Bermuda, St Thomas, or St John?

Old Aug 5th, 2006, 06:48 PM
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Bermuda, St Thomas, or St John?

We will be taking our 1st trip to the caribbean in early October for a week. I have been trying to do a lot of research and have kind of narrowed it down to these 3. Each one seems great and I am having a tough time deciding. Can I get some input from someone who has been to all? Also, have not ruled out Aruba, either. Are all fairly easy to navigate with a rental?
Thanks!
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 07:06 PM
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St John over St Thomas...definitely!Not sure about Bermuda..it is on our list also.Forget Aruba..I would choose Grand Cayman before Aruba.(if a flat island is what you what)

Christie
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 07:22 PM
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No doubt about it.. Bermuda...it is about the end of the tourist season... and you won't get a zillion cruisers like you would in St. Thomas... Second choice would be St. John...
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Old Aug 5th, 2006, 08:06 PM
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What's so bad about Aruba christiegr?
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 03:02 AM
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Bermuda's beautiful but in the Atlantic with colder water. A very nice place to go.

St. Thomas is busier but October isn't high season & all one has to do is avoid downtown on busy ship days. It hss some of the most gorgeous views in the Caribbean. Good shopping & lots to do.

St. John is beautiful with a great percentage of the island being a national park. Main hotels are Caneel Bay & Westin with smaller places & villas to rent.
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 06:23 AM
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On your list, I have been to Bermuda and Aruba and we are going to Grand Cayman next year.
Bermuda's waters are still very warm in Oct. We went two years ago in mid Oct and the water was warmer than our previous trip in May. Bermuda is a beautiful and safe island. It is very picturesque. There are no rental cars. The bus system is very safe and inexpensive. I have ridden it alone with small children. You can also rent mopeds to get around. I would recommend it highly for a first visit to the caribbean because it has so many positives.
Aruba is a flat and scruffy island. The water is green in color with white sand. The restaurants are very good. The island is friendly and fairly easy to get around with a rental car. It is not the prettiest island except around the resorts. We enjoyed our vacation here as well. There are many watersports available on the beaches in front of the hotels. There was more action in Aruba. There is also gambling if you enjoy that.
We are planning our next vacation to Puerto Rico and then another one a few months later to Grand Cayman. I have been to Puerto Rico and would probably not recommend it as a first time choice. The water is darker blue. The island has it's positives and negatives as well.
The Grand Cayman has everything I think that we are looking for in a vacation. It has safety, clean water, good food, good snorkeling, beautiful waters, and an atmosphere good for families. That is what we look for in our vacations. If you are a couple, all of these places would be great for couples too.
I have heard St. John is gorgeous and would be better than St.Thomas. My mother went to the Ritz in St. Thomas and said she never saw water that beautiful.
Good luck and let us know where you pick.
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 07:10 AM
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Couple more questions - Does St. John have anything to do in the evenings when you are not exploring, and is there some shopping? Don't like to spend my vacation shopping, but a little is nice. Also, how are the restaurants there? We definitely like local and casual cuisine.

Also, once off the ferry, are the rental companies nearby? Would we need a jeep or is a car ok for St. John?

Also, if we chose Bermuda, would you recommend a car for the entire time, or just for a few days?

Is it best to pick up vehicle at the airport?

Sorry for all the questions!
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 07:38 AM
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St. John has some limited shopping. The majority of the shopping action is on St. Thomas, which is easily reached by ferry. On my last trip I rented a four wheel drive jeep...turned out to be a very good plan as our rental house was on a terrible road, easily negotiated by four wheel drive.
There are no car rentals on Bermuda. You either travel by public transportation (which is clean,efficient and easy), taxi (which is expensive) or moped (love them,but they are dangerous).
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Old Aug 6th, 2006, 09:17 AM
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Vacations are all about indulgence. Bermuda is total luxury and designed for comfort and elegance. You should still be fine with the weather in early October. Bermuda features beautiful beaches and there are many things to do/see while visiting, but cmcfong is correct. There is no car rental. We used taxi's.
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Old Aug 7th, 2006, 07:40 AM
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'Just piling on to the opinions of cmcfong about transportation in Bermuda: the bus system is excellent and goes many places where you want to go. Taxis are fine, but expensive. We personally don't do the mopeds in that they are the large ones (not the little scooters.) The traffic can be congested in some areas of main roads (read: a bus can be right behind you on single-lane main roads.) There are a lot of tourists who are not used to driving on the "British" left-hand side of the road -- which results in many accidents.

FYI: Bermuda is a wonderful island, but densely populated for its size. To control congestion, they prohibit rental cars for tourists. I believe that even households are limited to one car, although I'm not quite sure how that rule reads now or how it may have changed over time. I know that there have been increasing restrictions and taxes on larger-sized vehicles.
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Old Aug 7th, 2006, 12:21 PM
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JAgirl,

I just did not care for Aruba.I felt way more safe at night in GC and St John.

Christie
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Old Aug 7th, 2006, 12:32 PM
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MSS,
I would definitely get a 4WD on St John as the roads are windy and steep.We used Conrad Sutton's which is a short walk from the ferry and you can park in their lot while in Cruz Bay.(which is good as parking is very limited)

I am not a big shopper while on vacation but St John offered just enough for me.We bought souviners from the locals who set up booths across from the ferry on the weekends.Most of the stuff is handmade from these folks.My mom bought some handmade paintings from a woman that were beautiful.

Cruz Bay and Coral Bay both have some neat little bars to have drinks at and relax!

Grand Cayman has about the same nightlife as St John..not alot but just enough.

Grand Cayman has more shopping than St John.

Christie
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Old Aug 8th, 2006, 02:47 PM
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Thanks for all of the tips! Still having a hard time deciding. We have ruled out Aruba for now. However, I am going to throw out one more island question.. We are now checking into Grand Bahama Island. Any tips or suggestions as compared to the others?
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Old Aug 8th, 2006, 04:21 PM
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I have not been to Aruba but it is an island to consider in October since it is located out of the hurricane belt. Oct. is still hurricane season.
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Old Aug 9th, 2006, 09:17 AM
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St.John because: Bermuda isn't in the caribbean and it is less populated than St. Thomas.

Aruba is a great island and isn't really outside any 'supposed' hurricane belt. All islands are at the same risk just historically Aruba hasn't been hit as many times as some other islands.

It is a desert island in the truest sense.

The only area of the Bahamas worth considering are the Out Islands or Abacos.
 
Old Aug 9th, 2006, 11:52 AM
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St. John is fabulous!!! I've visited many Carribean islands and this is one of my favs. St Thomas is quite touristy, built up and IMHO a bit dirty. Since St. John is primarily a National Park - it's truly beautiful and feels like paradise. But for those who like socialization - there is plenty to be had. A great selection of restaurants - both casual and upscale. check out ZoZo's and Asolaire for great sunsets and excellent food. I like the Paradiso, althought it doesn't have a few. You can find excellent music in Cruz Bay. And the beaches are simply the best. Be sure and rent a car and try the 'out-of-the-way' beach spots. You can always take a ferry to St. Thomas is you'd like for the day or head to the BVI. Jost Van Dyke, Peter Island, Virgin Gorda are some of my favs for day trips. Check out Woody's, Bar, Skinny Legs for good watering holes. And Foxy's on JVD is great also!!

One thought - Grand Bahama was also mentioned in a later post. I would definitely not recommend. The locals will follow you trying to sell you everything under the sun. "Dollar a braid" was etched into my mind. They don't take 'no' and will follow you down the walk. I also didn't think the island held any of the charm that others such as St. John, BVI, St. Barts, Anguilla and others have.
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