Here you go - enjoy looking (and maybe booking) and do stick to a car no scooters

Pia

http://villatryst.com/photo.html

BeachLover:

I sent you a PM.

F.I.

in october, it tends to rain - mostly at night, but there are some weather systems that fill our cisterns that can last a day or two. i'd advise the car as well...

Very few properties here have direct beach access. Rent a villa with views and a pool. I would look at the North Shore, Peterborg or Mahogany Run area. It is mid island and will give you good access to both the east end and down town as well as short drives to several beaches. You will want a rental car. Also do some research and rent from a company that will let you take the car to St John on the Car Ferry. With a two week stay you will want to spend a day or two over there. Also the villa will save you a ton of money on food even if you eat out at night being able to do breakfast and a few lunches in will help with the cost.
Jay

I forgot to add, if you are new to renting villas do not rule out larger villas that might be out of your price range - with the economy the way it is I am hearing of many, many people who are getting great deals (I was speaking to a couple who got 60% off a fantastic 3 bedroom villa on STJ for just the two of them)
I don't usually like to suggest asking for discounts as I understand how expensive it is here for any business but every single person I have spoken to recently have received some sort of a discount - all they can do is say no right so it is worth asking.

Pia

No place will be very crowded in October. If you want to be right on the beach check out Sapphire Beach Resort or Secret Harbor. Tell the owner it's your anniversary. I like to surprise my honeymoon and anniversary couples with champagne. If you decide Sapphire Beach looks right, pm me.

We just got back from STT a couple of weeks ago. We were there for my daughters wedding- I have pics on another thread. We actually stayed at a Condo at Marriott's Frenchman's Cove. My daughter stayed for her honeymoon at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef, which is a hotel. Also adjoined is Marriott's Morning Star- They are small little separate villas, right on the beach. There doesn't appear to be alot, they have their own entrance and look very secluded. Even though they are part of the hotel, they are separated. The looked very cute, probably pricey, but what is also good about it is that you can also enjoy the amenities of the hotel if you choose. Marriott has a free shuttle that runs between the 3 properties every 15 minutes. That way you can enjoy all of the pools and restaurants. It is a great location and the view from our room was fantastic, we could see the cruise ships docked, and the lights at night - amazing!
Regarding rental cars: we rented from Amalie Car Rental - they are actually waiting for you at the airport when you arrive, even before you pick up your luggage, with keys in hand! You don't have to do the whole shuttle to the rental company, wait in line, fill out papers, etc. It really started out our trip on a great note! And the owners are sooooo nice! They might be a little more, but there cars are new and in great shape. My friends rented from one of the rental chains and the rubber on the gas pedal was missing! So I guess you get what you pay for, even in a rental car that you may think is not that important. But if you think about it, this vehicle is carrying your family, so it is more important than you think. I know after renting with Amalie, I think differently about choosing a rental car now.
Anyway these are just some ideas. We had a great time and you will too, regardless of where you stay or what you drive!

Enjoy every minute, it goes way too fast!
🙂 Nancy

Beachie: I don't know of any high rise condos on St Thomas- three stories is max. Sapphire Beach, Crystal Cove, Secret Harbour, Elysian, the Cowpets, Point Pleasant- all are within this limit. There are some hotels that are 5 stories or so. Bolongo is a nice family owned hotel. I agree that October will not be crowded. And I do *not* recommend a scooter as your form of transportation. Surely you aren't going to run out of things to do on your anniversary! 😉 But drive time from the east end to town, as long as it isn't during morning or afternoon traffic, is about 20 minutes... Happy planning!

BeachLover: I have sent you a PM.

RockyDock

Hello- I thought I would share a few links to villas on STT in case that suits your fancy....

Villas aren't for everyone but can be a nice luxury for special occaisions...

http://www.gobeach.com/usvi/villas/stsomewhere.htm
http://www.islandhideaways.com/villa.php?villa_id=640#
http://www.gobeach.com/usvi/villas/caribia.htm
http://www.gobeach.com/usvi/villas/rockworks.htm

http://www.gobeach.com/usvi/pricesT1.htm

http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/caribbean/usvi-st-thomas

we have a condo right on Sapphire beach at Crystal Cove. It is the best beach on STT.

Use the east end as your starting point and then go from there,

PM me if you are interested.

billd

Sherban,
Great information, thanks for sharing! How are you anyway? Glad to see you on the forum still!

Sapphire Beach is what you are looking for! Check www.vrbo.com for rentals. We just returned Sunday evening, we did not rent at Sapphire and highly regret not doing so. We WILL stay there from now on! I can't imagine running out of things to do on East End - but even so - heading towards the other end is a piece of cake - even with the road construction! I agree - no scooters! The "Islanders" seem to not be in a hurry for anything - except driving!! FYI... we took our Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS - it was worth it's weight in GOLD and then some.

