jodyroch

I've heard St John is great and have a room reserved in feon points) at the westin. 2 questions after reading reviews on tripadvisor:
1. Is it easy to get to from St Thomas? We'll be travelling with an 11 month old and not sure how much shlepping I want to do.
2. Any feedback on the westin - both in terms of hotel and beach?
thanks! jody

virginia

after you land in charlotte amalie you will, and this is from their web site:

"Welcome to paradise
Once you’ve arrived in St. Thomas, you’ll be whisked to paradise via the resort’s private water shuttle, allowing you the opportunity to view some of the Caribbean’s most secluded private mansions and islands. When you pull into the resort’s private dock, you’ll be served a welcome cocktail and a cheerful island “hello.”
and:
"Transfer costs: $95 for adults, $80 for children 4-12 years old, no charge for children 3 and under.

Charge includes round trip transfers to airport, tips and luggage handling and also includes unlimited shopping trips to St Thomas Crown Bay Marina."

i believe a westin rep meets you at the airport and gets you to this water shuttle. so this should eliminate all shlepping. and oh won't that welcome cocktail be welcome!

the alternative is to taxi to char am docks (15 min from airport; 45 min ferry) or red hook docks (40 min drive: 20 min ferry) for much less money but you would have to lug stuff.

have not stayed at westin so can't speak for their beach.

brenandg

At first I was thinking that was a lot of money but then I did the math for the cost of our private taxi and water taxi we shared with two other couples. It was still $85 per couple but at the time was so worth it because our flight was late and we didn't get to St John until dark. It gets dark between 5:30-6:00pm. If the Westin will pick you up at the airport it makes it even more appealing, especially with an infant. If your budget allows it, sounds nice.

The public system isn't bad, but there is schlepping involved. You could always give your bags to a porter when you get out of your taxi. Most people tip $2 per bag. What time does your flight get in? We only did the Charlotte Amalie ferry one trip both ways. On the way in unless something has changed, you have to wait directly in the sun (or rain) for the ferry. If I am misinformed, someone please correct me. It also runs less frequently. Red Hook has a nice ferry terminal that just opened.

We have only been to the Westin beach once but it is nice enough. It is definitely not the nicest beach on St John though. It does seem to be popular with families. There is a nice wide sandy beach, beach bar and watersports. We took one of the hobie cats out.

brenandg

Here I go obsessing about St John again. Are you renting a jeep at all to explore other beaches? If so, with an infant, I would highly recommend Maho. The parking is right across the road and the water is very calm and shallow. Maho was calm even when many of the other north shore beaches were not. The Christmas winds were kicking up. Personally, it is one of my favorite beaches although I still have many to explore. Maho is great for watching pelicans dive for their lunch. If you need facilities, Trunk or Cinnamon fit the bill.

virginia

jody here's a current post from someone who used the westin taxi and shuttle ferry: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...=2&start=0

brenandg

virginia, That poster used Dolphin Shuttle, not The Westin's.

kellybeaches

Jodyroch,
We went to Virgin Gorda when our daughter was 10 months, and went to St. John this past September-she had just turned 2. Here are my “travel tips with baby” if it helps at all

Pack lightly –HA! Yeah, right-there is no packing lightly with baby. I usually bring the following:
-tons of new, preferably quiet toys for the plane ride-be sure to have new toys for the way back too. Note-play doh is not allowed on planes. Ours was confiscated.
-feed your baby on the way up and down on the flights-either bottle or breast-whichever you do-it’ll help their ears pop. Also bring food for your baby on the plane and for the trip. St. John’s food stores are well equipped, but better safe than sorry in case they don’t have a particular kind of baby food.
-diapers/swimmies/wipes-bring enough for your whole trip. On the way home, you can use this room in your bags for souvenirs, etc.
-bug spray –this is always the hardest thing when taking baby along-they must just be sweeter, because our daughter always gets eaten alive. We’ve tried literally every type of bug spray imaginable, from non-deet, family spray to deep woods off. I would recommend bringing long sleeves and pants for he/she to sleep in (and tuck in their shirt) so the bugs don’t get them too badly while sleeping. Just up the AC in your room. Also, keep the closets closed in your room-the noseeums like dark places-they usually hang out in the closets or under the beds. Don’t forget to pat their head with bug spray too.
-Video monitor-this was a godsend for us, but we always rent villas so it’s nice to keep an eye on our daughter sleeping while we’re in the family room. I don’t think you’ll need this at the westin.
-medicine, first aid kit, thermometer –better safe than sorry
-SPF 50 body suit, wide brimmed hat, sunglasses, and 50+ sunblock

General travel notes:
-Get a seat for baby on the plane-it’s worth every penny. It’ll allow them to crawl around if needed, sleep laying down, and you can change baby in that seat too if needed.
-rent a pack’n’play from the Westin. I always rent them from wherever we stay, and just bring our own pack’n’play sheets.
-rent a car with car seat on St. John. You’ll need it if you want to travel anywhere, and they’ll provide you with a car seat if you set it up ahead of time. The beaches on St. John are beautiful, and perfect for little ones. We used L.L. Jeep and were happy with them.
-see if the taxi that takes you to the ferry can bring a car seat too. We rented a private taxi (aka-airport van) with car seat to take us to the ferry. It’s pretty straightforward getting around.
-bring a stroller for the airport. You can bring it right up to the door of the airplane, and then they’ll give it to you as soon as you get off the plane.

We didn’t go to the Westin, but the north shore beaches are really beautiful. Our daughter loved them! The water is very calm, and all of them had trees that you could sit below for shade, which was really nice.
Enjoy!

virginia

oops, my mistake. brenandg is correct. well it offers an alternative in any event.

brenandg

I thought about recommending it as an alternative as well but Dolphin would be more expensive and they would also be dropped off at the National Park dock and still have to make their way to The Westin. Westin service would be $190 round trip. Dolphin would be $135 minimum for land and water for one way plus tipping.

jodyroch

Thanks Everyone. Since I'm using Starwood points, (and its free) I'm really only considering Westins.

Can anyone comment on Westin in St Maarten as an alternatie to St John and what the pros, cons are between the 2?