St. Thomas - Good Choice?
 

Hi, all. I'm trying to decide on a caribbean location for a 4 to 5 night stay this October. So far I've been to San Juan, Punta Cana, La Romana, and Aruba. My favorite is a toss-up between san juan and aruba, so was hoping to get recommendations based on that.

i don't want to be stuck on a resort, would like to trek into town and try different restaurants. Is St. thomas a good choice? what is there to do on this island? i'd look for nice beaches, casinos would be nice, some culture, and some decent places to eat at in the moderate price range and below. i am not into high end restaurants (at least when i have to pay).

I don't think there are any casinos on STT or St. John. There is one on St. Croix, I'm pretty sure. St. John has the best beaches, some ruins and hikes, and some fairly good restuarants. St. Thomas is more commercial, with a bustling shopping town, and one great beach, Magen's Bay. St. Croix is more laid back, less touristed.

St. Thomas has a wide variety of good restaurants, but taxis can be expensive, depending on where you're staying.

To be completely honest, though it doesn't have as good beaches, St. Croix would be better for you if you want to stick to the USVI. There's a casino, pretty good beaches, and dining out is easy because you almost have to rent a car there.

But St. Maarten would be a much better choice for you since it has excellent beaches and a fantastic dining scene.

My only qualm is that if you really liked Aruba, you'd be more comfortable in Grand Cayman, which is much more like Aruba than any of these other islands (excellent dining, great restaurants, very comfortable and Americanized). Plus it's very safe, just like Aruba. There are some crime issues in the USVI and St. Maarten. Unfortunately, Grand Cayman has no casinos, either.

We loved St John! Beautiful beaches, good restaurants, culture..... Also, there is one very small casino in Cruz Bay!

Puntacana.com Hard Rock

Probably better than St Thomas

Pretty island vibe but good gaming party action

Is pretty much missing in action.

Luxurylink.com good deals there

I agree with Doug that if you liked Aruba, Grand Cayman is a very good choice. We loved both Islands.

Another consideration would be a hotel on or around 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen, MX. Tons of resturants, shops and entertainment. Also, Provo, Turks & Caicos. Rent a car in T & C.

We personally did not care for St. Thomas or St. John. Though we were glad we did get to experience them. The highlight of our trip was doing a sail in around the BVI's.

St John might be a little too mellow for you. It's really not a casino/culture kind of place.