St. Thomas - should we stay in Sapphire or at Marriott Frenchman's Cove?
 

Hi Guys!
Been trying to do some research, but I'm stuck and need help making this decision!
My husband (33). Daughter (4), MIL/babysitter (52) and myself (32) are going to St. Thomas either last part of July or first part of August.

We'd like a place that offers access to (short) walk to the beach and also some restaurants/bars. We need a 2 Bedroom place, preferably with a nice view and some decent furnishings.

We don't mind driving some, but don't want to have to drive daily to get places.

The Marriott looks like it has lots of nice amenities, all on -property.

The Sapphire Beach area has nice condos available, and a great beach, but not sure about the surrounding area, and how easily accessible it will be.

Any advice on which would be better for a nice, relaxing, peaceful and convenient trip for our family?

Thanks in advance!

i think marriott might suit you better. i give it the nod for their shuttle ferry into charlotte amalie which is the big town with lots of shopping, dining & to do's. driving into town is normally a pain between the traffic and parking.

you would need to drive to most everything from sapphire.

your daughter might enjoy coral world:
www.coralworldvi.com

Virginia's correct. Sapphire is on a beautiful beach but your restaurant options are limited. Frenchman's Cove would be convenient for you. There are also inexpensive breakfast, lunch & dinner options nearby (short taxi ride) in Havensight & Yacht Haven Grande (most good downtown stores also have branches there.)

so what was final decision? my friends stayed at the marriott in st thomas using points and said it was nice, but not very impressive. i'm trying to plan a trip in the near future on marriott points...

We stayed at the Marriott about 3 years ago on points and found it to be very dated and in need of some TLC. The food was mediocre and the service/staff was mediocre if not slighly rude. Please check with others or on Trip Advisor if this has changed.

We loved the little ferry you could take from there to Charlotte AMalie.There are some really really good restaurants there too. Taxi's are very expensive on this island.
I did love to watch the Cruise ships come from around the corner while sitting on our balcony!

I stayed at Marriott Morningstar this past April. The rooms are lovely, the buildings awre just 3 stories high, and separated by tropical gardens, which gives uncrowded privacy
and all are directly on the beach. The food at the various restaurants was good; Havanna Blue was great. I really enjoyed my stay there and am planning a November return

Frenchman's Cove is relatively new, has two bedroom suites complete with living and dining areas, but the buildings are huge, which is not to my taste, but guests staying there, when I asked, said they loved it.

Hopes this helps.

I just got back from a trip to St Thomas and stayed at Morningstar. I have always loved Marriott in my business and personal travels, but must say I was deeply disappointed in this property.

Way too much construction for one. Service was poor. The people were nice, but just not very helpful. Everyone deferred to someone else to solve any question I had.

Food was "ok", but not very good for the prices. Much more worth taking a taxi to a restaurant and getting better food.

Havana Blue was nice ambiance, but again, food wasn't even close to worth it.

Hopefully, once they finish remodelling, all my complaints will be wrong. But currently, this is the first Marriott property i've ever visited where I feel like I would never return.

I am returning to Morningstar this Tuesday. One of the highlights wi;; be Havana Blue, Again, I feel that cuisine is excellent.The staff has always been friendly and helpful to me. but then, 'different strokes for different folks'.
If you were there in July or August as you originally stated, , that is a very slow time and is when resorts have limited staff and work to bring their properties up to snuff. Sorry you feel that replies to your original queery steered you wrong. Most replies take time and effort and give their honest opinions.

Sorry you feel that you were steered wrong.