WSJ - First Visit

[Army81]

We have visited most of the Vistana / Westin resorts but are getting ready for our first trip to St John.
Couple of questions?
1. Westin Ferry or public?
2. Grocery store?
3. Rental car - on St John and all week or just as needed?
4. Recommendations for restaurants?
5. Beaches / activities??

Thanks in advance!

 

[byeloe]

We have visited most of the Vistana / Westin resorts but are getting ready for our first trip to St John.
Couple of questions?
1. Westin Ferry or public?
2. Grocery store?
3. Rental car - on St John and all week or just as needed?
4. Recommendations for restaurants?
5. Beaches / activities??

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, I don't have the answers but there is a very large ongoing WSJ thread that probably does.

Westin St John Master Thread - Part 3 [Dec. 2017 and forward]

[This new WSJ Master Thread (#3) covers December 2017 and forward] Here is link to original WSJ Master Thread #1 (pre-June 2014): http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111510 Here is link to original WSJ Master Thread #2 (June 2014 to November 2017)...

tugbbs.com

 

[eagle29]

1 & 3: I rent from Amalie or Discount on St Thomas and take car ferry. Easy and nice to have car access all week (we used it every day)

2: 3 grocery stores within a couple of miles of Westin (well stocked and clean)

4. We loved Morgans Mango, High Tide and Beach Bar (for lunch and drinks), Cruz Bay Landing, The Terrace, Ocean 362 (sit upstairs bar at sunset)!!!

5. Trunk, Honeymoon and Maho are our absolute favorites but there are other gems like Francis, Jumbie and Waterlemon (for a great snorkel spot)! Always try to arrive early to the beaches!

 

[SandyPGravel]

We have visited most of the Vistana / Westin resorts but are getting ready for our first trip to St John.
Couple of questions?
1. Westin Ferry or public?
2. Grocery store?
3. Rental car - on St John and all week or just as needed?
4. Recommendations for restaurants?
5. Beaches / activities??

Thanks in advance!

Public ferry. We rent from Amalie on ST Thomas and take the car ferry.
We stop at Cost-u-less on St Thomas and then fill in with items from Dolphin and Starfish markets on St John. Go to the concierge you will get a discount card for the local grocery stores.
Skinny legs, Shambles, Tap Room, Beach Bar are all reasonably priced. We don't go high end.
Any north shore beach. Salt Pond bay on south shore. Ram head and reef bay hikes are iconic.

Bug repellent, reef safe sunscreen. Coffee filters if you will need them. (Our friends didn't bring any-we don't drink coffee- and the stores were out when we visited)

 

[CPNY]

I did the car rental at the airport and took the car ferry but I took the Westin Ferry back to the airport since I left before the rest of my party. When I go back I would do the Westin Ferry RT and rent a car on St John that comes with parking downtown. The ferry to the airport was so easy that Id prefer to take that RT next time. But one thing to consider is the cost of the ferry. If youre traveling with more than 2 people it can be expensive. Also the cost of goods at the grocery store on St John is probably more expensive than the Cost U less on STT.

 

[Eric B]

1. We've always taken the public ferry after taking a taxi to Red Hook; back to the airport via the ferry to Charlotte Amalie. Overall cost about half what the Westin ferry is.
2. Dolphin Market within walking distance of the resort is well stocked enough. 15% off with the owners discount card.
3. Mostly just taxis for us, but rent the occasional car on St John
4. Gwen's Place on Gifft Hill for actual local food. Best conch on the island. Art Bar and Rum Room in Cruz Bay is worth a stop for a flight or two of good rums.
5. Honeymoon beach is one of the better ones. We usually find turtles by the red buoy. Check the freecycle for beach chairs and other supplies; it's just up the hill from the 3 BR VGV buildings. We've picked up (and returned, of course) Tommy Bahama chairs there on several trips.

 

[klpenny]

Quick question. We are taking the ferry over tomorrow from St. Thomas to St. John and we thought while we were here we would see what the Westin looks like in case wanted to stay there. We are at Frenchman's Cove. I called the Westin and they were downright rude. I told them we are owners and would like to see the property. They said since we had no reservation with them we could not even come on the property at all. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Eric B]

Ran into a fellow at the resort pool there in April whose mother owns a house nearby. He walks down and uses the pool frequently and they give him towels to use like any actual guest. Security isn’t the tightest - just walk or drive in.

 

[klpenny]

Ok. Thanks!

 

[sharr7]

We have visited most of the Vistana / Westin resorts but are getting ready for our first trip to St John.
Couple of questions?
1. Westin Ferry or public?
2. Grocery store?
3. Rental car - on St John and all week or just as needed?
4. Recommendations for restaurants?
5. Beaches / activities??

Thanks in advance!

