The Marriott is a great choice. Frenchmans Reef is a beautiful resort and you have access to Morningstar Beach which is nice. It is a bit away from say Red Hook area or Northside however it is close to town. Renting a car is a good idea and then you can drive to Red Hook to take the ferry to St. John or to enjoy the restaurants and beaches on that side of the island.

What to do every much depends on what you are interested in doing. For example if you are interested in shopping well you can do that for an entire day and some - You can shop in Charlotte Amalie, Havensight and if you go to St. John well you can shop in Cruz Bay too. If you are intersted in island hopping and sailing well you can do a charter. If you want kayaking - try an eco kayak tour. Want to take in as many beaches as possiable then beach hope to say Magens Bay, Sapphire, Secret Harbor... on St. John Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Hawksnest, Caneel.... Definetely spend a day driving around St. Thomas and St. John (you should take a day to go to St. John) so that you can see the island itself. We have lots of great restaurants on island so you should try some of those.

If you like history you might want to walk around the historic sights in Charlotte Amalie. If you like fun and the water maybe try jet sking or parasailing.

Lots to do.

--Islander

Do you think renting a car is worth it? Or is it easier to get around the islands by taxi? Are taxi's expensive?

Thanks for the help!

Well renting a car is really a decision you should base on what you want to do while on vacation on St. Thomas. If you intend to spend your days at Morningstar beach - well you can walk there, if you intend to shop maybe one day in Charlotte Amalie there is a water ferry for Frenchmans Reef's guest that leaves right from the resort, if you intend to eat dinner only at the resort - then no do not rent a car. It won't be worth it.

However, if you would like to see the island, beach hop to Magens one day, Sapphire the next, Secret Harbor the next, shop at Havensight and also go to town to walk around and shop, go to St. John for the day, maybe Water Island or St. Croix as another day trip, eat dinner at a different restaurant every night... then yes most definately rent a car. Because if you plan to be active in doing things your taxi fares will be pricey.

Taxi's charge be destination and by person not be distance traveled - they are not metered. For example:

Frenchmans to Magens Bay will run you around $18 for a couple one way. To mountain top it will be around $19 one way, to red hook for the St. John ferry around $18....

Another thing to consider is that you can bring your St. Thomas car rental over on the St. John ferry, it cost about $27 dollars round trip, the people ferry from Red Hook would run $12 for two persons round trip - although its $15 more to bring your car - you now have a way to see St. John without taking taxis over there. So it works out well.

You can alternatively do both - rent a car some part of your trip and get the beach hopping and sight seeing and St. John visit - done with your rental and then for a couple days hang out at the resort and visit Morningstar, make use of the ferry shuttle and taxi if you want to get somewhere during that time frame.

--Islander
Visit the beautiful Virgin Islands with VInow.com!