Moving to STT, a few questions.

That's great that you have a job lined up - that is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome with moving to the VI.

Good luck!

Can't help you on car leases.

The hospital has gone through many ups and downs over the years but where maternity care and birthing are concerned they've never been anything but consistently very good!

I don't think there's anything here that you're going to find you absolutely must have that you can't find. You quickly learn that grocery shopping in one place is just not doable, you learn to pick up two of something instead of one and you learn to compromise. Lots of gluten free products on the shelves (at Plaza Extra particularly); plenty of fresh fruits and veggies to be found and plenty of meats.

Plenty of social events too. Get used to buying the Virgin islands Daily News every day for listings of social events. The weekly free advertising paper "Island Trader" comes out every Thursday and you can find just about every island happening listed in there. Tap into the online newspaper, St Thomas Source, for their community calendar. Plenty of things to keep you well occupied and I didn't even get to all the fabulous water activities!

If you haven't already done so, be sure to read everything under the drop-down menus top of this page where there's a veritable wealth of information to help prepare you for living here.

might be easier to buy a car and sell when you leave.
you can find what you need here and if not, shop on line
electric is expensive, which you will find out after reading more info from this forum.
welcome and enjoy your stay

Have you been to St. Thomas before? Have you considered doing a pre-move visit? You need to be aware of where you are moving too. I wouldn't consider renting a place unless you have seen it first and the area. Do you currently own a car? If so, you can have one shipped to St. Thomas for about $2500.00 one way. You could elect to ship it back once you are preparing to leave the island in a year or sell it before you leave. But $5000.00 I think would be cheaper than what it would cost you for a long term lease. Also, I think once here and settled in, your probably not going to want to leave:) You can find pretty much anything you want on St. Thomas that you would find in the states these days within reason. So I wouldn't sweat that part of it. Also, come with plenty of cash. You should have a minimum of $8000.00 low end to $10,000.00 cash. You could probably get by with less, but on the safe side more is better.

Much of what you're suggesting is good advice but more geared towards someone coming cold turkey and without a job. This couple is coming on a contracted one year work assignment so their situation is rather different from the norm.

Dependable Car Rental as well as Budget, I beleive, do long term leases.

Check with Linda at Dependable - 340-693-0123.
Pls. tell her I referred you.

Spices are expensive here but guess it's all relative when living here.

Pay no attention to Mike.;) You have one year to check it out- with pay.

Re: OB/GYN docs. There are several. Are you looking to have a baby while here or are you just asking in general? http://www.rlshospital.org/Home.aspx is the only medical center on St Thomas.

Re: food. There must be a lot of gluten allergies around because gluten-free seems to be all you find in the stores any more. LOL.There are lots of varieties of rice pasta and flour at Gourmet Gallery and the health food place at Mandela Circle. The best fruits and veggies IMHO are at Fruit Bowl, but Cost-U-Less comes in second. There is not the variety to which you are probably accustomed, and as Old Tart says, you learn to pick up what you find and plan meals that way, rather than look for specific items. You'll also learn what days the containers arrive with new food! Yum.

Re: activities. You will probably depend on your workplace friends to get you started, but once you define what it is you want to do, you will find it. Most information is through networks here. You ask about, say, yoga, and someone gives you a name and you call them and they give you a name, etc. That and the Island Trader...

Re: things to bring, etc. If there is something you absolutely cannot live without, bring it. I brought some photos of my old life and books I couldn't part with. Otherwise, you are only here a year, learn to be flexible. Lots of stuff is too expensive- gas, electricity, rent, food- you can't really bring any of them.

(Is it me, or is the emoticon system mash up?) :S

(Is it me, or is the emoticon system mash up?) :S

Fear not that you're having a senior moment or need new glasses - yes, they be mash up. ISLANDER?

I was wondering about the emoticons. annoyed-sweating-frowny-puss

😎

Hi Hayat.
I am going to be moving to STX with a one year contract, just wanted to say that I have Celiac disease, and that was a concern for me as well. I did a PMV on STX, and a grocery store there had gluten free bars and rice crackers, I was very surprised. I also have been in contact with a fellow Celiac who had lived there for a few years. When I dined at the Mermaid I saw the menu actually had GF items on it. Otherwise, restaurants weren't very with it. I ordered a curried chicken salad sandwich no bread, and of course it came on bread...luckily there was a big lettuce leaf separating the chicken from the bread, because I can't even have my food touching it. I went to Food Town, a grocery store where they also make sandwiches (not my choice, I had no control, I usually try to fly low as far as my requirements are concerned), and asked to have the sandwich stuff, just no bread, and they looked at me like I had three heads, told me that they would have to check with the manager to see if they could do it, finally did it, and told me it was "just this one time".

