US Virgin Isl. first time which resort?
 

Hello all,
Our family of 5 (my wife and I with 3 little kids ages 4,6,10) have been going to Turks and Caicos for several years now, because we like the crystal clear waters, calm waves, and safety, but, we wanted to venture a little to other islands, and were told that US VI may be a good choice. We have been staying at the Sands in TCI, so, we are looking for similar type of settings (remember, we want to venture just a little), and our goal is to use a children friendly, good, clean resort with a good restaurant on premises if possible, and either close to some sort of a "town" or if needed by (rental) car is OK. We are traveling from BOS to USVI. Any suggestions re: specific USV island, and resort, welcomed. Stay duration about 10 days (more or less, likely more), budget about $400-550/night for at least two bedrooms/2 baths.
Thank you,
Chris

When are you planning to travel? Time of year will have a big impact on room cost.

You'll find hundreds of "weekly" rental condos and villas on St. Thomas
and a somewhat lesser selection (but still lots to choose from) on St. Croix. A large percentage will be beachfront or beach access units. Google "Vacation Rentals on NAME OF ISLAND" for lots of links.

FYI - There are no beachfront condos or "condo resorts" on St. John. The closest you'll come to beachfront accommodations are rooms at either the Westin Resort or Caneel Bay but rooms that accommodate a family of 5 will probably exceed your budget even in Low Season. You best option for St. John will be to rent a 2 or 3 BR villa but NONE will be beachfront properties. To reach St. John you fly into St. Thomas then take short ferry ride from either Charlotte Amalie or Red hook to St. John.

Gallows Point Condos....St John. All are 2 bedroom units. They have a small beach and pool....and an easy walk into town for food/restaurants. You will definitely need a jeep to explore all the pristine beaches....which are all a very short drive away. Very safe island,and definitely more of an "adventure" then Turks. The Westin and Caneel won't quite fit your budget as mentioned above.

Correction, My bad...I think Gallows are 1 bedroom units.

We stayed at the Westin on St. John in a 1 bed room villa which had just been updated in November 2014 and had a pool next door (shared with 2 or 3 other villas) and 2 huge gas grills.

A couple of restaurants on site. We had breakfast daily at Lemongrass as it was included in our rate but otherwise cooked at the villa or mainly ate in the very nearby town as we had a hire car and there are some great little places to eat.

Great place, relaxed vibe. It's beachfront but there are some incredible beaches on St. John and it would be a crime to stay at the hotel beach for the whole stay (but convenient).

It's in your budget but books up quickly so check for your dates.

And yes, they have 2 bed room villas

Thank you all for the information. We are planning to travel on about June 25 or so, through July 10 or so (give or take a couple of days). We are also interested in resort type because of "safety" concerns. We get the sense of safety staying in a resort vs. a (single family) villa (if that's what is been suggested above).

If you don't want to rent a house on St John, then I would also recommend the Westin.

Thank you to all for your responses.

We took a family trip to St Croix in June j2014, and we loved The Buccaneer. We had three oceanfront rooms for 5 adults. I was able to negotiate $300/night for each room. This includes a wonderful hot/cold breakfast buffet, served in a beautiful open-air restaurant overlooking the water.

The Buccaneer is family-owned and operated. Customer service is perfect.

They have many, many types of lodging, including a gorgeous house on a hill.

You can click on my name and find my threads with info about our stay there. Or I'm happy to answer any of your questions.

http://www.thebuccaneer.com

There are a number of condo-hotels on St Thomas. You would have the "safety" of numbers, a kitchen for cooking (if you wish), restaurants on premises, etc. This may be a bit more low key that you want (no room service or fancy amenities),but it would be a relaxing family vacation. You can take a look at http://www.harbourbeachvillas.com/ for an idea about what is available...

Not sure what the current price would be but we stayed in a 2BR condo at the Westin in St John some years ago. Beautiful property. You should get a car/jeep for at least part of the time though as the beaches around the island are amazing. If you like snorkeling, St John is the place to go. We have been to other places in Caribbean & this is our favorite. Have been twice with three kids & always felt safe. Biggest problem for us is the time to get there. First trip we spent 2 nights in St Thomas on the way. Second trip the Westin picked us up at the St Thomas airport very late & we took a moonlight host ride over to St John.

My husband and I stayed at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef on St. Thomas in July/August and it was a very nice resort. Perfect for families. We made the mistake going there for our honeymoon - which was very nice - but had we known there would be so many families, we would have chosen a more "private" place. There are many restaurants on the resort and plenty to do for all!

topping for ChrisiL