New at travelling via SJU

tomb1954

SBH Insider
Hi, all! We've always travelled to St. Barth through SXM onto Winair. With all the upheaval at that airport, we decided to try the pricier Tradewind option, staying over to the next day out of San Juan. Any anecdotal information as to flight time/aircraft/other logistics for this route are much appreciated! Thanks, Tom
 
If you’re staying over in SJU on the way to SBH then look at the first two flights of the day on Tradewind. They will be the least expensive Tradewind flights. When I take the early flights I arrive too early to get into my villa. I plan to have a long breakfast at Le Repaire, and then do an island tour to see what has changed/what’s new.

If you’re staying over in SJU on the way home, then look at the last flights of the day, which will be the least expensive. Enjoy a long, leisurely lunch, and find a place to hang out until it is time to go to the airport. I can sometimes be found reading in the park by the hospital, or sitting in the garden at Le Select watching the world go by.

Going to SBH, Tradewind’s counter is to the left of the JetBlue counter in Terminal A. Just tell the taxi driver that you’re going to JetBlue. If you get to the airport 60 minutes ahead of time then you should be fine. You’ll check in, they’ll weigh your luggage, issue boarding passes, and send you upstairs to the Tradewind lounge area, a cordoned-off comfortable seating area with snacks and beverages. Tradewind’s wi-if is available and free. A Tradewind rep will come to collect you about 20 minutes prior to flight time. (The only toilets are on the first floor, so plan accordingly.) The rep will bring you down a nearby elevator and escort you to a bus, which will take you to the plane. They will likely want to stow your carryon in the rear of the plane, so plan ahead and hand carry anything which you’ll need on the plane such as a tablet or an e-reader.

Returning from SBH, you’ll be bussed to the Immigration and Customs area in Terminal A. A Tradewind rep will bring you your checked luggage. There are a dozen or so kiosks, as well as Global Entry. Depending on the time of day, you may or may not be behind another flight, but it won’t take long to clear in. Taxis will be readily available outside. There are several hotels near the airport, some of which Tradewind has special pricing with. Lately I’ve been staying at the Embassy Suites, which does not have special pricing. The next day, plan to be at the airport at least 60 minutes before flight time. You’ll have to clear TSA security, which could take some time.



Which airline are you flying on?
 
One additional thought - given the difference in Tradewind flight prices, and some additional savings on airfare to/from San Juan due to my flexibility in flight times to/from there, my hotel rooms and dinner are paid for with the savings, with some savings left over. When people tell me that Tradewind is too expensive to use I always tell them to "run the numbers" - compare costs. Sometimes they are correct, sometimes the cost difference isn't large enough to matter, and sometimes it can actually be cheaper.
 
If you are overnighting in SJU and are arriving late and have one of the early morning flights over on Tradewind we would recommend staying in San Juan airport hotel...clean and in the terminal...and they have a simple breakfast set up and will make you omelets...nothing fancy but very convenient.
If you have longer layover Tradewind has pricing deal with the Ritz.
You will be quite happy with Tradewind...the Pilatus is a beautiful plane and the pilots and staff are great...and don’t forget about the cooler of cold drinks in the back of the plane for your ride!!!
 
Tradewind has deals with several hotels, but sadly the Ritz is still closed due to the 2017 hurricanes, with no published reopening date. The hotels which Tradewind currently lists are:

Airport Hotel https://airporthotelpr.com/
Hampton Inn and Suites https://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/h...on-inn-and-suites-san-juan-SJUHHHX/index.html (Only restaurant is the pool bar, which has a decent burger.)
Serafina Beach Hotel https://www.serafinabeachhotel.com/
Verdanza Hotel http://www.verdanzahotel.com/default-en.html

The Airport Hotel is, of course, in the airport. The Hampton Inn and Verdanza are a short cab ride away. The Serafina is a longer cab ride. Cab rates are fixed, and the Taxi Starter at the airport will give you a ticket showing the total cab fare from the airport to your chosen hotel, including any additional fees such as bag fees.
 
Thanks very much for all the information and advice--it is spot-on! I should have included in my first post that our itinerary is already set. We arrive in SJU via American at about 4:30 pm and will stay at the airport hotel for the night. Next day departure at a bit before noon, arriving SBH about 1 pm. (We're hoping to get into the villa early, but no worries if that doesn't happen. I'm sure we'll find some place lovely to hang out!) Leaving SBH just before 6 pm 17 days later and staying in San Juan for 4 days before heading home. Winter here hasn't been terrible yet, but I'm still very much looking forward to seeing St. Barth again!

One quick detail question, sort of a follow-up on something mentioned re toilets. I'm assuming there is no lavatory on the plane. A man of my...wisdom wonders about such things these days! :thinking1: If I'm wrong, great! Let me at that cooler! Cheers & thanks, Tom
 
You are correct that there is no lavatory on the plane.

There is one detail which I neglected to mention regarding your return home from SJU. All bags need to go through a Dept of Agriculture APHIS inspection prior to checking bags or going through security. There are x-ray machines near the terminal entrances, and an inspection sticker will be placed on each bag. Yet another line to go through.
 
Thanks for the reminder! We visited San Juan in 2014 for my 60th birthday, so I've been through that check-in snag. Fortunately our flight out is mid afternoon, so we are not too rushed.
 
There are restrooms right near the Tradewind waiting lounge....take elevator down to ground floor and they are steps away...make a quick run about 10 minutes before you depart...
and sit in back of plane for easy access to that cooler!!!!
 
Given your itinerary, I don’t believe you will need this, but on the way to SBH, Tradewind offers a VIP service which is quite nice as they do as much as can be done for you.
I believe the Ritz Carlton at Dorado Beach is open and 4 day stay there would be heavenly! The hotel supplies transportation to and from San Juan for day trips and maybe offers pick up at the airport?
 
Given your itinerary, I don’t believe you will need this, but on the way to SBH, Tradewind offers a VIP service which is quite nice as they do as much as can be done for you.
I believe the Ritz Carlton at Dorado Beach is open and 4 day stay there would be heavenly! The hotel supplies transportation to and from San Juan for day trips and maybe offers pick up at the airport?

Thanks for the advice! On our way down, departure time is just before noon, and with us being at the airport hotel, we're thinking we'll be OK. Because we booked the return trip hotel awhile ago, we opted for the Condado Vanderbilt. If we do this again, though, we will definitely consider the Ritz Carlton! Thanks, Tom
 
Soooo, if I exceed the 50-lb. weight allowance, is it an extra fee, or purge stuff from the luggage? It's going to be a challenge when ALL bags are in play!
 
We have never had an issue with weight of our individual bags but on a recent trip one of our bags had to go over on next flight due to the plane exceeding weight limit...
 
We had dinner at the Condado Vanderbilt on an overnight last October; what a beautiful hotel. While we were lingering, our server told us how the hotel had stayed open during the 2017 hurricane and became something of a shelter to its employees. Her supervisor had even helped her procure and store insulin for her father and she explained that she would always be grateful to the hotel. Evidently it's a lovely hotel in more ways than one. Enjoy your trip.
 
Top