Dear all,

My husband and I have accepted a one year work assignment in STT. We are preparing to make the move on the first week of August, and we are trying to gather as much information as possible to help us make transition easier and smoother.
I would appreciate your input and advice on the following subjects:

- Long term car leases ( We would prefer not to buy, what are the best places to get a good price for a one year car lease?)
- Medical services, ( Are there any good OB/GYN doctors and what's the maternity medical centers situation like?)
- What are some of the must-have items to bring with us? We are planning on renting a furnished condo, but we are trying to identify what could be too expensive to buy there or not available on the island.
- Availability of Gluten-free products. (I am allergic to gluten.)
- Availably of vegetables and meats.
- Social activities, events, classes etc..

These are some of the stuff I can think of right now, I would very much appreciate your help, and of course feel free to add anything you might think we need to know. 🙂

Thank you,

Hayat

What about the crime? Did you research the crime?

Thanks all for the great advice, it certainly is very helpful. 🙂

It also seems that many of you already know each other! That's good.

We will be talking to my husband's employer tomorrow to discuss the offer and all the details, and finalize the decision.

She put us in touch with her realtor to look at condos, and almost everything we are looking at doesn't include utilities. Is this common?
What should we expect to pay for water, electricity, internet.. etc?

Thanks again. 🙂

Thank you. 🙂

Condo water usually runs 5 cents per gallon. Owners do not like to pay WAPA electric costs as majority of condos have A/C units (or for residential homes that have A/C) and that can break the bank if tenants run 24/7. When paying for your own usage, you'll tend to conserve more. You'll have to, or faint upon opening that first bill. Depending what cable/dish/internet you can receive at different condo units, they all seem to have different pricing and not all services available on all parts of island so you may just get stuck with dealing with a not so great provider. South side has terrible cell phone reception, especially around Bolongo, Antilles School location for both Sprint and AT&T. Good to ask about what differ net condo associations allows in terms of providers for cable/dish TV/internet.

Lots of condo rentals on market right now as summertime depending on your needs, whether furnished, unfurnished, how many bedrooms you require. Depends on your needs, where your hubby will be working in terms of commuting time, whether you have kids in school to drop off and pick up, their activities, etc. and require centralized location with fairly easy access to everything.

Good Luck.

To get a rough idea of electrical (WAPA) costs, we're currently paying around 0.50/kWh. Take a look at your stateside bill and see the difference!!!

By the by, this is a very good resource to browse on line to give you an idea of life on the rock as well as current classified ads. It's changed every Thursday. http://virginislandsdailynews.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

if you are looking for a condo we have one right on sapphire beach, 1350 plus utilities. we also ave a studio fot 900.

if interested please email condos.dz94@gmail.com

Beautiful place to land on the island. I love sapphire plus its gated..... kinda. A guard at least. IDK what the lease is but OP I'd look into this. You'll figure out a car when you get here. It can take some time - took me over a month but I was looking for a CRV style under 5k. If you have $$ for a jeep you wont have any problems. Alana makes a good point about condo living. I rented a house, I didn't realize that condos may be locked into specific utilities.

OT is right about GF at Pueblo @ TuTu. They have a really big selection (considering on island) for that and other organic foods. They also have some unusual (for us) foods in that section. We make it a point to buy one new thing and try itl. Its by the liquor LOL. Im sure the place down by Tickles (forgot the name) Gourmet Gallery? also has some. They have everything, I like that place, love their berries!

DISCLAMER The following statement expresses the opinions of AandA2VI only.....
Personally, and I may get flamed for this but I don't think WAPA is that bad. I don't think its great and I feel for those who struggle with it... I am speaking only of residential living BUT that being said my bill for a 2bdrm 2bath with normal use of TV, fridge, washer dryer, internet and security system (both run all day) satellite system, phones/laptop chargers, lights in the evenings. My bill hasn't been over $150.

Good luck!

By the way our condo is at Crystal Cove NOT Sapphire Resort which has a gate guard. Both are on Sapphire beach. At Crystal Cove we are in the process of installing a REAL gate that will require a pass code to get in.

Regarding WAPA, most condo owners shy away from including utilities. Mostly electric which is 52C per K watt hour. A standard 100W bulb will cost you 5C per hour to light up. That is why we have gone to CFLs to save money. We only rent our condos with the renter paying the bill. They can use what they want and not stick the owner. So you can see why that is done. Some may give you some money back, say $50/mth, as part of the deal.

I would use Craigs list to choose an apartment. There are many out there, just beware that some may not be what they say. You need to determine where you want to be. East End, North Side town etc.

Good luck!'

BillD