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We are heading to STJ in Oct to celebrate our 25th. We have reservations at the Westin, pool-side rooms, and are really looking forward to relaxing from stressful jobs and life situations. I've been reading posts on this board and have found the information to be immensely helpful - thanks to everyone! I have come to the conclusion that I need to stop reading actual reviews about the resort because they are so mixed and I'll read a "great" one, then a really "bad" one, and I find the "bad" ones to be somewhat disturbing. There are a couple of recent reviews on tripadvisor that were pretty negative and it seems the negatives were centered more around service than anything else, i.e., excruciatingly slow responses to requests, unfriendly behavior of staff, crowded pool and overrun with nonpaying guests, etc. Have any of you who have stayed at this resort found these things to be the norm? Another specific question: has anyone every emptied out the fridge in their room to keep their own items in it? I read one review which made the complaint that if you remove anything they stock in the fridge, they charge you for it. Sounds odd to me, but something I guess I will ask about when we arrive.....And one more thing (I promise!), concerning the ferry from CA to Cruz Bay. We are going to take the ferry from CA rather than Red Hook. We opted to forgo the Westin ferry because it seems overpriced and also because we thought it would be fun to arrive in Cruz Bay and check it out before moving on to the Westin. Having never traveled in this fashion - taking a taxi from an airport to a ferry dock - I wondered about our luggage. This will really show my newbie status, but do we cart our luggage onto the ferry and keep it with us, or do they load it for you and then unload it at Cruz Bay. I plan to pack lightly, but we will still have at least two suitcases, one with food and snorkeling gear and one with clothes. Whew, that took a while to type. Hope it isn't too long for you guys to read! Any information you can share with us will be appreciated!
Re luggage on ferry: They'll load and unload the luggage for you.
Re Westin refrigerator: Request your own refrigerator and you'll have no need to go into the stocked refrigerator - unless you want to.
Re Westin poolside crowd: Non-guests, while certainly in attendance on occasion, generally make up a very small percentage of the poolside crowd. A crowd that varies of course with the hotel occupancy.
Re Westin service: My only complaint having stayed there last week was that they failed to pick up the card I left on the door for room-service breakfast. The card's instructions were to place the card on the door no later than 1 a.m. for that morning's breakfast. I put the card on the door at about 8:00 p.m. the night before. Other than that I've found the service to be adaquate at the very least, and good on most occasions every time I've stayed at the Westin (more times than I can remember accurately).
Richard N. Kurpiers
First I have never stayed at the Westin, so I can't comment on that, but I suspect a lot of the negative posts are from folks who are atrracted to it because they want a resort-like experience. (Including steppin'-fetch it kind of service) The problem is the whole island and it's people move at an island pace. This is why I and the other posters on this board love the place so much! As for emptying out the fridge to make room for your own food...can't comment on that either! What I can tell you that right up the road from the Westin is a wonderful gourmet market called the Simple Feast, (Walking Distance) That makes great breakfast sandwiches, great sandwiches, and occaisionally a BBQ, has good pre-prepared foods.(That you can take back to your room) Unless you are a Chef this will be better fare than anything you will bring with you. And this is just me, but with 38 beautiful beaches on STJ I wouldn't be found araound a pool much. There are actually 39 beaches on STJ if you count the one in front of the Westin. The beach there is not very natural, and the water isn't the "freshest". I would encourage going to Trunk,(On a day when no cruise ships ore in St. Thomas. Hawksnest, and Cinamon, all which can be accessed by taxi. These beaches have changing rooms (except Hawksnest) I would additionally encourage you to try some of the restaurants in Cruz Bay. Tage, Ten Tables, Rhumb Lines are excellent! As far as the Westin ferry, I believe the price includes transportation back and forth to St. Thomas if you want to go over to shop during your stay. Again do this when no or few cruise ships are in. I would also suggest visiting Cruz Bay to shop. (Mongoose Junction and Wharf Side Village) Have a great trip!
I was at the Westin 2 weeks ago when a guest with special rating/status (forgot what he called it), and a repeat visitor with a family of 7 was trying to get $75.cash to pay his photographer. The employee behind the desk was holding some dry cleaning and didn't seem to think it might be good manners to put down the dry cleaning and help the gentleman standing before her. No. No. No. was what he kept getting. I finally called him over to me and said that perhpas he should just pay me by check. No he said, now he was really angry. Finally the dry cleaning was put down, and a supervisor was brought in. Bottom line. He got the cash, not sure how, but he said to me that the problem was they ONLY take American Express!!!
So for whatever that may be worth. If you need cash there are ATM's in Cruz Bay.
I was really surprised at the lackidasical appearing attitude of the employee, standing there with the dry cleaning, ready at any moment to walk off to hang it up.
Island Paul,
There's also an ATM machine right there in the Westin lobby.
But I get your point. People who are in the service industry must constantly evaluate each situation and make the call as to which action will better serve not only the customer at hand, but the establishment's total customer base. Meaning, if making one customer happy results in making a greater number of customers unhappy, then one must act in favor of the greater number.
