Saint John's Westin Hotel
Jan 20th, 2004, 05:12 PM
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Saint John's Westin Hotel
My husband and I are going to Westin/St John w/ our little ones (2,3)in March. Any advise on the following would be terrific: ensuring a good room at the hotel (we're booking w/ Amex pts and I've heard mixed reviews on the rooms); good restaurants in Cruz Bay; kid's club @ Westin; reputable diving outfits; golf?? Thanks so much!
Jan 20th, 2004, 05:20 PM
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Don't know if you are the one who asked this question before but - Kids Club at the Westin is 3 and up.
IMO all the rooms are pretty much the same, but with two little ones it might be nice to be in the villas. They are up the hill, but there is shuttle service (which we found to be very timely). Also, IMO the kitchen and seperate area to put them to sleep in is worth it. For some people the hill kills that idea though.
Real golf is on St. Thomas (Mahogany Run) but I did hear talk of a 3par on St. John.
Enjoy!
IMO all the rooms are pretty much the same, but with two little ones it might be nice to be in the villas. They are up the hill, but there is shuttle service (which we found to be very timely). Also, IMO the kitchen and seperate area to put them to sleep in is worth it. For some people the hill kills that idea though.
Real golf is on St. Thomas (Mahogany Run) but I did hear talk of a 3par on St. John.
Enjoy!
Jan 21st, 2004, 08:43 AM
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If you really want a lot of info regarding St John, try visiting:
www.caribbean-on-line.com and then proceed to the USVI travel forum. All of your questions have been asked & answered many times there. The message board there is friendly, and all the info you'll ever need before going to St John.
www.caribbean-on-line.com and then proceed to the USVI travel forum. All of your questions have been asked & answered many times there. The message board there is friendly, and all the info you'll ever need before going to St John.
Jan 21st, 2004, 12:56 PM
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I went to the Westin last summer with my two children 9&11. While the villas are nice for the space I'd think that you'll be spending a great deal of time at the pool which is the center of activity at that resort since the beach is not great. Thinking about diaper changes, naps, etc. I'd try to be near the pool if I were you. The have a dive desk at the resort that will be able to book whatever you need. Enjoy!
Jan 23rd, 2004, 08:14 AM
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the previous poster's suggestion about near-the-pool accomodations is a REALLY SMART ONE.
we stayed in a gardenview room. the building was up on a hill. my husband and i are in shape but still..at the end of a long day, it was kinda brutal going up that hill pushing a 14-month-old in a stroller! (so i can't imagine doing that with 2 little ones!). there are golf carts going by every 15 minutes to take you back to your building if needed, but sometimes you just don't feel like waiting for them.
for restaurants: there's a outdoor place called "mangoose restaurant" at "mangoose junction" which is st. john's little mall in cruz bay. it's not fancy but you can get burgers (that type of food) there for decent prices.
a really good restaurant in that same mall is "paradiso". it's really more of a romantic place though. don't know how comfortable you'd be with your two little ones. our 14-month-old had had enough at the end of dinner (thank god it was the end), because i didn't want to ruin the other diners dinner...know what i mean?
didn't use the kids club so can't help you there.
have a great time.
we stayed in a gardenview room. the building was up on a hill. my husband and i are in shape but still..at the end of a long day, it was kinda brutal going up that hill pushing a 14-month-old in a stroller! (so i can't imagine doing that with 2 little ones!). there are golf carts going by every 15 minutes to take you back to your building if needed, but sometimes you just don't feel like waiting for them.
for restaurants: there's a outdoor place called "mangoose restaurant" at "mangoose junction" which is st. john's little mall in cruz bay. it's not fancy but you can get burgers (that type of food) there for decent prices.
a really good restaurant in that same mall is "paradiso". it's really more of a romantic place though. don't know how comfortable you'd be with your two little ones. our 14-month-old had had enough at the end of dinner (thank god it was the end), because i didn't want to ruin the other diners dinner...know what i mean?
didn't use the kids club so can't help you there.
have a great time.
Jan 29th, 2004, 08:10 AM
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buckingham...here is info.from our stay at the end of November...
