Skip STT and go to STJ - IMO - ymmv
STJ is so beautiful - it is a must see/stay.
the islands are small - no worries getting 'stuck' - besides many dream of getting stuck on STJ - and some have succeeded.
gl

I have been staying on St Thomas for 5 years now, and in my opinion Sapphire has been the best. It is not a full service resort but a condo community. Full kitchens are in each unit and they come in handy for breakfasts and lunches. Sapphire is on the East End, and i recommend renting a unit directly from an owner, usually better price and the units are in better shape. The website to check out is www.vrbo.com. Most definitely rent a car. There are many agencies, I have had the most success with Dependable or Budget. A day trip to ST John is a no brainer and a ferry can be picked up 5 min away from Sapphire in Red Hook. As far as activities, there is something for everyone located all close by all depends on what exactly you are looking for. Hope this helps and have a wonderful trip.

You will find that at Wyndham, being a full service resort, has a diverse selection of activities and guests of many ages. I have stayed there and saw large family reunions, honeymooners, singles of young and old. They have kids areas, including enough for teens. A lot goes on there, and they also have a mini casino, a weekly Caribbean night with mocko jumbies and limbo, just to name a few. We stayed there by chance for 5 days on part of a trip once. We found a short cut to Point Pleasant over some rocks at the left side of the beach that lead to the steps of the nature trail at Point Pleasant's little beach, so we took off our sandals and went for it. We had lunch at Fungi's, went to Coki Beach stopping at Fungi's both ways, and even to Agave for dinner, although we took a taxi back. We had a car, we are seasoned travelers used to driving on the islands but we still take taxi's sometimes especially at night because it's easy.

You can get a taxi easily from Wyndham and after getting a feel for what it would be like driving, then you will know if you want to rent a car for a couple of days or not. It can be fun to drive, or a lot of pressure.

Enjoy your first time in St Thomas
LB

If you are going for one week, then stay on STT but plan on a day trip (or two) to STJ. But if you have 10 days or more, you might wanna
split 40% STT, 60% STJ with may be an all-day trip to the BritishVI (Jost Van Dyke/Virgin Gorda/Norman all together in 1 day). Bring passport if you do.

You can catch a passenger ferry or car barge at Red Hook for a 15 min smooth ride over to STJ.

Sapphire condos are close to Red Hook and at proximity of some nicest beaches with excellent snorkeling : Coki, Lindquist, Sapphire (yes, that beach in front of the condos), Secret Harbor. Only Magens Bay, which is the "crown jewel" of all the beaches on STT, would be
a little out of the way, about a 30 min drive. You would want to spend a whole day there anyway. Try to get there early to get your spot
under the shade and enjoy the beach before the 10 AM crowd arrives, especially when cruise ships are in town. Do the same thing for
Coki Beach and Trunk Bay on STJ. These are the MOST popular beaches.

The Quick Links at above right hand corner will give you the cruise ships and ferry/barge schedules.

Driving on the islands is quite easy even though they drive on the "wrong" (left) side. There is pretty much no traffic and you cannot drive
very fast anyway. If you are renting a car, let them know you might take it over to STJ. Hertz is the only one who will not let you.

Have a great time.

The Wyndham has gone all-inclusive in the last year which is something to take into consideration. I understand they offer a "breakfast only" AI but check the pricing carefully on either plan. Both guests and locals who've eaten there have proclaimed the food in terms of "bad" to "OK" and there are so many good dining opportunities on STT that locking yourself into hotel food may not be a good idea. My choice, as others have stated, would be Sapphire through a private owner and I absolutely concur with renting a car. Have a great time whatever you decide on!

Thanks everyone for the advice. If anyone can think of anything else just let me know! I can't wait to come. I am betting I will want to move there after visiting!

I was living on St. Thomas when my mom and dad came to visit. My mom hurt her back so I checked them into the Sapphire Resort so they could be steps away from the beach and have some meals in their room. My parents had such a nice time, when my sister and brother-in-law came they stayed there and went parasailing from the Sapphire Marina.

Enjoy,

Connie

Here are the difference. Take it from some one who lives on STT.

Wyndam is a full service resort. So if you are looking to save some bucks you might be better off at Sapphire.

There is no way the beach at the Wyndam (a man made beach) is good as the one at Sapphire.

There is no food service at Sapphire except a stand between the b and c buildings and the local person who serves drinks in front of Crystal Cove.

