Gina

Caneel Bay is too expensive, and I don't like the fact that the beach at the Westin is man made (it seems a lot of people on this post wouldn't recommend it). Is there anywhere you can stay that is right on the ocean that has equally beautiful pools and in walking distance to different places? This would be for two people on a honeymoon. Something resort-like? thanks for any advice!!!

Lisa

Other than Caneel and Westin the only other 'resort' I'm aware of on St. John is Gallows Point.

Cissy

Not much else "on the beach" in St. John. You may want to consider renting a villa with a pool and ocean view. There are some spectacular ones on the island. Do a search on this site for excellent advice and suggestions. It's a beautiful island and shouldn't be missed just because you can't get on a beach.

JIm

If you are looking for a resort and don't want the Westin suggest you look at BVI for other otions Virgin Gorda and perhaps Tortola.

karen

one of my favorite sites for St. John is www.stjohnlinks.com. There are a few villas that sit beachfront but they tend to be very pricey. Otherwise, you are commuting to the beach daily unless you stay at Caneel. Someone posted that Caneel is now on www.luxurylink.com at auction so you might want to check it out but the winner is subject to going according to availability. It is a great site and very accomodating and tempting! Virgin Gorda or one of the BVI's is also an option but for a great resort on an lovely beach Tortola offers less than the rest of the BVI's in that catagory.

Paul

You'll only go on one honeymoon. <BR>(hopefully) I highly suggest that you consider saving $$$ somewhere else and <BR>stay at Caneel Bay. You'll never regret it. Especially if you visit <BR>Little Dix Bay as well. Good luck!

e

If you can't splurge for CB. The Westin is not bad choice. Yes, the beach there is not the best but you should rent a jeep and explore the great beaches on the island anyway. The Westin though is a beautiful resort, with incredible grounds and a magnificent pool.Gallows Pt. is more of a romantic condo experience. The pool is nothing to speak of, and there is no beach(but again you should rent a jeep and go to the great beaches anyway). But, it is very romantic(great views) and you can walk easily to and from Cruz Bay(which comes in handy after a night of drinking).

Vic

A few years ago, my preteen daughter and I vacationed on St. John. We stayed at the Westin. It's a reasonable choice if you have children. They have a giant pool with a small waterfall. It's more likely that your kids will to make friends there than it is at Caneel Bay for example. <BR> <BR>The hotel has beautiful large grounds. On the negative side are: the beach is more the consistency of dirt than sand, the bay is full of boats and the water is not as clear as it should be. The food is nothing to write home about. <BR> <BR>Getting to a good beach in the National Park is quite a hassle. You must take a jittney through Cruz Bay. After a few times you don't look forward to it. <BR> <BR>Since my wife was not with us, we decided to stay a couple of days at a ecological quasi camp area. I thought my daughter would enjoy it. We had a room with a bath. It was a bit primative, but servicable. The place was built on a hill, so that getting down to the beach was a bit of a walk. The beach was large, but not much. Certainly, if you are on a budget and want a low keyed place, its something to think about. I don't remember the name of the place, but I'm sure someone here can provide it. <BR> <BR>The condos on the island are the pits. The pools are primative, and they are all a long ways from a decent beach. <BR> <BR>If you can somehow manage it, you should stay at Caneel Bay. The saying is: It's for the newly wed and the nearly died. <BR>

tiff

My husband and I stayed at Caneel on our honeymoon and I can't say enough great things about it. It was wonderful and looked much better than the other places we saw on the island. I have recently used luxury link to bid on another trip and highly recommend checking it out. I have been following the Caneel prices and they look much better than what we paid last year by booking one of the standard packages through an agent. There is almost always a Caneel package up for aucion.

Laura

We honeymooned at Caneel in Summer of 1997, so I admit to being biased and say, it's worth it. I don't know what time of year your wedding is, so if it's winter, admittedly you will be paying much higher rates than we did. That trip will stay with us forever, and Caneel Bay was a big part of the reason. We were treated like we were the only honeymooners in the world while we were there. So were all the other honeymooners we met. Cancel your cable tv for a year and splurge on the honeymoon.

Gina

Well, I've already booked a villa that looks absolutley beautiful. We will have to rent a jeep, but i do not mind because i want to explore the island. I think it's a matter of preference. I like the fact that I will have total privacy w/my husband on our honeymoon.<BR>thanks for the advice on Caneel, but I still feel it's unaffordable. If I were going to spend that much on a hotel I would have gone to Hawaii.<BR>

Bean

My wife and I just returned from our honeymoon December 1st. We went online to www.cateredto.com and stayed at "Terrahawk" villa. The accommodations and the view were spectacular. The villa does share a driveway with another villa, but on the most part, it is delightful and secluded. Please visit Maho beach and don't miss Waterlemon Cay. We were speechless every day, and though the villa was not inexpensive (about $2200 for the week) it was worth every cent. Good luck and congrats!

Cheryl

My husband and I rented a two-bedroom "villa" on Coral Bay thru www.caribbeanvilla.com They have alot of properties at all different price ranges, my suggestion is to check it out.

Karen

There is a new site that is interesting for anyone who wishes to checkt it out: www.bestofstjohn.com. Again www.stjohnlinks.com and www.vinow are also good sources of info. USVI-on-line.com is doing a major overhaul of the site with some new interesting things. The new cottages now available on Gibney Beach are wonderful, btw, and are right on the water!