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We were on St. John from Dec. 4 - 10 and stayed at the Westin Resort.
Arrival at airport: Very busy (and hot!) trying to get our luggage and then a taxi -- lots of people. Could not wait to get on the ferry and get out of St. Thomas! We did not utilize the Westin Ferry service.
The Westin: At first I was overhelmed and confused as to what was where and how to get to places within the resort. But within the first day, I figured it out and learned some of the short-cuts from our villa to the shops, etc. Although a shuttle was available, we walked and enjoyed it all the time, except for once. Our villa was number 26, the farthest from the pool, etc -- which was perfectly fine because the walk to our villa was beautiful! We had the gound floor room which I highly recommend because your door to your room is outside and you don't have to go through any hallways. And by the way, the garden rooms are cheaper and I think better. I would not want to be near the pool. The view from our room was wonderful! Service at Westin was excellent and so were the prices for sandwiches, drinks, USA Today, etc. We bought a bottle of vodka and some cranberry juice and made our own drinks to take down to the beach and pool (saved a bundle!). Bring with you large cups with lids. Bugs....okay, was bit a few times at the beach during sunset but that was all.
Dinner: We ate at Zo-Zo's (view and ambiance is great, food and service good too), Fish Trap (good), Lime Inn (reasonable prices and excellent food and service -- this was my favorite place), Morgan's Mango (good service and my meal was excellent but my boyfriend did not think his meal was very good), Deli at the Westin (Sandwiches are $10 each -- next time I would go to the gourmet market located within walking distance from the Westin which had salads, sandwiches and some gourment foods and lower prices than the Deli at the WEstin). Also ate at something like Razzobbi (can't remember exact name) on the beach near the ferry dock - food was good and the view was very nice! One evening we went to The Beach Bar and had some beers (only $3.50 for Amstel Lite) while listening to one of the best female accoustic (sorry about the spelling) bands I've ever heard called Necter. They played everything from Guns & Roses to the Beatles and everything in between (Fleetwood Mac, etc.) I was suprised to see such talent on St. John!
We did go to the Beach Cafe at the WEstin 2 evenings to hear the live music. It was okay, not many people there. Talent at the BEach Bar was alot better!
We did a day trip on the New HOrizons II to 4 B.V.I. islands (I just read someone's post about it -- wonder if they were on the same boat?). Only 16 passengers - although a small boat. Service was excellent - they kept those pain killers coming all day! Stops were fun as well including Pusser's and Jost Van Dyke! Snorkeling was not great - but had fun. The Baths were very nice - highly recommended. Good day trip overall - had a very nice time and I think it was worth the money.
Of everything I read about St. John, I found it to be a little different. They say St. John is the sleepy island and not much to do at night. In Cruz Bay -- I think it was 'happening' -- a handful of bars busy with people (mostly locals) having a great time (Woody's and The Beach Bar). Actually Cruz Bay reminded me a little bit of Key West - funky shops, outdoor restaurants -- lots of different types of people.
Despite the cost of the Westin and food in general in St. John -- I would DEFINITELY return! Both my boyfriend and I loved it!! Hope next time to explore the island (never went outside the Westin and Cruz Bay - with the exception of the B.V.I.). Oh yea, we did spend 3 hours in St. Thomas to shop and found bargains on liquor and perfume. Lots of very nice jewelry if you are looking for it. But, honestly, I could not wait to return to St. John! I would only go back to St. Thomas to buy jewelry or transfer to St. John - that is ist! Streets crowded with cruise passengers -- not a pretty site. I am sure the island of St. Thomas has lots to offer, outside of Charlotte Amalie -- but again, I will stick to St. John. Hope to post some photos later if anyone is interested!
Thanks World Shopper - good review and tips! Glad to read that you had a good time. 🙂
--Islander
Hi Worldshopper,
I have a few questions for you......
Why wouldn't you like to have a room near the Pool?
