Valerie: In the tropics it rains frquently, but not for long...You will wake up and find the streets wet, or a small cloud will come by and sprinkle on you. Rarely are there whole days of rain! Early November is typically lovely, as the water is still warm, the evenings are cool, the sunsets are wonderful- especially from the Reef! Relax and act surprised- and have a happy birthday!

I have heard good things about Frenchman's Reef. Be sure to take a day trip over to St John and check out the north shore beaches.

Since most of the residents probably will not have stayed at hotels, I'll toss in my $.02. FWIW, I read the board for info, particularly for my next planned trip to stay on STJ in the spring. I've visited STT/STJ 3 times, twice on day trips on a cruise. Once with a spring break stay at Frenchman's Reef a couple of years ago.

We enjoyed our stay very much. Nice pool area at Frenchman's Reef overlooking the entry to the harbor, and also a pool next to the beach at Morningstar. Couple of evenings there were happy hours with some free drinks, one in particular was around the pool and was the "say goodbye to the cruise ships" celebration, or something like that, plenty of people having a good time. The folks who worked there were very pleasant, one man in particular who was an assistant manager, I think. While waiting to check in (couple of taxis full from our plane arrived at about the same time), there was a happy hour going on that was about to end. A lady in front of me went to get drinks, but was told she'd need the chit they give you on check in, which we didn't have yet. He saw this, and came over with a tray full of drinks for everyone in line, and welcomed us to the resort. I spoke to him briefly at the ship party, he told me he came down after college figuring he'd work a year or two before getting a real job, then looked around, grinned, said I love it, and 10 (or something like that) years later I'm still here.

I had looked into restaurants and beaches around the island with the intention of traveling around more, but aside from a pre-planned day sail and a day trip to STJ, we stayed there. Lunch/dinner at Coco Joes on the beach was great, as was dinner at the hotel restaurant overlooking the CA harbor. We had free plane tix and a free stay thanks to FF miles and Marriott points, so weren't concerned about running up a bit of a tab. Also ate dinner at the restaurant at the Morningstar at the far end of the beach, forgot the name.

Also talked to another guest who visited the island on occasion for business, he said he'd stayed at a few different places and this was his favorite, FWIW.

Our goal was R & R, we had something to read, took a walk on the beach, lounged in the pool and soaked up some sun, took it easy. If you plan to run all over the islands, it might make sense to look for something cheaper, but if you want a resort that you'll hang out at and enjoy the amenities, I think you'd enjoy your stay here.

I always visit the islands the first two weeks of Nov (26 more days to go)and never have a problem with weather. If it showers it is only for a few minutes and actually welcome it to cool me off!
Frenchmans Reef is a resort type hotel right on the beach. I have never stayed there but have gone there for dinner a few times. Food was fair-the property was very nice as well as the staff.

My fiance & vacationed in STT summer before last. We stayed at Frenchmen's Reef for 10 days and had a wonderful time. Its a very large resort, and the grounds, and our room was lovely. You never have to leave the resort if you don't want to-- but then you'd miss so much. The only complaint might be that there was a little too much air conditioning. Quite a few evenings were spent at Coco Joe's (beachfront bar) sipping on their specialty drink called "Voodoo Juice", a concoction of various cruzan rums and several fruit juices. Since we were there is the summer, it was pretty quiet.If you're interested in a party, check out The Greenhouse-- it was a weeknight, and they had a great reggae band-- or Sapphire Beach on sunday afternoon.

THANK YOU SO EVERYONE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO RESPOND TO ME AND FOR ALL THE INFORMATION. I AM NOW LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT TRIP.
I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW WONDERFUL IT IS.
THANKS AGAIN.