MB

My husband and I will be in St. Thomas for apparently a very busy period (Valentines Day). We currently have reservations at Frenchman's Reef for $239 (AAA rate) garden view room. We have stayed there before and really liked it so it is a known commodity. However, before we splurged and got oceanview so I don't know if we'll like it as well without the great view.<BR><BR>So, I was considering two other more economical locations based on what I have read on this board: Blazing Villas (garden room at $175) and Crystal Cove ($170). The main difference to me is that Blazing Villas get to use the Renaissance property but we could afford oceanfront at Crystal Cove. Any recommendations? <BR><BR>We are also considering spending a couple nights at St. Croix (we will be in the Virgin Islands for 5 days) since we have not been there yet, but St. Thomas is definitely in our comfort zone.<BR><BR>Thanks for any advice!

cdt

We stayed at Crystal Cove and liked it a lot. It's an &quot;older&quot; property but our unit was in great condition. It's on Sapphire Beach, which is better than the beach at the Renaissance or Frenchman's/Morningstar.<BR><BR>Frenchman's is a full-service hotel. At Crystal Cove you're renting a condo and you're on your own, although Sapphire Beach Resort is next door. The kitchen will save you money if you're willing to cook, but you may want to rent a car.<BR><BR>C. Cove has two lighted tennis courts and a salt-water pool that was never very busy (pool isn't near the beach).<BR><BR>For $170 in Feb. I assume you're getting an efficiency, which may just have one Murphy bed or sofa bed - make sure you're ok with the bedding arrangements.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

GM

To poster CDT, not to start a dispute, but after going to all the properties, I feel that Sapphire Beach is no where near better than Frenchman's Reef, especially Morningstar Resort, which has a very nice beach (and the resort as a WHOLE is much better than Sapphire, especially the restaurants - Sapphire's restaurant's food is horrible and so is the service). Morningstar IS nearer to the Atlantic ocean, but no way better. American Airlines' Getaway Vacations rates Sapphire 3 stars, to Frenchman's 5 stars.<BR><BR>We went to visit Sapphire this year, and the property needs some major rennovations; then again, the owners might not want to do TOO much, since the majority of their clientele are families with kids.<BR><BR>P.S. When the hurricane in 11/99 came thru, Sapphire Beach guests were accommodated at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Hotel, cause Sapphire didn't even have a back-up generator.

GM

For MB, we made the mistake of getting a garden view at Frenchman's one time; we got a view of the harbor near Charlotte Amalie (but not view of C-A)and the hotel's dumpsters with 2 double beds!....If you can, I highly recommend a splurge to ocean view (not ocean front, that might be double during high season).<BR><BR>We saw a Dr's villa at Blazing Villas this year. The property is older but this family took nice care of their investment. It's worth it to me to stay at Blazing Villas, cause you get all the ammenities of the Renaissance without paying major $'s to stay at the Hotel. You don't realize it, but the villas are yards away from the ocean - and right next door to Coki Beach, one of the better known beaches on St. Thomas.<BR><BR>I feel that even at $175/nite, I don't want a worn or run down room; I want clean, comfortable and well maintained(altho Blazing Villas are not elegant, they are on a very nice landscaped property, and there's a little courtyard within the villa for privacy).<BR><BR>FYI, if you go to St. Croix, consider the Buccaneer. St. Croix is less hilly than St. Thomas, not as lush as St. John, and the Buccaneer is the nicest there. Buck Island Nat'l Park is near St. Croix; that's a neat place to visit.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

cdt

GM: If you read my post carefully you will see that I was saying that Sapphire BEACH is better than the beach at the Marriott. I agree that the Marriott Resort (both sections) is better than Sapphire Beach Resort.<BR><BR>Although we stayed next door to SBR, we saw enough of it to be unimpressed.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

GM

Sorry, CDT .... my mistake. Thx for not flaming.

Geography Gus

If you look at the geography of the USVI, you will see that the Atlantic ocean is on the north side of St Thomas (Sapphire and the Renaissance) and the Caribbean is on the south side (Morningstar)...picky, picky, I know...but a point that keeps coming up. Morningstar IS a windward beach (the prevailing winds are on-shore) but it is less prone to the northern swell in the winter.

