gigisaunt

Does anyone have any comments (good or bad) regarding the Marriott Frenchman's Reef or the Renaissance Grand Beach Hotel in St. Thomas? My husband and I want to go to St. Thomas this spring.<BR>

andy

Marriott Frenchmans Reef is a GREAT resort- and only a short $5 cab ride from downtown....<BR><BR>Renaissance Grand Beach is way way further out on the island....<BR><BR>We LOVE Frenchmans Reef and have been there 3 times...Make sure you get a room overlooking the pool and the sea.!<BR><BR>Hotel went thru a major renovation....<BR>Rooms are huge....<BR><BR>Rent a car and explore the island--the roads are fine-you just drive on the &quot;opposite side&quot; of the road vs the US....<BR><BR>Another great place to stay is MORNINGSTAR BEACH RESORT-- it is actually the &quot;beach&quot; for Frenchmans Reef ( as FR is on a CLIFF)....<BR>Morningstar has duplexes that open RIGHT on the beach and they also have an outdoor restaurant in the beach..SUPER SUPER NICE...<BR><BR>In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either Frenchmans Reef or Morningstar Beach--Unless you want to spring for big bucks and stay at the Ritz Carlton...

Schultz

Hi There,<BR><BR>Frenchmans and Morningstar, two of the Marriott properties are right next to each other on the same beach. They also share the same amenities, restaurants, etc.<BR><BR>Which you would prefer is going to depend on your preference as to the type of building you like. Frenchman's is a high-rise fully a/c'd hotel like you would find in any major US city. It doesn't give you much of an 'island' feel. In order to get to and from the beach you need to walk through a/c'd halls, take an elevator, go through the a/c's lobby and then walk a ways down to the beach.<BR><BR>Morningstar is right on the beach and is made up of several low rise buildings that have several units in each building. IMHO Morningstar gives you more of a caribbean feel than Frenchman's. <BR><BR>Many people like the nice views that Frenchman's offers while others prefer the &quot;on-the-beach&quot; feel of Morningstar.<BR><BR>Regardless of which one you pick, be sure to explore the rest of the island. It has much to offer.<BR><BR>Schultz<BR>

kbe

My husband and I spent 8 days at FR the end of January. We LOVED it. The room we had was so-so, but we were never in it except to change clothes or sleep, so we really didn't care. The facilities and service were excellent, and the food, at Tavern on the Beach, was excellent. All the pools and the beach, spa, etc. were topnotch. The Adventure Desk at the hotel arranged EVERYTHING we wanted to do from a day trip to the BVIs to a submarine tour of the reefs. Nothing needed to be scheduled from home - they handled everything without a hitch. I cried when we had to leave. VERY nice spot I'd go back to in a minute.

moxie332

We stayed at Frenchman's Reef in May 2001, and we were very disappointed. There were signs that it had been renovated, but the carpet was filthy - looked like someone puked and they never cleaned it; there was sand in the bed, and sand AND SAND FLEAS in a woven-fabric couch. The rate was about the same as the Ritz - if I were ever to go back, the ONLY place I would stay for the money is the Ritz.

coffey1027

Got married at the Frenchman's Reef with 20 of our family and Friends.<BR>We were very disappointed. Service was terrible. They were more concerned with a business convention then our wedding. SOme of my guests rooms had ants, broken air conditioners and musty. Our suite for our 7 day faced a parking lot and when I complained that I was the bride and booked this wedding over a year ago, a manger told my husband and I ... Dar gone it that is too bad you don't like the view but there is nothing I can do. We were Livid!!! I would never ever recommend anyone to stay here unless you are a business client. That is who they care about and cater to. FOr the same money stay at the Ritz or Wyndam.

VAtraveler

We've stayed at both and one main distinguishing characteristic about the two is the location. FR is closer to C.A. and also provides an expensive water taxi to and from which allows you to eat off the resort without the added expense of a taxi or rental car. Renaissance, on the other hand, is not convenient to many restaurants off the resort so you are pretty limited in that regard. We were trying to keep our dining costs down so this posed a problem for us. <BR><BR>Hope this helps.

JCTBean

My husband and I stayed at the Renaissance in March 2002 and we found it disappointing. Not particularily well-maintained. (If you want to know what it looks like, it was the resort in the bad movie Weekend at Bernies II.) <BR><BR>We were using Marriott Points and selected the Renaissance over FR/Morningstar because of its close proximity to St. John, which we absolutely love, and the BVIs. You also have Coki Beach just a few minutes walk away, which has great snorkeling, and Coral World. <BR><BR>There are a few decent restaurants close by. Never ate at the resort other than one lunch. <BR>