I have been to St. John's once on a day trip from St. Thomas and I fell in love with St. John. I am looking to stay there annd have looked into Caneel Bay and The Westin. Caneel Bay from what I heard is on the nicest beaches on the island and from what i remember briefly it was but it also very expensive, which is ok but is there somewhere comparable like maybe the Westin or some where else? We loves the beach and are used to a 4-5 star resort. Any suggestions??

Caneel and the Westin are the only two resorts on the island. Caneel has, by far, the nicer beaches of the two. Otherwise, they are very different settings. The Westin has beautifully manicured landscaping and very tropical, resort feeling architecture. Caneel feels much more park like and less showy. More of an "old money" feel.

The Caneel beaches are very nice, but I thought the ones at Cinnamon Bay, Jumbie Beach, and others were even nicer. It's a very small island and easy to get around and explore (either with a rental car or by shuttle/taxi). I found it didn't matter where we stayed so much because we drove all around the island every day anyway.

Thanks for the info. Where did you stay when you were there? The Westin is certainly cheaper. We usually rent a car when we travel and we love explore by ourselves like that. So I think the Westin maybe the best deal...Any other suggestions or input?
Thanks Again!

You may want to look at Gallows Point as well. I leave next week and will staying at Gallows. I have stayed at the westin and it was nice. When we left the island last year we went by and looked at a suite at Gallows. We liked what we saw and booked it for 10 days. The difference between Gallows and the westin is the size of the rooms. At the westin we got a room. At Gallows you get a ocean front suite for just about the same price. You can walk into town, snorkel right off the point and there is a great restraunt (zozo's) right there. Anyway, it is certaintly an option to consider. When i get back i will post a trip report. Good luck.

We stayed at the Westin and were very happy, but visited Caneel one day. We are like you - we really enjoy exploring during our vacations, so it didn't matter so much where we stayed.

I agree on the recommendation to check out Gallows Point - it's a nice location within walking distance of Cruz Bay so you won't have to worry about parking every day.

Try checking out the many villas. They are in all price ranges. We used www.vacationvistas.com. Also, there is a lovely B&B called Estate Lindolm that is supposed to be very lovely, reasonable and close to the town of Cruz Bay.