Twenty years ago, our packing for St. John always included a cooler of food and salty snacks.
Not because we wanted to save money but, back then, there weren't fully-stocked food stores. You couldn't be sure you'd be able to buy bread and milk never mind good cuts of beef. That's changed now, but many people still bring coolers.
In a thread on Trip Advisor, most people said they bring food for convenience, not to avoid restaurants.
"We dine out, but we visit STJ for relaxing," said Toes_in_the_Sand. "We find it more relaxing at the end of a day at the beach to sit at the villa, enjoy a couple of drinks while we fix dinner. No hurry, no parking, no worries."
Poolmom_9 added, "We saved a lot of money (bringing food). We still ate out plenty. It was nice to grill (at home)." Cleobeach1 said, "We generally eat out every lunch and dinner, but we have taken a cooler more often than not. We are particular about our meals, especially meats and specialty snacks like cheeses."
What about you?
Bringing a cooler with food is a lot of trouble — especially with airport hassle and fees for checked baggage. Then, they may lose it in St Thomas anyway. Not worth the trouble.
There is a reasonable selection of food on both St Thomas and St John and the beer and wine is much cheaper that stateside anyway.
A couple we travel with started bringing a cooler full of frozen meats a few years ago. For both convenience and cost saving. Everything Still frozen when we get to STJ. It has worked out very well. Even with the baggage charge the cost of the meat is still cheaper then buying on island. He loves to BBQ. Plus it does make for a quiet end to the day. We buy everything else for the dinners on Island. We still eat out most of the time during our 2 weeks. Can’t go to STJ. without having meals watching the sunset from the bar at ZOZO’S or having a lobter at the Lime Inn.
I’ve brought food and wine down there before, but since have found that if you go to the right markets on St. John or Thomas, you don’t need to bring a cooler on the plane. Last month, we rented a car in St. Thomas and stopped at Cost-U-Less and stocked up. They have everything we have here in the states, and CRussDavis is right, wine and liquor prices are better.
On St. John, I like the prices at Pine Peace for beer and non-perishables, although for fresh meats and veggies, you can’t beat Starfish.
Yes, definitely. We just returned from our 6th trip to St. John. Starting with our 2nd trip, we have always taken coffee, breakfast cereal, laundry soap, etc. But then we always eat out at many of the awesome restaurants like Cafe Roma and Miss Lucy’s. St. John is heaven!
My MIL brings a cooler when we all go together stocked with steak and sausage and chicken and bean dip etc, etc. So hubby and I thought- ya let’s bring a cooler- when we went alone. But it seemed like a real pain in the ass and survived just fine without it.
We bring a small cooler with good quality meat to grill fro a few night. We stay in Coral Bay and shopping is limited. Frankly, the views from the rental are too good and the restaurants, for the most part, too mediocre or overpriced to eat out every night.
You really have to weigh your own personal pros and cons. When this question comes up on the forums I try to give people a realistic idea