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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 Road and Maria Bluff Road.  As you pass the Westin resort from Cruz Bay, take the first right onto Great Cruz Bay Road, and go exactly 1 mile to your villa.  You will see two driveways with signs for Sopra Mare (upper villa) and Bordo Mare (lower villa).

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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. 

  • We 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.

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Arriving St. John via Car Ferry

Some guests save money by renting a car in St. Thomas and take the car ferry to St. John.   This ferry has a more industrial feel than the passenger ferry but still only takes 20 minutes to cross to St. John.   We recommend checking schedules and buying tickets online here.   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.

Prior guests typically leave extra coffee filters behind but just in case our coffee maker uses basket filters.  If you prefer to have groceries and spirits delivered to your villa prior to your arrival contact LandLubber Logistics, who will coordinate delivery timing with our property manager.   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.

 

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 be removed by contacting your cell phone provider and explaining you were on St. John, not in the BVI.

 

Our Property Manager will be your primary point of contact during your stay in our villas.  His contact information will be provided to you via email approximately one week prior to your stay and is also included in the villa manual you will find in the kitchen.  

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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 Villa Bordo 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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