Hi - I'd appreciate any help with hotels in St. Thomas/St. John for a two-night, mid-week "break from NYC winter" trip in late Feb 2007, courtesy of frequent flyer miles. I'll be a solo female traveller who'd basically be spending as much time laying out on the beach and enjoying the sun as possible, but would be amenable to a spa treatment or some kayaking as well.

After scanning the fodors forums, tripadvisor, and expedia, I'm pretty much down to either the Ritz in St. Thomas or Caneel Bay in St. John. Caneel may have better beaches, but if I'm going to be dropping $800 a night either way (Caneel's less expensive "Courtside" rooms sound scary based on some reviews), my gut says the Ritz would be the better bet.

Any thoughts? Have I totally missed a third option here? Thanks for your help!!

i don't think you've missed an option considering your time frame and budget. normally i would say caneel as its more laid back, but i think the ritz will be perfect for your short break. gorgeous beach with service. nice pool. nice view of several islands. they do have a spa. an ideal spot for a couple days of pampering.

We were in St. Thomas last week and drove back to the Ritz because we adore the Ritzs' we've stayed in. There is a ton of construction going on and the guard said several buildings are closed. We didn't get out of the car to investigate because we couldn't find a parking place.

If I were going alone, I would chose the Ritz because it's easier to get to and I would feel more secure.

Judy

Ritz IS renovating & should be done in February so I'd agree with Virginia since it's only for 2 days & with a direct flight here.

Thanks for the feedback everyone! So it'll be definitely the Ritz if I go to STT...

I'm now leaning towards the Four Seasons in Nevis as both my total cost and ground time (even with the connection to NEV) will be the same either way. And I can get a flight down to NEV in late Feb, so maybe the waters will be more comfortable even without a wetsuit.

rdao7; Caneel or FS-Nevis are the ones to compare. Probably the 2 differences are the food is better, in our opinion, at Nevis, but you can get to Caneel several hours faster from the East Coast, at least than going to Nevis based on our 2 trips to Nevis and 5-6 to Caneel from NYNJ area.