Richard N. Kurpiers
We have stayed at the Westin several times and never had any complaints. You made a very good choice in selecting a room by the pool. We liked it much better than a beachfront, actually. The water at the resort is not so great, but you will trek to many other beaches (since you are taking your snorkeling gear) to enjoy. Our last visit was during a very busy time (Thanksgiving) and we didn't find the pool area to be so awfully crowded...do make sure you get out there early enough to claim a couple of good chairs, however. They DO fill up quickly. And relax! The grounds are gorgeous and I found the staff to be pretty helpful, actually.
Thanks everyone for the helpful information. Now if someone could just come over and pack for me...ha! Really though, my questions were answered and I've printed and saved the information. There will surely be more questions before we leave and I'll know where to go for answers!
Relax! This is a vacation! Do not over complicate! The ferry from CA is best to St. Johns since it is closer to the airport. This is a 10 minute taxi ride to the ferry dock. (Taxi from Airport to Red Hook is at least 45 minutes) Then Take the ferry from CA to the Westin direct. Check in, then go to back to Cruz Bay which is a 2-5 minute cab ride. I have stayed at Westin, Ritz, Ritz, Saphire, SH,SH. Best is SH but thats my choice. St Johns is great!
Westin is nice. Typical of US resorts. Everything good about St. Johns is on the other side. Try to go to BVI. Baths, Peter Is., Jost., Salt Pond on St John is great! Eat at Miss Lucy's.
Just go with the flow. No need to rush to SJ. Cruz Bay is best in the eveing for dinner,etc. You will never forget your 25th especially in SJ.
Oh my gosh, an ATM right in the lobby at the Westin! I didn't know that or I would have told my client. I wonder if the lady behind the desk told him about it.....so very sad. If she did not, just goes to show how poor the service is there or, in total fairness to the Westin, at least from that one employee.
Been there a couple of times. I thought the service was excellent, given the adjustment to "island time". It's the only place I've been to that consistently follows up on your service requests to inquire if everything was done to your satisfaction.
Agree with other comments about the beach, it's man-made and water quality is poor compared to most, maybe all, of the other beaches on the island. So go discover at least the North Shore beaches and you'll see what we mean.
The fridge isn't really meant to be for storing whatever you want in there. It's more a minibar and yes it states that they will charge you for whatever you remove. I think someone mentioned that you can rent one for the week. Probably a better alternative.
The Westin ferry provides unlimited roundtrips to STT while you're there, but if you're not interested in that, there are cheaper alternatives.
Overall, the grounds are lovely and constantly manicured. There's lots of room at the resort. We were told they were full when we were there, but could never figure out where everyone was cause it seemed like there was no one around.
We're going back next year for our third trip. We've been to about a dozen islands in the Caribbean and this is the only one we keep going back to. Enjoy! You're gonna love STJ!!
The only thing we will want to store in the room fridge is bottled water, juice (for planter's punch), beer, and soft drinks. Wouldn't take much space. The only food we are bringing will be snacks such as granola bars, chips, nuts, etc. We plan to eat out or use the market mentioned earlier for sandwiches and other needs.
Does the public ferry from CA actually go to the Westin's dock? I am about 99.9% positive we won't leave STJ once we are there for the week until we have to catch our plane home, so paying more for the Westin ferry for the convenience of returning to STT anytime we like isn't much of an issue for us. Our return flight isn't until after 4 p.m. and I seem to think I've read that the last Westin ferry is much earlier in the day?
The ferry from CA is going to take you to Cruz Bay. Only the Westin Ferry docks at the Westin and it leaves from Crowne Bay Marina, not CA. The Westin will provide the taxi in STT to/from the airport going and coming. Crowne Bay is only about 5 minutes from the airport.
In your case, sounds like it may be less expensive taking the public ferry, but be aware that you should definitely be at the STT airport 2 hours ahead of your flight as you'll need to go thru customs/immigration there. Lines can be long. Leave yourself lots of extra time for the taxi ride on each end of the ferry also. You won't have a problem leaving at 4, just be aware of these logistics and you'll be fine. If you have any questions, the concierge at the Westin can advise you of the best time to leave so you won't miss your flight.
Have a great time!!
Wooga (green with envy!)
Excellent information. We will be staying at the Westin in October and alot of this helped. I have looked around, is there somewhere where I can order information about about St John? (maps, parks, etc?)
There's a great book called, "St. John, Feet, Fins & Four Wheel Drive" by Pam Gaffin. It's hard to find in the states, but if you go to the National Park Visitor's Center (short walk from the Cruz Bay Dock) you will find it there for the best price (it is abundant on the island) and they also have a great selection of other books, free maps, etc... hope this helps...have a great trip!
I ordered the book on-line. I think it was from the following web site. I had the book within a week.
Hello,
Selling books, maps etc. is how we keep this website going ;). You can visit http://www.vitraders.com and there is a planning section with individual books, maps and also combo packets.
There is a St. John Planning Kit that includes the St. John Off the Beaten Track, Feet, Fins & Four Wheel Drive, an Island Map, Snorkeling-Fish ID Card and a Hiking Map.
You can find it in the vacation kit section at http://www.vitraders.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=V&Category_Code=VAC.
Thanks,
--Islander