1. Especially for first timers, the Westin Ferry is just so easy and convenient. I'd recommend that. It is more expensive but this is not a budget trip... Anyway, you'll want to come back, and then knowing more about how everything works you can debate if you want to try something new next time.
2. Dolphin Market is walkable and probably has most of what you'd need. Starfish is a bit bigger and has pre-ordering for pickup/delivery as well with enough notice. Can also pack stuff from home to save money. If you take the Westin ferry you basically don't lift your bags from the STT baggage claim until you're in your room (so heavy bags full of food not as big of a concern).
3. Depends on how many days you think you'll spend either beyond Cruz Bay or needing grocery trips. I find it's typically worth it for us to rent for the week for the flexibility and ability to go anywhere anytime.
4. There's not really a bad choice in restaurants. Try a bunch, check google/yelp for more info/ratings. Morgans Mango is one of the most popular and longest-established places I think.
5. I tell everyone to go to Lime Out (floating taco bar in Coral Bay); just a really cool experience and some incredible food and drinks. Good excuse to drive through the national park to get there and see the beaches and historic sites or hike a trail. Francis Bay is not as busy and near the Annaberg sugar mill ruins. Good chance to see turtles there, like Maho. We like hiking the Lind Point trail from Cruz Bay to Solomon Beach as well. Very peaceful since you can't drive there. Heard great things about Windmill Bar sunsets but haven't been myself.

Enjoy! I can't wait to go back at the end of the year.

 

[dioxide45]

Quick question. We are taking the ferry over tomorrow from St. Thomas to St. John and we thought while we were here we would see what the Westin looks like in case wanted to stay there. We are at Frenchman's Cove. I called the Westin and they were downright rude. I told them we are owners and would like to see the property. They said since we had no reservation with them we could not even come on the property at all. Anyone have any experience with this?

Unless there is a gatehouse, no one is going to check. I recall asking Marriott's Cypress Harbour in Orlando if I could come on property to record a video of their new activities area and was told no. Only owners and registered guests. Though I have had packages delivered there when not staying there and was just waived on through the gatehouse....

 

[dioxide45]

Ran into a fellow at the resort pool there in April whose mother owns a house nearby. He walks down and uses the pool frequently and they give him towels to use like any actual guest. Security isn’t the tightest - just walk or drive in.

I suspect he is known to the employees there and is in their good graces? As an owner I wouldn't be too happy with such an arrangement.

 

[Eric B]

I suspect he is known to the employees there and is in their good graces? As an owner I wouldn't be too happy with such an arrangement.

Nope - just sneaks in and worries about being caught

 

[SandyPGravel]

Quick question. We are taking the ferry over tomorrow from St. Thomas to St. John and we thought while we were here we would see what the Westin looks like in case wanted to stay there. We are at Frenchman's Cove. I called the Westin and they were downright rude. I told them we are owners and would like to see the property. They said since we had no reservation with them we could not even come on the property at all. Anyone have any experience with this?

There is a gate and security, but if you tell them you are checking in they will wave you through. No one has ever stopped me and asked for a room key when I'm walking the property. I don't think you would be able to see a unit in any of the phases though, and they are all different.

 

[ArmyMule]

1. Especially for first timers, the Westin Ferry is just so easy and convenient. I'd recommend that. It is more expensive but this is not a budget trip... Anyway, you'll want to come back, and then knowing more about how everything works you can debate if you want to try something new next time.
2. Dolphin Market is walkable and probably has most of what you'd need. Starfish is a bit bigger and has pre-ordering for pickup/delivery as well with enough notice. Can also pack stuff from home to save money. If you take the Westin ferry you basically don't lift your bags from the STT baggage claim until you're in your room (so heavy bags full of food not as big of a concern).
3. Depends on how many days you think you'll spend either beyond Cruz Bay or needing grocery trips. I find it's typically worth it for us to rent for the week for the flexibility and ability to go anywhere anytime.
4. There's not really a bad choice in restaurants. Try a bunch, check google/yelp for more info/ratings. Morgans Mango is one of the most popular and longest-established places I think.
5. I tell everyone to go to Lime Out (floating taco bar in Coral Bay); just a really cool experience and some incredible food and drinks. Good excuse to drive through the national park to get there and see the beaches and historic sites or hike a trail. Francis Bay is not as busy and near the Annaberg sugar mill ruins. Good chance to see turtles there, like Maho. We like hiking the Lind Point trail from Cruz Bay to Solomon Beach as well. Very peaceful since you can't drive there. Heard great things about Windmill Bar sunsets but haven't been myself.

Enjoy! I can't wait to go back at the end of the year.

Thanks so much to everyone - a reason to be on this site - very helpful for a first visit!

 

[klpenny]

Thanks everyone for your input.
Here is the update incase anyone is interested. We walked the hike from the ferry to the Westin. Very hilly but mostly sidewalks and if you are in decent shape you can do it. We walked right in to the resortvon the pedestrian path. No one cared. We walked all over the property and hung out at the bar restaurant, pool, and beach for the afternoon. I was glad we got to see the resort and now know what to expect.

