I had planned to spend 3 days at the St John Westin, but I could only get rooms in the Villa building, which is not that close to the beach or the pool. I can get rooms in the Buccaneer on St Croix for those 3 days. Is there anyone out there who has stayed at both and compare them for me. We will have our 3 sons, 7,7 & 9 with us. We want good food, and good pools and beaches with calm, clear, warm water.

It's a tough call, because St. John is the better island and the Buccaneer is the better resort.

If you plan to spend all your time at the resort, I would choose the Buc. The water is clearer there, food better, management better.

On the other hand, there are beaches a few miles from the Westin that are nicer than anything on St. Croix.

If you stay at the Buccaneer, take a daysail to Buck Island. That will help make up for what you're missing by skipping St. John.

St. John's is much better that St Croix, by far.....

Obviously your opinion....and the opinion of many....but STX is a beautiful island with a lot to offer! Many like it better....it all depends on what you like.

I LOVE St. Croix. Definitely consider Buck Island. Stop by Cheeseburger in Paradise (near your hotel). I'd vote for Buccaneer.

We, too, love St. Croix. You must rent a car so you can explore the entire island. Never stayed at the Buc - we like the Carambola Resort. It's less expensive and the grounds are beautiful.

I've stayed at Chenay Bay (near the Buc) and a villa on the opposite side of the island. "Off The Wall" is the best beach/tropical hole-in-the-wall experience I've ever had. We ate there at least once a day after we discovered it. They even catered our meal for Buck Island. We felt like family by the time we left. I'm sure Jake is no longer there. Had the most incredible horse-back riding experience there. Ended the trip by swimming in the ocean...well, trying to continue to ride the horse as she swam in the ocean!

Thank you all for your advice. The Bucaneer sounds like it might be the better resort. However, I just found out that you need to get on a small plane to get there. I am a REALLY nervous flyer, and small plane rides are a living hell for me, even with really good antianxiety drugs. I thought that I would be able to take a ferry from St. Thomas. But thank you for taking the time to post.

Then don't plan on ever going to St. Barths! The planes to STX from STT are 20-30 seaters....hardly small. They have a great seaplane service as well....from downtown CA to downtown C'sted.

Some connections to STX involve a small plane from STT, but more commonly one takes a small plane from SJU. Either way, it's a very short flight.

Last time I checked, USAir flew a large jet to STT which continued on to STX (I believe it originated in Philly).

20 - 30 seats is a small plane for me. I don't like any planes, but I can tolerate a regular 757-tpe jet. Even then, if the flight is the least bit bumpy, I'm near tears. I don't want to pass my phobia on to my kids, so I just don't go on small planes with them.

We already have the plane tickets, so trying different airlines or flights isn't a choice. Thanks again.

We honeymooned at The Westin on St. John last summer. St. John is a gorgeous island and I would definitely recommend it! It is true that the Westin does not have the best food or the best beach. The beach is not bad, it is just that it is a man-made beach and there are tons of other more stunning ones very near by. We rented a car for half our trip which was great -- lots of great restaurants in town (about a 10 min drive) and we ate at the Caneel Bay resort a lot, too. The pool at the Westin is awesome and we spent lots of our time there! We took a boat trip to Virgin Gorda in the BVI's and it was really fun! I'm sure you will have a blast whichever you choose!

~elisha