My wife and I went to St Thomas, USVI two times this year. The first trip was for planning our wedding in January, and our second trip was when we got married there in June. During our first trip, we were very busy and got a basic idea of the island, met with people, and checked out a few restaurants for our reception. St Thomas was the first time we have been to any of the Caribbean islands. We originally started to regret our decision of getting married in St Thomas, but by the end it was an amazing experience and had an amazing wedding.

Airport
When you land in St Thomas in Cyril E. King Airport, you will be greeted with some Cruzan Rum shots.  For those who don’t know, Cruzan Rum is made in Saint Croix, USVI and comes in many different flavors.  The airport has onsite car rental for Hertz, Avis, and Budget.

Car Rental
Aside from the onsite rental companies at the airport, here are a few other local companies on the island, but I STRONGLY advise renting a car from one of the major three. Budget has the most drop off and pickup locations on the island, but do charge a fee for returning the car else where.  Majority of the cars you rent will be pretty banged up and you should make sure you check with your credit card company to see if they cover rental coverage otherwise you should probably opt for the rental company insurance.

On our first trip, we rented from Budget, who didnt seem to care about the cars condition as they give you keys and you take the car without reviewing the damage. When we rented with Dependable on the other hand, we had to call them when we picked up our bags and then wait outside for about 15 minutes until the driver came and picked us up.  He then drove us about 10 minutes away and slightly off the main road in Charlotte Amalie to their location.  After picking up a very beat up car (they checked and marked the damage), we got back on track and on our way.

We ran into no issues with any of the cars. Returning the car to Budget was very easy as we just dropped it back off at the Airport and you must present your receipt for the gas fill up.  For Dependable, we had to find their location, drop the car off, and they will drop you off anywhere for free (airport or ferry terminal).

Getting Around
Before and if you rent a car, please be aware that driving is on the opposite side of the road even though it’s a US Territory. The cars have the steering wheel setup on the left side like in the US, but they drive on the opposite side because they used to be a Dutch colony.  The speed limit ranges from 10-35 MPH and there are no highways. While driving isnt difficult there are some challenges with some very steep hills, sharp turns, and areas with very faded on no lines on the road.

There are 5 main routes to guide you around the island. They are color coded as Red, Blue, Orange, Blue, and Green.  While driving you will notice the colored signs, so just follow them to your destination. Most roads outside of Charlotte Amalie have no road signs, so GPS helps a lot.

Taxi service is available on the island with most being open safari vehicles.  Taxi cost is per person and gets pretty expensive. There is an extra charge for travelling late at night and a $2 charge per bag. Always make sure to grab a drivers card in case you get stuck and need a pickup. You can find taxi rates here.

Ferry Service is available from Red Hook and a port in Charlotte Amalie (about 10 minutes from the airport).  Both ports offer transportation to St John, St Croix, and the BVI. View the schedule and updated rates here.

Maps of St Thomas
Island, Charlotte Amalie, Havensight, Red Hook, Saphire

Cell Phone Service
Sprint and AT&T offer service for those living in the United States at no additional cost. Verizon and T-mobile would be international roaming rates. Service was very spotty in most locations, but found people with AT&T had better results.

Shopping
St Thomas offers Duty Free shopping up to $800 for US residents. Most of the shopping will be done at Red Hook, Havensight, and Main Street in Charlotte Amalie.  Please be aware that shopping in Havensight closes as soon as the Cruise ships leave the port, normally around 5 or 6 pm.  Shopping in Main Street after dark is not recommended because of the crime.