Were you in a regular room (gardenview,beachview etc) or in a timeshare Villa?
If in a villa, how did you book that room? Travel agent, website, family or timeshare?
We stayed at the Westin 6 or 7 years ago and we would like to go back.
We love St John, in fact it's my favorite island in all the caribbean!!!!
Thanks,
Grace
It was much nicer than I had anticipated... read many poor reviews on the net. Our first trip we stayed at a Villa, but we couldn't pass up the deal for the Westin this time around. It was 900/person for roundtrip airfare from NYC and 5 nights, including tax, the watersports fees, and ferry transfer.
Grace,
I'm not the original poster, but we stayed in building 25, one of the gardenview rooms. I guess the main draw to staying here instead of the pool is that it's much quieter...
Hi MattR,
WOW what a great price! How were the gardenview rooms?
Our travel agent quoted us a price for the gardenview rooms and it was 400.00 cheaper
than the poolview. We will be in St.John the beginning of April.
Any feedback you can give me, will help us decide which way to go.
Thanks,
Grace
Hi Grace,
They rooms were spacious and clean... no "mildew" odors or anything else I read about. Bathroom large and clean as well. My fiance *loved* the shower -- excellent water pressure.
Rooms including a mini-bar fridge, extra fridge, safe, high-speed internet access and all the other usual things.
Gardenview rooms are just a couple hundred feet away behind the pool rooms. We got "upgraded" when we checked in to a higher floor, so we did have somewhat decent view to the ocean from our balcony.
We were quite surprised overall. I always felt that the best way to enjoy St. John was at a villa, but the Westin wasn't bad at all... that is, as long as you go out and explore! We never stayed there during the day... but it seemed like many people did. They had no idea what they're missing out on. The Westin beach is a harbor, IMO.
Good luck and if you have any other questions, let me know.
BTW, we got a good rate but I think alot of it had to do with the construction on site... they started at 7-8am and went until 5-6 everyday, but once again it didn't bother us as we were out and about in our Jeep.
Hi MattR,
Thanks so much for reply.
It will help alot with our decision.
I have checked out the villa's and they are beautiful but I'm trying to give my husband
an easy, relaxing vacation. When you go the villa route, there is alot more involved.
All week rental of car,buying food,driving at night etc,etc.
I really don't want to cook anything, I want to enjoy the island food. I cook all year.
We will rent a jeep for a couple of days to do our exploring. We will cab it at night so
he can enjoy a couple of drinks with dinner if he wants. I think you get the idea........
By the way, I LOVED YOUR PHOTOS! GOOD JOB!
Thanks again for your input!!!
Grace
Grace:
We stayed in a garden view (ground floor) room, not a villa. Staying in a garden view room in my opinion is more remote, less traffic and nice views. Although the pool is beautiful, I would rather walk out of my room and see nice views of the mountains, trees, etc. rather than people in swim suits. Also, the walk to the garden view rooms is nice. Lastly, they are less expensive. Don't forget, request a bottom floor room! But then again, if you prefer to have an easy walk from your room to the pool for convenience, get a pool view. But trust me, the walk from the shops or pool to our room wasn't bad at all. Of course, you can always take the shuttle - but unless you have lots of stuff to carry or are dressed up in heels, definitely walk. I had read a lot of negative reviews too about the Westin, but I found them to be untrue. I do want to say that while we were there, they were painting things and refurbishing the pool view rooms (painting, new furniture, new carpet, etc.) I think some of the negative posts I read before were complaints about mildew on the carpet. I found the pool to be in top condition although I did read some negative reviews about that as well. I would definitely go back there and believe me, I don't say that about many places. Oh one more thing -- The Heavenly Bed thing - yes, it was nice but I think the Ritz Carlton has a nicer bed. This is not a negative comment, just a fact. We slept fine in it!!! Lastly, the maid forgot to give us wash clothes one day and caffenated coffee (brought all decaf). I called the front desk and they delivered the stuff in 20 minutes. Fast service (better than my experience at The Ritz). Every day after that, they brought extra wash clothes and coffee!
