TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums US VI and Puerto Rico Duty Free Liquor Store STT

Is the Duty Free Liquor store back at St. Thomas airport yet?

No it is not. The airport is still under construction with little to no amenities and AC is not good either. We were just there in early March 2019.

Okay, thank you. We were there last April and it was not opened, we were hoping there was progress since last year.

We are chartering out of CYOA for the first time (previous trips out of Tortola). We arrive the day before so have time to shop. What are our best options for stocking the bar?

I've found that Plaza Extra has the best selection and prices for beer, wine, and liquor. They also have the best selection for overall provisioning. I head there first, then on the return trip to CYOA I make a quick stop (as needed) at The Fruit Bowl, then Pueblo, then Moe's.

I typically provision for a 2 week trip with 6-8 persons with all but a couple lunches and dinners onboard. It takes me ~3 hours roundtrip from CYOA to complete the provisioning and unloading.

Bring some heavier duty shopping bags. I think CYOA also has heavy duty bags available. Moe's supplies free plastic bags. Pueblo and Fruit Bowl has them for a small fee.

I rent a minvan from Avis at the airport then return it at the Seaplane base the next day. After provisioning I take my crew in a sightseeing ride to Mountain Top and Drake's overlook. Rental and fuel runs ~$110.

In the past I have done similar to Baard and rented a car (thus avoided the $12/person taxi from the airport) and driven to Plaza Extra for provisions. I found everything I needed at Plaza Extra and didn't do the additional stops Baard suggested.

In the more distant past I have walked up to Pueblo and taxied back with the provisions. This is doable as well though Pueblo isn't my favorite experience. And for some reason they don't stock eggs (huh?).

This las trip (last month) I did all my provisioning at Moes. Got a dingy from CYOA and tied it up at the sea wall opposite Moes. Drove the Moes grocery cart across the street to avoid carrying anything. This worked great. Moes is a bit more expensive that Plaza Extra in my opinion. It's a smaller store but had most of the stuff we were seeking and easily found substitute items for stuff we didn't find.

I shop at the Sub Base Pueblo a few times a week, I have never seen them not have eggs. That was an abnormal shopping experience there. Not that I doubt it , hey STT never ceases to surprise me. Moe's on the waterfront is well stocked and convenient, but too expensive for me unless I can't find something particular elsewhere