travelling to st. john virgin islands--what food to bring?

Hello--

we will be travelling to st. john virgin islands from Chicago on saturday, and would like to know if anyone has been there recently, and if it would be a good idea to bring meat and fish and any other items. There will be 12 adults total on this trip. Tips on packing and travelling would be helpful! We are staying at a rented villa.

You are going to an island in the middle of the ocean. My money would be on an abundance of fish and seafood being available locally.

Beer?

Apparently, this is not a fishing area, so there is not an abundance of fresh seafood! (I was surprised too, but that is what we were told.)

I went there last June for a week and stayed on the west of the island in a villa. Unfortunately despite it being an island there was hardly any fresh fish to be found. Restaurants are not cheap here and on the whole i was not overly impressed (but i do have very high expectations!) however i do have some recs! If your staying at a villa then definetly plan on cooking a bit as it's much cheaper than eating out. Most people buy their food at one of the big supermarkets on St Thomas which is only a $5 boat ride away and probably where your plane will be landing anyhow.

Coral bay- Skinny legs is a fun place to go for a burger and a beer. You can get mahi mahi sandwiches and various other items but the general consensus of our group was stick to the burgers. The beer selection is also pretty good. Children are welcome.

Miss lucy's was my favourite place to eat it serves caribbean contemporary food. The conch fritters were great (the best i ate in my 3 weeks wandering the caribbean) but they also had a number of other appetisers. For main i ate chicken stuffed with goat cheese which was pretty good. There did seem to be a couple of fish dishes on the menu and a decent variety of other meat and vegetable dishes-every one enjoyed their meal. I did not order desert but everyone else did and were highly impressed. The peacefull setting next to the sea is beautifull. One thing to note a friend of mine (who is a heavy drinker) neraly passed out after drinking a hurricane milshake type drink here!

Vie's snack shop is a shack alongside the road which only has 3 or four tables outside but if your passing at lunch it's worth a stop to try the rice and beans or a slice of cocunut pie. She supposed to make tasty conch fritters but unfortunately we got there too late (2pm i think) and she had sold out.

In cruz bay chilly billys is a decent place for breakfast with the specialty being monkey bread french toast-apple raisin bread soaked in a mixture of eggs and baileys then fried. I cant comment as i ate ham and eggs (thank god!)which was pretty decent with a good helping of hot sauce.
We tried panni beach trattoria one night and most people had pasta which was ok but wildly overpriced alonside bad service. I would avoid this place at all costs.

As i said i would purchase food on St Thomas and if you have room in your suitcase maybe bring non perishables like granola bars, pasta, pesto sauce, dried herbs, seasonings, etc.

The island is relly beautifull, do not miss visiting trunk bay beach and also the annaberg plantation for wonderfull views. Hope you have a wonderfull trip.

I went to St. John about 2 years ago, but my experience was different because we campled for 4 days in the National Park. However, we bought granola bars and bagels at a grocery store downtown St. John and they stayed fresh without refrigeration for the entire time. So I recommend that if you want something handy to snack on. We mostly ate that and some fruit for breakfast and lunch and then ate a bigger dinner. St John is expensive but you can find divey places to eat at. The campground had a really good restaurant that served traditional food. It was pricey but we shared one meal and it was big enough for both of us. Plus they had mighty nice rum drinks that staved off hunger! So in short, bring the basics (water, granola, bagels, and fruit) to your villa and cook there. And I was shocked too that they weren't alot of fish. I had mistakenly assumed that since it was on water - fresh fish. But I guess (and don't quote me) that since it's surrounded by coral reefs that it's not. Good gracious - I'm so jealous now. I can't wait to go back!

Years ago it was necessary or prudent to bring lots of food with you to St. John. We at one time would bring a 100 qt. ice chest filled with frozen stuff (meat, juice concentrates, etc.)-everything would stay frozen, but the cooler was totally covered with condensation by the time we reached Cruz Bay. Mostly we brought stuff to save money, but also the local selection tended to be spotty with lots of stuff just not available.
That has greatly changed. The local markets have selections remarkably like stateside, albeit at higher prices. Traveling to St. Thomas for food to my mind is totally unnecessary. The only food we now bring is Lavazza coffee.
If you can deal with really fresh fish, local fisherman sell their catch each morning opposite the National Park office. Nice seafood is sold in the grocery stores, but the best seafood variety and quality is available at the Fish Trap Fish Market adjacent to the restaurant (my favorite).
St. John has virtually all of its supplies shipped in so prices do tend to be higher. To save money though, find Pine Peace Market and do as much of your shopping there including all your alcohol.
Villas vary wildly in how well they are stocked with condiments, herbs, spices, etc. Check first before heading for the store.
If you PM me with your villa, I might be able tell you what to expect from that agency.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful information. I'll update you when we're back next Sunday!

Hello all,

Thanks again for the great posts. Here I am again. And, some things to report. First, the shopping was fine, with the caveat that if you are travelling with small children (ours were ages 2 through 5) you will be making trips to the store A LOT so it's a good idea to pack the basic or the prices will really add up. The starfish market and the pine peace are fine, with the latter having significantly lower prices but less in the way of meat and fish.

However: I did bring a few staples that went over well, including coffee (from costco) a couple of large packages of sliced cheese, breakfast cereal, and peanut butter and jelly. Also got some nice flat bread type things from costco that went over well.

I myself did not bring meat or fish, but our friends brough frozen salmon, tilapia, and chicken. Fresh fish and chicken is very expensive for a large party (we were 12 adults) on the island.

Other things to report: Vie's snack shop was wonderful! In general it is a beautifiul place, not too touristy and a welcome retreat from those chicago winters!

Ingrid

ingridg wrote:I myself did not bring meat or fish, but our friends brough frozen salmon, tilapia, and chicken. Fresh fish and chicken is very expensive for a large party (we were 12 adults) on the island.

This stuff will stay good in a cooler for the plane ride, then boat ride?