I would look for condo rentals on www.vrbo.com at Sapphire Beach Marina and Resort, Crystal Cove (both on beautiful Sapphire beach) Cowpet and Elysian. Also look at Secret Harbour. All are very accessible on the East end of the island close to Red Hook and close to the best beaches on St Thomas.

There are plenty of restaurants in Red Hook to choose from and loads of choices all over the island. Since you're coming off-season some may be closed during September. Do rent a car!

You can take a full day or a half day sail without going to the BVI and yes, they are absolutely worth every penny. You won't have as many boats to choose from as you would in season as several of the charters pull out for hurricane season - but you'll still have loads of options.

Magens Bay is gorgeous and absolutely both as beautiful as it looks and a "must do" while here. On your way back be sure to stop at the St Thomas Dairies "Udder Delight" for the best milkshake ever - you can't miss it as it's right off the road to Magens with a big sign.

Know your jewelry prices before coming here. Cardow's has an excellent reputation and they have stores in town (Charlotte Amalie) and in the Havensight Mall.

Hope that helps for a start. Congratulations on the anniversary and enjoy a wonderful visit!

My wife and I just returned from out third trip in two years and all three trips have been spent in the same unit at the Sapphire Beach Club. Love the unit and location, and the owner is very easy to do business with. We found the condo on VRBO. PM me if you want his contact information, or the specific VRBO Number as I don't have it handy right now.

We rent a car when we go and typically spend 2-3 days on St. John. Beaches are great on St. Thomas (particularly some of the lesser known "locals" beaches) but nothing compares to the beaches on the north shore of St. John IMO.

Red Hook is our favorite little village on the planet, and we dream of retiring there. Our favorite eateries in Red Hook are Island Time Pub (MUST try the "ITP Special" pizza) and Fish Tails. Two completely different types of places, but just steps from each other.

Cadrow is a good place to buy jewelry, but my wife makes a point out of hitting two stores in Cruz Bay, St. John; one is the Bamboo Gallery for beautiful hook bracelets and the other is Caravan Jewelry in Mongoose Junction. If you are in Cruz Bay, make a point to have lunch (while in Mongoose Juction) at the Sun Dog Cafe....excellent "eats".

Enjoy ur trip; we do.

We too have been to St. Thomas 3 times in the past 2 years and plan many many more trips. We always stay in Cowpet Bay. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but my whole family loves Trunk Bay more than any other beach. I don't know if New Horizons II still operates at the time you will be there but look into their snorkel day sail -- it is amazing.

We love St John but we come to St Thomas for shopping especially jewelry. Make sure you know prices of what you are shopping for. If your not sure of the particular piece then know for instance the current gold or silver prices, the price if the stones or gems you are interested in. Know the prices of the gems in the size and quality your think you might be looking at. You will get good value but if you see something that is unbelievably cheap, chances are that something is awry. Make sure you get a written description of any piece you buy so you can verify the claim with a trusted jeweler when you return home. We always appraise any newly purchased jewelry as soon as we get home to be sure we got what was described and for insurance purposes. Ask the jeweler how long they have been in the jewelry business and how long they have been in their present location. If they have been in one place for a while I figure that longevity is a sign of an honest business. Many of the jewelers have a purchase warranty agreement with the cruise lines. I suppose that even though you are not on a cruise, if the Norwegian/Carnival/Disney backs them for their passengers then they are trustworthy. We especially like Artistic in Charlotte Amalie. Our purchases have always appraised for more than our purchase price. We have purchased from Cardows and were pleased with them.

Happy anniversary!!! I know absolutely nothing about jewelry shopping as that's not my thing, but I'd like to highly recommend the north side of the island. It is peaceful and the views are UNBELIEVABLE. I can't recommend it highly enough. Even if you just go for an afternoon and check out Hull Bay and Magens Bay... So worth it. We didn't end up eating up that way, but were told that the food at Hull Bay Hideaway (super casual beach bar) and North Side Bistro is very good. Also, my favorite beach thus far on STT is Smith Bay. It is hands down a must see!!

SisSara, can you give them a specific property recommendaton on the Northside?

Why take a 1/2 day sail when you can go for a full day? Well worth it.
Lots of options to choose from and you don't need a passport as long as you don't go into the BVI.
Loads of great beaches and places to swim and snorkel in the USVI on a day sail.

Thanks for the info everyone! I have booked a property @ Sapphire through VRBO.

Great food recommendations, so I appreciate that as well.

Keep the ideas coming!

Greg

We did make the trek to North Side Bistro and were very pleasantly surprised. It was a nice atmosphere and the food was pretty good. But I feel like Red Hook has a lot of places that equal or surpass it. Still, our favorite is Tuesday nights at Tavern on the Waterfront in Charlotte Amalie, as it is their lobster night for $22 bucks -- not to be missed!

We always stay at Stone Cottage, above Hull Bay on the north side. Feel free to check out some videos we posted about the east end and North Shore here on vinow. Stone Cottage is well featured.

Our post is titled "A couple of fun videos to share" and it was posted on June 22nd, after returning from our trip. The owners Jeff and Sherri live nearby and take great care of this romantic perfect villa for two. Rental is managed by McLaughlin Anderson. I checked their availability calendar and Stone Cottage is available for your dates. I promise.... you will LOVE THE PLACE.

It's interesting to read how each of us has their own story of best fun on St. Thomas and of course day trips over to St. John.
The point is, it's all good so of course you will hear varying stories based on the highlights of each vacation which can be influenced by participants, service, weather, food, whatever. I have yet to have had a negative experience down there .. Just good, better and best. I even have vanity tags that say 2BN STT.