# Visiting St. Thomas- Jan 4-11, 2014



## Luvtoride (Jul 4, 2013)

Hi, 
We will be visiting St. Thomas in January with another couple and will be staying at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef timeshare resort.  I am looking for any recommendations of things to do for day trips, restaurants, water activities, etc.  Also, do you recommend renting a car there or just taking cabs?  Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Brian


----------



## JMSH (Jul 4, 2013)

You pretty well have to rent a car. Taxis charge per person and there really is not a lot of places to eat around the Marriott except at the Marriott. The driving is very easy and enjoyable. Make sure you take a day and go to St.John it is lovely...great beaches. "The Cat" boat leaves right from the dock and it is great to get out on it for a day to snorkle/tour/have lunch on.


----------



## Tia (Jul 4, 2013)

Second that rental car, will save you $, free up your time by seeing things on your own schedule. They do drive on the left, but if I can do it so can most anyone . 

 Lots of great places to eat out on the island. One night  try Latitude 18  it sits at waters edge, usually has  live evening entertainment out on the east end down a bumpy little road that gets you there.  If downtown shopping might try Coconuts for lunch, it's a pretty small place , here I recommend the fresh catch on the house salad. Trip Advisor  has lots of opinions shared on it's forums.

One day go to STJ to tour taking your car by the car ferry. Make sure your rental car company allows the car to leave STT, one of them doesn't. I like Avis, but there are others. Maybe drive over to Skinny Legs for lunch Coral Bay area. Cinnamon is our favorite beach there. Parking in Cruz Bay area can be difficult to find . Before heading home get a drink at the famous hole in the wall place named Woody's,  recommend the appetizer scallops, sauteed (not breaded).


----------



## squierjosh (Jul 5, 2013)

We were there on a cruise and did an island tour. The tour dropped us off at Black Beard's castle, and we walked through that, down through the shopping district, all the way to the port. The castle is pretty cool, very historical. The walk was great, there's a lot of shops and restaurants in the downtown area.


----------



## LisaRex (Jul 7, 2013)

I highly recommend a day trip to The Baths.  You'll need your passport. We booked with Bad Kitty, which is a reasonably priced charter, though I wasn't overly thrilled with them.  They crammed in quite a bit, too much IMO.  But the Baths was the highlight of our last trip. 

If you are avid fisherman, try Swashbucklin' tours. It's basically a man and a boat.  No frills at all, but I guarantee you'll be hauling in fish.  

Rent a dinghy and pack a lunch to explore beaches that you can only access from a boat.  They do this on St. John so I'm sure they do the same on St Thomas.


----------



## Luvtoride (Jul 7, 2013)

LisaRex said:


> I highly recommend a day trip to The Baths.  You'll need your passport. We booked with Bad Kitty, which is a reasonably priced charter, though I wasn't overly thrilled with them.  They crammed in quite a bit, too much IMO.  But the Baths was the highlight of our last trip.
> 
> If you are avid fisherman, try Swashbucklin' tours. It's basically a man and a boat.  No frills at all, but I guarantee you'll be hauling in fish.
> 
> Rent a dinghy and pack a lunch to explore beaches that you can only access from a boat.  They do this on St. John so I'm sure they do the same on St Thomas.



Thanks Lisa.  We did the Baths (thru Virgin Gorda, right?) many years ago on a trip to St Thomas.  It was amazing.  Not much of a fisherman or boater so will find someone else to take us to the beaches you mentioned.  Thanks again for the advice.  
Brian


----------



## LisaRex (Jul 8, 2013)

If you can afford it, I'd recommend a private charter.  It usually runs $600-750 per day, which makes it more affordable with several couples, but it's so nice to have your own boat and captain for the day.  They know the area well and can take you to great snorkeling spots/private beaches.


----------



## DavidnRobin (Jul 9, 2013)

St John (Waterlemon Cay at Leinster Bay) - by boat
St John (Salt Pond Bay to Nags Head) - lunch at Shipwreck Landing
St John (Maho Bay)
St John (Trunk Bay) - on day when no Cruise Liners in town
St John (Reef Bay Trail - NPS tour)
St John (Hawksnest Bay)
St John (Salomon Bay) - Salomon and Honeymoon beaches
{see a trend here...?}

also - in the BVI (besides The Baths in Virgin Gorda)
The Indians (close to Norman Island)
The Caves (Norman Island)
Willie Ts (for lunch - Norman Island, The Bight)
The Wreck of The Rhone (between Peter and Salt Island)
White Bay (Jost Van Dyke) - PainKiller at the Soggy Dollar


----------



## LouiseG (Jul 10, 2013)

You must do at least one splurge at The Old Stone Farmhouse.  You must reserve ahead of time.  We went for my birthday and it was fantastic.  It's hard to find the place (especially after dark) but the food is superb and service will make you feel like royalty.  I think our bill was around $100-150 for 2 of us.  We also ate at Room with a view and an open air sort of place on the main road through Charlotte Amalie, I think it was called the Green Parrot.  Food was good and reasonable at both places.  Snorkeling around Megan's and Hull bays is pretty good from shore.  If you are a diver, there's a pretty good reef out that way.  The coral at Trunk and Cinnamon Bays on St. John are pretty bleached out.  It would help if the cruise ships didn't promote them as most cruisers are not too experienced at snorkeling and continue to do damage to the reefs.

