Please Register / Login to take part in discussions about the Virgin Islands.
Hello all, thanks for all the advice so far. Well we booked our villa on St. John for February and we have a few more details to work out. What I'm looking for now is suggestions on where to stay Friday and Saturday (as we can't get into our villa until sunday). I'm finding a lot of locations have 3 night minimums and we only need 2. We are thinking we would like to spend the first two nights of our trip on St. Thomas as the rest of the trip we'll be in St. John. Does anyone have a "good" recommendation for a hotel in St. Thomas that meets some or all of these quidelines: 2 nights, prefer to be on the beach, near the ferry to St. John, and would allow us the choice of walking to other restuarants/bars as we aren't getting our rental car until we get to St. John. We would like to stay around $200.-$250.00 for each night.
Does anyone have any other suggestions as to how to go about the 2 day "layover" before we can get into our villa. We found it cheaper to fly friday vs. saturday or sunday even with spending extra money on hotels. Plus it makes vacation that much longer.
Thanks in advance. Jill
Jill-
I don't think you'll find a place that is on the beach AND allows you to walk to restaurants/bars - unless those restaurants/bars are part of the hotel. Sapphire would probably be the closest thing to what you want - and you CAN walk to the restaurants/bars, but I wouldn't advise it. There are no sidewalks on the roads and they wind quite a bit, so it's not too safe to try - escpecially at nights when the island roads can be dark.
However, Sapphire WOULD meet the price you want, put you close to the Red Hook Ferry, put you on the beach, and a cab ride to Red Hook for nightlife would be very, very short (less than 5 mins) and not expensive.
Jill
Bluwater's suggestion meets most of your criteria and he is correct saying you can't readily get everything you're looking for in one location (especially for 3 nights).
If you want convenience, Holiday Inn in CA is on the harbor and near the shops. No beach but taxi is not hard to get to Magen's. If you want convenience to the airport and a beach, Emerald Beach is best although you will need to taxi to shops, etc.
Try Emerald Beach.(Best Western) Right on beach. Restaurant on property. Free shuttle into town . Cabs readly available to take you wherever you might want to go. 5 min. from airport. Taxi available to take you to ferry for st. John. Good Luck
I will ditto the Emerald Beach recommendation. We stayed there for 4 nights a couple months ago. Very reasonable $150/night including continential breakfast. It is so close to the airport, and ALL rooms are right on the ocean. It is a terrific beach, too. You can take a taxi to CA (5 min) to grab the STJ ferry. THere are some really great restaurants in Frenchtown (3 min) by taxi - - I woudln't advise walking. I would recommend Oceania in Frenchtown - - great view of the harbor, nice wine selection.
If you overlook the beach part, try Hotel 1829. Very nice and I don't believe that they have a 3 night minimum. They have a website at www.hotel1829.com. We have stayed there it is close to food (Epernay, Greenhouse, and Glady's). Very neat rooms and the price is right.
Thanks to all who replied. Is there anyone place (being that I don't know the lay of the land) that you would all recommend besides the above recommendations that would be the ideal layover location that I may not be aware of. We have 2 nights to stay somewhere prior to our villa on St. John. We aren't picking up or rental until we get to St. John and we are flying into STT. We are pretty open to any suggestions and just want to secure something before we are trapped with nothing. We aren't necessarily partial to ocean front if we can get to the beach realatively easily. We just want a nice place to stay and are willing to cab it to necessary locations. Thanks again. I appreciate everyone's input and ideas. Jill
Is sapphire a location or a hotel? I'm not finding it when I do searches? Thank you
Marriott's Frenchmen's Reef& Morning Star Beart Resort is really nice with a great view of the Ocean or Harbor watching all the cruise ships come in.
Jill
If not stuck on beach requirement you can also try the Crystal Palace B & B. They offer free airport transport and are very close to the shops in 'historic' CA.
Something to consider re: evenings out / nightlife / restaurants / bars:
Red Hook IS a hot spot in the evenings - lots going on in a small, concentrated space. It also has a very safe feeling to it. Of course, Red Hook is at the far East End - and this is where all of the larger resorts are concentrated - so many of the people out are tourists. Secret Harbor, Sapphire Beach Resort, Ritz Carlton, Wyndham Sugar Bay, Elysian, Pools and Pavillions, Crystal Cove - all on the East End.
If you decide on a hotel that is by the airport (Emerald, etc), you are placing yourself as far from Red Hook as possible. You can still go out in Charlotte Amalie in the evenings, but I think the Red Hook evening experience is superior.
Bottom line, staying on the East End puts you close to everything - except the downtown shops.
The East End is "where it's at!" 😉
we are also choosing BW Emerald Beach for our layover (so far). Our trip is not until May 2006 and while I leaning toward Marriott they want a 2 night deposit (on a 2 night stay!) and I don't want to tie up that additional money. BW is secured with my credit card, no charges.
The other place I really liked the looks of was a BnB that I can't recall the name of right now but you can find it on this site under STT accommadations. The smaller rooms do not have a 3 night minumum I don't believe.
mary beth
