What is your idea of affordable?

"affordable places for dinner?"

Entrees in the $20 to $25 range

Well - our vacation is generally pretty subdued compared to your "I like to party" comment, but here goes....

Dining & Bars
We like Iggy's, The Greenhouse, Shipwreck Tavern for burgers/beer for more casual meals. We like Craig & Sally's, Banana Tree Grille, and Mofolie for "nicer" meals. Duffy's is probably the primary "party place".

Beaches
Magens Bay for sure. Take advantage of the beach server - be nice - they work hard and will "forget you" if you aren't friendly.
Coki is great for snorkeling.

Wyndham - sorry, but I've can't help you there. My opinion though is that there is SO much to experience on St. Thomas that I wouldn't want to feel like I "have to" stay on property for meals. That's part of the great Virgin Island experience - trying new places and tastes!

St. John
I'd recommend a couple days. It really depends on your desires and your transportation. If you take the car ferry, I recommend going to Cinammon in the morning then Trunk in the afternoon of a day. Second day could be to either hit the south shore beaches (Salt Pond, Lameshur - 4 wheel drive needed) or go to Leinester and snorkel Waterlemon Cay. The last ferry leaves in the early evening.

Day Sail
There are lots of opinions on Day Sail charters and for the most part they are all very positive. We've only done 1 daysail and it's not something that I'd care to do again. But - that's because I don't get a kick out of the sailing part. Others will have great opinions on this. AND my strong opinion is that NO a daysail will not be enough time on St. John.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

Wow,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it.

James

It may sound corney but the first time my wife and i were there we did a sunset sail on a Trimarran and she loved it.
I would include Molly Malones as a place to eat and check out Eric Stone at Lat 18 for entertainment.
Completely agree with Mafolies for dinner, but you want an early dinner to see the sunset.
I personally have not been to Magens due to the Cruise Ship crowds in probably 10 years. I think all the beaches on St. Johns are equally beautiful.
Wed. night steel band at the Mountain Top is always fun.

Mt Top has steel band on Wed?? - You are not referring to Paradise PT. at the top of the Tramway are you. I never knew MT Top was open past 5pm.

Their is no day sails that wil let you be on stj for more than like a hour even if you went all the way around the island at a bunch of different stops
If your looking for a affordable place to stay i would look on www.vrbo.com to rent direct from an owner, its usually cheaper this way
Also, You can always go over to STJ on the morning ferry and take the last one back 11:00pm I think (NO CAR)
We did this a couple days and got to see and do alot
You would have to check the car barge schedual if you choose to take your car which i personally would do.
With that bien said their is sooooo much to see just on STT you might not get a chance to go over to stj at all, butt their is always next time
Molley Molones has a great and affordable Breakfast
Duffy's is fun for partyin and the food is reasonable
STT resident owns toad and tart
Fungi's is good and affordable
I heard Iggies is alot of Fun as well
GOod Luck

Add to restaurant list: Robert's and Ainsley's at the Elysian Resort - great food for both.

Beaches: Go to Megan's - it is worth the trip. Too big to be crowded by cruise ship people - stop and have a shake on the way home.

Try Secret Harbour - love this beach for snorkeling and relaxing.

I would not do the all inclusive at the Wyndham. Food is okay but not spectacular ad there are so many good restaurants on St. Thomas.

Islandrealtor,
Good point! With all inclusive you truly limit yourself to not getting the whole experience restaurant wise. We have so many lovely places to eat here!

Latitude 18. Yes, it's a bumpy ride but it is worth it. Music almost every night. Food is adequate and the party continues until early morning at times.

Carigas in Independent Boatyard also has some decent, cheap food and booze and a party atmosphere. I know Hudson and the Hoo Doo Cats are playing in April. They have music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I think.

XO in Red Hook is good for a nice dinner ... pricy but have drinks elsewhere. Just park the car and go bar hopping in Red Hook - too many places to mention.

I also like Randy's out by Cost U Less. The bar is the best place to sit if you smoke. No music but mellow atmosphere.

Don't go for the AI - the Wyndham is a nice place but the food is hotel average. You'll miss the little fun holes in the wall around here. Pick up a copy of where to stay/what to do and you'll have lots to choose from.

As far as the day sail goes, they are not going to allow you a great deal of time on St. john unless you rent the whole boat yourself (about $750 for 8 AM - 5 PM) then you can go ashore whenever you want. But that sort of negates the purpose of sailing. It is expensive "transportation". Take the ferry and rent a car (sometimes cheaper and easier than taking your car over and some rental agencies will not let you take a car over on the barge). Go see the island yourself! IMHO, a day is plenty in St. John.

Sapphire Beach is to me one of the prettiest beaches around. The new and improved Lindquist is worth the drive down the road. And if you want secluded and private you can't beat Scott Beach for a little naked swimming. It's safe but I wouldn't go at night.

Hope this helps.

Dining:
If you go to the Caribbean Saloon in Red Hook before 6pm you can order off of their lunch menu which has a fabulous & huge chicken parm sandwich. It is a fun atmosphere.
Tuesday's you MUST go to Iggy's for the all you can eat crab and plan to stay late for the fun! If you run into Tammy that runs the Seablaster tell her hi! She is a great gal!
Saturday's at Hooter's its all you can eat shrimp for $13! It is great!
Table 13 on the north side is great. Do try the fettuccine with crab and lobster in a cream sauce!
Bumpas in CA makes a great grilled peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich for breakfast...just try it, it's melt in your mouth great!

I heard Wed nights at Paradise Point is fun. Found this out too late for our last trip though! Duffy's in Redhook is cool.

Make sure you go to Magen's for the whole day! Check this site to see when the least amount of cruise ships is in and go that day. You will have fun either way though! Definitely get a pizza for lunch at the snack bar!

Coki beach is a cool party beach

If you rent a car be sure to take the car ferry to St. John as taxis cost a small fortune unless you plan on only going to one place. Snorkeling is great here - just make sure the day you go it is not overcast or too windy.

New Horizons has great day and evening sail trips. Seablaster does a great 1/2 day snorkel trip too. www.seablastertours.com

Remember to go with the flow! The fun part is getting lost and finding a cool little hang out.

😎