We took a flight leaving San Juan, PR on a Friday around 7am! Maybe not the best day or time to fly (by our preferences) but if you book at least 4 weeks in advance, like we did. You'll be able to find a great price to St. Thomas. If you wanna know more about finding cheap flights online, check out our blog post "10 Tips to Finding Cheap Flights Online". Surprisingly St Thomas is pretty expensive, compared to the rest of the Caribbean Islands. Which we found out after we booked a weekend so our only option was to make the best out of it. Here I'll detail how to enjoy St Thomas, eat, drink and explore on a budget.
How to make it work without breaking the bank.
We spent $1,795.92 ($448.94/pp) on a trip for 4; 3days 2nights {flights, car rental, Airbnb, food and drinks}.
Here is how we did it!
Flights - $479.84 {$119.96/pp}
Airbnb - $404.04
Car Rental - $190
Gas - $33
Food - $299.50
Drinks - $291.79
Groceries - $97.75
Extra - $42.23 {memory cards}
Let's explain all of this...
First, flights: $479.84 {$119.96/pp round trip}
We took a flight leaving San Juan, PR on a Friday around 7am! Maybe not the best day or time to fly (by our preferences) but if you book at least 4 weeks in advance, like we did. You'll be able to find a great price to St. Thomas. If you wanna know more about finding cheap flights online, check out our blogpost "10 Tips to Finding Cheap Flights Online"
Next, Airbnb: $404.04 {Entire apartment}
I believe we have already settle the hotel vs Airbnb/hostel debate. We choose to stay on Airbnb almost all the time. We feel more comfortable, more at home, also it leaves us with the right amenities to be able to cook some meals and help our budget. This time we chose to stay in an Airbnb, we got an entire apartment, with a pool, parking space and a breathtaking view. One bedroom and a sofa couch, two bathrooms and plenty of space for four persons. We felt right at home, it was clean and the service was great, they were there to greet us and make sure we didn't need anything else. Book with Airbnb and get $25OFF with my coupon! Enjoy!
Now, Car rental + Gas: $223
We always try to support local businesses, and luckily this time we found a local car rental Paradise Rental Car. They have an amazing service! Somehow I forgot to rent the car in advance and the day before our flight, I was reviewing the reservations and I noticed, NO CAR RESERVATION!! Not gonna lie, I panicked a bit. But I found Paradise Rental Car, they answered and reserved me a Jeep Wrangler on the spot. Part of their amazing service is that you don't have to worry about lines, or waiting to get your car. They show up and greet you at the airport, with the car ready to go. And when you finish your trip, they are waiting for you at the airport to get the car. Plus! they have the best price. We definitely recommend them!
Food... :$299.50
Like I have said before, food is one of the things that will get your budget out of control, and hey St Thomas was no different. Once we landed we noticed that food is extremely expensive (if we got the wrong impression/experience please let me know). But on the bright side we found an area with a few restaurants and bars that have amazing food and good prices. Our mistake was not researching the restaurants in advance. But hey it’s a learning process.. A few places we liked and recommend.
Bernie's Bar and Grill (also good for drinks)
Greengo's Caribbean Cantina (also good for drinks)
Because of course! Drinks: $291.79
St. Thomas apparently has a EVERYONE HAPPY HOUR time. Well if it's between 3pm/4pm and 7pm it doesn't matter where you are, what restaurant you are in, bar, or even grocery stores, its Happy Hour! So of course we made the best out of it and went out during this time window. A few places we recommend.
Duffy's Love Shack (also good for food)
The Tap & Still Red Hook (also good for food)
Groceries: $97.75
You might have amazing savings on all the big expenses, but if you buy a water bottle every time, a pack of gum at the gas station and maybe a six pack of beers, it will add up. We always make a stop for groceries, and this time we also made sure to include breakfast and late snacks, a few wine bottles and water. That way we made sure not to have small unnecessary expenses and it helped us to save on restaurants and bars.
Extra: Memory Cards $42.23
If you live in la la land, like I do most of the time. Then you tend to forget small stuff. This time I forgot the memory cards, let's make it clear that is not the first time that I forget memory cards so.. I had to stop at a Kmart, that randomly showed up THANK GOD, and I got some overpriced memory cards. Shame on me.
I hope this breakdown is helpful for your next trip, not only to St. Thomas but it can apply to any trip.
Let us know if you like this kind of budget blog? Don't forget to check out our "Miami on a Budget" blog.
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Until next time, Jailene
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