Hi Debra -

There are two places you can stay that are right in Charlotte - Holiday Inn (on the main road), and Bluebeard's Castle (high above Charlotte). They both put you in walking distance of the stores and some restaurants - but Bluebeard's is up a steep hill that could prove daunting to walk up. Unfortunately there's no beach downtown, the closest is at Frenchman's Reef by the Marriot - it's a great beach, but you would need a taxi.

It's near impossible to find a place within walking distance of stores, restaurants and a beach. You've stayed at the Wyndham - which has beach and food, but no stores...so you can understand the dilemma. You're going to end up using a taxi no matter what.

Anyone else have any ideas?

There are three hotels on the beach by the airport - Emerald Beach, Island Beachcomber and Carib Beach - but they're not generally recommended to visitors and it'll still be a long and hot walk from there to get into town. Is there are particular reason you want to be in town?

There are far more options on the East end and you might want to check into renting a condo on Sapphire Beach (www.vrbo.com is an excellent source) or at Secret Harbour. Both the beaches are beautiful and the advantage to renting a condo unit is that you'll have a kitchen in which to prepare breakfasts, lunches and some dinners.

You've already discovered the expense of taxiing everywhere (you can refresh your memory by going to "St Thomas" at the top of this page and scrolling down to "taxis") and maybe your husband should further research driving here which is very easy to get used to. Max speed is 35mph and for the most part you'll only be going 25! A nice compact car rental will run you about $250/week and it's well worth it not only for the lesser expense but for the freedom it gives you to go where you want when you want.

Hope I've given you some food for thought. Cheers!

I prefer the East End location. Perhaps Point Pleasant, which has 2 restaurants on site. Then I would suggest to rent a car and venture down to Toad and Tart, Molly Malone's, Caribbean Saloon, etc. in Red Hook after getting a bit more comfortable with driving on the left. Driving downtown for the first time on the left can be a bit unnerving, but traffic is not as bad in the East End. By the way, the steering wheels are on the left also, which makes it more adaptable. Good Luck!

Point Pleasant will also provide free shuttle service to the Wyndham Sugar Bay and the "Dollar" Bus (which is now $3) stops in front of Point Pleasant.

However, do rent a car....it's not that difficult to drive on the left....just remember to "keep your shoulder to the shoulder "(of the road).

Plus having a car provides the freedom to visit any part of the island.....and St. John too.

F.I.

Emerald Beach and island Beachcomber are both fine choices for beachfront hotels -- Emerald Beach is much newer and has a pool as well, plus all the rooms are on the beach. Walking out to the main road and getting a 'dollar taxi' to town is really easy dawn to dusk - after dark there would be little reason to be in town except for a few restaurants and bars so just take a real taxi home - you won't be paying a lot compared to E End travel.

Cavet to Emerald Beach and island Beachcomber hotels is that they're in the airport. Lots of noise.

IN the airport?

Mr Blog,, what is your deal??

They are right there in the airport. Am I misstating? Turn left from town on the airport road and the hotels are on the left. Runway pretty darn close isn't it? Please correct me if I am wrong.

They are near the airport, but not on the airport grounds.

They are near the airport. And most people who stay there say that the occasional plane is not an annoyance.

I wouldn't say they are "in" the airport - that makes them sound like the Hilton at O'Hare - lol. Emerald Beach actually has a really nice beach. We were in late and out pretty early the next day to get to our rental villa on STJ but talked to some other guests who said that there's a couple of hours in the late afternoon when it gets a bit noisy over the beach but that's about it.

It's like Clinton's definition of sex then. I say "in" you say "on". Here's what I meant to say...

If you exit each of the hotels you are looking at the runway. I consider that "in" but no need to split hairs huh? Either way you'll see planes taking off and landing along with the sounds of the jet engines. If that's cool with you then this is a good place to stay!

Here is the thing. Downtown Charlotte Amalie is not near any significant beaches (fairly close to a couple of small ones, but that's it). There are still Safari buses, etc. though that you can take for a couple of bucks ($1 in Charlotte Amalie, $2 anywhere else they go) to Wyndham Sugar Bay or Sapphire, or ferries to Water Island and/or St. John for not much more. So, it really comes down to the following: do you want to be located downtown and travel to the beaches, or be at a beach and travel to other beaches and downtown? I work at the Galleon House B&B in the shopping district of Charlotte Amalie and will be happy to help you with a deal if you decide to go that route. In any case, if you plan to travel around a lot, your best bet will be a car as taxis usually start at $10 per person, each direction. In the long run the rental would be cheaper no matter where you stay. Have fun!

And there are several other downtown hotels you can look at. Hotel 1829, Bunker Hill, Bellavista B & B, Villa Santana, Crystal Palace, Miller Manor, and Palms Court Harbor View. Quite a few choices, some with better access to town that others, all with 10 minutes to beaches.