Just a quick answer relative to any of the places you mentioned "where we can walk to restaurants, shopping, night life, etc." which is basically "none of the above."

A car is an essential for most visitors (and residents) on all islands. There are certainly wonderful places to go to outside of the timeshare places you've mentioned but, even though the islands are relatively small, the terrain is far different from that to which you might be accustomed and even a distance of, say, one or two miles requires vehicular transportation. Best bet for most is to rent a car. Taxiing can get rather expensive.

There are many posts on this forum related to the places you've mentioned and you can do a search on them all using the "search" engine at the top of this page.

My suggestion is that you really research all the information on this forum. I think that if you do you'll quickly get a feel of the topography of the islands and understand that although everything is within relatively easy distance, it's not necessarily within easy reach unless you have transportation. The best of luck with your research and, wherever you end up staying, enjoy your vacation here. Cheers!

Hi GCHAN,

I don't understand why there are only two possibilities in the Virgin Islands for exchange as the Elysian Beach Resort and Bluebeard's Beach Club (both on St. Thomas) are also affiliated with Interval International. I would go back to the II website or call a representative and ask about these resorts as well.

The Westin St. John is considered the most difficult timeshare exchange to get according to postings on the forum at the Timeshare Users' Group. http://www.tug2.net/

I'm also under the impression that Sapphire has very few timeshare units. Most of the units there are privately owned.

The Marriott Frenchman's Cove is a brand new resort. If you like the comfort of the familiar, it is a standard Marriott resort from reports that I've read. Lots of on-site restaurants at the neighboring Marriott hotels, pools, beach not too far (probably a shuttle to get you there) and other typical Marriott amenities.

If you would prefer a resort with more of a Caribbean flair to it, smaller and more laid back then you might like Bluebeard's Beach Club, Sapphire Beach Resort or the Elysian Beach Resort. All are beachfront and Elysian and Bluebeard's have restaurants. None at Sapphire at the moment.

STT Resident's advice above was on the money regarding accessibility to restaurants/activities off the resort grounds.

Gerie

Hi,

We own a timeshare at the Westin, St. John. Very nice resort, the beach is just ok, but you will need a jeep to explore what St. John has to offer, The best beaches are about 30 minutes away on the North Shore. Most people who own a timeshare there go for the Island not the resort. Many resturants to choose from on St. John in Cruz Bay not very far from the resort but again need to drive or take a taxi. I would not walk on the roads there. Very hilly.
From what I read it is very hard to do an exchange there. They have 80% accompancy rates on the timeshares. The most difficult because it is one of the best Islands in the carribean. There is a lot on the internet regarding Timeshares, It is a Starwood property if that helps.

Thanks for your advice! This is all new to me so will definitely follow your advice and use the search option.

T he new Marriott's doesn't appeal to me as I might as well stay in the states and save a lot of money. I've heard Sapphire has the most beautiful beach, but has become very run down. I had also heard poor reports on Bluebeards Beach Club, and have not heard of Elysian, but will check further with Interval. Do you know any specifics about Elysian? I don't care about a fabulous resort, but do need it to be clean and a good location. Thanks.

The Elysian is one of the three now Wyndham timeshare properties on St. Thomas. It has two tiers of buildings going uphill. It's location is a good one, close to Red Hook on the east end of the island, where there are many restaurants, bars, shops and ferries to St. John and the BVIs. It is also not too far from some other beaches, such as Sapphire, Coki, Secret Harbour and Lindqvist. It is quite a distance from downtown Charlotte Amalie, however. This resort also has many privately owned condos.

The units come in different configurations, from hotel room to two-bedroom suite with loft, which sleeps 8. I haven't stayed there in several years so I don't know about the upkeep of the rooms regarding furniture, etc. There is a large (but not deep) pool and a beach with very calm water and some snorkeling to the left side. The bay on which it sits is shared by some condo complexes and a yacht club, which means there are many boats moored in the water. There is also a very busy activity shack that offers lots of water sport options. Robert's American Grill is the restaurant on the property. Bonnie's was also there, but I recently read that she has closed. (Can anyone confirm this?)

