don't have coverage down there. In case you didn't know, it IS possible to get the early termination fee ($175) waived (if your contract isn't up before you leave). You have to fax proof of your new address to them (ie: lease/ mortgage agreement, utility bill, new driver's license, etc). The proof MUST identify your new physical address though (a PO box is not sufficient).

Good Luck!