Hello Worldshopper,
Thanks so much for all your comments. We love to walk and I never wear heels on
vacation. It sounds good to me. We were quoted alot more money for the poolview rooms and the way you described everything it's a waste of money to get closer.
We will be out and about exploring most of the time any way. We need a clean room,
and a bed at night.
I do have one more question. We want to rent a Jeep Liberty for 3 days, do we have to reserve or can we do it when we get there? I know O'Connor's rental is on property.
Also, do they have a lot down town to park? (sorry that was 2 questions).
Oh...we will be there the beginning of April
Matt???
anyone???
Many thanks,
Grace
Hi Grace,
I understand that the Westin has their own cars you can rent. However, we went with Lionel Jeep rental -- 340-693-8764 -- Ask for Karen and tell her Matt Reilly sent ya 😉
We've rented with her twice now and she's a great lady. She picked us up at the Westin.
They do have parking at the westin. It's a quick 3-4 minute walk from the Garden View #25 building. The lot does fill up, but we never had a problem getting a spot.
Downtown parking is a whole other issue... you can sometimes find parking at Mongoose Junction or the lumber yard.
Hope this helps,
Matt
Matt,
Did you reserve your jeep in advance and what about returning the jeep?
I was interested in jeep rental at the Westin because of pickup and return issues.
I'm sure it's more expensive at the Westin but sounds convenient.
Thanks, Grace
Yes, called in advance, which is definitely a good idea even if you go with a Westin Jeep.
Karen is right down the road from the Westin and she picked us up and dropped us off when we returned it.
Regards,
Matt
Grace,
I have been visiting St. John since 1993 with my family. We go there twice a year now because we can't stand to be away that long. Most of the locals say we are locals too know, so I will put in my two cents about St. John. I hope it helps.
Beaches...
Cinammon Bay is by far my favorite. Mainly because it is big and so it is never really crowded. I like getting there really early at least one morning while I am down there because it is your own private beach. Another well kept secret is Gibney Beach. When driving down Northshore road, on your left you will see a white iron gate that use to read "Oppenhiemer", but most of the letters are gone now. The far left part of the gate swings open and there is a path that leads down to a beautiful beach. The nice part about this is that there is only room for about 3 cars...so it doesn't get over crowded either. Waterlemon and Lienster are great places to snorkel. You park at the Sugar Mill ruins and walk down a path to get there. It is probably about a 1/2 mile walk, but nothing strenuous. We saw a ton of starfish from the path last week. Everyone always wants to go to Trunk Bay for the underwater snorkel trail. It is really a cool thing to do, but my suggestion is to go before 10, which is when the cruise boat passengers get there, or go on a day when there are no cruise boats in St. Thomas. You can find a cruise boat schedule in the paper. Of course, Trunk is the only one that costs because it is part of the national park.
Restaurants/Bars...
Lime Inn is great...get the Key Lime Pie for desert. They also have all you can eat Shrimp either Wed or Thur night. If you want to go to that, make reservations or get there early. Lime Inn is one of the restaurants that is very popular with the locals also. Cafe Roma and Panini Beach have great Italian food. Cafe Roma is in town around the corner from Woody's. Panini Beach has one of the best Ceasar Salands I have ever had. My favorite place to eat lunch is at a place out in Coral Bay called Skinny Legs. Great hamburgers and Hot Dogs. You can check it out at www.skinnylegs.com. Around the corner from them is Island Blue which has great home cooking. You probably won't be disappointed in any of the restaurants on St. John...they are all pretty good.
Lodging...
We always stay at a villa. We stayed at the Westin once and had all of the bad experiences that you read about on the internet posts....maybe it was just a fluke. I like staying at a villa because I feel that you have more privacy...and it ends up being cheaper for my family in the long run.
Cars....