There are two resorts on Sapphire. One is Sapphire Resort the other is Crystal Cove. I suggest that you go to VRBO to look for a place to stay.

Red Hooks is a mile from Sapphire or about two from the Wyndam.

At the Wyndam you have great views but need to walk , or get a ride, to the beach.

The pool at the Wyndam is very nice.

Best best. Stay at Sapphire Resort or Crystal Cove and rent a car and go to Red Hook for your meals. Do to TuTu to buy food.

billd

Thanks for the advice.

St. Thomas is more developed than St John and if you stay at STT then you can easily plan to visit STJ it will roughly takes half an hour to go there.

Both the islands are beautiful but St. John is good if you want to escape to quiet areas with tremendous natural beauty. If you like shopping then STT is better.

Also renting a car is a good idea if you want to explore the islands. To rent a car you may look into the latest deals offered by Carrentalscaribbean dot com. They offer quite reasonably priced car rental services.

gatwick wrote:
To rent a car you may look into the latest deals offered by Carrentalscaribbean dot com. They offer quite reasonably priced car rental services.

Note, this website is preceded by a popup warning that the site contains malware which may damage your computer.

I am doing the expedia package so if i rented a car it would be included for like 80 extra dollars a day. I haven't really made my mind up. I am thinking I don't want the hassle of driving and worrying about where to park and directions.

tinityh, I understand your hesitation about driving. Five years ago I was like this will be impossible to do. And now I cannot see myself spending a week without a rental. But it really does make a huge difference. Cabs can get expensive quickly, especially if you have a large group as they charge per person. Check out dependable rent a car on STT their rates are usually a little better then expedia packages. Just my experience, you need to do what makes you most comfortable to ensure the perfect vacation.

Thanks, I just really don't know what to do. lol
I rented a car when I went to California for a week and that was a disaster! lol but I
know there is a big difference from St. Thomas and California.
It will be me and my niece only, but I'm sure that will add up in taxi fees.

Since I've never been there, is it really hard to find your way around St. Thomas? I am not really worried about driving on the left side. I am a good driver, just not good on directions. I guess I could bring my GPS. My luck the GPS will not work lol

Aaarrrrgh!!!! Bring your GPS to ease your mind but I don't think you will need it. You can't get lost, I know, I am from California 🙂
Even if you do, you are on island time, think of it as a scenic drive and you will eventually get to your destination.

I concur with soxman, look into a rental with Dependable Car Rentals. It will be cheaper than the $80/day Expedia deal.

I'm thinking we are coming on June9th-13th.

Hi, we have stayed at most of the resorts and a few condos on STT and hands down Sapphire is the best!! We were there for 4 weeks Feb & March and falling to sleep to the sound of the surf at night was blissful!! There is a web site....www.sapphireinthesun.com....that gives a good view, the camera is at the end of bldg C between bldg B, that is also the location of the snack shop which came in real handy on those days we just couldn't work up the energy to move from the beach or pool. Also there is a pizza guy going around with a menu and they deliver. Also the have beach side servers from the snack stand.

They do bring cruise ship passengers there but if you look at the web cam, they really don't go past the volley ball net. The pool is BEAUTIFUL!! Security patrols the pool area , it is for Sapphire beach condos only!! Bldg A is next to the office, then B and we were at the other end of C perfect location, D & E are closer to the pool and further down ,the marina .

You have to be careful about who you book with, I do think VRBO at Sapphire Beach is who we went with, be careful booking anything with the Antilles resorts....famous for poor service and moving people around. The is also a hill side village that is, I think, under the Sapphire name, and the Crystal Cove people will advertise under SB.

The 1st 2 levels of the bldg are studio apts which we will look at for next time, the upper 2 floors are 2 level units which we wanted the extra room for family coming down, we used the AC twice, there was always a breeze, BTW 1st floor walks out to the beach, 2nd floor balcony room, I wouldn't be comfortable sleeping with the door open on the 1st floor. I hope this is of some help

Just curious, have those of you who trash STT ever stayed on the Island? Personally, I wouldn't want to stay someplace remote that required driving every time you went out.

There are three resorts on Sapphire Beach. Sapphire Resort, Crystal Cove and up on the hill is Sapphire Village.

Since I live here and own at Crystal Cove I am biased to Crystal Cove. You can go on VRBO and book.

Billd