One of the other two Wyndham propertiesis Bluebeard's Castle, close to downtown, not waterfront. There have been some problems lately at the Castle between the homeowners and the development corporation resulting in a lot of maintenance issues. This resort has gotten many negative reviews on various sites. Bluebeard's Castle is affiliated with RCI and would not be available for an II exchange.

The other Wyndham resort is Bluebeard's Beach Club. I hope you are not confusing the two Bluebeard's properties. Bluebeard's Beach Club is very well maintained. It is small and very quaint and tropical right on the Caribbean Sea. I am an owner there and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about Bluebeard's Beach Club.

Gerie

I went into II directory and they don't have a listing for The Elysian. I would be interested in more info on Bluebeard's Beach Club, as it does sound as if I'm mixing them up. The address I have for exchange is 100 Frenchman Bay. Thanks.

Elysian Beach Resort (340-775-1000) is located on the East End of the island at Cowpet Bay, adjacent to the STT Yacht Club. Bluebeard's Beach Club at Frenchman's Bay - southside - (340-776-4770) which is on the beach should not be confused with Bluebeard's Castle Hotel (340-774-1600) which sits above town. Hope this helps.

GChan,

Bluebeard's Beach Club is small...74 units... studio, studio with loft or one-bedroom, all with kitchenettes. All rooms have terraces and views to the sea. There's a free-form pool with swim-up bar and the beach is just steps from the rooms. They've also just built a barbecue pit. There's a restaurant on site, Mim's Limetree Bistro, serving breakfast and dinner, and lunches are served through the pool bar. Two years ago we had two adults and two teens in a studio loft. I won't say it wasn't tight, but it did work. Most of the time is spent outdoors, anyhow.

Although not a 5-star resort, the rooms are clean and quite sufficient. The grounds are well tended. There is a very active group of owners and the owners on the Board of Directors listen to the owners, keeping things in check and prioritizing maintenance. The entire place closed for a year and underwent a complete renovation about 6 years ago.

The resort is located on the South Side of the island, in the Frenchman's Bay area. It is close to nothing at all and requires transportation to get anywhere. The island is only 13 miles long, so proximity is relative. Taxis charge per person and can get quite costly, so a rental car is recommended.

It's a quaint, quiet, tropical feeling resort. I personally love the beach there. Some snorkeling to the sides, enought to be interesting with a resident baracuda, a few small waves in the water because it is open to the sea, not protected in a cove. It's great to watch boats passing by. In the early mornings the cruise ships make a u-turn right in front of the resort to position for entry into the harbor and accept the harbor pilot on board. In the evenings you can watch them leave for their next port. Really pretty when they have their lights on. On clear days you can see St. Croix.

I may be biased as a timeshare owner there, but I love this place.

Any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Gerie

"Robert's American Grill is the restaurant on the property. Bonnie's was also there, but I recently read that she has closed. (Can anyone confirm this?) "

Robert's is great. Bonnie's lost its lease and has closed but the owner of Robert's will be opening something ithere soon (island soon, not mainland soon!)

dntw8up: From what I have heard (and hearsay is crap for the most part!) Bonnie is out (and I'm not going to get into this on a forum) and the place is pretty much boarded up right now as "Robert's" plans an expansion into that space.

Bonnie has dealt with many personal blows over the years and it just, I think, probably all became too much for her to deal with.

Lord knows I empathize wholeheartedly!

And so I will shut up for now, Cheers!

how is bluebeard;s beach club and villas? close to anything? how is the beach>

moarroyo,

Please note that I believe I addressed these exact questions in this thread. Perhaps you might read the previous posts here.

Gerie

Gerie,
Thanks so much for all the info you sent on Bluebird's. It sounds like a perfect get-a-way. Will add it to my bid to II and if we get in you'll probably be hearing from me with lots of further questions. Again, thanks.

My pleasure.

I am planning my 11th visit this August and have never exchanged for another location. I'll be happy to answer any additional questions you might have and I'm sure all the other most helpful posters on this board will be more than happy to answer questions about the island. I hope you are able to get an exchange onto either St. Thomas or St. John and get to experience the beauty and wonder of these islands.

Gerie