bostonallison

Heading to St. Thomas late Feb/early March. Looking for affordable accomodations, either on beach or within walking distance. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

cdt

The cheapest places are in Charlotte Amalie and not near a beach.

The cheapest places on or near a beach are on Lindbergh Bay, very near the airport: Best Western Carib, Island Beachcomber, and the more expensive Best Western Emerald Beach.

Unfortunately it costs a bit more to have a beach and no runway. Take a look at Sapphire Village, Point Pleasant, Blazing Villas, or Bluebeard's Beach Club.

bostonallison

Thanks for the info. If I were to stay in Charlotte Amalie, are there buses to the beach? How far away is it from the shoreline? Someone recommended the Mafolie Hotel. Any input on that?

cdt

I think the Mafolie and some of the other "in-town" hotels have free shuttles to a beach - usually Magens Bay. Not sure how often they run.

Haven't tried the local buses but I think they're geared more toward getting the locals where they need to go, rather than getting tourists to a beach.

We haven't stayed at the Mafolie but we have driven by it, and it looks pretty nice - with a great view.

One budget approach to STT is to stay in the cheapest possible accommodations and rent a car - rentals are less expensive than most Caribbean islands, although more than in the US.

Have you thought about the campgrounds on St. John?

bostonallison

Thanks again for the info. After reading your post, I checked out the Cinnamon Bay campground online. While I would not mind camping, my boyfriend might need some convincing.

Your suggestion of staying somewhere in town and renting a car makes most sense. I haven't checked car rental prices yet but prefer a car when travelling to check out different beaches.

One more question. Have you heard of Flamboyant Manor? I have been emailing with somewhere from there and the rates seem reasonable.

bostonallison

Thanks again for the info. After reading your post, I checked out the Cinnamon Bay campground online. While I would not mind camping, my boyfriend might need some convincing.

I haven't done a lot of research on St. John, but from my reading it makes sense to take the 15 minute ferry over. I assume there are restaurants near the port, but is the rest of the island really as quiet as I've read?

Your suggestion of staying somewhere in town and renting a car makes most sense. I haven't checked car rental prices yet but prefer a car when travelling to check out different beaches.

One more question. Have you heard of Flamboyant Manor? I have been emailing with somewhere from there and the rates seem reasonable.

cdt

I'm not familiar with Flamboyant Manor.

In addition to Cinnamon Bay, there's a private operation called Maho Bay Campground - large tents set up on platforms, with an eco-emphasis.

Some other Charlotte Amalie properties include Island View Guesthouse, Crystal Palace, Green Iguana, Admirals Inn, and there are others.

St. John is gorgeous, but expensive.

Dijon

Did you check out Bolongo Bay?

skitravel

The Flamboyant Manor is on the road to the Marriott Frenchman's Reef Hotel...I have never been it in....from the street it appears to be a large guest house type of accomodation.

Good luck !

stephyjo_us

I recently returned from St. Thomas where I stayed at Mafolie for 3 nights. I would recommend it. The view is the best part; it sits high up on the hill overlooking the harbor. A complementary continental breakfast, complete with fresh oj, bagels, English muffins, is served in the hotel’s restaurant, which has the most wonderful view! The restaurant also serves a reasonable dinner. It was nice to know that if I didn’t want to go down to town (5 dollar taxi ride per person) I could just eat there at the hotel. They have 3 types of rooms; I stayed at a mid-level room. It was quite large with a king size bed, tv, fridge, dresser, closet. It was not luxurious: no hairdryer, no shampoo, no bath, the smallest shower and scrawniest towels I have ever seen. It was however extremely clean with tile floors, white-washed walls and excellent air conditioning. The best part of our room was the private balcony. From it we could look out over the hotel’s pool, the town and the harbor. It was so nice to sit out there and watch the sunset. I highly recommend asking for a room with a private balcony. Several of the rooms did not appear to have a balcony – instead they had huge windows with vaulted ceilings which might also be nice. Many rooms have a public or shared balcony. One thing that I found interesting was the fact that the hotel’s pool was open to the public. As a result, it was full of local children during the day. This might be cool if you are interested in meeting the locals and learning about life on the island but it was not so great for mid-day naps, peace and quite. Mike, the main proprietor, will take you to Magens beach in the morning (10am) and pick you up in the afternoon (2:30pm). He will also take you into town (10:30am). He is full of great advice and information and is very willing to help you plan a day. Overall, a great hotel for the price!