 

[Eric B]

Thanks everyone for your input.
Here is the update incase anyone is interested. We walked the hike from the ferry to the Westin. Very hilly but mostly sidewalks and if you are in decent shape you can do it. We walked right in to the resort on the pedestrian path. No one cared. We walked all over the property and hung out at the bar restaurant, pool, and beach for the afternoon. I was glad we got to see the resort and now know what to expect.

The resort is nice but there are better beaches on St John. That's about what I figured, security-wise.

We have visited most of the Vistana / Westin resorts but are getting ready for our first trip to St John.
Couple of questions?
1. Westin Ferry or public?
2. Grocery store?
3. Rental car - on St John and all week or just as needed?
4. Recommendations for restaurants?
5. Beaches / activities??

Thanks in advance!

Thanks so much to everyone - a reason to be on this site - very helpful for a first visit!

Happy to help out a fellow veteran, but I've got to say Go Navy!

 

[DavidnRobin]

Biased, but…
If you are comfortable enough driving in USVI - rent on STT (AmalieCar) and take car ferry over. Luckily, I was born to drive left.

There are dozens of beaches to go to on STJ that are worth visiting. Sure, getting a drink down on the Westin beach is nice once (I asked Robin to marry me there) - but to many fabulous ones to see that is best done by vehicle.

Don’t limit yourself - astounds me that as this is already a relatively expensive vacation - people cheap out on getting a vehicle. Especially if you are in the VGV Hillside section. In our many weeks there over the years we barely went down to the main resort area.

If your plan is hang out at Resort most of the time - ignore this advice.

On visiting the resort - better to ask forgiveness. Just act like you belong there - you could park close by and easily walk in.

Morgan’s Mango on Lobster nite (make reservations)
Longboard Bar
Uncle Joes BBQ
Beach Bar w/music
Drink STJ
Mongoose Junction
Windmill Bar at Sunset on clear evening
Trunk Bay after 4pm (watch out for noseeums)
Sloop Jones Art on East End
Lime Out - good stop for charter.
Island Roots around STJ Charter.
Nag Head hike from Salt Pond via Blue cobblestone beach - especially if full moon - bring water
NPS hike to Reef Bay

Enjoy.


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[rcv82]

We are making our first trip late in October, hopefully avoiding hurricanes. I was planning on using the Westin ferry and have an SUV reserved with O’Connell on-site at WSJ. I don’t see anyone else recommending them here. Does anybody have experience with O’Connell?


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[SandyPGravel]

We are making our first trip late in October, hopefully avoiding hurricanes. I was planning on using the Westin ferry and have an SUV reserved with O’Connell on-site at WSJ. I don’t see anyone else recommending them here. Does anybody have experience with O’Connell?


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I have only rented from Amalie, but I think people tend to rent from a business in town to get in-town parking. Parking is EXPENSIVE. The only other thing I would check is the added fees. Some rental agencies charge if you get ANY sand in the vehicle and charge for a 2nd driver. (Like not getting sand in the vehicle is possible )

 

[rcv82]

In checking the rental car prices, renting from O'Connor seems to be about $250/week cheaper than the other places I checked, both on St. John and St. Thomas. And it has the convienece of being right at the Weston. My biggest concern is that it says you are not allowed to drive off of paved roads. If you want to explore the island, how big of deal is this? Why would you need an SUV if only driving on paved roads?

I haven't seen this restriction on other rental sites, but they may not have all of their restrictions posted. They do say they charge ~$75 for vehicles returned with "excessive sand", with the definition of "excessive" up to their discretion.

 

[SandyPGravel]

In checking the rental car prices, renting from O'Connor seems to be about $250/week cheaper than the other places I checked, both on St. John and St. Thomas. And it has the convienece of being right at the Weston. My biggest concern is that it says you are not allowed to drive off of paved roads. If you want to explore the island, how big of deal is this? Why would you need an SUV if only driving on paved roads?

I haven't seen this restriction on other rental sites, but they may not have all of their restrictions posted. They do say they charge ~$75 for vehicles returned with "excessive sand", with the definition of "excessive" up to their discretion.

No off road means you will not be able to go to Lameshur, but as a first time visitor it probably isn't on your radar anyway. I would plan on being charged the $75. If they are that much cheaper than other rental agencies, they are going to make it up some how. (Because they can, supply and demand) The roads are VERY steep, having a jeep is peace of mind on those roads. If you live there you get more used to the roads and I assume driving a regular car is no big deal.

 

[DavidnRobin]

If you are only planning to visit StJ once - I would definitely make it out to Lameshur (Little Lameshur)

Great Lameshur Bay


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