Hi everybody, I thought we were all set to try Turks and Caicos again for our March spring break, but I am getting terrible air connections so I was hunting around and ran into Secret Harbor on St. Thomas. I have always dismissed St. Thomas as not for us (we loved the Buccaneer on St. Croix, Half Moon on Jamaica, Turks and Caicos), but this resort looks quiet with a decent pool (important for our 8-year old) and the restaurant looks decent.

I'd appreciate all thoughts and recommendations!

Many thanks,

Mary in D.C.

hi mary, i've stayed at secret harbour 3 times. i love the resort. the beach is wonderful with great snorkeling off to the right looking out into the bay. plenty of shade and chairs available. good sandy entrance that does not get deep quickly.
it is about as quiet a location on st. thomas as you'll find without getting a villa.
the condo units are large and owner furnished. the kitchens are very complete, with adjoining dining area. the patio or balcony is large. the restaurant is quite good and offers 3 meals per day. there are 2 grocery stores nearby.
the pool may not appeal to your 8 year old if she/he is accustomed to fancy ones. it is just a plain more or less oblong pool and is not next to the beach; it is clean & pleasant surrounded by nice flowering bushes. we used it mainly at night on our first visit when we stayed in building 5 which is right next to the pool. other 2 visits we opted for beachfront. blding 5 is a 3-4 min walk lugging stuff to the beach. from 6 & 7 add a minute or two.
your 8 yr old might enjoy spending a day at: http://www.coralworldvi.com/
tons of cool stuff to do! about a 25 min drive from sh.

It's funny that I've never even seen the pool at SH even tho I've stayed there a couple of times and gone there for dinner for years! Blue Moon Cafe is very good - one of the better on the East End if not the island. The resort is good for kids and the condo set up is excellent. The pool is up behind the beachfront somewhere and probably nothing to write home about but with the sand and the water, maybe the young'em would be happy to stay at the beach - especially since there are so many fish that come right up to you at the shoreline. It is handy to Red Hook for dining options and its an easy quick drive to catch the ferry to STJ or even a trip to the BVI's. If you look at the map of the property it looks like a street runs thru it but it is used only by the people staying at SH to get to the parking lots.
I would definitely recommend beachfront as some of the hillside units would be a trek up a steep hill.
it won't knock you over with luxury but it is family-oriented and peaceful and quiet with an excellent beach.

thanks to you both for your informative replies!

Virginia, we were fine at Ocean Club in T&C so the pool doesn't necessarily have to be fancy.

Their price is pretty decent, so I'm intrigued!

Thanks again,

Mary

P.S. does one generally rent a car?
Going over to St. John sounds nice.

i'd say you would want a car. it's not close enough to anything to walk. only a few agencies allow you to take a car on the ferry to st. john and you do need a car or taxi there too to get to the beaches, etc.
we picked up our car at the airport and managed well. we drove st.t for first experience on left side. i've grown to like it now.
i agree beachfront units are nice and with kid/beach stuff it might be a good idea. however blding 5 was not that much of a trek, as i said 2-3 mins.
i think you'll like sh. the staff have been there for years and are very nice. housekeeping is good too.
definitely a busier island than provo. i've stayed there in a villa near turtle cove marina a couple few times.

A car is convenient and gives you the freedom and independence to go at your own speed. Driving is on the left with the typical left hand drive like home and you adjust quickly but you know that probably since you've been to STX. Hertz is the only rental that does not let the car go to STJ on the ferry, I believe, but you can also opt to take a passenger ferry and use taxis on STJ. You can pick up a car at the airport or several of the companies will come and pick you up when you call them when you arrive and drop you off for departure.
Think you'll enjoy SH and STT - it is very different from the islands you've been to.

Thanks again--good info. Virginia, you were helpful to me on T&C so I was glad to hear from you.

I know it is different and that is the only thing giving us pause--I had a couple of people today tell me it is too built up and too busy with the cruise ships (our only exposure to cruise ships was in Bermuda and it was not pleasant), but we'd love to see St. John, but the prices are too crazy for our spring break which unfortunately this year falls on Easter; this resort seems like it is enough away from the "madness" and it's so easy to get to you.

More opinions welcome!

Thanks again!

Mary

sh is just plain quiet - an oasis of sorts, while the rest of the island is quite busy.
as far as the cruise shippers go there are ways to avoid the bulk of them. magens beach is a must see on st.t. and ships bus people there, but you can go early in the am and leave by say 11 when the beach will fill up or go at 2-3pm when they are headed back to the ship. when you leave magens stop at 'udder delight' for yummy ice cream.
you can't avoid crowds in charlotte amalie, but you don't have to go there for any reason if you don't choose to, other than to and from the plane. you can drive to grocery and all the sights with out going through. if you do want to go in to do some shopping and see the town try to go on a day when only 1 ship is in port. just before your trip you can get a schedule of how many will be in port on a given day. or get there around 3:30.

spending time on st. john will be easy. the red hook docks are about 10-15 min drive from sh. the ferry takes about 20 mins. as i understand it you can day visit caneel bay resort. use their beaches and perhaps have lunch. you can get load of ideas on which st. john beach to go to by typing it into the search box.
you might enjoy this excursion: http://newhorizonscharters.com/
a very fast boat that goes all the way around tortola so you get to a look at most of the bvi's. stops at the baths - 8yr old will love that part - you do however spend about an hour snorkeling at monkey point which is in deep water so not great unless your child is a confident, good swimmer and has a snorkel vest. or one of you cold stay on board while the other snorkeled. the final stop is a swim in to a great beach for painkillers but there are several tiny shops along the beach and one has ice cream bars! this trip books up months in advance so if it appeals to you i'd reserve now.

actually Charlotte Amalie isn't too bad for crowds later in the day or on days there are just a couple of ships in. You just have to plan and be a bit patient sometimes when finding a parking spot. You will be on East End away from the ususal route of cruisers. You'll also want to avoid Trunk Bay (where there is an underwater trail for snorkeling) if that's a destination on STJ on days of heavy cruise ship dockings.

thank you to you both; I just talked with Secret Harbor and they sound like nice people.

I think we are going to do it, so I'll bother everyone again later with restaurants and STJ questions.

Thanks again--you both gave really informative replies.

Mary