We were in bldg. #22, 2217, gardenview. I had requested a ground floor in bldg. #21 (centrally located, closest walk for a gardenview room to the pool, beach, restaurants, etc) but bldg. #21 was not available upon check-in. Well, once we walked the grounds, realized that many of the ground level rooms in bldg. #21 had been flooded with the rains the previous week and were totally being renovated.
Shuttles (enlarged golf carts that are gas-powered)are driven by really nice attendants that take you to your room (and anywhere else on the property). I liked the location of #2217 as it was near the end of the bldg and close to a walking path. I would tell anybody to go for bldg. #21, and rooms in the range of #2110-#2116. These are all ground floor, with a GREAT view of the water from your patio (and are considered gardenview rooms as far as I know).
We enjoyed the Lime Inn, Panini Beach, and Cafe Wahoo. There are many great restaurants in Cruz Bay.
Hope this helps!
Enjoy.
We were in bldg. #22, 2217, gardenview. I had requested a ground floor in bldg. #21 (centrally located, closest walk for a gardenview room to the pool, beach, restaurants, etc) but bldg. #21 was not available upon check-in. Well, once we walked the grounds, realized that many of the ground level rooms in bldg. #21 had been flooded with the rains the previous week and were totally being renovated.
Shuttles (enlarged golf carts that are gas-powered)are driven by really nice attendants that take you to your room (and anywhere else on the property). I liked the location of #2217 as it was near the end of the bldg and close to a walking path. I would tell anybody to go for bldg. #21, and rooms in the range of #2110-#2116. These are all ground floor, with a GREAT view of the water from your patio (and are considered gardenview rooms as far as I know).
We enjoyed the Lime Inn, Panini Beach, and Cafe Wahoo. There are many great restaurants in Cruz Bay.
Hope this helps!
Enjoy.
Feb 14th, 2004, 12:06 PM
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We have stayed at the Westin St. John two years in a row and loved it. Each time we traveled with families (kids ages ranged from 1-8). The camp is indoors, so we put our kids in it in the afternoon. We had sitters at night (arranged with help from the hotel) and enjoyed the Fish Trap, Asolaire, Stone Terrace, and Mongoose Junction. Mongoose Junction is great for kids. Take a day trip to Turquoise Beach on St. John, it is as pretty a beach as I have ever seen.
In terms of where to stay at the resort, do not stay is the villas! They are far away from the beach, and are a hassle for diaper changes, and emergency runs to the bathroom for the kids. I liked the pool view rooms the best. The rooms can smell a bit of mildew, but that is because of the carpeting, it isn't noticeable after the first day. I also used AMEX points, and found that my level of service was not compromised. Also, you can negotiate with the waiters for the price of breakfast. For lunch, the pool grill or the deli were good. The deli has Numero Uno pizza, which my kids appreciated.
Take dramamine for the ferry ride from St. Thomas - my niece threw-up.
Lastly, take the snorkel trip offered by the hotel. You need to sign up in advance (we did 1/2 day). The scenery is lovely, the fish are beautiful, and the cocktails on the way back were delicous!
In terms of where to stay at the resort, do not stay is the villas! They are far away from the beach, and are a hassle for diaper changes, and emergency runs to the bathroom for the kids. I liked the pool view rooms the best. The rooms can smell a bit of mildew, but that is because of the carpeting, it isn't noticeable after the first day. I also used AMEX points, and found that my level of service was not compromised. Also, you can negotiate with the waiters for the price of breakfast. For lunch, the pool grill or the deli were good. The deli has Numero Uno pizza, which my kids appreciated.
Take dramamine for the ferry ride from St. Thomas - my niece threw-up.
Lastly, take the snorkel trip offered by the hotel. You need to sign up in advance (we did 1/2 day). The scenery is lovely, the fish are beautiful, and the cocktails on the way back were delicous!
