Transport · East End
You can have a good week here without renting a car
Between what is walkable, the flag-down safari buses along the East End road and taxis that charge a fixed rate per person, a lot of guests never rent anything. Here is when that works and when it does not.
📍 6720 Estate Smith Bay, Unit D101, St. Thomas, VI 00802, U.S. Virgin Islands
From Sapphire Beach on the East End you can reach the beach, the resort pool, the marina and dive shop on foot, Cabes Point in a minute and Lindquist Beach in about eighteen minutes. Red Hook — groceries, restaurants and the St. John ferry — is under a mile. Beyond that, St. Thomas has two practical options without a rental car: open-air safari buses that run along the main roads, and taxis that charge a government-set rate per person by destination rather than by meter.
A rental car earns its keep if you want Magens Bay, the north shore or several trips into Charlotte Amalie. If you take one, know this first: the U.S. Virgin Islands drive on the left, but the cars are ordinary American left-hand-drive vehicles. Driving on the left from the left-hand seat is more disorienting than either one alone, and roundabouts and blind hillside curves are where it catches people out.
Safari buses
The open-air buses, and their one catch
Safaris are open-sided trucks with bench seats running the main routes. There is no timetable and there are no marked stops: you flag one down, you pay cash, and you tell the driver where you are getting off. The fare is a flat couple of dollars.
The East End route runs along the main road past Sapphire, Coki and the Red Hook dock, which covers most of what a guest here wants. The catch is the return: the westbound leg often runs on the inland highway rather than back along the coast, so it may not drop you where it picked you up. Plan the outbound on a safari and be ready to take a taxi back.
Taxis
Fixed rates per person, not a meter
Taxi fares in the U.S. Virgin Islands are set by the government: a published rate per person for each destination, with a lower rate each when two or more travel together. There is no meter. Drivers carry the rate card and will show it.
Two practical habits: confirm the fare and the destination before you get in, and if you are going somewhere you will need to leave from, agree a pick-up time with the same driver. Taxis are common on the East End road but not something you can summon from a quiet beach at five in the afternoon.
Because the rate is per person, a taxi is expensive for one and reasonable for four — the opposite of how mainland fares work.
If you do drive
Left side of the road, left side of the car
The U.S. Virgin Islands are the only place under the U.S. flag that drives on the left, a holdover from the Danish colonial period. The vehicles, however, are imported from the mainland, so the steering wheel is on the left as well. Everything your instincts tell you about where you sit in the lane is wrong for the first day.
Add steep, narrow, winding roads with limited shoulders and frequent blind curves, and the advice is straightforward: go slowly, take the first roundabout carefully, and do not plan a long drive on arrival evening.
One more thing worth checking rather than assuming: many rental agreements do not allow the vehicle on the inter-island car ferry. If a St. John day trip with the car is part of your plan, ask the rental company first.
Frequently asked
Questions about getting around
Can I stay at Sapphire Beach without a rental car?
Yes, and many guests do. The beach, pool, marina and dive shop are on site, Lindquist Beach is about an eighteen-minute walk, and Red Hook — groceries, restaurants and the St. John ferry — is under a mile, with taxis and safari buses on the main road.
What is a safari bus?
An open-sided truck with bench seats that runs the main routes. No timetable and no fixed stops — you flag it down, pay a couple of dollars in cash, and tell the driver where you want off.
How do taxi fares work in the U.S. Virgin Islands?
They are set by the government per person and by destination rather than by meter, with a lower rate each when two or more travel together. Confirm the fare before you get in.
Do they really drive on the left in St. Thomas?
Yes — it is the only place under the U.S. flag that does, left over from Danish rule. The cars are American left-hand-drive vehicles, so you sit on the left and drive on the left, which takes a day to get used to.
Can I take a rental car on the ferry to St. John?
Sometimes, but many rental agreements forbid it. Ask the rental company before you plan it. The passenger ferry from Red Hook does not need a car at all, and taxis wait at Cruz Bay on the other side.
When is a rental car worth it?
If you want Magens Bay, the north shore, or several trips into Charlotte Amalie. For a week spent between the beach, Red Hook, Coki and St. John, it mostly sits in the parking space.
Keep reading
The rest of the area, and the condo it starts from
Everything on this island is close. What changes is how long the road takes and how many cruise ships are in.
Photographs of the island on this page are by Karl Callwood, Joseph Corl, Andy Feliciotti, Roger Darnell, Matthew Valentino, Jamie Tudor and Island Guides, published on Unsplash. Every photograph of the condo itself is our own.
Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina · St. Thomas, USVI
Sapphire Beach Condo D101 — 9.8/10 from 259 stays
Book direct and the host answers you, not a call center. Rates include all fees.