St. Thomas vacation advice
 

My 2 sisters and I are going to St. Thomas for 5 days in mid-Sept with our 85 year old mother, who can't walk long distances. We are staying at the Marriott timeshare, Frenchman's Cove. None of us have been there before, so we need some advice on things to do, places to go, restaurants, etc. Also should we rent a car? We will probably take a day trip to St. John, if that's feasible. Thanks so much for any help you can give us.

marriott has it's own ferry into charlotte amalie where all the shopping and quite a few restaurants are - saves driving into town which is always a pain.
one of the best restaurants in the caribbean is havana blue which is at your resort.
you might spend a morning at the secret harbour resort beach which has shade for mom. very little walking - you can let mom out by the short walkway to the beach and then park. they have a very nice restaurant, the blue moon cafe for lunch or dinner. also beach bar/food.
magens beach on the north side of the island is gorgeous but go on a nonship day or early in the am before shippers get there or after 3 when they leave.
there is some historical stuff to see in charlotte amalie http://www.vinow.com/stthomas/attrac...tions_town.php be sure to look at page 2
there are some art galleries showing local artists and if you like impressionists Camille Pissarro is from st. t and you can see some of his work.
you can daytrip to st. john. use a rental company that will allow you to take your car on the ferry (20 mins from red hook or 45 mins from charlotte amalie) or just go over and use a taxi. in your case i'd take the hotel ferry into town and st.john ferry from there and get a taxi. if you ask they'll take you to a nice beach and come back & get you at lunchtime...

Excellent advice from Virginia. Make sure that if you rent a car on St. Thomas & plan to take the car ferry, don't rent from Hertz as they don't allow their cars to go there.

Also, you might want to take trip insurance since September is the height of hurricane season. Chances are slim that it will happen but the insurance isn't expensive & there are plenty of warnings if a storm is approaching.

For shopping & dining, it might be easy to also check out Yacht Haven Grande which has some interesting shops & is easy to navigate & park.

Thank you so much for your help. It gives me some ideas. I need to look at a map and see exactly where everything is.
I had thought about trip insurance--probably not a bad idea. If you think of anything else, please let me know. Thanks.

Former Virgin island resident here..2007/2008..The Marriott timeshares are nice and the staff can help with a rental car..You will probably only need a rental on a day trip to St John..and you should try to go..The north shore drive to Coral Bay has amazing views..just take your time..Also, at the famous Trunk Bay expect a 200 yd walk to the beach..There is a beach east of Trunk Bay..Calm Waters and only 20 yds from parking below Maho Bay Campgrounds on the way to Coral Bay..you cannot miss it..Also, Hawks Nest ..close to Cruz Bay has a nice beach 50 yds from parking..

For a local guide to the virgin islands be sure to ck out:
http://www.travelaskthelocals.yolasite.com

You may want to contact reservations and explain your mother's needs. Some of the Cove's buildings/rooms are a distance from the beach/pool area and require a good walk.

My favorite restaurant on both islands is Havana Blue.

Located at Morningstar, it has superb cuisine with a beautiful decor and seaside dining.

All Marriott guests may uses the facilties of all hotels and complimentary shuttle service is provided to all three.

I was at Morningstar this past April, and was delighted to discover that with the addition of a new executive chef, the food at other Marriott restaurants to be quite good.

Sunset Grill at Frenchman's Reef has a spectacular clifftop view.. I enjoyed the Thai steak salad so much that I had it three times.

Windows On The Harbor, has an excellent breakfast buffet.

Cocoa Joe's at Morningstar has a lobster/ prime rib buffet on selected days.

Lime Inn in Cruz Bay, St. John has very good food and has a real Caribbean feel.

Close to the ferry dock, across from the post ofiice in Cruz Bay, there is a barbeque place. While it is not fancy, it is clean and the food is delicious and ample.

Nice places to shop in Charlotte Amalie is Palm Pasage, just off of Main Street. It has some interesting shops, bars and restaurants.

My favorites are Gallery St. Thomas. All artwork is by local artists and has a great price range from about $10 to thousands. Across the way is Just Imagine with hand painted clothes and other interesting goodies.

Hi,

Nice that you are going to St Thomas. It is a wonderful place.

Rent a car and drive around the island, beutiful scenary and views.

Water Island is a 10 minute boatride from St Thomas and is so beutiful. It is not that good for a 85 old lady but maybe somebody a the hotel can arrange someone at the island to meet up with a golfcar.

I added some of my pictures from out trip to water island at:
http://www.g8journey.com/experience/...el=album&id=98

Just click on the picture to read more about it.

Take care and good luck on your trip.