Hello....

A group of 8 (mid 20's) girls are looking to get away this summer (mid July) to an island. We are looking into Marriott Resort Hotels because one friend can get awesome deals being that she works for Marriott.

Some that we are looking into are:

Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort in St. Thomas

St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino in the British West Indies

Curacao Marriott Beach Resort & Emerald Casino

Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino

Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort

I am basically looking for some insights on any of these hotels/islands. The three factors that weigh the most in our decision are: nice beaches, things to do during the days and nights for us young girls and a bit of shopping.

Anyone with some recs or info please respond. Also, when is a good time to book airfare for a July trip?

Thanks so much!
Laura

We have been to most of the Marriotts that you are considering. The one in Aruba probably would fit your requirements the best. It is on a nice beach, there will be plenty of things to do during the day and evenings, and shopping. Aruba is also very safe and easy to get around. St. Kitts is probably too quiet, Curacao is out a bit from everything else, Frenchman's is an old property and needs some work, Grand Cayman may not be open in July and if it is you might be across the road from the beach.

Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort is currently being renovated (and upgraded) after Hurricane Ivan, but will certainly be open well before mid July.

Contrary to what ShirleyK says, the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort IS on the beach (hence the name), so you don't need to cross the road

Watch out though, there is another Marriott in Cayman, the Courtyard, and that one is a) across the road from the beach and b) away from shopping and nightlife (at least not in walking distance)

For 8 girls in mid-20s, the (beach) Marriot in Cayman is a good call... couple of great bars and clubs right next to the resort, good shopping, and (of course) the wonderful Seven Mile Beach

St. Thomas has great shopping and very nice beaches. I don't know what the Marriott is like there, but suspect it would be fine. For those who want to do some nature excursions and snorkeling, a day trip to St. John from St. Thomas would be a wonderful way to spend the day. I agree that St. Kitts would probably be too quiet. I loved it, but I'm not into shopping and nightlife, more into snorkeling and sailing. Grand Cayman would also be a good choice - you can swim with and feed stingrays while there.

I feel Grand Cayman Marriot would be a good choice. Grand Cayman is a great island, but if you are looking for gambling, then consider Aruba.

As far as the Marriott's go, my heart stayed in Curacao. Loved the shopping in the DT area. Free shuttle twice a day from the hotel.
Frenchman's looks out over the water in a nice location, and STT has lots of activity
We are going to Aruba in a few weeks and decided against the Marriott as it is out away from the other hotels, which people said was not easy to walk to other hotels for a nightcap and some said they just felt too isolated.
GC is beautiful and on a decent beach. It is very safe. You may not be completely happy with the nightlife though.

Hi -

I went to Aruba with a girlfriend (read female friend) in Sept (we are both 30+ yo). The beaches are awesome... but there were 40,000 honeymooners one gay couple and my friend and I (ok, so I may be exaggerating a bit). A group of guys showed up the day before we left. I'm thinking you may have better luck on another island if you are looking for night life and interesting people to hang out with...

I have been to Frenchman's Reef and Aruba. Although I enjoyed my stay in St Thomas very much, the Frenchman's Reef hotel is old and Marriott hasn't really kept up with room renovations. The island of St Thomas is also very mountianous and the roads are narrow, so basically if you want to go anywhere outside of the Marriott, you have to take a cab or rent a car. Car rentals start at about $250 per week. The cabs are actually vans and they like to wait until they are full before they leave, so you often have to wait. In addition, they charge a set fee based on the trip no matter how many people get in the van. We went to a restaurant one night that was less than 1/2 mile away, and it cost us $24 per person round trip. So if you pick Frenchman's Reef, and you want to go outside the resort, be prepared to pay. I do not recommend walking anywhere because there are no sidewalks, and the roads are narrow and dangerous. Aruba is probably your best bet, but I would recommend staying at the Renaissance in Oranjestad instead of the Aruba Marriott Resort. It is also a Marriott property. It is not directly on the beach, but it is right in the middle of Oranjestad where all of the shopping, bars, etc are located (and where the cruise ships come in). You can walk from the hotel to various restaurants and bars as well as duty free shopping. There is a boat/shuttle that leaves on multiple trips every day from inside the hotel lobby and takes you to the hotel's own private island. There is a wrecked barge off the island, so if you enjoy snorkeling, bring your gear!! There is a snack/drink bar on the island, so you can stay all day if you like. However, the boat's last trip is around 6:00pm, so if you are looking forward to staying on the beach at night, this is not the place. The Renaissance has two casinos so if you are into gambling, you can spend the rest of your night there. I was actually planning a trip to the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort at the end of May, but Marriott cancelled my reservation because the hotel still hasn't recovered from Hurricane Ivan. I am staying at the Marriott Courtyard instead because I had already booked my flights when they backed out of my reservation. I will let you know how that goes.....never been to Grand Cayman before, but I heard it was nice. The island is still recovering from the Hurricane, though and many places are still closed even through July. FYI....My single friends said the nightlife there was not so good. I am married and my husband and I enjoy diving so we don't really care about the nightlife. I would say Aruba is your best bet for the things you mentioned.

I have only been to the Aruba Marriott. It is a large complex resort hotel. It is a very nice resort with swim up bars, etc..I would recommend it for single women. I think Aruba is a very safe island. Cabs to get around are not very pricey. There is a party bus called the Kukoo Kanooku (something like that) that takes you bar hopping all night. There is a snorkel cruise that is a party boat with rope swings and stuff. There is a bar/restaurant called Moombas a two minute walk on the beach(next to the Marriott) that looked pretty lively. Aruba has great restaurants and gambling. I would think the St. Kitts one and the Cayman one would be quiet nights. St. Thomas has a reputation for being dangerous at night.(which means no walking around town). I did not stay at the Rennassaince in Aruba, but you must take a ferry to the beach. I think the Marriott on the beach in Aruba is best. You can all wake up when you want and meet right ont he beach. The Marriott was not far from anything and you can walk to a few hotels and restaurants and cab (5 dollars) to a restaurant.

this all was very helpful to me also, as i am looking into curacao in june.

just to add,

my coworker has gone to curacao twice in the past year and stayed at the marriot, he loves it. but he is 28 and married. he told me there is not a banging night life there, but enough to keep busy as far as the casino, and some bars/restuarants. dont think many clubs though.