Just returned from St. John... any questions?
 

My wife and I just returned from a 6 day stay at the Westin St. John. If you have any questions, let me know!

What kind of room did you have - where was the best snorkeling and food - how was the beach?

We had a hillside/garden room. Our room was only a few hundred feet back from the prime oceanside rooms though. However, some other hillside rooms were in buildings up a fairly sizable hill. The beach at the Westin was average when compared to the other beaches on the North side of the island. However, there are a bunch of chairs if you just want to relax by the ocean. <BR> <BR>We went snorkeling in Trunk Bay which was great. The best snorkeling we had though was with a 1/2 day snorkeling tour with Cruz Bay Watersports. We saw a bunch of rays and turtles on the tour. I would highly recommend doing some type of snorkeling tour. There are also full day tours up to the BVI which I heard were great. <BR> <BR>We ate at the Lime Inn and Morgan's Mango which are both great outdoor type restaurants with great fish. We also ate at Cafe Roma and had the BEST pizza which was a nice break from all the seafood. <BR> <BR>St. John is truly a beautiful place and we had a terrific time. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Was there any damage on St. John from the recent hurricane?? My husband and I, along with our then 8-year-old daughter stayed at the Westin in June 1998. We loved it and hope to go back this summer...I see no reason to ever go anywhere else on vacation.

No lasting damage from Lenny ... You might want to skip Trunk Bay and head out to some of the more pristine snorkling sites ... Hawksnest, Waterlemon, Salt Pond. Also Dining with Andre is getting pretty good reviews (in the Lumberyard ... Chilly Billy's during the day) and I always enjoy Vie's (homemade garlic chicken and the best desserts - lunch only!). It was reported that Wharfside Village just had a fire with damage to Pusser's beach bar and Low Key Diveshop's inventory was destroyed.

While I do some snokling, my wife wishes to have a spa treatment. Is this available at the Westin Resort or other places on the island? Do you know of any spa's on St. Thomas?

As to hurricane damage, I saw nothing that indicated a recent hurricane. It was all beautiful around the island. <BR> <BR>As to spa treatment, the Westin does offer a wide variety of spas although we didn't do this. If I still had the brochure, I would give you some prices. Go to the workout room to get the spa brochure.....

Is it true that it is much better to stay on St. Johns that At St. Thomas? A few people in the forum mentioned Thomas is crowded etc. Some friends of mine are going to the Ritz--they probably won't need to even get off the property there!! Anyway, I'm traveling with two young kids, so please advise.

I only saw St. Thomas on the taxi drive to the ferry boat which took us to St. John. There was a lot of traffic and it seemed fairly congested on St. Thomas. Because of this limited exposure, I'm not an expert as to which island is better. However in my opinion I would recommend St. John. It is so beautiful and unspoiled there. Even though your friends wouldn't need to leave the Ritz property, I found it fun to explore the island and get a "feel" for the place. St. John really is much prettier and the beaches are unbelievable. Also, there are good restaurants and the people we met were great! <BR> <BR>As to traveling with children, I would recommend the Westin where we stayed. There were tons of kids around and they were all having a great time. Also, there is a Westin Kids Club which will watch your kids for 1/2 or full day ($50 - $100). <BR> <BR>Feel free to email me with any more questions!

St. John does have a different "feel" to it with the more pristine beaches and is generally less crowded since development is limited due to the Nat'l Park on St. John. However, there are some lovely spots on St. Thomas (although traveling thru town to get to the ferry, around the cruise ship docks and in Charolette Amalie can have backed up traffic) that keeps you far away from the hussle and bussle. Traditionally the prices do go up with that short ferry ride to St. John so some choose to stay on St. Thomas, especially on East End, with the choice of St. John trips (15 mins. and $3 pp)and the ambience of St. Thomas. The Ritz is out on East End. It is a beautiful property ... to choose between it and the Westin ... the Ritz is the choice! No question!

I have read a lot of negative remarks on the Westin. I am staying there later this week. We have a garden view room. Should I ask for an upgrade or ask for a specific room location? Thank you

Hi, <BR> I am looking for a wedding ceremony spot in St. John. Any suggestions? Thinking about having Ceremonies St. John coordinate the wedding ceremony on public beach (Hawksnest or Trunk Bay) or Caneel Bay's wedding coordinator plan the ceremony on one of their private beaches. I am looking for something elegant with a breathtaking view. Thanks.