Dave

Just booked a week stay at the Westin St. Johns resort. Does anyone have anything either good or bad to say about the resort and the island in particular. This will be our first time their and really have no idea what is their besides a beach and relaxation. <BR>Any suggestions on restaurants, things to do would be appreciated. <BR>

barry

The resort is beautiful with flowers everywhere. Try to get a room near the pool, unless you want to have to hike up a hill(but the hill rooms have the best views). We just got tired of walking up and down the hill whenever we wanted to come and go. The beach at the Westin on any other island would be adequate,but on St. John,you have some world class beaches(Trunk,Hawksnest,Cinnamon and on and on)So, you must rent a jeep and explore.The town of Cruz Bay is less than 5 minutes away and there are many restaurants(all very casual). Some that we liked were Lime Inn,Morgans Mango,Woodys, Asolare,Pussers and the BBQ place,and go to the top of Bordeaux Mtn. for a casual lunch at Cheeseburgers(fantastic views). No matter what you're in for a fantastic trip. St. John is without a doubt one of the best island destinations in the world. Enjoy...

Kristy

We have been to St. John five times and we love the Westin! The pool is huge and very clean - very nice for kids of all ages. The beach is very nice too - but do venture off the resort to some other fantastic beaches - Trunk Bay, Cannel Bay, Hawks Nest, Francis Bay. Snorkeling is great at Francis Bay. The Lime Inn has the best cajun shrimp - that is a favorite of mine. Good food also at Ellington's, Cafe Roma for great pizza and great foo-foo drinks at the Westin and Mongoose Junction. You will not be disappointed in your choice of vacation destinations!! Enjoy!

Karen

St. John is a lovely island. You will probably want to rent a car/jeep for at least part of your stay as you will want to explore those other wonderful beaches! The Westin's pales in comparision! Some choose to spend a little time shopping on St. Thomas also - Charlotte Amailie is the "mecca" of shopping in the Caribb and there is Mongoose Jct or Wharfside in Cruz Bay. You may want to take a sail to snorkle some of the spots unaccessable by land or a trip to the BVI's (take your passport). A full day to the Baths, lunch and another snorkling the spot at the caves, Indians, Copper Island, etc. (Indians are great for snorkling). Go to st-thomas.com/week/ for the Yellow Book, the official guide, This Week in St. Thomas and St. John. It will give you an overview what is available. For dining, Dining with Andre,Chateau Bordeaux and Morgan's Magno are my favorites. Just R & R ... it is great! By the way, it doesn't have an "s" - that's somewhere else and the Islanders appreciate your not using the "s."

Chance

We honeymooned at the Westin St. John in early Dec. 99. It was unreal. The only other place to stay is Caneel Bay, but it was a little bit of an older crowd. The Westin pool is really great. Make sure and get out, though. We rented a jeep from the agency that services the Westin and we were very glad we did. Cruz Bay had some really good shopping and the town has a great feel. Don't miss eating at Chateau Bordeaux, but make reservations early so you can see the sunset. Paradisio and Cafe Roma in Cruz Bay were great as well. There is also a little Tex Mex place in town that does a pretty good breakfast. The Lime Inn is great, too. I would highly recommend going snorkeling. We asked around and everyone told us to call Kathy Pako at Caneel. We set up a day trip with her to some of the British Islands. It was fabulous. She only takes a few people, I think 4 max, and she gets in the water with you to show you everything. She was really a lot of fun. We had planned to go shopping in St. Thomas, but ended up with plenty to do in St. John. Have fun.

rich

We've stayed at both Westin and Caneel and like Caneel much better for the spectacular beaches and the laid back atmosphere though the service could be better. That being said the Westin is a really nice hotel in the more traditional sense. Have dinner in Cruz Bay a lot (easy to get a taxi) and explore the island by jeep as well. <BR>Great restaurants include Asolare (the best--Asian/fusion/great view-make a reservation in advance), Paradiso (american), La Tapa (spanish) and Zozo's (Italian). We liked them all. <BR>Have a great time.

nunzi47

I have only stayed at the villas across from this resort 3 yrs ago. At that time the Westin was closed down and we (my husband and I) had access to the beachfront and the huge pool. We were there all by ourselves. It was kind of eerie but absolutely heavenly!! You will love the Westin and St. john in particular. the place is paradise!!!

lp

We stayed at the Westin last summer. We had a wonderful time. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We had a great room location.....some of the rooms were way up a hill. We had two kids with us and was thankful we did not get one of those rooms. If you can wait until summer we got a rate of $120/night and it was one of the most wonderful places we have ever stayed. Trunk Bay was a must see. I've never seen such blue water. It was breathtaking. We will return when kids are old enough to snorkel! Good luck

Mariarosa

Hi! I don't know if I'm too late for this thread, but we stayed at the Westin for 6 nights during June '99. The Westin is OK...not elegant nor posh (like the Westin Rio Mar), but the rooms are large, their summer rates are good, and they do have A/C. St. John is a gorgeous island and we rented a car for 4 days (we basically spent only 1 day at the Westin). The snorkeling is great and the beaches on the island are perfect. We ate at Asolare, Chateaux Bordeaux, the Lime Inn (I think that's what it was called), the Fish Trap, and some other places that I can't remember. Asolare was absolutely awesome and the Lime Inn was pretty good too! <BR> <BR>I have to warn you about their dive shop though. It was TERRIBLE! We wanted to take the resort course but we have never tried diving before. We went to talk to the shop and we told them that we had never tried it and they said "No problem, you don't need to know anything." We asked whether we should try it first on the pool, and they said they had a demonstration on Monday (which we had missed), but again, that it wasn't necessary to try it on the pool or on the beach first. They took us out on a boat with snorkelers, another first timer couple, and a certified diver. We received a 5-minute intro on equalizing the ears,and some sgin language, and were told that the dive master will adjust our equipment according to our weighs. The result was that the dive master did not adjust us properly and I floated up to the surface twice....my husband had to be readjusted a few times as he kept sinking and hitting the bottom...It was expensive and we didn't see much at all, and I couldn't even finish the dive. To top it all off, the dive master was increadibly rude, acting as if it had been our fault. After that we have been to other resorts and usually, people taking a resort course will try the equipment in a pool or on the beach to make sure that their weight is adjusted properly, they receive some instruction on the equipment before the dive (usually by the pool) and it is unheard off to send 4 beginners and 1 diver with only 1 dive master. Just be careful to not use the Westin's dive shop!