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(I just posted this on Fodors but thought I'd cross post it here too. Thx everyone for there advice! As it turns out, we never were able to meet our friends for that lunch I had asked questions about a few weeks ago, so we just met them in St John instead)
Back from a great 9 days in St John. We were very excited to be staying for 5 nts free at the Westin
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=109 8"> http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1098
and we were to pay $284 nt for the last 3 nts. We got there after waking up at 2am, getting to BWI airport in Baltimore at 4am, waiting till 6am for our flight to Philly, had a awful 3 hour layover till our 10am flight to St Thomas, just missed the Westin ferry by a few minutes so we had to wait another 2 hours for the 430pm ferry. It made for an awfully long day and we were whipped by the time we got to the Westin. It turned out that the Westin ferry is the way to go by far, in that we got the unlimited trips back and forth to St Thomas and it goes right to the hotel.
We got to our room, #2225 on the 2nd floor with a view of the garden and a small triangular sliver, if you look very hard, of Great Cruz bay off in the distance. We didn't expect to have a water view, but we did, not even realizing it till the 2nd day . Our room looked ok at first when we walked in, but after closer inspection, it was terribly shabby, with the countertops by the coffee making area (the dresser) and the end tables by our beds peeling and the paint was coming up. The bathroom looked fairly depressing as there was slight mold and grundge in the tiled tub area and the mirror in the bathroom was delaminating. The TV remote didn't work so we had to call for service, twice. It wasn't connected properly in the back.
The beds were comfortable and they gave us a free rollaway for our 13 year old. The sheets were scratchy though as the linens were pretty subpar. The toilet barely flushed for a day or so and ended up getting stopped up in the middle of the night on the 2nd day and we needed them to come to the room at 6am to clean it up. It was pretty gross, but they came VERY fast at a very early hour when we told them it was emergency (it was flooding). Other times they didn't give us face towels or hand towels and we had to call them 2 or 3 times to get them. Sometimes they they'd just come with more bath towels when we specifically asked for small hand towels. Housekeeping was pretty bad. We'd drink their great, free Starbucks coffee each morning but they'd forget to replace the cups one day, or the decaf coffee, the next, and then the cremes the next morning. Each time we had to call and wait 15-30 minutes when all we wanted to do is get that cup of joe and get out and do stuff. When I booked this hotel 5 months ago the Starwood agent said they're renovating the garden rooms that we'd be in so we'd have a renovated room. That wasn't true at all. In fact, they ARE rennovating the rooms, at the end of the year, but they won't be hotel rooms anymore, they'll all be time share except for just 72 rooms by the pool which will stay as hotel rooms. The other 100 rooms will be timeshare only.
We ended up writing a letter to the hotel manager listing all the problems with service and the mediocre condition of our room, but he never responded even by the next day. We called and asked for the manager but only the manager of the front desk came on and say that the other gentleman was busy and he was sorry that we didn't get a response. I rattled off some of the issues we had and he said he'd get back to us.
The next day he left a voice message offering a very generous Starwood points amenity in compensation so we were quite happy at this point.
Because we didn't rent a car while in St John we just relied on the excellent taxi system and it worked out to be much cheaper, strangely enough. We ate at the Westin beach front restaurant the first night and had 2 excellent pasta dishes. Plus, they were very reasonable, about the same prices we'd pay at home. So much for the Westin overcharging for food, it's actually quite reasonable, comparable to any restaurant we'd have here in Washington DC.
Sunday we went to Caneel Bay
http://www.caneelbay.com /"> http://www.caneelbay.com/
to check out their resort. We just about died when we saw how incredible this place was. The beach was amazing compared to the Westin's awful, manmade beach, and the setting was idyllic and natural. The staff there was much more professional and with it (at the front desk). We could have had a garden view room here for the same price as the Westin if we booked 4 months ago, but decided that we wanted a TV and also not to have to change hotel rooms mid week. When I saw this hotel I realized that we made a big mistake. We should have spent the last 3 nights here, but my wife and daughter REALLY like to watch TV at night, so... that was a hard call. They only rooms they had left midweek were $495 nt so we just stayed put.
We were told they had a great beach, and Honeymoon beach was the first one we visited on our trip. It's a quick 5-7 minute walk to get there from the front desk and when we saw it, we were blown away. The water and setting were like something out of a dream. There weren't more than 7 or so people there, spread out on a fairly long beach area, and it had ample shade in the trees behind us if we wanted to stay out of the sun. This turned out to be the best beach of the trip by far, for snorkeling, for perfect white sand, general beauty and island vibe. None of the other "famous" beaches had for us, what Honeymoon beach had. Plus, it was the least peopled beach we found. We even swam over to the more remote Soloman Beach from Honeymoon but it wasn't as nice and actually had alot more people on it even though you could only get there by hiking to it quite a ways, unless you came by water like we did. The room we looked at (#12) at Caneel Bay was shockingly nice, and quite large, more like a suite with a day room in the front. If we ever come back to St John, we'll be sure to stay here.
