Debi

We have a bunch of Marriott points and have decided to do a Caribbean vacation. Looking at the islands that we know have Marriott's, we've taken a few out, and we have our list down to a "short list". If anyone has stayed at these - could you please comment? They are not in any particular order: St Thomas - either the Sapphire Beach Marriott or the Ritz Carlton; Aruba - the Marriott there; Paradise Island Bahamas - the Marriott Beach Club there. What we're looking for is: a gorgeous beach, snorkeling and possibly some casinos (those are in the right order). Thanks for any help you can provide!

Emily

I just used Marriott points at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas. This hotel is situated on the east end about a 5 minute cab ride away from Red Hook. The property is very beautiful with the type of excellent service that one would expect from the Ritz. The rooms have just been redone and they are beautiful - each room has double sinks, a marble bathroom, a balcony/patio and great ocean views. I would highly recommend this hotel. The beach has very good snorkeling. There is no casino in St. Thomas. The only comment that I would make is that we thought that the food was very expensive, for instance, breakfast buffet is $24 per person. So, we just ate out. There are quite a few restaurants in Red Hook.

Karen

Sapphire Beach on STT is NOT a Marriott ... but Grande Beach, Frenchman's Reef or MorningStar as well as the Ritz are! I would definately use my points for the Ritz altho the Reef has undergone a wonderful redo in the last couple of years. I much prefer the quieter East End close to the ferry dock for trips to St. John and the BVI's, dining in and around Red Hook and the wonderful views of Pillsbury Sound and St. John!

Sooooz

Debi,

Hubby and I took first trip to Aruba in Oct. for 10-year anniversary and stayed at Marriott. We loved it so much we just booked again for May! The Marriott in Aruba is wonderful - it's at the end of the high-rise hotel area, with a terrific beach, amenities, restaurants and people. If you have specific questions feel free to e-mail me.

Good luck!

Sooooz

Debi

Thank you very much for the comments!! We're starting to narrow it down.....

Sarah

Debi-

I was in the same boat as you. We are leaving for the Rennasaince Grande Beach Resort in St. Thomas on Saturday. I will give you all the details when we return. It is in the East end (away from the cruise ships) and was 100,000 pts for 5 nights. We were able to get a really good rate on the other 2 nights that we purchased. Call the Marriott number and they will be able to tell you what is available. Last year the only property that had space using points was in Jamaica. We had a great time, but the cove that the beach was in was also the dock for cruise ships. The Marriott (St. Thomas) is in Charlotte Amalie (main dock) so that is why we decided on the Rennaisaince in the quiter east end.

Karen

The Reef and MorningStar are overlooking the harbour and Town but not near the cruise ship docks nor do the cruise ships dock at their "dock!" There may be one or two that anchor in the harbour outside the Charlotte Amalie Harbour and tender pax into Town but the ships dock at Havensight. To get to the Reef or MorningStar you travel a distance up and around the island past Havensight! In no way would cruise ship docking impact on your stay there - unless the cruisers came out for a "look see" or you decided to shop on the busy cruise ship days in Town.

Sarah

I didn't mean that they are at your front door, just that it is in the same general area of the island. Sorry to not have made myself clear. When we were researching which hotel to choose, Marriott's information stated that the Frenchman was near the port. I may have misinterpreted what that meant. I just didn't want my view to be the same as it was in Jamiaca.

Kristin

Sarah,

Yes, please give full trip report when you return from St.Thomas. I have never been there and am interested. I am interested in the beach, clear, clean and powder soft? Crime, restaurants, and cheap eats near hotel?

Alex

Debi, we have just returned from a week
@ the Marriott in Aruba. Do not waste your points there!!! I will be posting a
report here so you can look there for details if you wish. The place is over-rated. Many guests complained about
the lack of basic amenities (decent bed,
showers, room service, food service in restaurants, elevators....basics for any hotel/resort but when lacking in a 'luxury' hotel...whew!)

