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Important Details About Your Stay in Bordo Mare or Sopra Mare

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Your villa is located at the intersection of Great Cruz Bay Rd and Maria Bluff Rd.  After passing the Westin resort from Cruz Bay, take the first right on Great Cruz Bay Road and go exactly 1 mile.  You will see two driveways on the right with signs for Sopra Mare (upper villa) and Bordo Mare (lower villa).  If you come to an intersection with a dirt road you drove one home past our villa, so just turn around at the intersection and your villa will be on the left.

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Arriving in the U.S. Virgin Islands

American citizens do not need a passport to enter the USVI and return to the US, only a valid US driver’s license.  Non-US citizens must have passports for entry and exit.  All passengers flying from St. Thomas to the mainland U.S. must pass through customs.  If you have a Global Entry card it allows you to skip the longer customs line on return flights.

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Arriving St. John via Passenger Ferry (most visitors)

We recommend checking schedules and purchasing tickets online here to avoid waiting in line at the ferry station in St. Thomas.  There are also ferries that run between St. John and the British Virgin Islands for guests coming from or traveling to the BVI.

  • If you plan to use taxis to get around the island during your stay, you will find taxis waiting just outside the ferry station in Cruz Bay.

  • If you rented a car or Jeep on St. John, check with your car rental company as most will pick you up at the passenger ferry dock and take you to your car. 

  •  also offer concierge pickup service where our property manager will meet you at the dock, assist with your luggage, take you to pick up your car (if you rented one), escort you to your villa, give you a tour and orientation of the villa, and answer any questions you may have about the villa or St. John in general.  Concierge pickup service costs $100 and must be purchased at least 3 days prior to arrival.​​​​

​Arriving St. John via Car Ferry

You can save money by renting a car in St. Thomas and taking a car ferry to St. John.  The ferry has a more industrial feel than the passenger ferry but still only takes 20 minutes to cross to St. John.  You can buy tickets in advance from both ferry companies online: Big Red Barge. or via Love City Car Ferry.  Since they both use the same ferry dock and alternate trips every half hour for the bulk of the day, you can also just drive to dock and board the first ferry that arrives, but you will need to pay in cash at that point.  There is also a $3 port fee required departing from St. Thomas.  It’s best to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure to secure a spot in line.  Once you arrive in St. John use the address and map links above to get to your villa.

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Groceries, Spirits, and Gas

Some guests prefer to stop by stores to pick up supplies on their way to the villa while others prefer to unpack and settle in to the villa before picking up supplies.  Directions to two grocery store on the way to your villa are Dolphin Gourmet Market and Starfish Market.  Both stores sell beer, wine and spirits, and they also offer online shopping and delivery.  Click here to order from Dolphin and click here to order from Starfish.  We highly recommend LandLubber Logistics, who will deliver groceries, spirits, and any other supplies you wish to your villa prior to your arrival. If you need to gas up your vehicle during your stay, the nearest gas station is RaceTrack which a 1.2 miles from your villa. 

 

Coffee: Our coffee maker uses cone filters.  Prior guests typically leave extra coffee filters behind, plus there is a reusable gold cone filter so bringing/buying filters before you arrive is optional.  We also have a Nespresso Vertuo Plus machine that makes single serve coffee drinks and is compatible with all Nespresso "Vertuo" pod sizes and types. If you plan to make espresso drinks we suggest bringing pods from home or buying them on St. Thomas (at Walmart, Target, or Moe's Fresh Market) because they are not currently available on St. John. ​

 

Exploring the Island

  • The more popular beaches offer amenities.  Visit VINow.com provides information on St. John beaches, including which have concessions stands, chair and umbrella rentals, rest rooms, showers, snorkel rentals, etc.  It also has the cruise ship schedule which you can use to determine which days the beaches may be more crowded.  St. John Beach Guide is another good resource for beaches, off-the-beaten trail snorkel spots, and more.  

  • The best beaches are on the north shore.  If you plan to taxi to the beaches you can go any time of day.  If you plan to drive to the beach I recommend arriving no later than 9:30am to get a parking spot (the beaches are 15-25 minute drive from your villa.  Once the parking lots are full you may have to wait for someone to leave to get a spot, or you can try one of the other north shore beaches.  There is a pilot park & ride program at Caneel Bay Resort which is near the north shore beaches where you can park for free and be shuttled to the beaches (Click here to check shuttle times). 

  • Your villa has 4 complimentary beach chairs and a cooler.  Most beaches have plenty of shady areas to place your chairs so renting a beach umbrella is optional.

  • There are many excellent hiking trails which range from relatively easy to very difficult.  Click here to learn more about the more popular trails and click here for a trail map.

  • The best cell coverage on St. John is AT&T, followed by Verizon and T-Mobile which have more spotty coverage.  Some U.S. cell phone companies accidentally charge international roaming fees when you visit certain north shore beaches that are closer to cell towers in the BVI than the nearest tower on St. John.  This is a common error that occurs across all U.S. cell phone companies.  St. John is part of the U.S. and international roaming charges should not be applied to your account.  If this occurs the charges can usually be reversed by contacting your cell phone provider and explaining you were in the USVI, not BVI.

 

In Case of Emergency, Dial (340) 776-9110.  This is the equivalent of 911 for cell phones on St. John.  Tell the dispatcher the nature of your emergency and give your location.  If you are in the villa, tell the dispatcher you are staying in (Bordo Mare or Sopra Mare) located at the intersection of Great Cruz Bay Road and Maria Bluff Road.   If you are elsewhere on the island use your phone's GPS to give the emergency personnel your location.  Other important emergency phone numbers :

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