We also always rent from Conrad Sutton. He and his wife Gladys run the place. They can seem a little blunt at times, but they are really nice people. I definitly suggest making a reservation for a car before you get down there. Since you are going in high season, there might not be a car when you get there. You can also park at Conrad's when you are in town, which is good because parking is getting worse and worse down there. I think most of the car rental places offer this though.
Shopping...
I like to shop at Warfside...my mom likes to shop at Mongoose. I find that I can afford stuff at Warfside more than at Mongoose, although, there is a great jewelry store above Donald Schnell's studio in Mongoose that has good prices and cute gifts. I love Palm Jewlers and Shae Designs down in Warfside. I have become good friends with Chad and Shaneen that own Shae. Shaneen makes all the jewelry there, and if you buy something there, it is probably going to be one of a kind, which I like. If you stop by there, tell them Elasha (Sounds like Elated) says Hi. There are some really neat shops out by Skinny's in Coral Bay also.
I know I could "impart' more of my knowledge about St. John, mostly because I love it there and could talk about it forever. I hope this has helped a little bit. I miss it already and I just got back 3 days ago. A couple of other things that are important to know: Always say "Good...morning, afternoon, evening" when you greet someone down there. It is considered the polite way to greet someone. Also, it is against the law to have your bathing suit visible unless you are at the beach. You could possibly get a ticket for it, but if you don't, the locals still considered it rude and you might get some remarks. Guys swiming trunks are different, as long as they have a shirt on. I hope you have a wonderful time in this wonderful place and if you have any more questions, just let me know.
Elasha
To Elasha and Matt,
Thank you for all your suggestions and input. I love this board, it really helps when planning a trip. I'm the planner in the family as you can see by my posts.
Our trip isn't untill april but I'm so excited. This will be our 3rd trip to the USVI and I can't
wait. It was 20 degrees last night in good old White Plains, NY less with wind chill. Snow forcast for this weekend. (I hope they are wrong) I'm not ready for snow.
Happy Holidays to All!!
To all of you in the USVI during the holidays, I'm definitely jealous!!!!!!
Grace
Elasha
Hi I just wnated to say hi and that you are the first person that I have read , thats as crazy about St John as I am . all the advise you said is true and I agree with it all by the way where did you stay , I was at the star villas up from gallows, very nice and private nice people ... I will be ther in June to july to work at the Maho Camp . Not a day goes by for me that Iam not sceaming my way back ..I loved driving there especially on northside to Maho and beyond..... well enough for now keep warm , Iam here in Florida and were freezing ours tushes off also Yolanda
Yolanda,
I am crazy about St. John. I had to stop writing about it last night because I could go on and on. I will be there in June also. I think we are stay in Great Cruz Bay Estates. That is where we usually stay now. I am jealous that you get to stay for so long. If anyone ever wants to talk "St. John" I am here!!!
E
I know myself and 7 days was just too short the next time, so I want to pretend that I live there for 30 days... I know a few of the locals from the last visit and thats the way to go ,it kinda grounds you to feel like hey I could live here , Whats your favorite thing to do there?
Hi -
We are staying at the Westin during Christmas week. Is it worth it taking their ferry over to the hotel or less expensive doing it with a Taxi. Also, stupid me didn't manage to get a car in time so there appears to be nothing available. What is the best way to get to some of the beaches to snorkle? Taxi or maybe renting a dingy?
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Looks like you know everything going on on the island.
Thanks,
Hello Linda,
You can use taxis for most of the days, and on one day you can rent a dinghy and make a day of beach hopping. So plan on both. You can hike to a few beaches too!!
--Islander
There's always the $1 bus from Cruz Bay to Salt Pond, nice snorkeling, a bit rockier beach than on the North side. Ram's Head is a great hike, well worth it...bring water and seek shade in the mid-day. There may be a woman selling snacks parked at the entrance if you don't want to pack a lunch.
Cathy