Monday we took the Westin free ferry back to St Thomas to shop the jewelry district. I got seasick on each trip I took in that boat for some reason, but I got over it fast. Ate at Virgilio's Italian restaurant
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/stthomasusvi/D37513.htm l"> http://www.frommers.com/destinations/stthomasusvi/D37513.html
and it was delicious. We were the only ones eating there at lunch time and had the royal treatment. Great bread and pastas and very reasonable pricewise.
Tuesday, We did the dreaded Westin Timeshare presentation. On theory we never do these, but when in town the night before, they promised us $175 towards our Virgin Gorda trip we were taking the next day, 6 trips to town for the 3 of us by cab, free breakfast that morning AND 2 free lunch coupons for 2 at the Mango Deli at our hotel. We couldn't resist. The presentation was painless and fun and in the end, we just said no.
We hung out at our hotel the rest of the day and our 13 year loved the Iceberg that kids climbed up on and jumped off of as well as the water trampolines that were in the water in Great Cruz Bay in front of our hotel. I was kind of grossed out by the funky smell in the heavily boat-trafficked body of water in front of the hotel, but I held my nose and dealt with it seeing how much fun she was having. I was on a floating mat while she was jumping on and off the play equipment. The pool was actually really great at our hotel and we all had fun there floating around and relaxing on the mats they offer to guests.
We went to Cruz Bay for dinner that nights and ate at Cafe Roma.
http://www.digitaldudes.com/9cafegrowth.ht m"> http://www.digitaldudes.com/9cafegrowth.htm
WOW, what a great place. We loved there spicy penne pasta in heaping amounts (1 plate fed 2 of us) and our daughter got a pizza that she could only eat half of. The bread was delicious and the homemade tapanade olive spread very good. We ended up getting a pint of Haagen Daz for $7.99 (ouch!) for dessert back at our hotel.
Wednesday we took the all day boat trip to Virgin Gorda from 745-4pm. Oh my, that was a long day. I was seasick something fierce by the time we finally got to the Baths, but they were certainly beautiful. I sure wish we had more time there. 1 hour was not nearly enough. We felt terribly rushed to see all there was to see, but we got some great pics and had a blast in the whirling waters. We then motored to Norman Island for some snorkeling. I was very happy to get off that boat at the end of the day, but all in all it left for some great memories.
We went back into town that evening for dinner at Stone Terrace Restaurant
http://www.stoneterrace.com /"> http://www.stoneterrace.com/
It was very, very good. The garlic, balsamic butter was amazing and our vegetarian pasta and risotto dishes were delicious but very expensive. The setting was very upscale for St John with a great view of the bay.
For lunch one day we went to the Banana Deck and had some decent salads.
http://chefmoz.org/US_Virgin_Islands/Saint_John/Banana_Deck1078792215.htm l"> http://chefmoz.org/US_Virgin_Islands/Saint_John/Banana_Deck1078792215.html
One night we went to The Lime Inn as other people highly recommended it. We found the food to be very mediocre. Maybe we ordered wrong. The Mahi, our only non vegetarian food of the trip was smallish and thin, but pretty tasty with a tiny baked potato and a split salad. The gazpacho was ok, but our daughter's pasta with vegetables was not that great.
Other days we checked out Cinnamon Bay beach. It was very crowded with about 30 school kids screaming and yelling. We yearned for our quiet, Honeymoon beach. Another day we went to Hawksnest beach for the day. The snorkeling was pretty good, but we had to swim out pretty far to see the good stuff. We preferred Honeymoon beaches soft, perfect sand over this duller, greyer sand here. Plus, both of these beaches were right off the road while Honeymoon beach was totally isolated in total quiet. Our friends came over from St Thomas one day and drove us all around the island in their Jeep. We got to see a moderate amount and I realized it was much easier to drive there than I thought.
We ate again at Cafe Roma our last night and it was even better, ordering the ravioli with marscapone cheese over fresh spinach in a delicious red sauce of a million calories I'm sure. We also got another veggie pasta with asparagus and sun dried tomatoes that was out of this world. I told people coming into the restaurant while we were leaving that they were in for a huge treat.
