Hello,
My fiance and I are getting married next summer, and are thinking of the USVI for the wedding. (We will be traveling to another island for our honeymoon.) Which hotel would you suggest: the Westin on St. John or the Marriott on St. Thomas? I have done a ton of research, so I know the islands are completely different, I am just looking for opinions on the 2 resorts. We want a fun place for ourselves and our family and friends to stay. We would like a nice pool area, and a nice beach, too. We plan on renting a car, are either of these resorts more convenient to their islands than the other? Also, if the beaches at the hotels are not great (I have heard that about the Westin's), are they close enough to better beaches so that we can explore several beaches during our stay? Thanks for your answers/opinions!

Can anyone help me with this?

There is more than one Marriott on St Thomas. Which one specifically are you asking about?

Sorry -- the Frenchman's Reef or Morning Star Marriotts.

The Frenchman's Reef is nice- but make sure you request a ROOM OVERLOOKING the pool and ocean...otherwise you will have a view of the parking lot.
I like the hotel for it's close proximity to town...food is expensive there....

Morningstar Beach is terrific- that is my idea of a tropical paradise. The accomodations are in quadaplex-- 2 face the garden and 2 face the ocean- 1 up and 2 up and 2 down...

If it were me, I would take Morningstar and request FIRST FLOOR as you can walk out to beach....

Morningstar has 2 restaurants- on the beach..

We stayed at the Westin 10 years ago on our honeymoon. (Former Hyatt). The property looks exactly the same. The rooms were OK. Nothing special. Don't be fooled by the pictures, the water on that side of the island is NOT that color or clear and the sand is NOT white like the picture. The actual beach is very small. Pool area is very nice though, although crowded with every other honeymooner and families with small children.

However, they had inexpensive rides to local beaches that were STUNNING.

If you want St.John, I understand Caneel Bay is the way to go.

St.Thomas gets very crowded everytime the cruise ships come in.

So really it depends on what you want. Ferry ride between the two islands is short and pretty good.

Have you thought of the BVIs? You can travel between USVI and BVI on ferries, water is beautiful and very nice ride. Peter Island resort is awesome and has fabulous beaches. Little Dix Bay and the Baths at Virgin Gorda are a must.

I hope this helps!

we went in feb of this yr to St. thomas and St. John- we stayed at the marriot, which was really lovely- we loved the pool(s) and the ocean-although the water was quite rough- but generally, we liked St. John better- and made several day trips there to Trunk Bay and Cinnamin Bay- I don't know about the Westin but the Marriot was a nice combo of beach and pool and the resort was really nice, as was the staff (except at poolside restaurant)- just note- the Marriot is quite a distance from the St. John ferry and also, the most active side of the island-Cruz Bay- and cabs are prohibitively expensive- we are very particular and we liked the Marriot alot-

We stayed at the Westin two years ago and had a wonderful time. We stayed in a 2nd floor "garden view" room towards the edge of the property and it actually was ocean view. Our room was oversized and decorated nicely. The service at the hotel was excellent.

St. John is a beautiful island with pristine beaches. Make sure to visit some of the other bays like Cinnamon Bay for amazing snorkeling. The beach at the Westin, is small, but unlike the other person who wrote in, we found the water quite clear.

The restaurants in town were all great, and there are some fine dining establishments which were fantastic.
Although pricey, Chloe and Bernards at the Westin was just as good as those in town.

The one drawback of the Westin is the number of kids in the pool, but I guess it depends on what time of year you go. Also, they are selling villas now which have access to the Westin pool and beach, so it could get crowded maybe?

One last thing...keep in mind lots of cruise ships dock at St. Thomas so the island of St. John is going to be quieter and less crowded.

LizS:
Do you remember what your bldg. or room number was at the Westin? We will be in a gardenview in late November and it would be great to see a bit of the ocean from our room!

Thx!

hi..if you decide on st. john, the island is small. so yes, to your question about being able to do several beaches during your stay at the westin. even though they're close, you still need to drive to them. you can't walk from the westin if that's what you were thinking. in my opinion, the beach at the westin is not very nice (i'm really talking about the water..and i'm comparing to the real beaches on st. john). we didn't do the beach at the westin at all when we were there. the pool is nice but we thought it looked bigger on their ad for the hotel. and yes, there are lots of kids in the pool, so lots of screaming. that might bother you since you're on your honeymoon...or maybe not.
the grounds of the westin are beautiful. the staff was very nice when we were there. our gardenview room needed some serious updating. we also had an oceanview like the previous poster mentioned..that was a nice surprise.
the numerous beaches on st. john are magnificent.
congrats on your upcoming wedding.

I don't remember the building or room number, but, if you are facing the main building w/ your back to the pool it was to the right. I think the key is to ask for one of the buildings at the top of the hill and get a room on the second floor...you'll have a little bit of a further walk from the pool and beach, but a much better view.