cawhite

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on the Caribbean forum! I just booked a trip for our family of 4, using FF miles (1st trip to the Caribbean!). We fly from California to St. Thomas and will be staying at the Frenchman's Reef and Morning Star Marriott (using reward points). We could not get FF tickets back to California from St. Thomas, but we could get return FF tickets from San Juan.

We have 9 nights, so I thought it might be nice to spend 5 nights on San Thomas, then 4 nights on St. Kitts, staying at the St. Kitts Marriott (also using reward points). So here are the questions...

(1) What is the best way to get from St. Thomas to St. Kitts?

(2) What is the best way to get from St. Kitts to San Juan, for our return flight to California?

(3) Does this seem like a reasonable way to divide the time?

(4) My family wants to dive (DH and DD are certified divers) and snorkel (myself and DS). Any recommendations on where to go?

(5) My kids will be 12 and almost 16 at the time of the trip. Any other ideas for things for 1st timers to do while there? We are not interested in casinos. We like the beaches but don't want to lay on them all day. We will shop a little but that's not the main interest. We are not big drinkers. We do want to explore beautiful places, have some good local food, and see some interesting things.

Thanks for any ideas you can provide!

Carole

cawhite

Oh, also... We could stay overnight in San Juan for 1 night at the end, if there is something that can easily be seen in 1 day (yes, we'd stay at the Marriott here too!). But I don't want to squeeze too many things in either!

Thanks.

cawhite

OK... I just did a search on www.air-gorilla.com and I came up with the following best airfares (both through AA):

St. Thomas to St. Kitts ($174 pp + taxes)

St. Kitts to St. San Juan ($166 pp + taxes)

So, for the family, that's $1358 + taxes for both... is it worth it to stay on St. Kitts, or should we stay put on St. Thomas for the full 9 nights and just island hop a bit from there (day trips)?

If we stay on St. Thomas, we still have to travel to San Juan to catch our return flight to California... but that's only $99 per person ($396 + taxes, total for the family, through Cape Air).

Also, do we need to book these within Caribbean flights early, or should we wait (i.e., do prices go up as the travel dates draw near... or do the prices remain fairly stable)?

Thanks again!!

Carrybean

There are lots of places to island hop from St. Thomas. You can go to St. John, take a seaplane to St. Croix, ferries to the BVI's so I'd just stay at the Reef & explore what's in your own back yard. You'll have plenty to do for 9 days. You can avoid traffic & take the little boat from the Reef downtown to shop when there aren't many ships in port.

Lots of history in St. Thomas if you're into that also. And absolutely stunning views since it's a hilly island. Also some good restaurants including the one above the lobby at Morning Star, Havana Blue (it's expensive, though.)

virginia

hi, welcome to the caribbean board. i agree with carrybean. you will find tons to explore in the usvi and bvi and save the trouble of moving not to mention the 1400. st. thomas has numerous dives shops (i can recommend waterworld at havensight mall) with boats to different dive and snorkel spots. st. john is a short ferry ride and has outstanding snorkeling, loads of great beaches, and a few fun restaurants. you can ferry to all of the bvi actually.
to snorkel on st. thomas try secret harbour beach, coki beach/coral world (which is fun eco-waterpark), lindquist out to the right where you see the reef break, wyndham sugar bay again to the right (drive through gate, no need to stop, park to left and as far from gate as possible, walk through pool area or down service road to your left to get on the beach. this club is ai so you need to bring water, etc).
check out www.newhorizonscharters.com your kids will love this trip!!! it's a converted cigarette boat, takes only about a dozen or so passengers and goes very fast. first stop the baths to snorkel or tour(do the tour), then a lunch stop at pussers (would mr.cawhite enjoy a cuban cigar from the pussers store?), then more snorkeling (watch for the huge tarpon), and finally to the soggy dollar bar which is an experience in itself (ice creams down the beach too). you go all the way around tortola and get a look at most of the bvi's. this is a very cool trip. book immed. they fill up months ahead. i can't recall it's name but the boat in the next slip (this is at sapphire marina) does sunset sailing cruises. also very nice.
secret harbour has a nice restaurant. havana blue at marriott is fabulous but $$$. tony romano's has nice italian. the ritz sunday brunch is a fun splurge. check out their pool and beach while you're there.
st. thomas is a major duty free zone. do go to the outdoor market at the east end of charlotte amalie. try to do your shopping day when no ships are in port. don't miss magens beach. go very early as ships send busses there.

mahobaygirl

I agree with the above posters. There are so many islands to hop to that are so close to STT. I bet you will find yourselves taking the ferry to St.John more than once during your stay!!
If you decide to spend your last night in San Juan, be sure to visit Old San Juan. Your family will enjoy walking the old forts and wandering through the old town. We always enjoy eating at The Parrot Club for local food. Have fun.

iw

I would also agree to stay in St. Thomas and take day trips. We split our time last year between 3 islands in 11 days and I felt like I was constantly packing and unpacking, not to mention the time we lost while waiting in the airports.

cawhite

Thanks everyone for the fantastic responses!! I guess it's settled... 9 days on St. Thomas.

Carrybean - Yes, we're into history! Do you have any specific recommendations?

virginia - Thanks for the Waterworld dive shop recommendation... and the New Horizons Charters recommendation. That looks awesome! And yes, I'm sure my husband will take in a Cuban cigar during the trip!

mahobaygirl - We really would have preferred to stay on St. John but, alas, there is no Marriott. We are still recovering (financially) from our 25 day trip to Europe this past summer... so we'll so excited to at least have a Marriott in the area where we can stay for free. I'm sure we'll go ot St. John a couple of times!!

