Hi Kris,

We (my husband and I - 30 somethings) stayed in April at the Marriott. Our balcony faced St. Thomas Bay so every evening we watched the cruise ships leave. It was really nice. At night the lights on the island looked like the stars did above. Very romantic and beautiful. The rooms are nice. Tiled floors with a big square carpet. If you go to their website you can see exactly what they look like. In fact, I found their website to be very truthful on what you can expect. www.marriott.com Be sure and take the photo tour on the site.

The beach by the hotel is absolutely perfect. If you want an umbrella on the beach you have to get there early! You can get as many towels as you want so don't worry about bringing any. I am so silly and packed four.

Be sure and say 'Good Morning' or 'Good Afternoon' or whatever is appropriate that time of day and it will be appreciated. Staff is friendly and very helpful. Be sure and take advantage of all they offer in the hotel. They will fill your arms with brochures, but take a close look at a brightly colored piece of paper. It is printed daily with cruise ship schedules and any happy hours or discounts that are offered that day. When there are a lot of cruise ships - downtown will be busier, but more stores will be open as well.

To the left of the front desk is a large square desk with ever so helpful people. They will make dinner reservations for you or any reservation you need. They have huge books of menus and places to go and things to do.

The pools at the hotel are great too. Be sure and put on sunblock - no matter how tan you are - you will burn. I was fully covered in sunblock and was on the beach 1 hour and was slightly sunburned. And that was without going in the water.

When you first arrive at the hotel, after you have eaten and refreshed, my advice is to 'tour' the hotel. Use the map they give you and find all the pools, restaurants, beach, and stores. The deli/grocery store is open 24/7, however prices are very high in the hotel. Go to K-mart in town and find all you need for a fraction of hotel prices.

Of course you want to visit other beaches and sites. If you can, spend a day on St. John. It is beautiful and more secluded. On St. John, my recommendation is Cinnamon Bay.

At the hotel, the beach is easier to get to if you take the free shuttle down to MorningStar Resort. It is actually all the same thing, but from the Marriott you have to take a billion stairs to the beach, past the tennis courts, past another pool. It is a long walk back and really unneccesary since they offer the shuttle.

Your brightly colored paper will also tell you when they feed the iguanas. I found them a bit scary at first, but since they are well fed... 😉 You will find them everywhere.

Not to ruin your experience, but the waterfall is pretty but fake. They pump in seawater for it. It is worth seeing once, I guess.

Okay, this was way more info than you probably wanted or needed. I just loved it there so much.

Have a fun trip!
Teresa

Kris,

Your seventeen year old will not be able to drink and places like the Greenhouse will not let him in unless he is 18. Although, I don't know how strict they are on that. The cruise ships leave around 5 or 6 at night and the town kind of shuts down. There is still night-life. There is a Hard Rock Cafe and is nice. Remember service in some areas is slow. Everyone is on Island time. Coral World (is that right? I am so tired) has a few evenings when you can go and see the underwater nightlife. I haven't done that yet, but will. There are some places on the East end of the Island that have some nightlife. Have a great trip. You all will have fun, I am sure.

Teresa