All in all, I'd love to come back to St John in another 20 years (I'd been there 20 years ago for only 1 day) but I would love to stay at Caneel Bay next time. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I wrote this kind of quickly so sorry if there's any spelling errors.
Cheers,
Steve and Julia R
Silver Spring MD
Im staying at the Westin 8/4-8/11and i need some clarification were you staying in one of the villa's or the hotel??? Did you get to see the villas???? Im a nervous wreck about staying there and it not be what i expect it to be.
Stever,
We too stayed at the Westin our first trip to STJ. ( It was a free business reward trip). You must rent a car to go to the gorgeous beaches! We did & our trip was fine. We never stepped foot in the water at the Westin. I would not stay there again because yøu can rent a private villa for about the same price. Too many nicer places & beaches to stay.
We as well stayed at the westin from July12-21. First 2 nights we stayed in the hotel area, and the last week we stayed in a studio villa. I agree with the horrible housekeeping, we had to make several calls in order to get towels, washcloths, etc.. I was not happy about that. Also, something was wrong with the hot water heater because one of us would be in the shower maybe only 10 min and the water was already getting cold. So yeah, we experienced a few negatives ourselves.
I agree also with you on HoneyBeach. We absolutely loved it there!! Thats my favorite on STJ, reminds me so much of White Bay.
lamyka - We stayed in the hotel, not the villas. We only stayed at the Westin as the 1st 5 nts were free on pts, and we paid ALOT less than we expected to for the last 3 nights. It was a VERY good rate due to our service issues and credits we received. Don't worry, just go and have low expectations. The resort is pretty nice, but it's not perfect. Nothing is.
Expect the worst, and hope for the best.
Steve R
stever,
I just gotta ask...what and where was your best vacation ever?
E.L.
EaglesLanded: To answer your question... that's a hard one. We really liked Bali. The Ritz there was only $125 a nt with 5 food presentations a day. Great hotel, great staff, fascinating culture. Also loved the Maya Ubud hotel there.
We also really enjoyed our Alaska trip, and hiking to the top of the tallest point in the lower 48, Mt Whitney was another highlight for me. Also, walking to the top of the Great Pyramid in Egypt was a highlight.
Was your question a set up, though? Did I put down and criticize the Westin St John too badly or something?
Steve R
stever
I do not believe Eagles was defending STJ or the Westin, rather questioning your closing remarks.
"...The resort is pretty nice, but it's not perfect. Nothing is.
Expect the worst, and hope for the best."
In that context one would wonder if anything satisfies and apparently several have. If you ever consider a return, I would recommend you stay at Caneel if you can afford or a villa if you do not mind self maintenance. From your report, it appears you did not get out to many of the beaches other than to drive by them in your friends Jeep. Many offer the remoteness of Honeymoon you prefer with even less congestion. It appears you also like to hike (Alaska) and STJ trails offer that also, albeit not the same altitude or similar vistas although seeing the surrounding islands against the blue backdrop is one of my favorite memories.
Well put Steve.
If people stay at the Westin ( and many will for various reasons) they must rent a car & explore. When I stayed at the Westin 17 years ago, no one even set foot in the water there. It was strictly a marina. The pool was/is great, but I don't go to VI for pools. The Westin will serve you fine as long as you rent a car and hit the road each morning for that long drive ( LOL -10 minutes) to a to-die-for beach.
stever,
No set up....it just sounded like this trip was a bit of a struggle and was curious to know what suggestions could have been made to make it a bit more enjoyable. Traveling is certainly a learning experience.
Well, we did get out to enjoy Hawksnest for a whole day, Cinnamon for a day, Honeymoon for 2 days, and the lovely Westin "beach" for a day. I hiked for hours 20 years ago the great trails there on the island but my wife and 13 yr old had no interest in hiking an inch after days of pleading and cajoling. I lost that battle.
The Westin property was very nice in part though it's getting a bit worn at spots and they're not fixing it. Breaks in the sidewalks, damage to the edges of the sidewalks near the rooms, run down buildings and rooms, but hey, it's the hot, tropical Carribean and it's not a brand new Ritz Carlton hotel. Caneel is the way to go now that it has A/C :o). Wish we had moved over there. A villa sounds great too.
For us, we want to check out Turks and Caicos Ritz one day. For now, our next trip might be London and Edinburgh for 12 days total. Island trips only come every few years for us. We much preferred the culture, hotels, nightlife, and people of Hawaii by a mile over the Carribean but to each his own. We felt a slight animosity from the Island folk in St John ans St Thomas, like they secretly despised us tourists while in Hawaii we didn't get that feeling.
