Aruba or St. Thomas?
 

I need some opinions on where to go for xmas 2002. Trying to decide between St. Thomas, Aruba or Barbados. I will be traveling with teens, 16 & 19 and my parents who are in their 60's. I'm using f.flyer miles so I need to book soon. any info would be appreciated.

Our last two trips were to Aruba (Feb. 2000) and St. Thomas (Christmas 2001), both with a teenager. We definitely preferred St. Thomas. Much more scenic; clearer water; lots of opportunities to visit nearby islands (St. John, Tortola, Jost van Dyke, etc.); great variety of daysails available; much better snorkeling.<BR><BR>Aruba has a long stretch of beach, which allows for long beach walks. The beaches in the VI are much shorter but prettier. Aruba is allegedly safer and friendlier, but we never felt unsafe on St. Thomas and found the people to be quite friendly.<BR><BR>Ironically, Aruba felt more "Americanized" to us than St. Thomas, which is part of the U.S.! All of the fast-food places and high-rises make Aruba seem a lot like Florida. St. Thomas has fast-food outlets, but they're mostly in or near Charlotte Amalie and not out by the resort areas.<BR><BR>One negative with St. Thomas is that it gets vast numbers of cruise ship visitors, and some of the best beaches can get rather crowded at times.<BR><BR>With a large group, you might want to consider renting a "villa" on St. John, which is a short ferry ride from St. Thomas. We spent some time on St. John and loved it - probably would stay there next time instead of St. Thomas.<BR><BR>We bought our Christmas plane tickets way early, but I noticed that almost all of the hotels still had rooms available a week before Christmas, so you could book airfares early and then take your time researching places to stay on St. Thomas and St. John (unless you're booking a package).<BR><BR>Sorry, haven't been to Barbados (yet!).<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR >

I own a timeshare at the Marriott in Aruba and absolutely love the island. Have been to Aruba for the last 3 years and was originally there 5 years before that. For a change my husband and I just got back from St. Thomas Frenchman's Reef on Monday and I have to say that I did enjoy both islands. Contrary to Chazz we did not have good snorkeling at all due to very rough waters also the boating was very bumpy as we rented a boat for the day and getting around to the islands isn't as easy as it seems when the water is as choppy as it was. (Nauti Nymph said it wasn't as bad as it could get). I believe that the service and cleanliness is much much better in Aruba and all of the resorts are in tip top shape...not as clean in St. Thomas but still a nice island. I am glad to have experienced the island but am happy to own my timeshare in Aruba. It was a nice change but Aruba wins for best island..there is NO nightlife in St. Thomas and quite alot of things for teens to do in Aruba -- horseback riding, jeep tours, snorkeling everywhere especially DePalm Island, ATV rental and all water sports right in front of every beach. I would suggest Aruba over St. Thomas also becuase you have to watch the water in St. Thomas and the water is FANTASTIC on Aruba and no one ever gets sick. Also, there is alot of things you could do w/ your parents as well...something for everyone. Go to Aruba and enjoy!!

St.Thomas and St John win hands down. Aruba is like a desert with casinos. I agree with the first poster about visiting other Islands from St. Thomas. There is so many different places to go.I don't know where Vicki got her info about St. Thomas water butI was there for 10 days last year and it was perfectly fine. I would try to avoid Charlotte Amalie because of the Large amount of cruise ships

If you stay in St Thomas or St John, consider taking a ferry to Tortola. It's like a different world there!Take your passports, it is British VI. Go on a day devoid of cruise ships. You can get a cruise ship schedule at the Limin Times which is online. Ditto for anyplace else you go- plan your beach days as to avoid the cruisers. Also, avoid Charlotte Amelie. It was dirty and crowded.

The is NO problem with the drinking water in the Virgin Islands. Depending on weather water can be rough on any island making snorkling difficult. There is night life on St. Thomas if you know where to look it's just easier tofind on Aruba which is set up LasVagas style with casinos and attractions all in a row. But you don't have to leave the beach on St. T homas because of the constant wind that constantly blows the sand in Aruba. A friend just last week reported a book being blown our of her hands and they could not sit on the beach. Just depends what you want.