GM

Geog. Gus, thx for the 'lesson' and yes, altho the Morningstar beach is pretty, it's a little rougher due to being on the Atlantic rather than the Caribbean. That's why I tell parents who are taking their kids there to mind the kids well...it's pretty scarry.<BR><BR>Sapphire and Renaissance beaches are smaller property-wise, but calmer casue, as noted, they're on the Caribbean Sea side. And, right next to Coki Beach, which is nice.

donna

We're frequent visitors to St Thomas (have family there) and have stayed both at Crystal Cove and at Blazing Villas, both of which are delightful and comfortable. Since you're on the East End at both locations you've easy access to local restaurants and we can certainly recommend our &quot;best bets&quot; for dining if you're interested. Frenchman's Reef is OK if you want that all-inclusive &quot;feel&quot; and don't want to venture out on your own but the restaurants are mediocre at best and very high-priced. At either Blazing Villas or Crystal Cove you'll have a great beach and affordabe accomodation at far less than the price you'll be paying at FR. I;ve never really understood why someone would pay even $239 for a room where you're just going to sleep - unless you maybe stay in the room all day long, watch TV and and do whatever else! Most of your time in the Caribbean is spent outdoors enjoying what you're there for and most of the &quot;amenities&quot; in a big hotel aren't worth the money. Enjoy your visit, wherever you decide to stay! We have BIG ties with St. Thomas and always so much enjoy our times there.

Deborah

I wonder why people keep referring to Morningstar (FR) being on the Atlantic side. Can someone please explain this to me? I keep seeing it posted over and over again yet when I look at the map - I don't see it.<BR><BR>I would agree with the poster who said to upgrade to an ocean view room if you decide on Frenchmans Reef. Not ocean front, but ocean view. Request to stay in the main building on the right hand side - closer to Charlotte Amalie. That area provides the best views.

Eppie

MB-Since you were considering Blazing Villas, have you checked out Amazing-Villas.com? I found them in September on the msg boards when I was trying to book my Xmas vacation. (We leave in 3 days) The condos are individually owned but theirs is newly remodeled and they don't charge an added service charge like some of the other owners do. Not sure if they have availability when you are looking to go but you might want to check them out.

MB

Thanks for all of the information. We are going to cancel our reservations at FR and make a decision between Crystal Cove and Blazing Villas.<BR><BR>Donna, I would love some information on local best bets for good restaurants.<BR><BR>Thanks again for the help!<BR><BR>MB

Donna

MB: If you go to usvi-on-line.com you'll find some interesting feedback from customers about local restaurants and it's certainly worth sifting through all the comments, and we've done it too even though we have family on St. Thomas. We've even found places to take them to which they hadn't thought about trying!<BR>Close by the Renaissance is Romano's which is on the Coki Point Road. Elegant, very good food, lovely elegant ambiance and very expensive but we usually do one night there.<BR>Further afield, we recently had a very nice evening at the Old Stone Farmhouse which is right next to Mahogany Run - again a little bit on the high side pricewise but we enjoyed an excellent dinner there.<BR>One place that the &quot;average&quot; tourist never sets foot in is the Seaside Inn which is out on the East end, past Red Hook on the left hand side by the mangroves. It's never advertised, looks tacky from the outside and isn't much of an improvement inside but if you like really fresh fish cooked to order, &quot;Mama&quot; has been there with her daughters for years and the place has loads of local character.<BR>Craig and Sally's in Frenchtown is an old and good standby, usually quite busy but the food is invariably good (we've only been just a little disappointed a couple of times over the years) and they have a wine list non-pareil if you're interested in wines.<BR>There are so many restaurants to choose from and because some of the bigger ones tend to change chefs (not owner-operated) the quality tends to go up and down.<BR>Our all-time favorite so far is a place we dicovered just a few years ago and quite by chance and that's the Toad and Tart English Pub right down the street from Renaissance. We've been there four or five times already and it's on our &quot;have to go there&quot; list. It's probably one of the most inexpensive places on the island for quality of food and service and its a very warm and comfortable place to be. We introduced our St Thomas family to the place and they now go there regularly and love the place as much as we do.<BR>Sounds like you've been doing some good researching so enjoy your stay on our home-away-from-home island! If we didn't have some health problems which require better care than we can get on island we'd be living there. Enjoy.