PMV to STX

STX is not a Spring Break Destination, The High Season is Dec-April exact days are made by Air Lines ticket sales. Hotel on the Cay would be your best bet for what you want to do, The Hotel is a Time share that rents, gets busy when ships come in.:-)

I would suggest May or June for a PMV. Humidity is still low and the prices are also down. For people watching I woud suggest a beach with a bar. Cane Bay, or Rainbow. Have a little lunch, chat with the bartender and watch the people.

I would suggest Waves of Cane Bay for lodging. Their rooms have kitchens so you can fix coffee and light meals and also experience our grocery stores. You should plan on renting a car. Try Judi of Croix.

I agree with Linda--Cane Bay or Rainbow beaches would be great for meeting people and getting the lay of the land. Also, Off the Wall beach bar in Cane Bay is a good place to hook into the coconut telegraph.

I'd also suggest Cane Bay Reef Club as a cheap, no-frills lodging that's on the water and walking distance to Cane Bay beach, and comes equipped with a kitchen.

Bernie

Re: timing...One thing is to think about what you want to see. If you are interested in schools, don't come in the summer. You want to be leery of local holidays as you won't be able to visit government offices, if you need to. Easter is a long government holiday- from Maundy (Holy) Thursday through Easter Monday.

So far Cane bay has the most votes. I see Cane Bay on the north side and it looks isolated by one road. I hope that you all are talking about watching you the locals. I do like watching for where the local cops, firemen and city workers shop and eat (normally the best food for the best prices). I used to travel in CONUS a lot (I have lived in 13 different states) so I am used to jumping into a new area and trying to find people and things similar to my interests BUT have never been on an isolated island.

Lodging with a coffee pot a must, fridge and microwave great, mini-kitchen would be wonderful. I do still smoke tobacco only, one of my goals is to quit when I move. Is smoking totally banned, barely tolerated or ignored on STX?

I do intend to rent a car and I see that there is really three different areas to investigate East end, West end and Christiansted. Am I over simplifying the island topography?

jayvin, welcome to the forum.

Smoking seems to be pretty popular in the VI. A recent law prohibits smoking in some publicly-accessible areas, particularly indoors.

If you people-watch at Cane Bay, it's going to be at the beaches, bars and restaurants, which is a good place to meet locals and visitors. Ask the bartender or the server who the locals are. On the beach, look for people with old beach chairs and no sunburn.

I have done 6 or 7 PMV ( I am closing on a house next week). The North Shore is probably my favorite place on the island (where Cane Bay is located), but it is also fairly isolated, and not necessarily representative of the people and culture of the island. Whenever I am on island, I spend most of my time in Christiansted. There are plenty of bars and restaurants with a diversity or locals, continentals, and tourists. I have been there a couple times in the summer, and have found it to be less active then I would prefer (I am 39). No matter where you stay, the island isn't so large that you wouldn't be able to experience the whole thing within a week. I wish you luck with your adventures.

Jeff

Kind of everything is isolated by one road. North Shore is a great place to do a PMV. There are other places where people choose to live, which are very different ... Midisland, East End, whatever. Don't assume just because one road goes there, that you're going to be isolated. Take earlier advice and rent a car and explore entire island from whatever base you choose, North Shore is a great place for a base.

Rainbow Beach on Sundays on the west end is also a great place to catch up with the local scene.

I would suggest the summer! That is the worst time of year for heat and humidity!
If you like it then you will love it the rest of the time.
Many people visit AZ in the winter or spring and then move here. They can't stand the summers and move away.

I think that a week may be too short to really get the feel for the island. But I will plan on that long for the first trip.

I currently live in the Mohave desert and I tell people the same thing about the heat here. People are very surprised when the temp hits 120s. Our monsoon season (August) we have 111+ temps with a "staggering" 😉 30% humidity.

So I guess April, May or June would be best for the first trip. Hope to meet a few of you helpful people while I am there.

Jay

Regarding the smoking... you might be better off starting the quitting process before you move. I'm not a smoker and never have been, so please take this with a grain of salt, but I would guess that it would be difficult to quit smoking on STX. It appears (to me, at least) that a lot more people smoke on STX than in the states, and cigarettes are much, much cheaper. People also tend to drink more on STX (it's cheap, and it's a common social activity, even more so than in the states), and I would imagine that would make quitting smoking more difficult as well.

Anyway, welcome, and good luck with your planning! Hope you have a great PMV!

I'm not a smoker and never have been, so please take this with a grain of salt, but I would guess that it would be difficult to quit smoking on STX.

I am a smoker and roadrunner is 100-percent correct.

I find the price point of smoking in the Vi to be so low it is hardly a deterrent - but stateside at $7 -8 -9 and 10 a pack it starts to hurt enough that quitting makes all the sense in the world - here you can buy a carton for about $22 -$25 a carton - it takes a deeper resolve.

cartons went up to about 32, so price wise a bit cheaper than a lot of states but keeps going higher like everything else here

cartons went up to about 32, so price wise a bit cheaper than a lot of states but keeps going higher like everything else here

I only pay $25 a carton on the Indian reservation. So the cost was never the problem.

Definitely quit smoking before you come to STX.

I used to smoke and occasionally joke that cigarettes are so cheap here that I am almost ready to start smoking.

It is primarily people fom the states that smoke.

It is primarily people fom the states that smoke.

That's true if you're talking about tobacco! *-)

cartons went up to about 32, so price wise a bit cheaper than a lot of states but keeps going higher like everything else here

I only pay $25 a carton on the Indian reservation. So the cost was never the problem.

In Cost-u-Less Stt, a carton cost $22 today. (Gold Marlboros carton)
Just checked, because spee1dy mentioned the price of a carton went up $32.

yeah, looks like i need to go somewhere else to buy them.

yeah, looks like i need to go somewhere else to buy them.

But it would take quite a few cartons to pay for the round trip to STT.

If you want a real feel for local living, spend at least a day
in Historic Frediriksted downtown area on the west side of island.

lol jayvin