Feb 16th, 2004, 05:48 PM
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I'd also recommend Duffy's Love Shack for a quick, fun and relatively inexpensive dinner. We did stay in the two level suits - up the hill but not across the road which I think is where the villas are. Our boys are older so the extra space was wonderful - see if you can get a mini fridge as we found few choices at the resort for lunches (poolside restaurant and deli were about it) and you're not exactly walking distance to other places as you are in Aruba or Grand Cayman. Also, keep in mind that the taxi's to Cruz Bay will charge by the person so make sure they aren't charging for your toddlers. we also liked Fish Trap (desserts to die for), Lime Inn. Our trip was also in March and marred by tons of rain and high winds believe it or not - take some kid friendly toys for indoors just in case.
Feb 26th, 2004, 05:05 AM
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My family stayed at the Westin in St John two weeks ago: 5 kids, ages 17,14,11, 3 and 8
The Westin transfers at the airport were handled quite efficiently, but the 40 minute ferry ride was harrowing for the two little ones as the water was rather rough (our return trip to the airport a week later found a much smoother ride). Since I was not picking up our rental car until the next morning, we chose to eat at the Westin at the Beach Café? given the family focus of the Westin, we found the evening dining options in general disappointing and the Beach Café horribly overpriced for the meals we got. The Westin pool was a big hit with the kids, as the older kids had no problems finding other kids to play water basketball, volleyball with, and the the kiddie pool was just right for the two little ones. We had a two bedroom townhouse? theoretically a garden view, but in truth a wonderful view of the harbor to wake up to every morning? the Westin ?campus? shuttle mitigated the impact of being up on the hill. as an earlier post indicated there is a big difference between the distance to the main pool from the villas across the street vs buldings 24 and 25. (there are small pools up at the hillside villas)
We did not use the kids club
Restaurants
Seniorita pizza in Cruz Bay turned out to be a big hit for the kids. We also ate at Café Wahoo & Café (?) Roma in Cruz Bay & Shipwreck Landing successfully, finding options for all the kids, as well as mom and dad, without breaking the bank. We used Starfish market extensively to pick up breakfast and beverage items, less expensive than the Westin options, and requested an in-room refig from the Westin
There is no full-scale golf course on the island. There is mini-golf and virtual golf at Pastory Gardens ... abotu a mile from Cruz Bay.. the kids played mini-golf while mom and dad had a cocktail; we stayed for dinner and desert and watched the sun set over St Thomas. We did not check out the virtual golf option there. The Westin will make arrangements if you wish to go to St Thomas and play Mahogany
Hope this helps
The Westin transfers at the airport were handled quite efficiently, but the 40 minute ferry ride was harrowing for the two little ones as the water was rather rough (our return trip to the airport a week later found a much smoother ride). Since I was not picking up our rental car until the next morning, we chose to eat at the Westin at the Beach Café? given the family focus of the Westin, we found the evening dining options in general disappointing and the Beach Café horribly overpriced for the meals we got. The Westin pool was a big hit with the kids, as the older kids had no problems finding other kids to play water basketball, volleyball with, and the the kiddie pool was just right for the two little ones. We had a two bedroom townhouse? theoretically a garden view, but in truth a wonderful view of the harbor to wake up to every morning? the Westin ?campus? shuttle mitigated the impact of being up on the hill. as an earlier post indicated there is a big difference between the distance to the main pool from the villas across the street vs buldings 24 and 25. (there are small pools up at the hillside villas)
We did not use the kids club
Restaurants
Seniorita pizza in Cruz Bay turned out to be a big hit for the kids. We also ate at Café Wahoo & Café (?) Roma in Cruz Bay & Shipwreck Landing successfully, finding options for all the kids, as well as mom and dad, without breaking the bank. We used Starfish market extensively to pick up breakfast and beverage items, less expensive than the Westin options, and requested an in-room refig from the Westin
There is no full-scale golf course on the island. There is mini-golf and virtual golf at Pastory Gardens ... abotu a mile from Cruz Bay.. the kids played mini-golf while mom and dad had a cocktail; we stayed for dinner and desert and watched the sun set over St Thomas. We did not check out the virtual golf option there. The Westin will make arrangements if you wish to go to St Thomas and play Mahogany
Hope this helps
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