Hello Gailzy,

Was there a few months ago and prior to that late last year. Looked basically the same, there may have been more chairs and there was a small water sports booth which I didn't remember from 07, but it may very well have been there just didn't notice it.

How recent was the overhaul supposed to take place and what was to be included in the overhaul?

--Islander

I had heard the beach was supposed to be improved as well. Removal of some of the urchin rocks at the shore and fixing up of the weather old dock were the two improvements. Neither was done in 11-07.....hoping something will be done for this years 11-08 trip.

The weathered old dock was still there and in the same condition a few months ago. The shoreline itself was sandy. In the water there were rocky spots, particularly on the right side when facing the water.

--Islander

We just had friend's stay a week there. They were very dissapointed with the beach and water area. So, I guess it is the same as before with no improvements done yet.

We are staying at the Frenchmans Cove thats the new marriott villas right? Is the beach not nice there? We stayed at their Marriott in Aruba before and it was gorgeous I was thinking this would be even better. Any info would be great we will be there the first weekend in Oct how is the weather then. My husband wanted to go back to Aruba it is his favorite but I wanted to see other island, I have always wanted to see St. John so I am definitely going there for a day.

The Beach at the Cove needs to have the rocky area along the shoreline removed. That consists of about 2/3 of the beach. The other 1/3 beside the old dock is a sandy bottom. The rocky portion and the old dock is what this discussion is about.....hoping they removed it. Otherwise the beach (sand portion) & pool area are nice. It just tough to get out into the water around the rocks. You can always hop on the Marriott shuttle and take a couple minute ride over to the Morningstar Beach. That is a much larger beach without a rocky shoreline. Morningstar is a nice beach that has a little wave roll to it. The Cove side is pretty sheltered and the only waves there are from boat traffic. Although sitting on that beach watching the boat traffic was one of my favorite activities during our last visit.

Also, Aruba and the USVI are pretty different islands. I would prefer the USVI simply for the lushness of everything, especially on STJ.

Unfortunately, you can't just remove rocks from a shoreline. Mother Nature seems to have her way eventually. I hope DPNR will squash this idea...

EE, I agree. Morningstar Beach was totally awesome years ago. There were the basic ruins of an old restaurant/beach bar there at the far end but that whole stretch of beach was pristine.

Then the restaurant which now houses Havana Blue was built. It was way off the CZM footage requirement for building on a beach but went ignored. Even before the Morningstar condos were built, the sheer presence of that restaurant building so close to the beach totally messed up the natural tidal flow and clear sand access became rocky access in short shrift.

That whole beach is a travesty of what it once was. Too bad and too sad.

As far as the new "Frenchman's Cove" condo/villas are concerned, buyers should beware if your druthers are for any sort of a pristine beach experience outside your door. Caveat emptor.

schnell: hopefully you've now received a little bit of education and that you'll revisit your estimation that, "The Beach at the Cove needs to have the rocky area along the shoreline removed."

Mother Nature does eventually have her way once she's been aggravated and messing with her for the sake of big bucks has been detrimental throughout the world.

Thank goodness that the Rockefeller Foundation was so astute so many years ago where the basic preservation of St John was concerned. Given the development of STJ outside the deeded and protected National Park zone, can anyone even begin to imagine the total destruction of STJ which would have occurred had Nelson Rockefeller not jumped in?

Cheers!

Granted I have not been on STT as much as you have STTresident, but I seem to remember that the Havana Blue rest. and building being the same size, but empty and run down. I don't really remember the building getting any larger, just renovated when Havana came along. My guess is that building had been there for at least 15-20 years and being an eyesore, maybe you can advise?

As a marine biology major when I first saw the rockwork on the beach I too thought it should not be tampered with, but the rockwork is a true hazard. If STT gave Marriott the approval to build a 220 unit timeshare facility into the rocky cliff then moving the 100' strip of rockwork along the shoreline should be a non-issue. They have already impacted the environment 10 times over by building the resort. The guy at the beach hut (his name slips my mind currently) has a gallon of vinegar with him at all times and uses it weekly, if not almost daily due to urchins. And the 100' or so strip of rock is not going to mess with the beach anymore than the CA boat traffic already does. There is plenty of rock 10-15' out in deeper water that would prevent most beach erosion. I am with you on saving the marine environment, but this is a drop in the bucket.

And if the Rockefellers would not have done what they did with STJ it would look like STT.....we all know that!

schnell: There are any number of us who think that DPNR and CZM lost their minds when they approved that density on that property.

schnell: don't recall that the building which is currently the home of Havana Blue was ever run down or empty. It was "Tavern On The Beach" when it was built/opened in the early 80s which was way before the Morningstar villas were built.

As far as the government giving approval to Marriott to build a timeshare resort - well., guess you'd have to know all that history on that score. A great big entangled web for true!

I guess I just remember how pristine it all used to be. Appreciate your knowledge as a marine biology major but what you see now is nothing like it used to be and the damage has much less to do with "natural" ecological damage than with man's onslaught. Cheers!

To original poster, we own at Frenchman's Cove and were there last Nov. I didn't find the sea urchins/rock area too big of a problem. I just floated over them and then swam farther out in the water. The beach area is small at the Cove and is different than Morningstar or other beaches on the island, but we enjoyed it. Loved watching the ships go by. I think each beach on St. Thomas and St. John have a different character. Each is unique and enjoyable for different reasons. We had a wonderful time and look forward to going back in 2009. (We traded for Hawaii this year.)

Have a great trip!

Resident: I hear you on the Morningstar beach, that has changed quite a bit just over the last 5-6 years. It used to be a flatter beach and not such of a drop off at the shoreline. Also used to be somewhat rocky towards the left side. Its just like they raked the rocks out and replaced it with a ton of sand. Which I guess is a plus for guests. But, yes....at some point all that sand is going to be removed by the ocean. Living in FL we see that everytime a storm blows by or through. Beach replenishment is an ongoing process due to development.

I would imagine all that area was very pristine before it was all developed. Kind of like STJ I would imagine. STT is both blessed and cursed with CA and the deepwater port.

It was during one of our visits (maybe 2004 or 2005) that the Havana building was just boarded up and in need of repair. It must of been a small window before Havana started remodeling it.

Lastly when you think of 220 units, thats really not all that much, but on that small plot of land it is quite dense. Even though I was a Marine Bio major I currently work in the building industry and its pretty obvious some money exchanged hands with the approval of the cove. I have to admit it though, we certainly enjoy the property!

Cheers to you......