Hello, <BR>My b-friend and I will be in St. Thomas for 3 nights (then moving on to St. John for remainder of the week) at the end of October! We're celebrating our 5-year anniversary and would like somewhere special but not ridiculously expensive. We'd like to spend around $120 or under per night. We'd like a hotel/resort that is near a very nice beach, not too far from town (we don't mind taking a taxi/renting mopeds), and with privacy. Comfort, luxury, and charm is top priority...would love to hear your experiences, both positive and negative, about your lodging experiences in St. Thomas. Also, what are the must-do's, good dive operators, best restaurants, best shopping...we want to hear from y'all.

The coconut telegraph is reporting that the Ritz has rooms available now for $125 a nite. I have not confirmed it but that's a nice price if it is true. Check with them directly! NO mopeds but taxis are an option to renting a vehicle but since you'll be on St. John there are car barges between the islands that you can transfer the vehicle. Would recommend 4-wheel drive on St. John and Discount Car Rental on STT. Ritz has a nice beach and is only a short ride into Red Hook and a longer one to Charlotte Amalie (abut 25 minutes) since you are out on the far East End. Chris Sawyer does a fantastic dive on Fridays to the Rhone and would definately recommend him for all diving. Blue Moon Cafe is one of my favorites which is located at Secret Harbour which has a nice beach and is more casual laid back with good snorkling on site. It too is on East End. www.vinow.com has the taxi fares which are per person so you can see if it is more economical to rent a car or use the taxis. I prefer the car since it gives you the freedom to go at your leisure and the taxi fares do add up quickly if you are leaving your resort a couple of times a day.

We stayed at a place in May called Blazing Villas. It is on the property of the Renaissance Grand. You get to use all the amenities of the resort but not at their prices. The beach there is not the best, but Coki beach is at most a five minute walk. It is a fantastic beach!. The room was basic but comfortable and cost $ 100 a night. We do not go to the islands to stay in a hotel room so this place worked out great. Definitely rent a car. Several good restaurants in the area. You will definitely want to go into CA and to Megan's Bay, Drake's Seat and more. Have a great trip. Lee in Austin,Tejas

We rented a villa in Red Hook so I can't comment on lodging but I would recommend the restaurant Yahoo in Red Hook, the food is delicious. As far as shopping in town Cardow's is the best for jewelry. I have bought emeralds, opals, tanzanite and they all were appraied much higher at home than what I paid. For alcohol buying to take home k-mart is the cheapest (or was that walmart)? We went to Saphire beach to swim and the resort looked very nice.

Secret Harbour Beach Resort is in a lovely secluded spot 5 min. (by car) from Red Hook and the ferry to St. John. Accomodations are quite nice and there is a beach, water sports, and restaurant right there. I haven't been there for several years so you might want to check out others' opinions as to what it's like these day.

We thought Cuzzin's (in downtown Charlotte Amalie) was terrific for authentic island cuisine at a reasonable price. Take a taxi tour if you want an opportunity for pictures of all the best scenic views. It's definitely a tourist trap, but we also enjoyed Coral World. If I were you I wouldn't spend too much time at STT beaches. Magen's Bay is nice, but I'd save most of your beach-time for St. John, where the beaches are far superior.