June 2011 visit to St Croix

How long are you staying on STX? What's your budget? Do you want a full kitchen? What are your goals for the visit, other than easy walking access to places? Is this a PMV?

Bob,

We are hoping to stay for 2-4 weeks. I would like to move there in 3 years after school and we would like to get a better feel of the place. I guess the total time is going to depend on the budget and vice verse. I would like a full kitchen so we can go to the grocery and cook most of our meals. My wife would like to move (in the future) some where that we wouldn't need to drive a lot. We are trying to get a feel for living there. What is a PMV? So far I like St Johns the best, I felt St Thomas was a little messy. I have to say that both islands had some of the nicest and sincere people I have ever met. I am also interested in looking at some of the private schools and possible speaking to some of the teachers.

Jeff

I would suggest Cottages by the Sea. You will need a car, but this is a nice, family oriented place on one of the nicest beaches on STX. The rooms have kitchens, which would also be a benefit for you.

Regarding the schools, the top 2 schools on the island in my opinion are Country Day School, and Good Hope School. The Country Day School is good for more athletic oriented kids, who take school seriously, but prefer sports more so. The Good Hope School is the exact opposite. The schooling is much more advanced, and the teachers are more serious. You will ask around and discover that most of teachers at Country Day have masters and bachelors, but they are not trained teachers. The Good Hope School is similar, but has more trained teachers. Country Day and Good Hope are both good for grades 5th and down, but Good Hope is better academically for Middle and High School. Here are the links to both of the schools websites:

CDS: http://www.stxcountryday.com/
GHS: http://www.ghsvi.org/

p.s. Both campuses don't look anything alike to the ones in the United States, since they don't run air conditioning in the classrooms much. Good Hope has a few more air conditioned rooms than Country Day does, but not enough to affect your choice!

Please P.M. For further info!
Hoped this helped!

What is a PMV?

A PMV is a Pre-Move Visit. It's where you figure out if living here would suit you. Rather than doing all fun vacation stuff, you look at neighborhoods and housing, schools, jobs, grocery stores, the cost of things, the people, etc.

Bob,

Got yah, yah that is what we are up to, but we will also do some fun vacation stuff. ;). I would love also to get feed back on neighborhoods, housing and such from anyone.

Thanks Diver dude for the school stuff. :@)

Jeff

Hi jtbaylee,

Finding a spot where you can walk to both the beach and the grocery can be a bit tough on STX. Maybe not impossible, perhaps on "condo row" would be your best bet. You length of stay will be considered a vacation rental, so pricey. There are always exceptions, however, and this board is a great place to fine them.

I have an apartment complex a little farther away from beach/grocery. We always recommend having a car. I wouldn't suggest you even consider us without one, particularly with a 6 year old and a 9 year old. You could walk, but definitely NOT with the kids. If you think you might rent a car, then please take a look at our site: http://www.virginislandsrentals.com .

It's a little early for me to know about June, 2011, but if you want to send me an email, I'll be glad to keep you updated. Our minimum rental is one month, but even if you don't stay the entire month, it's less than a hotel. We have 2 bedroom units, so the kids could have their own room, and it really would be more of a "PMV" than a vacation.

Happy Planning!

Ocean Terrace, where I live, is gated and not so expensive as some other places on St Croix. You could walk to Pueblo for groceries, pharmacy, Dominos Pizza, Mcdonalds, KFC, and Subway. Walking to the beach would be a bit longer. The pool is nice.

Regarding the schools, the top 2 schools on the island in my opinion are Country Day School, and Good Hope School. The Country Day School is good for more athletic oriented kids, who take school seriously, but prefer sports more so. The Good Hope School is the exact opposite. The schooling is much more advanced, and the teachers are more serious. You will ask around and discover that most of teachers at Country Day have masters and bachelors, but they are not trained teachers. The Good Hope School is similar, but has more trained teachers. Country Day and Good Hope are both good for grades 5th and down, but Good Hope is better academically for Middle and High School. Here are the links to both of the schools websites:

CDS: http://www.stxcountryday.com/
GHS: http://www.ghsvi.org/

p.s. Both campuses don't look anything alike to the ones in the United States, since they don't run air conditioning in the classrooms much. Good Hope has a few more air conditioned rooms than Country Day does, but not enough to affect your choice!

Please P.M. For further info!
Hoped this helped!

DiverDude...you already posted this as "good2go" https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,144209,144225#msg-144225

I think it's questionable whether Good Hope is better academically than CDS in the upper grades.
Good Hope continues to have a lot of turnover in teachers.
As for being "more serious" ...as a parent of a Good Hope High Schooler, I would NOT define them as "more serious" by stateside standards. They're pretty relaxed in my opinion.

One of the biggest differences between the two school: the student body.

CDS is about twice the size of Good Hope and Good Hope has a higher percentage of born-here Crucian kids who attend.