Travel Question

J

jgf711

SBH Member
Woohoo!!!! One week and we're on the way for our two week vacation on St. Barts. Can't wait.

My wife and I are both fully vaccinated and boosted twice so getting to St. Barts via San Juan on Tradewinds will be a breeze. However, as of right now, we need a negative PCR or antigen test on our return to San Juan.

Now the question - what are most using for the testing, local test site? And if so, which? Or emed test and which brand is most reliable regarding getting results in time?

Thanks in advance!!

Joe & Ellen
 
IMHO, EMed is the most convenient and efficient way if you don't mind to follow instructions and have comparatively good internet connection in your villa/hotel. Important that you have to bring EMed tests with you from the States.
 
I have used, and so have many of our visitors, the Croix Rouge tent in St. Jean. It is quick and easy. I had to take a test today as I am going off-island tomorrow and I got my antigen test results in 45 minutes. There was no line and you can pre-register online, making the check-in process even easier. The cost is 50 Euros, paid by cc. I know many others do the pharmacies or emed, but frankly, it has always been so easy at the Croix Rouge, I never even thought to go anywhere else.
 
We had our test last Friday at pharmacy across from airport..50 euros per person. No line when we got there when it opened.
The pharmacists were quite delightful and friendly. Got results in 10 minutes.
Our villa Internet is sketchy and didn’t want to do the home test.
 
We used EMed/Binax tests that we brought with us, and the Verifly app to return via SJU on Tradewinds. As others have said, you need to bring the tests with you and have a decent internet connection at your villa.
 
Back in March three of us used the Emed/Binax tests which we brought from the states, and one of us used the pharmacy in St Jean near Zion. Both ways work but if I were going again soon, I would ditch the Emed tests, which took up far too much space in my carry on suitcase (LOL) and just get tested at one the pharmacies. It was quick and efficient.
 
We brought the eMed/Binax tests along but midway through the trip had concerns about our internet connection and ended up using the traveling nurse DavesMom recommended, who came to our Villa. We had our test results in less than 10 min and our results notarized, which we then uploaded to VeriFly. Worked great for us and was worth the $100eu/pp for peace of mind and spotty internet.
 
Thanks vey much to all of you very helpful people on this website. We have purchased and will bring the Binax emed tests with the pharmacies as backup in case the villa has sketchy internet connection. I'll post a trip report and let everyone know how this all works out.
 
We traveled with four eMed kits and kept the local option as a backup in case we had a poor data connection etc. It would be easier not to travel with that volume of extra stuff.

We have taken a bunch of Binax tests in the past so the process has become familiar to us and our villa had good wifi but obviously YMMV with that so as others have suggested, plan accordingly.

It may be worth noting that if the ability to return to the US in a timely fashion with a negative test result is critical to you, and if one were so inclined, it would be easy to sort of "fake" the eMed test. The proctor will observe while you swab, but they have no way of knowing whether you are actually making contact with anything inside the nostril.

Each of us spent probably more time than we should have considering our various options should one or both of us get "stuck" on island with a positive result for a week, or two, or several.
 
shihadehs said:
We had our test last Friday at pharmacy across from airport..50 euros per person. No line when we got there when it opened.
The pharmacists were quite delightful and friendly. Got results in 10 minutes.
Our villa Internet is sketchy and didn’t want to do the home test.
Click to expand...

Now that the Croix Rouge is closed, needing to go to the pharmacy for a test with a friend in a few weeks. Do you need an appointment to go to the pharmacy across from the airport, or do they do testing all day?
 
le_reve said:
Now that the Croix Rouge is closed, needing to go to the pharmacy for a test with a friend in a few weeks. Do you need an appointment to go to the pharmacy across from the airport, or do they do testing all day?
Click to expand...

le_reve, no appointment necessary at the pharmacy across from the airport, just walk in. Pretty sure they test all day. You fill out a small form with your info and provide passport, and they take you right in. Fred, the pharmacist is quite friendly and the test is quick. We went over to Le Jardin for some coffee while we waited. Such a great place! Went back, got our negative test results and printout, and we were on our merry way. Couldn’t have been easier. I think it was €50 per person.
 
We tested at pharmacy across airport..our flight home was on a Saturday so we got there first in line when it opened on Friday. A substantial line had formed considering Saturday is a popular day to travel..quick and easy and yes the pharmacist was very friendly.
 
If the pharmacist across from the airport is the same one who was there last year (5/2021), he is very nice, professional, and handsome ��.
 
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