Frenchmen's is in the top three hotels ....on par with the Wyndham and a notch below the Ritz ! Ive stayed there twice .

Stayed there last June - lovely...I want to buy one of their mattresses....just run from the man who tries to sell you a timeshare and you will be fine. Avoid the back side of the lobby and you don't even have to worry about him...but if you are walking down the stairs out back and hear a noise in the tree, it's worth turning your head.....the BIGGEST iguanas...scared me out of my wits! I'd seen big ones on St. Croix, much bigger, but never that much in my face...even their mama don't think they're pretty....

MFR was doing some additions when we were there, they may be finished and brand new.....or not.... 🙂

Is it easy to get to the beach? Someone said the hotel is up on a hill? Is there anything to do nearby the hotel? What did you think of the rooms?

Thank for your input.

Brandie

Yes, the Frenchman's Reef is on a hill (but a great view of CA and the cruise ships). They have shuttles every 10 min or so down to Morningstar Beach. Not a great beach, in my opinion, as the break is fairly significant. Not great snorkeling. But with SOOO many great beaches around the area (STT and STJ) - - who cares! Their pool complex is very nice (swim up bar, lazy river, volleyball, bar/grill). The rooms are very spacious as well. Typical Marriott beds/towels/etc. THe bathrooms are a bit small though.

I've stayed both here and at the Wyndham, and the Wyndham wins hands-down in my book. Also cheaper. Wyndham is about 5 min from Red Hook, which is a HUGE advantage in my book. Can catch the ferries there as well as a nice selection of restaurants/bars/stores.

LLBL you didn't like that beach? It's so popular! I do agree with you about the breaking waves, but that only happens some days, others it may be calm.

RL

We've stayed there a couple of times - both by using Rewards Points. It's a fine hotel. Lobby is attractive, restaurants are convenient albeit "resort-priced", rooms are typical Marriott sized and supplied. I have heard of guests having difficulty with their room's A/C being noisy or not working, but the hotel is quick to respond to their requests to move. So - don't be bashful - if something is not to your liking, call and ask for assistance.

If you rent a car, you'll park in the garage on top of the hill. It's tight, but we've never had any issues finding a spot or having any damage. There's parking right in front of the hotel, but not much and they go quickly.

The pool area is really nice with multiple pools and a swim-up bar at one of the them. It's fun to have a drink and watch the cruise ships depart right past the hotel.

They have an outdoor gathering area where they sponsor nightly activities. Our favorite was the Pina Colada night - they poured Virgin Colada's then had servers circulating with flavored Cruzan Rum to spice it up. That was our first venture into Vanilla, Banana, and Pineapple flavored rums!

Beach is well below the hotel and is a small hike to get there. It's attractive and as the posts above note can have some small breakers (it's not a Bay - it fronts the ocean). However, our evening visits have always been calm and enjoyable.

Personally, I'd not pay full price for a hotel on the islands. There are too many affordable condo/villas out there. We spend most all of our time at the beaches, island-hopping, and eating & drinking, so the resort itself is of little value to us. Why spend $300 a night when you can rent a condo/villa for less and have both privacy and kitchen accomodations.

However, the Marriott will be a great vacation spot for you on your trip.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

We stayed at the Frenchman's Reef for 8 nights in June on points. I agree with everything above, but didn't see a lazy river (where was that LLBL?) and didn't know about the evening events w/ Cruzan Rum (drat!).

The staff was very nice. They even gave us a $200 room credit when we complained about smoke coming into our room vents from the neighbor's room next door (and promptly moved the neighbors).

We enjoyed the hotel for all the above mentioned reasons, but if we were not staying on points, we would prefer to stay in the Red Hook area for access to the car barge that goes to St. John.

Definitely rent a car to see the island. But make sure your car is allowed to be taken over to St. John via the car barge (some rental car companies don't allow it), if you choose to do that.

We didn't eat at Havana Blue on the Morning Star side, but wish we had, based on the reviews of others.

Have fun!

Lazy River? I've never seen that.

Well, the little passage from the volleyball/waterfall pool to the swim-up bar (that goes under the bridge) has a current that pushes you along. No rafts and not very long, so perhaps a very, very lazy straight instead 🙂

Oh, OK... the area connecting the 2 pools under the bridge... got it! I was going to be mad if we missed a lazy river. My kids LOVE lazy rivers.