Karen

Some people might consider being near the "port" an advantage since there is loads of shopping there! But I'm with you!! Like lonely and secluded ... Grande Beach looks great and it is pretty with all the units hillside - never stayed there but have eaten in the restaurant, Smuggler's Cove. Definately do the Sunday brunch with the make your own bloody mary bar!! Grande Beach is closer to Red Hook and East End (ferry to St. John) and good dining and partying options too! Lots of eating options in various price ranges! Renting a car is advantage for eating out/exploring and you will definately want to spend some time on St. John! Check with car rental agencies if you want to take it on the ferry to St. John - not all allow cars to go!

Debi

Wow - I'm disappointed on the feedback about the Marriott in Aruba. I had heard it was pretty nice. Alex, do you think it was an isolated week - or was it your impression that it has gone downhill? We were leaning in that direction because of weather and nice beaches. I think I'll wait to hear the feedback on the Renaissance on St Thomas. Also, the other Marriott's on St Thomas sound pretty good.

Sooooz

Debi,

We didn't have the same experience as Alex did. It's a shame that he did have them, but when selecting a resort, be sure to get the experiences of many people and take them all into consideration. I would suggest going to the 3 most active aruba bulletin boards and reading all of the trip reports posted on the Marriott if you are still considering Aruba. That way you can get a wide variety of opinions and thoughts on people's experiences. They are www.aruba-bb.com, www.visitaruba.com, and www.aruba-travelguide.com.

Best of luck,

Sooooz

Ed

I agree with Soooz, if you still do consider Mariott Aruba you should try to get a broader opinion about it. Aruba is a much safer island than St. Thomas. Aruba is also very clean..The island has 13 casino's and great nightlife and the Mariott Aruba is one of the three five star resorts on the island. Whatever your pick enjoy.

Tobey Franco

Stayed at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Casino in May of 2000. It was great. Good beach, great pool, good food.

Tom

Regarding the Marriott/Morningstar at STT...it is not "in town" or at the cruise ship docks...in fact, it is a good mile or two from the "action" and is fairly remote and off my itself...it does have a water taxi at it's own dock which takes you across the harbor into the town and from parts of the resort (and some of the pools) you have a nice view across the water to the town...

I was there in May and was fairly impressed with the property...the whole place was completely remodeled a couple of years ago...there are several restaurants which are OK (not as good as in town, but certainly not to be avoided), a very small number of basic shops, a fairly poor deli type place (but OK for milk and soda/chips), and a nice selection of lunch and bar places.

Overall it is a very well run hotel and is well maintained...the beach is very nice...the Morningstar part is low rise and right on the beach and the Reef part is more of a high rise...one side overlooks the harbor and the hills behind and the other part overlooks the ocean. As I recall all rooms have useable balconies and there was no problem with insects...I watched the sunset from my ocean view room, but I expect the night time view from the harbor rooms would be more interesting...you can see the cruise ships enter and exit the port and, at night, when they are lite up, it is a spectacular thing to see as they cruise out over the horizon...

Aside from the Ritz, I believe the Marriott is the best hotel on the island...the Renaisannce was not as upscale (older and less glamorous) ...but is closer to Red Hook and the aquarium...I found the beach at the Marriott to be cleaner and more quiet than the ones at the east end...

Saphire Beach (although not affiliated with Marriott) is also a very nice place...every other place I saw was not on the same par as the 5 star places...

The island is beautiful and the people are wonderful...just accept island time and you are fine...

Sarah

I wish that I would have known that it was further off from the town than what was implicated to me from the liturature that we origionally read. Oh well it is a free trip so I can't complain about beeing anywhere in the Carribean (Marriott or Rennaisannce) I origionally heard that Rennaissance resorts were nicer than the Marriott resorts, any one heard differently or had different experiences??? Has anyone been to the Marriott resorts in Hawaii? We tried to use our points this year (6 mos in advance) but there was no availability so we will try for next winter!

Thanks everyone, we leave tomorrow and I will let you all know in a couple of weeks.

Debi

Thanks a bunch for the additional feedback. I'm going to check the Aruba boards as suggested and I also appreciate the feedback on the Marriotts on St Thomas.