If you do book a daytrip to BVI, try to book with someone who makes a stop at Diamond reef.  The coral is in mint condition and a tremendous variety to be seen.  Hope you have as much fun as we did.


----------



## joanncanary (Jul 10, 2013)

*Old stone Farmhouse*

We second that restaurant. We were there last June and the food and service was fantastic. Arrive early if you go and get a drink and sit in their courtyard. It is a beautiful old building that has just been redone. you do to the Kitchen and sign the wall and you can see what your choices are for protein. really enjoyed it.


----------



## Luvtoride (Jul 10, 2013)

*St. Thomas Recommendations*

Thank you all for the great response and tons of ideas for dining, touring and activities.  That Old Stone Farmhouse sounds like a MUST DO for us during our trip.  
If anyone has any specific recommendations for building choices and room locations at the Marriott Frenchman's Cove, I would appreciate that too.  I understand there are various buildings built into a mountain side.

Thanks again all...and enjoy your summer journeys!

Brian


----------



## amanda14 (Jul 12, 2013)

Just returned last week from MFC and we were on Fl 2 of the Virgin Gorda building.  View was awesome.  Look at Pirate's Penny private charters.  I used them for our family of 7 (only us on the boat) was picey but we had a great day.  No Baths that day because of box jelly fish, but it was awesome!


----------



## amanda14 (Jul 12, 2013)

Also, we went to Havana Blue and the meal was terrific.


----------



## kcgriffin (Jul 12, 2013)

*Some suggestions…*

We go to St. Thomas and St. John every Christmas, we leave for home on 1/3
On St Thomas make sure you check the cruise ship schedules, traffic and everything else can get CRAZY when they dump a couple thousand people on the island.

Our favorite restaurants on St. Thomas are:
Craig and Sally's (in Frenchtown)
Oceana (on the water in a fabulous old embassy)


*St John *
Delbert Hill car and jeep rental (340) 776-6637 
I like them because they are located right downtown and you can park in their lot, parking can get to be a problem sometimes.

Starfish Market for Food

Restaurants
 Asolare (great for sunsets)
 Zozo (also sunsets)
 La Tapa
 Morgans Mango
 Lime Inn
 Rhumb Lines
 Paradiso at Mongoose Junction
 The new sushi restaurant in the Starfish Market Plaza surprisingly good!
 Joe’s BBQ hut in the center of town (it is open air, you can’t miss it!)
 Miss Lucy’s in Coral Bay for Sunday brunch
 Skinny Legs in Coral Bay for the best burgers on the island

Bars

• Make sure you visit the Beach Bar- Great entertainment and Sunday afternoon Jazz      jam session-great people watching, all the locals go! 
• Woody’s Seafood shack


----------



## suzyabbott (Oct 26, 2013)

Here's what we've learned over the last 15 trips..

1. Plan around the cruise ships. Can't stress this enough
2. Iggies beach bar, virgilios Italian and greenhouse are must dos
3. Coral world because any organization that helps animals is worth it in my book!
4. Paradise point. Skip the tram and drive up. Way more exciting of a trip!
5.  Rent a car from Avis. Pick up at al cohens mall and drop off at airport when you leave and save 80 bucks
6.  Mountaintop for shopping and daiquiris 
7.  Magen's bay for beAch, sapphire for snorkeling and brewers bay for peace and quiet
8. Water island and honeymoon beAch are awesome!
9.  Don't overpack. You won't wear half of it anyway. 
10.  Pack meds. I was sick last year and NyQuil and robitussin set us back 58 bucks
And last....enjoy the moment. Don't over schedule your trip and remember to stop and smell the roses , or pet a cat or talk to an iggie. Life's to short to always be "running"


----------



## Luvtoride (Oct 27, 2013)

*Thanks again*

Suzy and others, thanks for all the great advice and suggestions.  That's why it tell all my friends to come here and post questions on any destination.  There is always someone knowledgeable to share their experiences here. 
Happy travels all! 
Brian


----------



## SunnyVI (Dec 4, 2013)

*How to plan for STT when at Cove:*

Best advice in a nutshell? Call the resort and ask to be put in touch with their concierge. They have one of the most excellent in all of Marriott bc each guest has their own person. The front desk number is 340-693-4800 and they can connect you. 

They will have all the cruise ship sced info and pretty much everything else that was mentioned here. In addition, they will be able to tell you if a chef has recently moved or if a restaurant has made changes (Old Stone: the chef that put the place on the map left, but the prices are still the same.)

I'd ask for Christie (as a concierge). We've had great service from her in the past and she stays in touch if you need her during the trip...


----------

