CLOUD NINE VILLAS
P.O. Box 1027, St. John, VI 00831-1027
Toll Free 866-693-8496 Local 340-693-8495
cloud9villas.com
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIPS
Please print out and take this information with you to St. John
ARRIVAL IN ST. THOMAS: After you have your luggage please call your car rental agency if booked on St. John, to let them know which ferry you will be on.
Next, please call your greeter to make an appointment to be met at the villa.We have sent your greeter's cell phone in a separate email. If you are delayed due to lost baggage, missed connections or late flights, please call to let us know as we are planning our day around our arrivals. Once you have your vehicle, follow the map to reach the villa. One of our representatives will greet you at the villa to check you in and show you the features of the house. They will go over the map with you showing places to shop, dine, or explore, and answer any other questions you may have.
TAXIS FROM THE AIRPORT: You will find many taxis lined up at the airport eager to transport you to Red Hook. This taxi ride will take approximately 40-60 minutes depending on the time of day and will cost about $15 per person plus a fee for luggage.
RED HOOK FERRY: The ferry boats leave Red Hook for St. John every hour on the hour from 8 am to midnight and the ride takes 20 minutes. Buy your $6.00 ticket at the booth on the dock. You will also pay a $2.50 fee for each bag, except your carry on handbag or briefcase. The crew will load and unload your luggage for you. Due to Homeland Security Regulations each bag must be labled with your name, phone number and home address.
DOWNTOWN (Charlotte Amalie) FERRY: If it coordinates with your arrival time, you may choose to take a 15-minute taxi ride to downtown Charlotte Amalie for a 45 minute ferry trip to St. John. This ferry leaves at 10am, 1pm and 5:30pm. Pay for your $10.00 ticket on the boat. This schedule is subject to change so check with the taxi driver. There is a $2.50 bag fee depending on the size. Try to have exact change or small bills. Also, this trip can be rougher than the Redhook Ferry as you travel directly into the waves and wind. We suggest that anyone prone to motion sickness take the Redhook Ferry. Call your car rental agency to let them know which ferry you will be on.
IF YOU ARE PICKING UP YOUR VEHICLE ON ST. THOMAS: Go to the car rental counter of the agency in the baggage area or call your agency. Make sure they understand you will be staying on St. John and ask about insurance coverage for St. John. Also ask them for a map of St. Thomas and directions to the Red Hook dock.
Proceed to the Red Hook dock. The car barges are located to the left of the dock parking lot as you face the water. Barges leave on the hour and the half hour up through 7:00 pm, which is the last barge to St. John for the day. You cannot make a reservation in advance for your barge ride. You can buy a round trip ticket for $42-$50 per vehicle or a one-way ticket for $27-32 (those are current prices: the actual price when you arrive may be slightly different). We recommend you purchase a one-way ticket. There are three different barge companies, each with a different schedule. This will give you the flexibility of taking the barge on your return leg that best suits your time schedule for airport departure.
EARLY ARRIVALS: Our check in time is 3 pm. We need until then to complete preparation of the villa for you. If you are arriving early, we can arrange for you to drop off luggage at the villa prior to check in time if you contact us BEFORE the day of your arrival. Please do NOT plan to unpack or use the villa until AFTER the cleaning is finished, as it makes it very difficult for the cleaning person to complete her job. You may want to go to the beach or grocery shopping until the house is ready.
LATE ARRIVALS OR DELAYED FLIGHTS: Should your flight be delayed en route so that your scheduled arrival is after the rental agency is closed, please let us know ASAP. Grocery stores on St. John close at 11:00 pm, so you may wish to have snacks, coffee or cereal with you to make your first evening and morning more relaxed. Woody’s in Cruz Bay serves food late into the evening. For very late arrivals, we will leave a light on at the villa and tell you where to find a key. The welcome book will be open and can provide you with information you need about the villa and island. We will plan to meet with you at 9 am the next morning unless you call to set up an alternative time.
