juliecub75

we are staying at the ritz st. thomas in the end of march, and bringing our 4 1/2 month old son with us. i know it's not the best way to travel, but i can't leave him at home! the hotel concierge told us it would be easy to take him on the ferry to st. john, but i'm wondering if there are any other beach trips/sightseeing that might be doable with a little one? we are renting a car, bringing our car seat. not that i mind being bound to the hotel for the most part, but i'd like to explore a little, see some beautiful beaches and have a little isolation. also, this is the first time i've traveled anywhere in 'high season' - are the crowds REALLY bad?

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mvrjta

Hi juliecub75. I'm also traveling to st. thomas mid-march and am bringing my 1 year old son. was wondering the same things as you. I posted a message here but didn't receive any responses. What I did find out on my own is that most of the rental companies have car seats available if you reserve ahead of time, so you don't need to bring your own. let me know if you find out any other relevant info. thanks.
thanks.

Schultz

Hi,

Any of the beaches on STT are easy to get to with a car and would be easy to take a small one to. You might try ones that have rest room facilities close as well as snack bars/bars such as the beach at the Marriott properties, Sapphire, Bolongo, Secret Harbour, Hull, Magens or Coki. There's no reason you need to stay at the Ritz.....it really isn't IMO one of the nicest beaches on the island. Most of the others listed above are nicer.

Schultz

juliecub75

still no one out there with any advice that dosent' put down my choice of hotel?

cdt

The crowds on St. Thomas are from cruise ships, not from people staying in the hotels. At times there are hundreds of cruisers inundating places like Magens Bay and Coki Beach on St. Thomas, and Trunk Bay on St. John.

You can find cruise ship schedules on-line or in local publications after you arrive. Magens Bay is gorgeous if you can dodge the crowds - lots of facilities there, including snack bar, changing rooms, picnic tables, bar.

Secret Harbour is much smaller, quieter, less crowded. You can pay the resort there to rent chairs and umbrellas for the day.

Also keep in mind that the cruisers are at the beaches from 10-11 am until about 3 pm, so they can be avoided by going early or late.

Although it would probably be less hassle with an infant to stay on St. Thomas the whole time, you really need to make at least one trip to St. John if you've never been there. Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay have the most facilities but there are several other nice beaches.

I'm sure some of the car rental places will provide child seats but if you're particular about quality, it may be good to take your own. This will also help if you go to St. John for the day. You'll need to either rent a vehicle or take "taxis" (open-sided trucks with bench seats) while there.

Have a great time!

caribtraveler

julie, we didn't stay in st. thomas..just flew there and took ferry to st. john where we vacationed at. our son was 14-month-old at the time. the ferry ride was no problem. definitely go to trunk bay..make sure you go first thing in the morning. we found less people on the beach at that time. the other beach on st. john that we really loved (less people there) was francis bay...no place to eat there though, so you'd have bring your lunch/drinks.
good idea to take your own car seat..what hotels or rental agencies offer are not of good quality...usually.
just go ahead and explore..we have been pleasantly surprised at how well our son has done when we've gone exploring on trips. and i would think it would be a bit easier with a 4-month-old compared to our 14-month-old who was very mobile! have a great time!

Andrew304

Traveling with an infant is not all that bad...I've done it on STT twice...get an umbrella and sit on the beach...he can even nap there. You can use one of the hotel's or get one for $15 at K-mart on the island...there is one on the way to your hotel from the airport...and use it where ever you go - especially on the STJ beaches which can be very sunny and lack resort services.

The trip to STJ is also easy if you can get one of those baby bjorn strap things...I suggest the car ferry, so you can carry all your stuff and drive around the island...on the way home your son may sleep in his car seat and one of you can stay down with the car.

The hotel should be able to provide a crib if you want one.

We made great use of the hotel fridge (I stayed at Morningstar - don't know if Ritz has fridges) and hit the grocery store a few times for juice and other stuff the kid needed (diapers)...there is a great supermarket (clean, modern and fully stocked, just like home) on the way to Red Hook from town (not sure if it is before or after the Ritz)...there are also a couple of perfectly fine ones on the way to the hotel from the airport. We also made use of the supermarket to buy some stuff for dinner picnics...get a nice bottle of wine and some fried chicken, pate, cheese, a candle, and bring the kid for a nap on the beach while you enjoy a "gourmet" dinner and the views...much more relaxing than trying to deal with a child who doesn't want to be in an expensive restaurant...don't just do sandwiches, you can put together something nice that you will enjoy and not miss eating out!

Using the baby carrier, you can easily hit town for some shopping, do the lift up to the top of the hill, and hit all the beaches.

As another poster wisely advised, keep your eyes on the cruise ship schedules...the boat people travel in hoards! and the population of the island increases multi-fold when they are on the island...stay close to the Ritz if there are more than 2-3 boats in port.