Hi everyone,
This forum has truly been priceless in getting such great advice!! We have only been to Charlotte Amalie for a few hours as that was all the time we had when our cruise ship stopped. We did get to take the Tram up the mountain to Paradise Point (I think that was the name) and ate lunch at the bar at the top. The food was great and the views were spectacular. I have pictures, but I can't copy and paste them,...so I'm not sure how to post an image.
Anyways, after researching we definitely are going to stay at the East End,...and are really looking at Sapphire Beach area. We are going to try and stay a little longer and do some day trips to the other Islands. We do have passports, so we can visit the BI too. And yes, although scooters are fun,...we will definitely rent a car. We just bought a Gar min GPS, ~ I don't know what the model type is, but we were wondering if it would work on the islands, so thanks for that info.! THANKS to everyone for all your valuable insights and opinions,.....and keep them coming too. Once we decide on a where we are staying, I'll post some other questions we have.
Thanks Again!!

P.S. - We also rented from Amalie Car Rentals - yes, you may pay a bit more - but they meet you at the airport with keys in hand as previously mentioned on this thread. Our 4 door Jeep (to accomodate 4 adults and all our luggage) was $488 for 7 days. We used less than $40 in gas and that included daily trips around the island and once ferried over to St. John. Smaller vehicles would cost less. They will have our business in the future.

That was actually one of my future questions..... which car company will allow you to take their vehicles to St. John? So, Amalie Rentals allowed you to take their vehicles on the ferry, right? BTW,....how much did it cost to take the car across? We would probably rent a small car, but have read that some of the paths/roads at St. John are only able to traveled if you are in a jeep or suv. Are we missing out if we rent a car? We are also AAA members. Do they have a website or phone that I could call to get prices or does anyone remember what they paid for economy size car?
Thanks again!

Avis & Budget will allow you to take the car to St. John....don't know about the others.

Hertz will not. Hertz gives a 10 - 15% discount to AAA members.

Car barge: $50. Round Trip.

Courtesy Car Rental on St. John: from $60./day...off season.

F.I.

My fiance and myself are thinking about taking going to St. Thomas for our honeymoon in December. Neither of us have been there. I am a little nervous about going, for such a special occasion, somewhere I know very little about. Any help that you could give regarding accommdations, romantic spots, things we "must see and/or do" etc would be appreciated. We are interested in a cozy romantic place very close to the beach, probably Sapphire.... Any ideas???? Thanks for your help in advance.....
J

We just returned from a magical week in the USVI. You cannot go wrong staying on Sapphire beach. It is a beautiful beach with good snorkeling. There are no restaurants, however, there is a stand where you can get hot sandwiches and libation. I think the word has gotten out as the beach was really crowded on the cruise ship days. We have stayed all over the island over the years, however, we use the room to sleep and wash up in. Some properties are getting old, however, our experience has been positive dealing with the resort staff (with the exception of the towel nazi at Bluebeards!! Don't discount renting a villa, however, most of those are not on the beach. VRBO has TONS of rental offerings.

For first timers on a honeymoon I have some recommendations.

Book 10 - 14 days for your stay (otherwise you will be depressed before your third day on the islands, knowing your time is short)
Use the search function on this site.
Rent a car. Cab fares will eat you up worse than the mosquitoes at Magans at sunset.
Book an Island tour. You will rapidly get a feel for STT. If you are adventurous, you can get tons references on-line and do the tour yourself. We preferred to have someone else drive us the first go round.
Take a day trip to the BVI.
We had an especially great time at Duffy's Love Shack. Fun atmosphere. BTW - There is no shortage of excellent restaurants on STT or STJ.
Take a day or two and explore STJ. The first time we went we booked an Island tour and it included a Trunk Bay stop. We learned about the island and that made it easier the second time around.
Book a day sail to see some of the off the track beaches. We went on the Daydreamer several years ago and had a wonderful day.
Book a dinner cruise. We used New Horizons last year. It was one of our favorite things. We were not sure what to expect and actually overdressed, but, it was a wonderful time for us.
Buy the newspaper. It lists the entertainment offerings on the islands. Lots of people recommend the trader (comes out on Thursdays) but when we went, it did not have an entertainment section (maybe a fluke).
Find someplace with pan music for entrainment. Start listening to some Reggae and pick out a few songs that you like. Chances are it will be played for you. There is nothing like dancing on a beach, under palm trees and a full moon to a soft pan song. . . sigh.
Make sure you take the time to relax and enjoy paradise.
Catch at least one sunrise.
Catch as many sunsets as you can.

Good luck!!