Packing food in your suitcase for STJ.

[muyfamily]

If we have room in our suitcases, any recommendations? Is food quite expensive? My husband says don't bother, I'm thinking if you had 9 kids and a total of 4 adults, why not? At this point I'm thinking snacks and other light weight items.

[mahojim]

muy-
Lots of questions for you here;
When do you leave?
How long is your flight?
Are you staying in a private villa, or at a resort?
Cruz Bay?
Where did you(if you did)rent your car for the week?STJ or STT?
Do you feel like spending more time going to/from supermarkets,than the beach?
Does your place have a grill?
Most of the veteran forum members are on island now, but I'll gladly try to give you some insight from my travels to that wonderful place.
Regardless of how well you prepare for your trip, you'll definately be doing some shopping anyway. It's all pretty much incredible.
I'm very excited for you and your family!
Good luck!
Smiles-
Jimmy

[muyfamily]

My husband and I will be there for two weeks. The first week is a corporate retreat with 4 other couples. We are staying at the Artistic Villas - Beach Villa. I am not concerned about bringing food for that week as we will be eating out for all meals but breakfast. My concern is the 2nd week when we will be with our 3 daughters and 6 other relatives. We will be staying at the Florian. I would imagine it has full cooking facilities as well as a grill. I don't mind shopping, in fact I'll well known for my love of shopping. I'm just am trying to somewhat economical My husband and I fly out the 11th (probably less then 8 hrs. travel time) and our family arrives on the 18th with similar travel times.

thanks

[mahojim]

What's the Florian? STJ, or STT?
Smiles-
MJ

[muyfamily]

Villa on STJ

[mahojim]

Can't wait to Google it-
I gotta cash in for now; I'll send you a PM.
Very excited for you!You're going to love the beaches!!!
Piles of smiles-
Jimmy

[California Girl]

Hi! I just checked out your villa. Wow! Gorgeous! I love all the rockwork in the house and the poolside wet bar! It's also got a beautiful kitchen, so if you or anyone else in your group like to cook, they'll be in heaven!

As to taking food with you, I don't see any advantage except for snacks for the first day or two maybe. Since you won't be moving into the villa for a week, what kind of food could you keep fresh, or how much would you want to lug around for a week?

The markets on St. John are stocked just like your market at home and they really aren't that much more expensive. My frame of mind is that I know groceries will cost a little more, so I factor it into my budget. I found exactly the stuff I wanted in St. John's grocery stores, no problem. Unless you eat something obscure that you'd like to have while you're on STJ, I wouldn't hassle taking food.

You're going to fall in love with St. John! Have a great time!

[cptnkirk]

Food on St John is expensive notice your from Iowa so I'm guessing the price of food is not to bad there, as is the case in Ohio. Get ready for sticker shock If your wanting to save a little throw some snacks in your bags you will save for sure. We take all kinds of stuff when we go even frozen meats, but I'm a cheap a$$ or lets say frugal that sounds a little better Have fun your going to love it

[di]

We have been to St. John numerous times and I have hauled everything from homemade gourmet salsa(before the liquid thing on the airlines) to steaks and chicken to snack foods. There is so much available now with the addition of Starfish Gourmet, that you can really find whatever you want. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a little limited and expensive, although depending on the time of your trip, some villas have fruit trees on the property or you can buy a few things at Natures Nook (across from the ferry dock). Remember almost everything must be shipped in, so prices reflect that fact. On our last trip I paid more attention one day while roaming through the store. Snack and convenience foods had the biggset sticker shock in my opinion, but "real food", like basics you need to cook were not that high. I think this reflects what store owners know - tourists want chips, crackers, cookies,etc to take to the beach, and easy food to use at their villas. Supply and demand. I remember cereal and ice cream being pricey.

Kids can go through a lot of snacks and some of those ae easy to pack - Pringles and snacks packed in a can. Pop-tarts are an easy breakfast for picky kids. Crystal Light or other drink mixes are also great to pack.

You will have a great time! Two weeks on St John is FANTASTIC!! The planning is half the fun, so enjoy the process and have a wonderful trip!

[LC]

I'm somewhat of a "grazer", so I like to have snacks available at all times. I always pack granola bars, pringles, cookies, etc to have at the villa. They don't weigh much, and you definitely save money. Hubby and I are not big breakfast eaters, so granola bars/bagels/crackers are great, and we don't have to cook, or go out for breakfast.

have a great trip!

[PA Girl]

I have filled nocks and cranies of our suitcases with dry goods in the past. Hubs is a bottomless pit and could easily eat two bags of chips a day and at $7 or so dollars, I like to avoid that by taking nuts and trail mixes from home.

I would evaluate the "snack" level of your group and consider your options from there. I do think snack food is expensive on STJ, I rather spend my $ on other things so that is why I plan ahead.

[Lulu76]

I am trying something new this year. I sent a box of dry goods down ahead of time for this trip. But things go bad so quickly down there that I'd be worried about taking stuff for the second week. I'd probably just suck it up and buy some snacks at the grocery store, but it will cost about twice as much. Last year I paid $4.59 for a box of Wheat Thins. But that's what I was craving, and they were worth every penny!

[Teresa_Rae]

Rum is a bargain but you'll pretty much pay through the nose for anything else. In June we paid $8 for a gallon of milk and $9 for a small jug of orange juice on STT...and the prices are even higher on STJ (which is why we always make a grocery stop on STT before boarding the ferry to STJ).

Here's a funny post about grapes for $6.69 a lb on STJ:
http://www.on-stjohn.com/2008/05/24/island-inflation/

[sasky]

Our grocery list that we typically bring with us:
- Cereal
- Snack bars/granola bars
- Cookies
- Rice
- Couscous
- Pasta
- Spices
- Dunkin Donuts coffee (ESSENTIAL)

We always do carry-on only, so anything liquid or perishable we buy on island. We cook most meals at the villa, so it's good to be able to bring down the starchy sides for dinner (rice, etc.). And of course, DD coffee is a must!

[Nic in KC]

I agree that taking snack foods is definitely worth it if you have room in your luggage. Cookies, granola bars, pringles, trail mix, m&ms, Lenders bagels, squeeze jelly and peanut butter are also great for breakfast! We have wrapped dips that are in jars with bubble wrap and packed those along with boxes of crackers too.

Jason and I didn't take anything but trail mix for the travel days when we went in October because there were only two of us. However, when you have a whole group snacking I think the savings is worth it!

Have a wonderful trip!