LF,
Off the top of my head:
The beach: OK, but by no means representative of St. John's beaches in general. Rent a jeep (you can do that right there on-site) and check out the north shore beaches.

Restaurants: OK, but by no means representative of the best dining St. John has to offer. Again, venture off of the property for dinner. (Note: can't speak to Chloe & Bernard's, they've changed chefs several times since our last meal there. I've heard good things lately.)

Ambience: OK, but not particularly charming. Take your rental jeep and drive over to Coral Bay, have lunch at Skinny's or someplace, see the whole island. Go hiking. Get lost for awhile. Have a smoodie at Columbo Cafe. Maybe take a day-trip into the BVI. Try the ribs at Joe's. And yes, check out the shops and stores.

Bottom Line: The Westin is a fine place to sleep at night, but don't treat it as an all-inclusive and just stay on the property all week or you'll miss out on what makes St. John special.

Take the Westin ferry, it's worth the $$$. Nice service. You check in at the airport and get your room assignment. They take care of your luggage and taxi service to their ferry. Upon arrival they meet you with a rum drink. Very easy. Classy service.

Enjoy...St John is beautiful.

Contrary to negatives about the Westin, I would say that we totally enjoyed our vacation there. The property is very well-maintained and gorgeous. We chose to have a poolside room rather than beachfront and were happy with the decision since the beachfront is just so-so (the only minor complaint). The pool area is awesome. Exploring the other great beaches is part of the fun, anyway- particularly for snorkeling.
The staff here is so friendly and accommodating, the bars & casual restaurants have very good food and fun drinks.....but Chloe & Bernard's is a MUST. We were there before Chris Cody took over as executive chef, but I'm certain that the cuisine is just as good & well-presented as it was in November '03 since he is known as an accomplished chef.
Beautiful & very romantic restaurant!
However, do try Asolare, The Lime Tree, & other recommended restaurants....and don't forget Happy Hour at Woody's at least once during your stay!
Transportation is easy, too, since there are shuttles from the hotel into Cruz Bay and all around the island.

We just got back from our Honeymoon, six days of which, were spent at the Westin.

We had a great time there and definitely recommend it. The beach gets a lot of bad press, but that's only because of the other beaches on the island. Anywhere else, the Westin beach would be considered very nice. We rented a car from O'Conner and split our time nicely between exploring the island and relaxing at the hotel.

The beach cafe and snorkels had perfectly good beach cafe food, but was a bit expensive. We stopped at the market and picked up some food so we didn't have to rely on their food completely.

If you do rent a car, one suggestion. Be sure to tell them what time you are arriving and what time you want the car ready. If you don't, you will have your rental start at 9am and will need to return it at 9am of the last day.

I'm very excited to hear the good comments on the Westin....I am staying there from 06-28-05 until 07-08-05 on my honeymoon.

I'm also going on my honeymoon to Westin's STJ, in September. Do you have any more details about the Westin ferry? Is there something at the airport we walk up to or do we need to arrange in advance.

I would arrange for this in advance. Either with your travel agent or directly with the hotel. They have a room at the airport and you check in there and they take care of everything. Taxi, ferry and room assignment.

I can't wait! We will be there in 3 weeks!!! Any exceptionally good buildings or views?

Thank you so much! I'm sooo excited about the trip. Love the Westin so I know the room will be nice, but am more excited about exploring STJ. Its the first time for my fiance and myself and we are very eager to get there.

the niceness of the Westin depends on your room .. there are some awful ones by the tennis court or too close to the pool ... sizetoo is a variable... the villas across the street are fun but .. you have to cross the street .. i do like the little private pool though .. you , your sweetie and the geckos... there are jacuzzi suites that do make you feel special but in some .. you caould be in ...new jersey 🙂 ..

jogging around and up the hill is great .. you don;t need to rent a car there are plenty of wonderful pink jeeps .. all seem to be part of the same family's ownership ...you will suffer if you miss the wonderful bumping ride in the back ... sometimes with athers sometimes not .. the Westin has a particularily nice painted bunch of jitneys ... and do they know the island !!love them ...have never driven a car here ... you can eat wherever you want , the desk will make reservations at the few that need them .. and piece of gateau to get a $5 buck ride to dinner.. and fer sure you don'[t wanna drive home after a few adult beverages..honest , you don't need a car...

I really think the Westin is a great place to stay. Nice pool, jacuzzis, arcade, and stuff to do other than gaze at the water. If you wanna beach it, the taxis are running all day till late from the main lobby. I think the grounds is well kept and its four diamond rating is only matched by the ritz and caneel in the USVI.

I do appreciate the kind words.

Just an FYI.
I have worked in the kitchen at Chloes since fall 2002.
I took a few months off from may 2004-november 2004. Other than that, I've been there under Andre or I was the chef. Andre started fine dining on STJ with Dinner with Andre above Chilly Billy's. While I was gone, there were two chefs that came and left. I think it all worked out. 😉