My husband and I made plans to go to St. Thomas next week and stay at Secret Harbor. I've been hearing so much about crime, I am really scared. We would stay on St. John but we need a place with kitchen facilities and the only one we could find was Gallows Point and they would have to move us from one room to another for the time period we would want to stay. We considered renting a villa but we had a bad experience with that in St. Maarten, besides we really enjoy tennis and would'nt get that in a villa. Does anyone have any recommendations of a good place to stay in St. John with a kitchen and tennis facilities. We don't wamt to spend more than $250 per night. Would we be ok on St. Thomas. I want to feel safe driving to a restaurant or club at night. Someone Help Me - I don't know where to stay. Thank alot for any help, when I come back I will let you know our experiences.

Have you checked out Coconut Coast Villas? I have not presonally stayed there but almost did & they look nice. I usually go to Tortola, BVI but made the HUGE mistake in going to St. Martin. Just got back June 22 after 8 long days of traffic, rudeness, & trashy beaches. I actually recommend you going to Tortola which is very nice & clean & safe.

It's really unfortunate that you're frightened to travel to St. Thomas. <BR>I've been there twice in the last year for a combination of 4 weeks and <BR>didn't have any problems with safety or crime. (I'm a 20-something female <BR>from Chicago) I met several friendly, helpful people and, for the most <BR>part, I was alone on my trip . . . at beaches on both St. Thomas, St. John, <BR>Jost Van Dyke . . . shopping in Charlotte Amalie . . . on ferries, buses and <BR> <BR>in taxis . . . and often I met friends out at night in Charlotte Amalie and <BR> <BR>Havensite. I have friends who live in St. Thomas and none have experienced <BR>the type of crime and criminal interaction that some of the Fodor's posts <BR>referenced. <BR> <BR>I think it's wise to be cautious, but, as with any major tourist area, there <BR> <BR>is bound to be good mixed in with bad. Pick-pockets are common EVERYWHERE. <BR>Drugs are, sadly, also everywhere. It's best to be aware of your <BR>surroundings at all times whether you're in St. Thomas or St. Louis. Trust <BR>me, the Ritz Carlton, Marriott Frenchman's Reef and other 4 & 5 star resorts <BR> <BR>in the VI would not survive unless tourists had positive experiences there. <BR> <BR>If you have any questions for me, feel free to e-mail. Also, you may want to <BR> <BR>check out http://www.usvi-on-line.com - it has a "travel forum" that extremely helpful and informative. <BR> <BR>Best of luck to you & your husband! <BR>-SP

Barb - Go have a great time - we have spent numerous nights in STT before picking up our sailboat and have never felt threatened. Only once did we stop in a local bar and the bartender suggested we not go any farther and turn back towards town. This was quite late at night and after we had done quite a lot of walking - bar hopping. Go and Enjoy. Make sure you spend some time in Red Hook - always fun.

It is unfortunate that there are the rumor mongers that have made you afraid. But far be it from me to say ignore, go and enjoy! I think that you are doing St. Thomas and yourselves a big disservice but if you must, check out Frenchman's Cay on Tortola but be aware the BVI's have their share of crime too! You will need to rent a jeep or car (FC has a package that includes a car rental for a day or two as does Fort Recovery) and you will want to travel to the other BVI islands to find the wonderful beaches!!

My fiancee and I stayed at the Sapphire Beach resort in St. Thomas in March (which also has kitchenettes). We met several friendly locals both at the resort and in town. I felt very comfortable most of the time and we did not see or hear of any incidents of crime. I agree we the previous post that you just have to be aware of your surroundings and always use your common sense. We will go back to St. Thomas. You need not overly concern yourself wiht crime there. Go and enjoy yourself.