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My wife and I are planning a 3 & 1/2 month trip to St. Croix from October to January-ish. IF things go well, we may stay longer. We do have some questions we'd like to ask that we haven't seen answers to so far:
1) House-sitting
I know these are coveted positions... but what would be a reliable method to get in touch with home owners? Another question is what time of year do most people need there house watched? (we may alter our time-table depending on that)
2) Inexpensive housing / apartment / condo's
Ok, we've read that the average apt rental is $800/month on STX. Would this be accurate for a furnished 1 bedroom? Any recommendations for a location that is safe, affordable ($650 - $900/month), near stores?
3) Used-car buying
If anyone knows of people moving off-island in Sept/Oct - we'd love to get in touch with them. We'll be looking for something 4WD (if possible) that will last us a few months that we'll then sell before leaving in Jan/Feb. OR... if anyone knows of a way to "rent" a vehicle for that long without spending $50/day, we'd like to hear about that too!
There's plenty we have yet to do... like find work, rent our place out (stateside), and buy the plane tickets. We'd love to hear success stories from anyone who's done it.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Tim & Julie
Posted : May 15, 2003 1:41 am
Hello Tim & Julie,
A lot to cover here so I'll just go in order and do my best.
1) House Sitting gigs are hard to come by, and I don't see any way you could get one while off island. I've only seen one advertisement for such a position and they advertised because they were looking for someone with lots of skills. Carpentry, Plumbing, a Captain's License, and a lot more!
Most people that leave seem to leave the island about now and come back in October or sometime in the the fall. Which seems to be when you are arriving. Maybe if you stayed all season you might meet the right people and fall into one of those sweet house sitting gigs.
2) Apartments can be found in your price range pretty easily. Just keep an eye on the paper. The "St. Croix" paper is The Avis. You won't find much help for STX apartments in The Daily News.
As far as neighborhoods go......reasonably priced, close to stores, and pretty safe.....are mid-island. La Grande Princess, Queens Quarter, Estate Diamond. Not the best views, but you have easy access to both ends of the island and plenty of opportunity to explore in every direction. The most affordable apartments are out west near Fredricksted (breathtaking sunsets, but not so convenient to stores, and some crime), and the more expensive one's are east of Christiansted (Good views, less crime, but very dry).
3) Used Cars---Don't get me started!
If it is at all possible I would get my departure tickets from Florida and drive a car to Jacksonville. From there you can ship it to St. Croix for a reasonable price.
Used cars here are high priced and usually in pretty rough shape. The island is just tough on cars. Bad roads, sea air, and narrow streets lead to a lot of dings and knocks in the engine. Ship one, you'll be glad you did.
Good luck.
Bless Up,
J.
Posted : May 15, 2003 8:31 pm
Topic starter
J.,
Thank you very much for the information! We've heard/read several different opinions - especially about cars - that we've been a bit confused. Some say ship it, some say wait and buy one on island... We've got some time to figure out the details, and we definitely appreciate your advice.
Also, thanks for the tip about The Avis and giving us some areas to look into - we'll definitely be looking when we arrive. We'll probably stay at a hotel for the first week or so while looking for a place.
God bless,
Tim & Julie
Posted : May 20, 2003 1:21 am
