My husband and I spent our honeymoon at the Westin St John. We had a room on the beach and loved the bathrooms, the comfy bed, and the proximity to the beach and pools. We loved the activities available at the hotel and the level of service.

We are thinking of going back next June for our 5 year anniversary and are considering Gallows Point. However, after reading some reviews, I'm having a hard time making a decision. I like comfortable, luxurious rooms. I'm not sure I'll find this at GP. However we do love how you can walk into town from GP. At GP, can we kayak and float in the sea right off the beach like you can at the Westin? That was one of our favorite activities.

So given what you know about our preferences, would you suggest GP or just going back to the Westin? The Westin is about $75 more per night that time of year.

OR, would you suggest another island that has a vibe similar to ST John? I haven't been able to find one yet and am not sure if one exists!!

Thanks!

I've stayed both at Gallows and at Caneel many times (never at the Westin because pools don't matter to me, because I didn't like their beach, and because snorkeling--which is our favorite thing-- is poor at Westin).
You will definitely not find luxurious rooms at GP-- no way. What GP has is wonderful spaciousness (particularly if you choose an upper unit), a good size bathroom, terrific views, nice grounds, and that wonderful proximity to town. The pool is so-so. There's no real beach-- just a very rocky shore, with quite decent snorkeling. There's also an anchored swim float a bit off from the shore-- not a bad place to float, tho I'm not sure whether the resort has them. I've not seen anyone kayaking in the area. There are chairs set up on a little strip of sand down from the pool (as well as plenty of chairs around the pool/whirlpool). The units at GP are for sure comfortable (beds and linens just "ok"--nothing great), but there's no feeling of luxury (imo). There's also no real "service" at GP, though the rooms were always clean and if we needed anything it was never any problem. In fact, I appreciated the fact that the place was small (compared to the Westin); things were attended to in good time.
I hope this is of some help. If you have more questions, I'll try to respond.

I haven't stayed at either, but when we were in St John in the late 90s, I remember hearing complaints that Gallows Point could be noisy at night.

My husband and I rented a villa the time we were there with our 3 kids. We are going to be empty nesters next year and would like to go back, but this time want to stay in a resort closer to the water. I guess there's not many choices for that there.

Poss, I know Caneel Bay is expensive, but is it kind of formal? That was the impression we had when we were in St. John many years ago.

Mel, you can read some reviews of resorts there on Tripadvisor. Sounds like the Westin needs refurbishing, although Caneel Bay doesn't get great reviews either.

I was worried to read some posters feel St John has changed a lot the last few years and is more crowded and dirty. I can't imagine that with all that national park.

Any thoughts on that anyone?

Caneel isn't formal at all, though there's always a certain number of guests who do dress up a bit at dinner, especially if they're eating at the fancier restaurant. Lots of peeople have lots of money, and of course wearing fine/dressy clothing is part of the pleasure of vacation (or anything) for many people; so those people will dress splendidly (certainly not to the nines or even to the fives). We wear casual clothing always at Caneel (tho not jeans).
St John has for sure changed over the years (what hasn't of course). We liked it better when we were first there decades ago, but we like it very much still.
Btw, we always found Gallows very quiet (except for hearing some boat traffic now and then). We choose a room away from the harbor and away from the restaurant-- also always on the top floor. The units are a bit worn, definitely could use an overhaul (a real one, not just surface cosmetics), but we love the spaciousness and the convenience. And the views are terrific.

Yes, I think the noise complaints at Gallows Point were from those staying near the harbor.

We don't like dressing up on vacation. We're not slobs, but do wear jeans sometimes. My husband refuses to pack a sport coat for vacations and I don't blame him.

I've also wondered about staying at the Eco-resort, although we do like some creature comforts and I'm not sure that would be quite our thing either. Has anyone stayed in one of their condos? It is still there, right? I can't remember the name, but I think it was on Frances Bay.

Just read some reviews of Harmony, the eco resort.

One thing I've noticed in reviews about St John are a lot of comments about bugs. Funny, we didn't see any cockroaches, flying or otherwise, when we were in the Virgin Islands in the 90s. One year, we stayed in Tortola, at Long Bay beach resort, one year we rented a villa on St John, and the last year we rented a villa on Virgin Gorda, where we did see a scorpian in the bathroom.

Mosquitoes were not a problem either. We always went the last week of March when our kids were on spring break. I found it a little too hot and would prefer to go in early February when I go back alone with my husband. I imagine the bugs are worse in summer and fall?