Steve R
stever, thanks for the report. We have heard others comment that the STJ Westin seemed sub-par to other Westins. I've also heard the same about the STT Ritz. Caneel gets some mixed reviews, but most of them good. They seem to have a following of loyalists. Many of them think the A/C is the end of an era....they are not happy about it. That's STJ for you.
From your posts, it seems that you are a traveler who has specific tastes and is interested in things that most visitors to STJ are trying to escape. I've met people who much prefer Hawaii and didn't care for the VI...and vice-versa. Some people on here claim to have a fondness for both, but they are the exception.
I have friends who just bought a place in Aruba. They love that place - nightlife, resorts, swank style. They'd probably not like STJ too much...with it's funky, hippie atmosphere of barefoot artists and deeply-rooted Caribbean culture in the souls of the African descendants. Hawaii and the VI are night and day in terms of culture - very different history - very different people - each worth appreciating.
I do have a hard time with the amount of racism in Hawaii - against anyone not native (whites are often referred to as Howlies - which means "without a soul" - while blacks sometimes get the N word). You probably won't see that at the Ritz, but the Ritz isn't where the culture is....not the real culture, anyway....but their make-believe culture is quite nice ;). Nor is the Westin in STJ where the VI culture is - nor Ritz - nor Caneel.
I do wonder if Bali has some of the same - being Polynesian. I'd like to get there and find out for myself. Did you find Bali to be more beautiful than STJ (in terms of scenery, vegetation, beaches, etc?). The Polynesian islands are often compared to STJ on these boards - people are always trying to get a sense of one or the other.
Anyway, thanks for your feedback. I bet lots of VINOW forumites are happy to read that you'd gladly take Hawaii over STJ these days - since that means, to them, that STJ is still holding onto what they love so much....even with all of the ugly new construction and influx of new continental money. Many would like to tear it all down - the Westin included.
I think your lodging can make or break your trip. I want to begin by saying (before our last trip to STT) Maui is my absolute favorite place on earth. However, my opinions have been swayed this year. The first time we went to St. Thomas we stayed at Pavilions and Pools. It just wasn't very nice for the money. We were used to the beautiful resorts on Maui and probably a little spoiled. When we left St. Thomas in 2005 I said I'd probably never return. We had a nice trip, but it just wasn't that great for the money we had spent. Some how I got a wild hair and decided to give St. Thomas another try. ( I am so glad I did.) This time we stayed at a beautiful villa which actually was less than Pavilions and Pools/ couple. What a difference it made. I can honestly say I enjoyed St. Thomas far more than the 8 times I'd been to Maui. We had a completely different experience this time on St. Thomas. I really believe it had to do with our accommodations.
Thanks for sharing your trip report and I am glad you found such a fantastic beach. We will have to check out Honeymoon beach next year when we return. KK
Great stuff, folks. Glad I can express my opinions and it's not turned into a fighting match. As far as Bali vs St John, there's really no comparison to me. The resorts in Bali were FAR more luxe than St John, and the people seemed 10 times poorer, but very happy. Most live on less than $1 a day, and in what I'd consider squalor, but to them, it's just their lives. They are so spiritual, it's incredible. They always seemed to be on the way to praying or coming back from praying. They'd dress up so fancy and colorful to go to their temples. Whenever they passed us in the hotels we stayed at, they'd bow to us or put their hands together in a prayer mode and say "Good morning Mr and Mrs R.........." We were amazed so many people seemed to know our names while we didn't really remember theirs. They were taught very well how to treat guests like royalty, and the hotels were ridiculously nice. The beaches? Mostly awful. At the Ritz,
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Bali/Default.htm
you'd have to walk a huge distance to get there, we didn't even bother. The beaches at Kuta were huge surfing beaches with massive waves. We didn't even go in... and we're big beach people. We were too busy exploring the cities, the country, and their culture. Shopping was great too. People were SO friendly for the most part in Bali.
In Ubud, the mountain area, the beauty was staggering. The rice fields were a constant source of amazement to us.
This hotel was only $127 a night (5 years ago) and came with full breakfast buffet. 5 star French dinners were $15 each!
http://www.mayaubud.com/
The Maya Ubud had some of the prettiest pools and jungle views we've ever seen.
And yes, lodging does make the trip. In Bali, we decided to stay at a cheaper hotel 3 hours from Jimbaran that had good reviews but was pretty remote and small. We'll never make a mistake like that again. It was horrible when we got there, nothing like the pics. We ended up going to our Maya Ubud hotel 2 nights earlier and paid to get out of the other hotel. It was 7 hours of tough driving, but when we got to Ubud, we were in heaven. That hotel made the trip for us... such a sanctuary after a long day.
Steve R
