St. Thomas and St. John..need ideas
 

Ok, we're set to travel to USVI for our honeymoon. Spending 4 nights at Ritz Carlton St. Thomas and 5 nights at the Westin St.John. My fiance' wants lots of activities..hiking, beach sports, boat trips, etc and I want a nice spa and beaches. Can anyone recommend a good guide book? Other ideas for us on places to eat besides the resorts?

We did our honeymoon 10 yr ago at westin st john, you'll love it.rent a car one day & go to other side of island,hike down to a quiet beach & do some snorkling,very laid back,we then found a small mex resturant with many dif margaritas!!.Our fav restuant at night was Chateu Bordeax on top of mt with awsome view of BVIs.Hotel food was a little sub par, go to town to eat,just a 5 min ride to cruz bay.This was 10 yrs ago so chat.bordeaux may be gone, hope not. Try to call before you go to get seating. ENJOY...we did

We just got back from a week at the Westin. The food there is expensive and sub-par but there are so many great restaurants on St. John. La Tapa and 10 Tables were outstanding. The Lime Inn and the Fish Trap were also very good. The concierge at the Westin has other recommendations and will make reservations for you. Chateau Bordeaux is still there - amazing view, but we didn't eat there.

Chilly Billys in Cruz Bay has great, inexpensive breakfasts.

Also, Columbo Cafe is a little sandwich and smoothie place in what looks like an abandoned cargo truck at the intersection of North Shore Road and Centerline Road. It doesn't look like much, but it has good food and is conveniently located if you are out the north shore beaches.

I used a book called Explore the Virgin Islands by Harry Pariser, which had a lot of up to date, helpful info. Honestly, my best tips came from this web site. Just search for previous trip reports.

We took a BVI boat tour on the New Horizons II. It was very well run and a really fun day.

If I went again, I would buy a couple of cheap folding beach chairs at K-Mart in St Thomas. There are no chairs on any of the St John beaches except for at the hotels and it is nice to have somewhere to sit if you are on the beach all day. Also, a small cooler to have a couple of cold sodas or bag lunch on the beach.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

I'm glad to hear that Chateau Bordeaux is still there!!! The manager told us when we were there that most people call before they leave the states to get a reservation. They have 2 seatings a night ,like a 6pm and a 8:00 or 8:30pm seating. We somehow lucked into the early 6pm seating with a window seat...the sun setting over the BVIs off in the distant...oh yeah good food also. That truely was really cool.I think if we would have been there at the late seating,it still would have been a great resturant, but WOW...we would have missed that view. I can still see it now, 10 yrs later! I hope this helps...again it was 10 years ago in March...this March we're going to Swept Away Negril Jamaica for our 10th anniversary.
Enjoy,Mark

Two good guide books are 'Feet & Fins' and 'St. John Off the Beaten Path'. They are available at the USVI on-line site:

http://www.usvi-on-line.com/usviforum.html

In Coral Bay I'd recommend Island Blues and Shipwreck Landing. Voyages for more formal dining.

Which car renatl shop is the closest
to the ferry dock so we can walk there with our luggage, pick up the jeep, then head to the Westin?

Check out Conrad Sutton. www.conradcars.com. You can park in his lot while in town where parking is at a premium.

The Ritz has a "Champgne & Steak" day trip on their catameran, the Lindsey. It offered a day trip to St. John for hiking and snorkeling. I Did not get to try it when I was there, but it sounded very appealing.

A terrific book, I bought on St John is "St. John Beach Guide". It contains gorgeous pictures of the island's beaches, their individual distinctions and directions to each. Island areial shots, which pinpoint individual beach locations are also included.

I have enjoyed it so much that I bought others as presents for friends from Amazon.com

Claudette, I have never stayed at the Westin, but I have heard that it is nice. You have a wonderful honeymoon planned! :-) We love that Ritz on St. Thomas so much that we have been about five times! Wonderful hotel, very romantic, and the horizon pool with the beach bar is wonderful! Have fun!

Thanks so much for your replies. I love all the ideas. Any more from someone who has been there? What are the best day trips to other islands?

I stayed at the Ritz for my birthday about 3 years ago and loved it. I would recommend a private sunset cruise/dinner on the catamaran and a helicopter tour - both of those were amazing!!

Ever been to Jamaica? We are considering the Sans Souci for our honeymoon in May.

Have a great time!

From what I'm reading I'm getting worried about staying at the Westin on our honeymoon. We booked a gardenview room. Is it worth an extra $60 a day to upgrade to a beach or pool front room?

I am going to St. JOhn for part of my honeymoon as well.
I have read Off the Beaten Path St. John and found it to be very informative. Since the beach at the Westin is not the best in St.John this book tells you all about the best beaches and places to go.
I also bought the Fodors Guide to the USVI's and it is very helpful as well.

You'll find lots of great ideas on the talk forum at

http://www.usvi-on-line.com/usviforum.html

I'd also recommend a day trip to the BVI... we booked a trip through the Westin to the Baths at Virgin Gorda and then a stop at the Caves on Norman Island on the way back, but there are lots of other options (jost van Dyke, for example) as well

I'd also second the recommendation on Feets & Fins ... it is a must have book

there are several rental car companies right there in cruz bay, all within wlaking distance of the pier... we rented from St John car rental and our experience was fine. I believe that the Westin can also rent you a car on site, which might be better if you think you would only use it once or twice...

Did the BVI's and then the Westin St. John (was a Hyatt back then). It is a nice resort although it is "honeymoonville" - take a tour of the island, it is beautiful. The Lime Inn is great. Take a day trip to Virgin Gorda (The Baths) in the BVI's - fantastic.

YOu will have a great time. Upgrade to beach or pool front if you can, otherwise you might have quite a hike to the pool, beach, restaurant, etc.

Have fun!