Mikie, will be there 21st - 26th. Are you staying at Frenchmans or Morningstar? We are @ Morningstar.

go to iggies at bongolo bay. Its on the way to redhook on the ocean side. the deck is about 30ft from the waves, cool bar good burgers and atmosphere. if you are shopping in havensight, which I recommend instead of downtown, eat at the Shipwreck tavern across the street. Huge burgers from $7.75, voted "Best in the VI"
Wife and I stayed at frenchmans for our honeymoon last week. great hotel, you'll love it. Free rum bar on wed at the pool bar and they feed the iguanas every day at 2:30, you have to see that. There are like 40-50 iguanas feeding right next to the pool.

Cincykid, We will be at the Frenchmans. I waited to late to book my trip and morningstar was full.

Hi Mikie & Cincykid,

Did a stay at Frenchmans Reef a few years ago. Loved it!!! We liked the view from the room being up higher, and the walk down to the beach at Morningstar was no biggie for us, helped work off a few of the extra drinks we had.

As for the restaurants, depends on if you have a car. If you want to know about something within walking distance, I would say no, just the on-site places. Having said that, there is Coco Joe's right down on the beach, we ate both lunch and dinner there at different times. Big fish sandwich, burger, salad, etc. Little pricey compared to the states, but so is every place, and it was not the "Marriott" price you'd see up the hill. There is also a shop in the Frenchman's Reef portion that had a deli where you could get a sandwich or pizza, just take it back to the room or whatever.

As for drinks on the beach, I can't imagine anyone having a problem, how would they know where it came from? Things are pretty laid back in the VI compared to most places in the states. Use common sense, avoid glass, that would be my main comment.

For our stay, it was just a few days, we did not have a car, we intended to go out more, but decided that the extra cab fare would not justify any savings and we were more than happy with what was available. We did eat breakfast at the Greatful Deli in Redhook before taking the ferry to St. John one morning.

Cincykid, I'm also in CVG. Feel free to bring me back some Cruzan rum or a new t-shirt from Coco Joe's, my old one has seen many wearings and is getting a little frail at the edges! 😉

Enjoy your trip! I'm jealous!

irbgolfin

Golfin - I would be glad to. I already have a commitment to my in-laws to bring them some back. How much can I bring back on the plane?

I agree with the suggestion for Iggie's at Bolongo. Fun place!
Also, try to eat cheaply for a few days and splurge one night at Havana Blue - which is right at the Marriott. It is, undoubtedly, the very best restaurant on the entire island...most people would agree. Have a great time!

Tip for those of you staying at the Marriot

You can go through a 90min. presentation of the new timeshares they are offering and they will give you $100 in Marriot dollars you can use at the hotel. We used ours for a nice dinner at havana blue. You can also use them for sunset sails, at the bar, coko joes, etc. Its worth it and the presentation only last 90mins.

Hello Mikie,

I would recommend shopping on a day with the fewest ships but at least one. You can view the cruise ship schedule at the very top of this page. There is a link there.

The Children's Parade is the 29th and the 30th is the Adults Parade. Downtown's mainstreet is the parade route so everything there is closed up for the events. The 27th is the Cultural/Food Fair its downtown in Emancipation Park. If you hadn't planned to already I would suggest going to the Food Fair and perhaps a few hours of the Children's Parade. I would have suggested the Adult's parade but you are leaving on that day. If you decide to go the Food Fair, it starts at 8am but you can get there around 10:30am-11am and enjoy some great local dishes, drinks and deserts for a little bit. Perhaps pick up some locally made arts/crafts and then in the afternoon head to the beach. And for the parade it starts at 10am. I'd say head down there around noon. It is a children's parade so mostly kids, little and big. You can see pictures from Carnival at this link: https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/carnival/

Ok back to shopping...
Sunday is typically half day shopping hours in downtown Charlotte Amalie, some shops closing up at 1pm and a few at 3pm. There are 2 ships in port on Sunday the 24th so Havensight shops will be open regular hours.

Have a great time and post a trip report when you come back 😉

--Islander

I ate there last night for my 3 year wedding anniversary and, I must say, it was a fantastic meal, nice ambiance, kinda pricey, but worth it. "Undoubtedly" is arguable. Been here over 7 years and I, in my opinion, know of several restaurants that are on par with, or better than, Havana Blue. Everyone's opinion matters, and each may have his/her own preferences. GREAT place, though!

For those of you on the island or who recently returned, can we rent a car at the Marriott for the day? Arriving Sunday. Weather report looks a bit cloudy and rainy!

There is no rental agency at the Marriott, to my knowledge, but Budget ans Avis are right in Havensight area, about a 3 minute cab ride for $3 or $4 ea.

Cincykid,

IIRC, you can bring back 6 bottles (I assume liters, but not 100% sure) per person as long as 1 is made in USVI. We're not huge drinkers, but we usually bring back 6 bottles, it's heavy enough my wife does not like carrying a container, one time we brought 9, I carried the 6 and she had the 3. Our last trip down was last July, got 6, and we have two partial bottles left, but no serious plans for a trip until a year from now. Oh the horror!!! 😉

If you are not using up your allotment and don't mind carrying it, I would spring for some, no problem, but no biggie. If I were you, I'd just get whatever and stock the liquor cabinet, always nice if you have friends over and whip up something, say I picked up the rum when I was in the USVI, makes a nice conversation starter. KMart is supposed to be the cheapest place, our last trip we stayed on StJ and got them in town at Sparky's. Can't vouch for the price there, but I just checked and we paid $5.50 for a liter of dark. Perhaps other locals can comment on how good that is. They did have the best beer prices on StJ.

Marty, or whoever, where is Havana Blue at the Marriott? We had dinner one night at the restaurant down at the end of the beach, and one night on an outdoor patio overlooking the harbor. Food was good, view was spectacular!!! I'm thinking there was another nice restaurant upstairs that we did not visit. Just don't recall specific names.

Enjoy your trips!!! I'm very jealous!!!

irbgolfin

Hello Irbgolfin,

Havana Blue is right above the lobby area for the Morningstar Resort.

--Islander