Need suggestion for good hotel in St. Thomas

[Naveron]

Will be staying there pre and post cruise. Any recommendations?

[xsnowman99]

I guess the suggestion would depend on what kind of hotel you want to stay in and the cost. We usually stay at Hotel 1829. It is very old...as in built in 1829 but obviously has been upgraded. It is quite charming. It is on the hill overlooking downtown St. Thomas which is within walking distance. If you stay there, be sure to ask for a waterview room. There is a wonderful restaurant almost next door named Herve'...devinely delicious. We also like Hotel 1829 because you really do not need a taxi to eat dinner or shop since it is within walking distance. Downside is there is no onsite restaurant. The hotel does do a continental breakfast however.

 

Also there is the Best Western (I think) Emerald Beach. This is the hotel that the cruise line puts you in for the day if you buy their transfer. You will need to catch a taxi to town. It is close to the airport. Nothing to really write home about, but quite adequate to arrive the day before the cruise.

 

There are also some much fancier hotels but we decided to spend our money on the cruise ports etc. When are you sailing? Hpe you have a grand time and smooth sailing!!

[Naveron]

I am sailing in March 2006 and have read good things about Hotel 1829. It sounds like our kind of hotel. Thanks for your feedback.

[frequent traveler]

The Wyndham is a great hotel if you need pampering -- great spa and all inclusive.

 

We stayed at Secret Harbor last trip (close to Red Hook ferry to St John) -- an excellent restaurant and bar but our room was a disaster -- air conditioning unit did not work despite repeated "visits" by maintenance and assurances by maintenance that it was fixed.

 

For the money and proximity to downtown and both ports - the Holiday Inn seems really good -

 

Have fun.

Frequent Traveler

[new_cruiser]

I stayed at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef. It was very comfortable (and I had reward points so the price was right :) ). If I had gone with my husband, we might have tried the Hotel 1829, but I was traveling with a friend so we wanted a room with two beds.

 

If I had time to stay for a few days, I might have used the Wyndham. At the time I booked they were offering an air plus hotel package. The price for 2 or three nights (I can't remember which, probably was 3 nights) plus air was the same as what I was finding for air alone so it looked like a great deal. The air seemed mostly American Airlnes. If you will be staying a few days, you might check the Wyndham website to see if they are still running something like it.

[azoria]

A really romantic, nice hotel is the Ritz on St. Thomas. I stayed at the Marriott one time and thought it was the worst Marriott I have ever stayed in. The rooms smelled moldy and the food was awful in the restaurant. To me, the only thing nice about the hotel was the attractive lobby. But that is JMO.

We loved the Ritz so much that we went back there four more times. It is truly romantic and lush...a wonderful way to pamper yourself if pampering is what you are interested in.

[new_cruiser]

A really romantic, nice hotel is the Ritz on St. Thomas. I stayed at the Marriott one time and thought it was the worst Marriott I have ever stayed in. The rooms smelled moldy and the food was awful in the restaurant. To me, the only thing nice about the hotel was the attractive lobby. But that is JMO.

We loved the Ritz so much that we went back there four more times. It is truly romantic and lush...a wonderful way to pamper yourself if pampering is what you are interested in.

Were you in the Frenchman's Reef part or the Morningstar Beach part? Perhaps there is a difference between the two or perhaps Marriot has fixed the problem since the time you stayed there. I've got a pretty sensitive nose and an allergy to mold. The first thing I often notice on stepping into a hotel hall or hotel room is odor - stale smoke, aggressive cleaning product fragrences (almost always a US problem especially in lower end places), etc. Our room (which was on the Frenchman's Reef side of the property) had no smell and was very nice.

 

We only used the restraunt for breakfast and that was fine.

[johnnycruise]

Will be staying there pre and post cruise. Any recommendations?

 

I recommend you high-tail it to the airport after your cruise and skip a "post cruise" stay. St. Thomas cannot begin to compare with the islands you will have visited on your cruise. It does not warrant more than an 8-hour visit which is what its thousands of megaship visitors get each and every day.

 

You will be on cloud nine after a week of living the good life on a Windstar cruise so why spoil it with a final night on a very overrated island?

 

My humble opinion notwithstanding, if you insist on staying on St. Thomas I would recommend the Marriott. The Ritz-Carlton and Wyndham are quite isolated and have mediocre beaches (by Caribbean standards) for the quality and size of resort they support. Since the Marriott is closer to town you will have more and better dining options.