Scott: Stop by Coral World on St Thomas for an overview of ocean life (and some land forms, too!). On St Thomas, Magen's is probably the most child friendly- long, calm, great sand castle building spot. Udder Delight is just down the road for an afternoon ice cream break!!

Thanks for the recommendation. If we spend any time on STT we will check our Coral World.

Hello Scott,

Your girls will likely enjoy Westin's Beach if the water trampoline is out. Can't miss beaches on St. John with kids; Hawksnest, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay, Caneel Bay. You can also do a little hiking at Cinnamon Bay - its an easy trail around planation ruins that have placards along the trail describing the buildings and trees ect. - relatively flat and right accross the street from the beach entrance.

Have a great time.

--Islander

We returned on the 13th from 10 days on St. John, and we had my 2-year- old grandson with us. Our favorite beaches were Maho Bay and Francis Bay. At each of these, although we kept a close eye on him, of course, he was able to play happily and safely at the water's edge and in shallow (ankle-deep) water. Although we loved both of these beaches, because of Maho Bay's proximity to the road (a magnet for a toddler), our hands-down favorite was Francis Bay.

Hello Prizren,

How did you enjoy St. John? Where did you stay? Any favorite restaurants? I agree a concern with Maho is the close proximity to the road.

--Islander

St. John was the perfect vacation spot for us (my college-student son, daughter, son-in-law, 2-year-old grandson, son-in-law's mother, and me). We stayed in a villa at the Westin for the first three nights and in a 2-bedroom apartment at Coconut Coast for the last three nights. The Westin villa was beautiful and well-appointed. Contrary to reports from others, the service was excellent and without exception, accompanied by smiles. The only negative was that, with the exception of the view from our balcony, nothing (architecture, decorating, etc.) contributed to a 'caribbean ambience'. Coconut Coast, on the other hand, while spotlessly clean, was certainly not elegant, but the atmosphere was definitely caribbean. Our balcony was only a few feet from the sea, and we were able to hear the water lapping the shore. The management was friendly and accommodating.

We didn't eat in any restaurants. Believe it or not, two of us enjoy cooking, even on vacation, we had preplanned our meals so that they involved easy and quick preparation. Also, having a toddler in tow does not lend itself to peaceful restaurant meals. I did, however, want my family to taste pates (meat-filled pastry), which we bought from a small shop just across from Chilly Billy's. They were delicious, and a couple of times, we picked them up in the morning on our way to the beach and had them for our lunch.

Our one negative experience while on-island was with our car rental firm. In early Feb., we had reserved a Montero from Conrad Sutton. I had never heard of a Montero, but Mr. Sutton insisted over the phone that, considering the size of our group, that was the only vehicle that would hold us, our beach paraphernalia, etc.. The Westin package included transportation for two on the Westin ferry, and the rest of us took the public ferry from Red Hook. I called the Sutton office from the St. Thomas airport, and the lady in the office told me to be sure get the 5pm ferry from Red Hook, which would get us to St. John at about 5:30, because the car rental office closed at 6. The ferry arrived in Cruz Bay at about 5:25, and we were at Sutton's by5:306. Imagine our surprise when we discovered the office locked, no sign of life around it, and no note saying that anyone would be back to reopen! After waiting nearly 20 minutes, a local lady passing by offered to call the Suttons on her cell phone and find out what was happening. When she did, Mrs. Sutton said that her husband was on his way to the office. When he arrived at 6, he was very abrupt and less than helpful. Many years ago, I had lived in the islands for 9 years and was accustomed to 'island time'. Our problem was that, although they knew at what time we were arriving, they not only were not there, but there was no indication that they would be back before morning. In the meantime, other car rental places were closing, and we were concerned that we would be left with nothing. We would have easily gotten over all of that, if, when Mr. Sutton came, he had had a smile, or an "I'm sorry you had to wait', or any indication of friendliness. The final straw was that, after his insisting that we would need a Montero, he had none available. We managed with the car he substituted, but all-in-all, it was an unpleasant experience. I should stress, however, that we had no quarrel with his price - It was just the unpleasant attitude. Perhaps, our experience the the Suttons was not typical. I just know that, with so many other rental firms, I'll choose another one the next time. Fortunately, the first sight of the beaches helped us to forget the car rental problem, and the rest of the trip was perfect.

Thank you Prizren for the review!!

--Islander