GROCERIES: In Cruz Bay groceries can be purchased at Starfish Market (open 7:30 am-9:00 pm daily), Dolphin Gourmet Market (7:30am-11pm), Nature's produce stand and Pine Peace Mini Mart. In Coral Bay, off of Hwy 107 are two more small markets with a more limited selection. Groceries are easily available on the island, but the selection is not as vast as stateside stores. If you have special needs you may want to bring some items with you. We have a varied selection of meat, fresh seafood, produce, wines and canned items. Our prices will be about a third more than you pay at home, except for hard liquor, which is much less. We have many excellent restaurants on the island.
PACKING TIPS: Life is very simple here and casual dress is accepted everywhere. Summer wear is all you need. Both the custom and the law say that bathing suits are not to be worn anywhere but on the beach. Daytime temperatures are in the eighties to low nineties. You may want to bring a jacket or sweater for cooler evenings.
DO bring personal toiletries, snorkel gear (or you can rent locally for about $8-10 a set per day), insect repellent, non-greasy sun block, a hat and lightweight cover-up (long sleeves and long pants to protect from the sun or mosquitoes, sneakers, beach shoes, and a relaxed attitude! For information on natural mosquito repellents go to
Bath and beach towels, bed linens, beach chairs, a picnic cooler, paper products, and cleaning supplies are provided at the villa. Maid service during the week is available at an additional cost should you request it.
IDENTIFICATION:Be sure to bring proof of US citizenship. Proof of citizenship includes a passport or a certified copy of birth certificate plus official photo ID or official U.S. government document verifying citizenship and valid photo I.D. (Photo ID not applicable for minors up to 16 years of age.)
To travel to the British Virgin Islands U.S. citizens must have a valid U.S. passport if traveling by air or if traveling by sea U.S. citizens can use a passport card.
LOST LUGGAGE: Occasionally, luggage fails to arrive with your plane. If this happens, file a claim at the office near the baggage area before you leave the airport. Include the name of your villa, the villa’s phone number, your cell number and our telephone number (340-774-9633). When your luggage arrives in St. Thomas, the airline staff will inform you which ferry your luggage will be on so you can pick it up at the Cruz Bay dock. You may want to note the villa name, villa phone number and your cell phone number on each piece of luggage before leaving on your trip.
DEPARTURE: Check-out time is 10 am. Our cleaning person begins cleaning promptly at 10 am to prepare for guests arriving the same afternoon. Please have your luggage in the car and ready to go by 10 am. If you have an earlier departure planned, please let us know. For departures via the St. Thomas airport, plan to take a ferry that leaves at least 2.5 hours before your flight time. Ferries leave for Red Hook on the hour from 6am until midnight. Ferries leave for Charlotte Amalie at 8:45am, 11:15am and 3:45pm. Again, the downtown or Charlotte Amalie ferry schedule seems to be subject to change without notice so check with your taxi driver. Please check at the dock to confirm schedule.
VALUABLES: We ask that you do not bring unnecessary valuables to the villa and please lock all doors when leaving the villa for the day and at night. Do not leave ipods, cell phones or computers easily visible.
IF YOU MISS THE LAST FERRY OR HAVE AN EARLY DEPARTURE:
If your flight is late on St Thomas and you miss the 12-midnight passenger ferry you can stay at a hotel on St. Thomas or take a water taxi to St. John.
If you have an early departure you may want to stay in St. Thomas the night before. The first passenger ferry leaves at 6 AM, so you would arrive at the airport more than an hour later.
Hotels on St Thomas
There are two hotels right by the airport, both on a nice beach:
- Emerald Beach Resort: 800-233-4936 or 340-777-8800
Member of the Best Western Chain. - Island Beachcomber: 340-774-9170
This is family-run hotel for about 40 years, a little funkier
Also a member of the Best Western Chain
Closer to the east end of St. Thomas (and the Red Hook ferry) are:
- Point Pleasant: 340-775-7200
- Renaissance Grand Beach Resort: 800-421-8188 340-775-1510
Water Taxis for service after 12 midnight. About $40-$50 per person, 4 person minimum
- Calvin Thomas- phone 340-473-6795
This service can take up to 6 Passengers
Contact Captain Thomas for details - Dolphin Water Taxi- 340-774-2628 (BOAT)
This service has 3 boats ranging in size from 6 to 14 passengers.
The fee is $40 per passenger with a 4 Passenger minimum. - Dohm’s Water Taxi – phone 340-775-6501
May be contracted to carry hotel guests first