ST. THOMAS:
° The Essentials
° Carlotte Amaile
° Best Beaches
° Things to Do

THE BVIs:
° The Baths
° Sailing the BVIs
° Soggy Dollar
° Willie T's

SURFSIDE
SAM:
° Home Page

Here's a guide to what happens when you fly into St. Thomas, getting transportation and, for those bold enough to do it, renting a car and driving.

St. Thomas USVI Travel Information
How to Easily Get From SST To Paradise

Flying into the St. Thomas airport certainly puts one in an island frame of mind.

For first timers or even multi-time travelers, it is certainly exciting landing in St. Thomas.

This is a small airport and seems like a Caribbean outpost and it most definitely sets the mental theme for one's trip.

It's also is is an island on island time, a carnival of a lifestyle in the heart of the Caribbean.

Here's a guide to what happens when you fly into St. Thomas, getting transportation and, for those bold enough to do it, renting a car and driving.

Even for those who intend to visit just St. Thomas and/or St. John, it is advisable to bring a passport. It's easier at the airport and if a sudden chance pops up to visit Tortola or any of the other destinations of the neighboring British Virgin Islands, then it makes it possible to take advantage of this great opportunity.

The airport is dominated by American Airlines, with Delta providing the other daily flight service. It is called the Cyril E. King airport and the airport code is STT. Like all the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas is a seasonal destination, with peak months in the winter and spring. Some businesses may open only during this high season.

Customs here can be a bit slow but so, too, can everything else in the Caribbean. For those who can't wait to have their first rum drink, there's a bar next to baggage claim.

Ground transportation is dominated by vans that must fill up with passengers before departing. Costs to main areas of town are as follows, plus $2 per bag (put purses, computers and other small bags on the lap to save extra fees):
• Charlotte Amalie, $7,
• Frenchman's Reef (Marriott): $10
• Red Hook: $15.

Taxis are readily available throughout the island but budget travelers should keep an eye out for the open-air covered trucks, which charge just $2 for any destination. Some taxis look like this too, so just ask.

Make a note that upon departing St. Thomas customs DOES NOT ALLOW BOTTLES IN CHECKED BAGGAGE so that rum or even spices that were purchased must be checked.

As a final point of Caribbean frustration – visiting here is full of them but they are more of an annoyance than a hindrance – there are no signs alerting passengers to this policy. Many a traveler (including SurfsideSam, by the way) has had to high-tail it back to the check-in counter, then re-enter customs and go through security for a second time in order to be sure that precious cargo gets home.