We are planning a family trip (8 adults / 8 children ages 2 - 10) for late December for 12 days to St. Thomas. We are tentatively staying at the Marriott - is this a good location? We originally were planning to go to Maui but could not get frequent flyer tickets - they were all booked. We do not know anything about the U.S. Virgin Islands. Are there enough activities to keep us busy for 12 days? The guys are really wanting to play golf, are there good golf courses and if so, are they close? Is it safe to rent a car and explore the island? Is it easy to go to the other islands if we stay on St. Thomas? Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Yes, you have booked a good location. Frenchman's Reef is just across from town and has several very nice pool areas and restaurants. The beach is down a steep flight of stairs, but nice. I understand the Morningstar is undergoing renovations and will be closed for several months, so you will not have to contend with people on that beach.

We spent a family trip in St. Thomas several years ago, and it was the best family vacation I have ever been on! Us kids were quite a bit older (teens), but still, it shouldn't matter. We stayed at the Renaissance, but I have heard that the Marriott is nice too. You can take a fairy across to St.John, a great place to go, where we rented a car for one day and experienced driving on the other side. Our taxi drivers on St. Thomas were always, a little crazy and fast! There are some sharp curves and winding roads. We just hung on tight! <BR>Activities included snorkeling and a lot of swimming, some shopping downtown and a few historical sites. We stayed for 2 weeks. I can't wait to go back again one day. Enjoy your trip, I am sure that you won't be disappointed.

Thanks Kelly and Bud! I really appreciate the input. I was just a little apprehensive about that long of a stay. The more I've read, it seems there is plenty to do. I assume from your responses that you never felt unsafe - I had read (several years back) that St. Thomas was unsafe but I'm assuming it's just because it is more of a metropolitan environment than the other islands. Any information on great restaurants and golf?

Which Marriott? <BR>Beachfront at MorningStar might be preferrable to highrise Reef. Further out on East End is Grande Beach. All are good locations for various reasons. <BR>Short ride to golf which is a recently redone course and can provide good golfing. Maybe a trip to St. Croix for one of their courses would be a diversion also. New ferry service makes that easier. <BR>Advise renting a car and there is plenty to keep you busy whether on St. Thomas, St. John or the multitude of trips to other islands and daytrips either by ferry or private charter. <BR>MorningStar closes each and every Fall due to low season and uses the time to tune up but the beach is shared with the Reef which has none. It is a short walk or shuttle from the high rise Reef and well worth the upgrade to be beachfront. <BR>Yes, it is generally safe for tourists but no matter where one travels one should be alert to possible problems and use caution. The urban areas of the island do contribute signifigantly to the crime that occurs and those are areas that you will not be exploring nor would you be in Charlotte Amalie at night other than for dining. <BR>www.usvi-on-line.com has an active message board about the USVI.

As a long time VI traveler I would suggest that you take a look at renting<BR>a villa. With that large a group eating out all the time would be a chore for that many days. There are some great<BR>villas located right behind the Grand Renaissance that are reasonable and<BR>very family friendly. Frenchmans, as someone else said is up on the cliff. Check out this site www.amazing-villas.com, it has the most info on the villas behind the Renaissance and they can find you a neighboring villa if they are booked. I know from staying there that it is definitely big<BR>enough for your group and has an awsome beach that's an easy walk. Good Luck!

RR,<BR>WE'RE PLANNING TO PLAY MAHOGANY RUN ON ST.THOMAS IN OCTOBER. YOUR GUYS CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THE COURSE AT WWW.ST-THOMAS.COM. IT'S A BREATH-TAKING GOLF COURSE. COUPLE COURSES ON ST. CROIX, ALSO.

Lisa, why don't you try hitting you "shift" key and calm down. (Stop shouting)!!

There is plenty to keep you busy in St. Thomas or use it as a base to venture out to other islands since you have 12 days. Definitely take a couple of day trips, power boat and sail boat- take at least two days to explore/snorkel the many beaches on St. John, at least two, once you go over to St. John you may want to go over several times, the snorkeling is far superior to what you can find in St. Thomas. There are lots of things to do, if you are a shopper, you will have plenty to do, get any of the travel guides that are every where and you can pick and choose. Have a great time.