pecugl

hi, me again, thanks for the reply, you're right, you need more info! This is our first trip to the Caribbean, 20th wedding anniversary, want beautiful water, excellent place to stay, good food. plan to snorkel (although i never have), lay at the pool, sightsee, hike, some live music would be fun. i don't see much about people staying on st. croix, curious about that, i know st. thomas has the most choices of resorts. what about marriott's frenchman's reef vs. renissance? open to any and all suggestions. we were thinking of going in may. thanks!

CF

Our favorite is the Buccaneer on St.Croix. We love the island even tho it gets bad mouthed all the time. The water is nice and clear. The Buc has three beaches with snorkeling at all of them. There is also the Buck Island trip. Excellent snorkeling there and a beautiful island.<BR>St. Croix is built up enough that you can have things to do, but undeveloped enough that you can have quiet places.<BR><BR>To me if St. Thomas didn't have great shopping you could sink it. It's too commercial, too busy, too much traffic...too built up FOR MY TASTE(before I get blasted by STT lovers).<BR><BR>St. John is great and has a lot of good snorkeling beaches, but it's a little under developed for me. Lots of trees and foresty areas.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Renaissance in STT and it was nice.

Mermaid

Sink St Thomas? If it's too commercial for your taste then you can certainly choose not to go there. No need to say it should be sunk. <BR>Clearly you've not seen enough of the island to know where the quiet, kick back places are. If you go strictly by Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook then it you might have a valid point but since there are quiet villas, quiet resorts lovely restaurants and excellent food along with great shopping perhaps you should put off sinking the island. My favorite place to stay on St Thomas is Secret Harbor.<BR>St Croix is a great choice, a more rural island but tons of amazing restaurants to indulge in. The Buccaneer is a fabulous old style resort. <BR>St John is of course the jewel. 2/3 national park so it's quiet and laid back. Little to no nightlife but amazing snorkeling and stunning beaches.

alzaloum

I stayed at the Frenchman's Reef 7 years ago (before it was renovated) and the Renaissance 3 years ago. During my last trip we visited the Marriott to see the new renovations. I have to say that it is beautiful, but the rooms aren't by the beach. You either have to walk down or take and elevator. I also think that they are directly on the ocean/sea, and not on a bay. The Renaissance was gorgeous. Not a huge beach, but on a bay so you could kayak or swim with very little if no current. Great food. Free watersports. I went kayaking every day. I think the Marriott might be a little glitzier. The Marriott also has a little motor boat which goes into town and is very convenient. Either one is fine -- it's just a matter of what you want.

Dianebridle

I have stayed on both St. Thomas and St. John islands. When on St Thomas, I always choose Marriott Morningstar, which is lovely and is on the beach. In addition, guests may use the facilities of both the Morningstat and Frenchman's Reef. The properties are adjoining but are distinct from each other. Commuting between the two can be done by walking or shuttle. Both are lovely. Morningstar is more 'islandy' and intimate. Frenchman's reef is located on a cliff and has spectacular views.<BR><BR>St. John is my favorite island. Its beauty is stunning. I love staying at Caneel Bay, primarily to enjoy its seven gorgeous, uncrowded beaches. Live music is provided each evening. They provide good food, but it is just a short $3.50 taxi ride into Cruz Bay, if you want to try other restaurants or shop. Other activities include snorkeling or diving trips, beach barbeques,trips to the National Park for hiking and/or snorkeling, movies, and much more.<BR><BR>Much individual attention is provided on their snorkeling trips as the number of boat passengers is small. Snorkeling gear is provided so that you can snorkel right off the beach and get comfortable in the water, (Hint - Make sure that you are correctly fitted with a mask so that it does not leak.)<BR><BR>Boat shuttle service to St. Thomas is provided many times daily, so that you can shop or explore that island. It is just a short trip between the two islands.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful trip.

denette

St. John - Caneel Bay or a private villa. Caneel has the convenience of snorkeling off of their many beaches or a private villa that allows you the total privacy to do whatever, whenever. St. John has many,many beaches to snorkel, hiking trails and a beautiful island to explore, some great restaurants. We probably would have chosen it for our 25 anniversary trip last April if we had not already have gone there in 1997-98, and then again in 2000, but used it as the basis and high mark to find comparable and we found the water, restaurants, romantic beaches, great snorkeling/gorgeous water and wonderful accomodations in Provo/Turks/Caicos. Have a wonderful, romantic trip and reflect,laugh about all your years together. Safe Travel.

CF

WE went to STT once voluntarily for a week and were uninspired. I have been there three times on cruises since. I would avoid it, but when I complain the captain tells me to go to my cabin and shut up. They will not bypas the island just because I don't like it.

LaurieB

Caneel Bay would be my choice, get a room on the beach, you can walk right out your door and snorkle- they have more than one beach, the one we stayed on was on the same side that you enter by ferry. The snorkling was great there it was romantic and the rooms are set up so that you feel like you're the only ones there, on your own private beach. If you need action take the caneel bay complimentary ferry over to St. Thomas for dinner or shopping for the day. Don't spend your time at the pool, you'll be missing out, the beach is the place to be.

VAtraveler

We just returned from a trip to St. Croix and St. Thomas (3 nights in each) and have decided that St. Croix is our favorite USVI! We have been to St. Thomas/St. John two times before and while we liked both, we thought St. Croix was the perfect compromise between the two. St. Thomas is so overcrowded and rather commercial &amp; taxis are so expensive even though you are sharing with a van load! St. John is absolutely gorgeous but a little too slow paced for our preferences. So, St. Croix was the perfect mix. Also, the locals are incredibly friendly. We felt much more at home there than in St. Thomas. <BR><BR>FYI - we stayed at the Hotel Caravelle based on a recommendation from this board and LOVED it! It's very reasonably priced, the staff is great, and the location is ideal (shopping, restaurants, water sports at your fingertips).<BR><BR>Hope this helps.

michelleNYC

St. John, St. John, St. John. Just a gorgeous island. We'll be going back in a couple of months and I CAN'T wait. One of the most beautiful places I've been to in the world.