We just got back from a family vacation of 14 days in St. Thomas — 5 days at The Ritz Club in St. Thomas and the last nine at Frenchmen’s Cove. We were with our adult kids so there were 6 of us in the 3BR units. We liked both resorts. The Ritz was a bit nicer and newer, with more amenities, but Frenchmen’s had beautiful sunsets and better access to Charlotte Amalie. Thoughts on both below:
We started at the Ritz Club, which is a little farther from the airport and the shops and restaurants of Charlotte Amalie but it is a beautiful property, with access to the beach, pools and amenities of the neighboring Ritz-Carlton next door (there is a $75 fee/unit/day to use the sailboats, paddleboards, snorkel gear, etc.). The snorkeling was good off the beach, with turtles and rays. It is also closer to RedHook and the ferry over to St. John. The Ritz Club units are really nice, with an extra 1/2 bath and a large balcony that seats six people. There is one restaurant at the Club, and several restaurants at the Hotel (all with Ritz pricing). These days the restaurants are only open to guests on the property. My favorite meal on the trip was at Alloro at the Ritz. Our waiter, Walter was terrific. Sails (beach bar) and Coconut Cove were nice for lunches and drinks, too. Staff at the resort were all terrific.
The Ritz Hotel catamaran, Lady Lynsey, leaves from the beach for all day and sunset cruises. They will also arrange for a charter boat to pick you up on the beach, which we did for a day of snorkeling at St. John and great fish tacos at Lime Out. Unlike in the past, the boats can’t cross into BVI due to COVID restrictions.
Our last nine days were at Frenchman’s Cove, which was very nice. It had 3BR/3BA but was a smaller unit than the Ritz, with a small balcony that only seats about 4. They also have a smaller beach, but good snorkeling right off the beach. The pool was busy during our time there but it seemed you could usually find open lounge chairs, and it is a great place to watch the sunset. Their “Cat” has a friendly crew, and we enjoyed their sunset cruise with drinks, BBQ buffet and motoring around CA harbor seeing some of the beautiful yachts moored there. The adjoining Marriott Frenchmen’s Reef is still under construction and we were told it is scheduled to open next Summer, likely re-branded as a Westin. If they share beaches/pools/restaurants with FC — like the Ritz does — it will be a really nice benefit for the timeshares.
For restaurants, we really liked Oceana ($$$), Sunset Grill at Secret Harbor, Lanai at LimeTree, and The Tap and Still (for burgers and a beer). We heard great things about Virgilio’s and Old Stone Farmhouse but we didn’t get there this trip. We really wanted pizza one night and were surprised that Pizza Amore closed at 5:30 (we were too late for that). MountainTop is a little touristy spot with panoramic views and frozen banana daiquiris. On St. John, LimeOut and Skinny Legs were also fun casual dining spots (LimeOut you need to get to by boat, and you eat in floating inflatable “limes”).
If you plan to shop in St. Thomas, we highly recommend Sidewalk Grill for lunch (really nice owner, good food, frozen Bushwackers and other drinks) and Grand Jewelers on Dronningen’s Gade, (the main street). We would highly recommend Navin and Dean there.
Moe’s Fresh is a great small grocery with locations in Charlotte Amalie and Red Hook. Good butcher and deli sections but may be out of stock of some items later in the day so recommend going earlier if you need specific things. The Red Hook Moe’s also has a well-stocked liquor store and wine selection in an upstairs room.
We used Paradise Car Rental and it worked out well. They pick up and drop off at the airport so you don’t need to get in line at the airport. We had a problem with the van on day 12 but we called Jeff and he handled it by meeting us downtown with another car. I would recommend them.
Favorite beaches were Megan’s Bay (good beach bar and pizza), and Hawk’s Nest, Maho & Trunk Bay all on St. John, and the hotel beaches. We saw lots of rays, turtles, sharks and vibrant fish.
All in all, a great family trip and lots of reasons to go back!
