Just spent 12 days on St Thomas with my husband. We stayed at a condo on Cabrita Point quite near the Ritz Carleton Beach Club. We really had a great time on the island. The weather was cool for the locals...so they told us...., but perfect for us...78 - 82 with some brief showers each day. The breeze was great, beaches beautiful, food good. We found most locals to be very friendly, and found many residents were transplanted from elsewhere and happy to be living in paradise.

Car rental from Budget provided us with a subcompact that had bald tires, bad alignment, all kinds of strange noises and so much exterior damage that wasn't even indicated on the pick up slip. We were warned to check the car over very closely before we drove away, which we did. We ended up having to go back to the counter to tell the clerk that they needed to indicate damage on the entire exterior so we wouldn't be charged for incurring the damage. It really made me angry that they didn't describe the damage to the vehicle on their paperwork, and left it up to us to take a chance on whether or not we'd be charged on return.

Favorite beaches....
Coki for snorkeling, but was noisy with the vendors music on the beach. Had a good salmon burger. Bring dog bones to attract the fish. If you are driving....go early in morning to get parking in the dirt lot or on the sides of the street. Coral World is adjacent and a big tourist attraction.
Meghan's was beautiful, big, and quiet with crystal clear water. We stayed the entire day. Picked a good day as there were only 2 cruise ships in the harbor. Didn't sample the food and drinks because we brought our own that day.
Sapphire was a pretty beach but our day was cut really short because the waves blew me into a shallow coral reef and I was injured.....hand turned blue from the coral punctures, and leg was all scraped up and bleeding. In hindsight, I learned a lot that day. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the injuries for my trip. I also stepped on a sea urchin walking along the water in front of the Ritz. The waves churned up the sand so I couldn't see that anything was there. Both experiences were very painful. Wearing water shoes is a good option....so I've learned in hindsight. I managed to extract a few spines down there, but I limped for the rest of my vacation....it didn't stop me from enjoying myself though. I pulled out another spine the day after I got home. I think I'm home free now and walking pretty well.
Secret Harbor beach could remain a secret as far as I'm concerned. There isn't any parking if you are driving. We asked at the hotel desk where to park, then received a warning notice on our windshield not to park there. The water was murky, and dirty looking. It wasn't clear and blue like the other beaches. There were also lots of rocks and pebbles on the ocean floor.. The Blue Moon had good food though and we would return there for a meal.....but where to park?

We had a good shopping experience in town on a Sunday when no ships were in the harbor. Most shops were closed for the day, but the ones that remained open were desperate for business so we got some good jewelry deals. Another day was somewhat crowded with 5 ships in, but the area is large enough that the flow of people isn't too bad. This area of CA is very quaint and the views alongside the harbor are delightful. Where were the iguanas? I never saw any. Not that I minded, but I had heard and read so much about them....

We took the car barge to St John twice and enjoyed the day there. I recommend an early ferry like 8:30am. Last car ferry is 6:00 and we were told by the "Mister B' staff that if all the cars didn't get on at 6:00 they make another trip to pick up the rest. You get in Cruz Bay at 9:00 and can pick up some breakfast and get to the beach pretty fast. We went to Trunk and enjoyed the underwater reef trail very much. The beach was quite beautiful. Another favorite was Cinnamon where I found the snorkeling to be good as well. The beach was less crowded than Trunk. Crystal clear water, powdery white sand beaches, and wonderful scenery. Definitely paradise! The amenities there and at Trunk were clean and nearby. We briefly visited Maho, just to see it. The beach there is very narrow and the water was so calm it didn't even move. We ate lunch at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay and had really great hamburgers.

We found K-Mart in town and at the TuTu Park Mall. Food items and liquor were least expensive there, but they don't pack up liquor for airplane travel is you plan to take it home. Food Center as you head to Red Hook had ultra high prices, but we were only buying small quantities of a few things so it didn't hurt too bad. I took Beautiful Bill's advice and frozen meats, etc and took them with us in a cooler. The cooler was checked as cargo luggage without any difficulty and it stayed frozen. Next time I would add frozen juices, and frozen blanched vegetables to go with the meats. I found the vegetables and fruits weren't that fresh at the Food Center.

The 7 minute tramway ride to Pleasant Point was not worth the cost of $19.00 per person, especially when we found out that we could have driven up....road is by Al Cohen's Liquor Mall. The view of the harbor was spectacular. Bushwacker tasted good, but I don't do well with multiple alcohol drinks so I felt sort of weird after having one. My fault, I should have known better. We ate sandwiches up there which were pretty good, and listened to the music from a lone entertainer. Otherwise, just more of the same gift shops.

I hope this helps others who visit for the first time. Enjoy!

Karen