So is 1 day enough to see Old San Juan? We could leave St. Thomas in the morning of our last day, and we will have until noon the following day in San Juan (our return flight to CA leaves around 2:30 p.m.).

My 2 other questions:

(1) Do we need to rent a car on St. Thomas?

(2) Do we need to worry about it being the start of hurricane season (we'll be there mid to late June)? We were on a cruise in Grand Cayman area when hurricane Katrina hit!

Thanks again.

Carole

mahobaygirl

You can do Old San Juan in the time you mentioned. I forgot to mention, in the evenings sometimes they have performers, dancers, singers down at the waterfront that can be fun to watch.

I would not give up a day in the Virgin Islands to spend an extra day in SJ!

cawhite

Thanks mahobaygirl - I now have 9 nights at the St. Thomas Marriott and a (dual) reservation for 1 night in San Juan, so we can decide later. I'll run it by hubby and see what he wants to do.

Carole

ejcrowe

I personally think that spending your last night in Old San Juan is the perfect way to ease yourself back into the real world. San Juan is a major city with hustle & bustle, and Old San Juan in particular has so much to offer in terms of historical and cultural sites--the forts alone could take all day, really. We spent our first night in OSJ last year after a trip to Vieques (that was all about beaches & relaxation), and it was such a fun experience that we will now do the same thing in the future whenever airline schedules work in our favor to do so. We're going to Grenada next May, so instead of spending 6 hours in transit at the airport, we're just going to book one night in town to enjoy the sights & sounds of the city.

cawhite

Thanks ejcrowe - I just found out that we can add either 1 or 3 nights to the trip... so maybe we will stop by San Juan "on the way out". Do you have any restaurant recommendations? Some good local cuisine with a unique atmosphere... something good for families?

Carole

Carrybean

You can't get Cuban cigars in the USVI but if you go to the BVI's your husband should be able to puff away on one.

They have walking tours in the historic district (I think daily) that takes you to the top of Blackbeard's Tower & includes a couple of house museums, one is from the 1820's, 99 steps & lots of the historical things downtown. Here's the phone number:
776-1234. Call when you reach St. Thomas. And don't worry about a hurricane in June. That's when I go on vacation & I don't even bother closing my hurricane shutters.

Camille Pisarro lived here & you can see where he lived on Main St. They're redoing old Ft. Christian also across from the Legislature. There's a museum in there too but not sure if it's open during the renovations but that might be complete by the time you get here.

Herman Wouk who wrote "Don't Stop the Carnival" (must read) & "Marjorie Morningstar" also lived here. You'll be staying on Morningstar beach where he got the name for that book.

cawhite

Great Carrybean - Thanks for the additional information We love to see historical sites (Actually, our kids may not say the same thing. After our summer in Europe, I believe they think history lessons should be separate from vacations!!). I will put the books you mention on the list to pick up prior to our trip, as well.

Now, what about a rental car? Will we need one?

Thanks!

Carole

cawhite

OK... We've just added 3 nights to the trip for a total of 12 nights. I was able to move out the date and still use FF miles (I have 2 more days to lock in the booking).

Now, given the new scenario, should we split the time? If so, 11 nights St. Thomas and 1 night San Juan... or 10/2... something else?

Also, and I did a little more research and see that a car is not a bad idea.

Thanks again!

Carole

ejcrowe

With that much time, I would definitely do at least your last night in San Juan. Whether or not you want to do 2 nights depends on whether you'd like a change of pace from the beach to the city.

Sorry about dinner suggestions, but our night in old San Juan was a splurge and we dined at Agua Viva, which was fabulous, but a more sophisitcated menu than many young people might like. Specialized in seafood. You might be able to find thei menu online and show your kids--maybe they'll enjoy it! our 13 year old had a great time there with her meal until we discovered that she had some sort of (mild) shellfish allergy--yikes!

but kids should really enjoy the two forts. if they're fairly young, they might enjoy flying a kite by El Morro.

cawhite

Thanks ejcrowe - Actually my kids are pretty good with high end restaurants and varied menus. So that might be a good choice... I read about that restaurant elsewhere. My husband is a seafood lover for sure (originally from Louisiana). I have a shellfish allergy, like your son... but I can always find something!

Our kids will be 12 and just short of 16 at the time of the trip, by the way.

Anyone know of a good travel book I should buy for the Caribbean? Lonely Planet, Fodors, Frommers?????

Carole

eileen

I would do at least two nights in San Juan, otherwise it is only merely a stopover, not part of your vacation and a lot of trouble for only one night. Definitely do a trip to the rainforest -- El Yunque. There are some great hikes there -- there's at least one pretty easy hike to a waterfall where you can swim, your teens would probably enjoy that.

virginia

i would definetly advise renting a car. it gives you so much more freedom to what you want.
i just traveled to mexico and purchased trip insurance that included hurricane protection. it covered hotel, additional air if necessary, meals, car.
2 nights in san juan would be my choice as well.

cawhite

Hi eileen - My kids would LOVE a hike to a waterfall for swimming... we have done that in Hawaii. Thanks for the recommendation.

virginia - Thanks for the reminder on the travel insurance.

Carole