We are trying to decide between St. Thomas or Grand Cayman for vacation. I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
If you have any other favorite destinations, we would appreciate the input also. Thanks so much in advance.

When? What's the budget? What kind of hotel/resort are you looking for?

We will be using Marriott points for our stay in December. We are in no means on a tight budget, but we're not extavagant.

St. Thomas is quite commercialized, i.e. it has lots of shopping, lots of stores. GC is more sedate and laid back. I think GC also has better beaches than St.T. OTOH from St. T you can ferry or hop a puddle jumper to other islands like St. John or any of the BVI so you can be more diverse if you choose to be. Expect to pay alot ofr dining out on both, esp. in GC.

I've been to both, and would chose Grand Cayman hands done. However, we didn't stay at the Marriott in St Thomas. I prefer GC in every way, but I think the shopping was cheaper in St Thomas.

If you're basing it on Marriotts, I would choose GC. The restaurants are better there, as well.

We also had Marriott pts and have chosen GC for our trip next summer. I based my decision on the island itself. The Marriott in GC is a smaller scale hotel than Frenchmen's Reef, but has been completely refurbished since Hurricane Ivan hit a few years ago. It just reopened this past summer.
I have also heard great things about the island GC.

The views from Marriott's Frenchman's Reef are spectacular. You can also hop a little boat from their dock to cross the harbor to go downtown to shop, avoiding traffic.

One of the best restaurants on the island, Havana Blue is atop the lobby of the Morning Star section & the Reef has also been refurbished.

If you're interested in history there is lots of it in St. Thomas.

egret: IMO your choice is dependent upon what you hope to get out of your vacation. I also want to point out that St. Thomas has many beautiful and undeveloped/underdeveloped areas as well, so it's not just about the shopping. It is a commercial hub in the Caribbean and is very well stocked with all kinds of goods and businesses. It is also the gateway to the Virgin Islands. Also, if it's Marriott points, there have been some posts regarding the Marriott on St. Kitts which is also a beautiful Caribbean destination.

We've been to both also and for us it's Grand Cayman handsdown.

7 Mile beach on Grand Cayman is one of the best beaches we've seen to date. The Island has a calm atmosphere, but still plenty of things to see and do. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriot (which was formally the Holiday Inn), and it was fine for us even though 7 Mile Beach was across the street. The snorkeling and water clarity was excellant. Sting Ray City is just awesome.

St. Thomas, we were a little disappointed. The Island was just down right dirty. (sorry, that's our opinion). The streets were hilly and roller coaster like. Everyone drove like maniacs. Going off the resort at night is not recommended, but we did take a taxi to Duffy's Love Shack and Paradise Point. The beaches were nice and the snorkeling OK, but sub par to Grand Cayman. We like the shopping area downtown and bought many nice things, but the multiple jewerly shops were unnecessary.

We are one of the few people on this board that were not impressed by St. John. We did a day trip there and it was enough. We wouldn't return. Most everyone else raves about St. John, but we didn't see it. We did however enjoy the day trip we did to the BVI's.

We would return to Grand Cayman in a heartbeat and it's on our return list. We have no desire to go back to any of the Virgin Islands.

Here's the link to our pictures if interested:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

We just returned this week from the Marriott Frenchman's Reef in St. Thomas -- had a fabulous time. Havana Blue Restaurant on the property was unique and very romantic with its Cuban Latin fusion dishes and banks of blue candles lighting the open air restaurant overlooking the beach. The hotel is recently refurbished and the shuttle boat to shopping is very convenient. Great pools, large grounds, beach,and a spectacular view of Charlotte Amalie harbor made it a great choice with Marriott points. We had no problem taking taxis to restaurants off site (always $20 for 2, it seemed). Day trip via powerboat to the BVIs was great fun and incredibly beautiful -- cave snorkeling, Baths at Virgin Gorda, beachfront lunch on a barely populated island and swimming into the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke made for a fabulous & diverse experience.

Glad you enjoyed it, Beachies.

My husband and I are debating the exact same trip.. St. Thomas or Grand Caymen in December. We are also trying to use Marriot points. Did you decide where to go?

jac,
Depends on what you like..

I have been to GC and St John (landed on St Thomas when we went to STJ,but did not explore)

IMO..if you are a diver/snorkeler...Grand Cayman is the way to go.It also offers alot of sights and things to do.It probably has a quietier nightlife than STT.The restaurants on GC are wonderful.

I have heard that St Thomas has some good snorkeling,but we did not have time to explore there.

Also something to consider STT is mountainous, where GC is relatively flat.

I normally like mountainous islands but did LOVE Grand Cayman.It is very easy to navigate.

On both islands,you drive on the left side of the road.

Good luck choosing!
Christie

Been to both;although I haven't been to ST in years.GC would be my choice. It's a VERY safe island, in comparison to ST. Not to mention 7 Mile beach is spectacular. But then again, ST has great beaches also.Don't miss Sting Ray City