Flews

St. John is the nicest, but doesn't meet your not wanting to be a captive to the resort objective.

I have yet to stay at the St. Martin property, which has very mixed and many negative reviews on FT.

I have many experiences in Cayman and Bahamas. Cayman is more upscale. Bahamas is more casual. I have never enjoyed the Cayman Westin. In fact, even as an SPG Platinum I now stay across the street at the Sunshine Suites - in part, as well, because we have 15 month-old-twins, and we like the kitchenette and extra space.

I quite like the Bahamas Sheraton, although it had some service issues when I was last there. It has more family in my experience, and poolside activity. Cayman tends to specialize in weddings, expecially this time of year. The Bahamas Sheraton is part of a much larger complex of SPG properties, although they are under construction.

Both have many dining options and grocery within walking distance. Bahamas has Casino next door, no gambling in Cayman. In fact Cayman is pretty well closed on Sundays.

All in all I would opt for Bahamas in your situation. But three nights in Cayman would give you a taste of that island as well, especially if you rented a car to get out to see the rest of the Island. You can also grab a bus or a buck or two in either place.

Both beaches are spectacular. Cayman maybe more urban scenic because of the high end properties along the beach. Bahamas a tad less intensively developed.

Enjoy.

Cheers,

W2B Globetrotter

Cruz Bay (main town on St John) is only 5-10mins away by taxi trucks, which come by fairly frequently. Several family-friendly restaurants in town. And there is a car rental on location if you want to explore the island and its fabulous beaches on the north side (Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon, Maho, Francis). WSJ's beach is just OK compared to the others but the pool is nice with a little wading section for toddlers.

Grand Cayman Casuarina would be a good family choice as well. Cayman Islands in general has lots of kids free offers during the summer.

bluztuzumab

Tough to beat STJ.

See 2 recent trips reports (long w/ photos) for WSJ/STJ on the Starwood Forum on TUG (Timeshare Users Group) - for a real life experience. This represents a Timeshare view - not the Hotel part.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99223
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100331

dberger

Just looking to get some feedback on where people would choose between Aruba and St. Maarten? I am only considering these two because I'd like gambling. Primarily looking for a nice romantic resort where me and the mrs. can hang out at the bool/beach during the day and go for nice meals at night. Would probably like to go on some sort of snorkeling trip one day, but not a deal breaker. The plan is to spend 4 nights. I am leaning towards St. Maarten a little because the resort seems nicer, but the strip with everything together in Aruba does seem appealing to me.

rewdish

4 nights in Sint Maarten is a good idea for privacy, since the hotel is separated from most of the commerce and locals. However, it is a quick cab ride to a wide selection of ocean-front restaurants. I stayed here over labor day weekend (US) and it was only occupied by couples, although it was off-season as well.

broadwayblue

Been a while since this thread has had any activity. What are the consensus best SPG Caribbean properties these days?

JFKSFOLAX_friend

St. Regis in PR. W Viequez.

YoYoGodMom

I will say W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island

agh382

I would also say W Vieques. I stayed 4 nights in early June and was upgraded to the WOW suite. Granted it was low season and occupancy was around 30% I believe. We felt like we had the entire resort to ourselves and it was amazing. For comparison I have stayed at:

Westin Aruba
Sherarton Bahamas
Westin St Maarten
Westin Cayman Islands
Westin St Johns
Atlantis Harborside (SVN)

d20513

Hello~

Summer is over, which means its time to start planning our winter escape (most likely end of January)..
Will be traveling with wife, almost 2 year old, and 8month old..

I have points with .SPG / Hilton / Marriott and looking for a destination that will:
* Be on a great beach
* Be all inclusive / have a meal plan available /or at least be realistic on meal prices / options
* Have something for the kids: lazy river, multiple pools, maybe a water slide I can take them on
* Have everything we need on property, or be close enough to shops / town where we can walk - this would be great if non all inclusive for other meal options / change of scenery too

We went to Hilton Rose Hall (Jamaica) last year and were pleasantly surprised..
Have also been to: Negril, Aruba and multiple Gulf coast Mexico destinations..
Ideally looking for something new..

Thus far, some considerations have been:.
- Grand Cayman, Ritz - however I know, even though I can transfer points for Marriott gift cards, food costs will be through the roof

- St. Thomas 5 days at Frenchman's reef,.
then 5 days on St John at Westin - concerned about locations of both properties, kiddie things to do, and food costs.

- St. Kitts - have heard fair reports about the Marriott here

Any additional suggestions, pointers, or thoughts on the above would be Greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

deadinabsentia

St.John is the only SPG I wold consider. They don't have a strong presence or a any decent properties in the Caribbean.

d20513

Thanks. Have you been to the Westin there? I here it's very relaxing, but is the beach it's actually on Nice? Other things to do on resort?? Walking distance to anything else??? Thanks again!

zachary

The beach at the Westin is not one of the better ones on St. John. But it's pretty stiff competition -- St. John has some wonderful beaches. The resort really isn't within walking distance of anything, but you can take cabs, which aren't expensive and are all over the place. You can also rent a jeep.

There's a long thread on the Westin St. John that you can find on this forum, which will give you a lot of information on the good and bad points of this property. One of my big gripes is the hefty resort fee.

ihavebeenseen

Why not the Westin on Grand Caymans? The beach is fantastic, lots of shallow water and very very small waves which is great for the little ones.

alpen1

The Westin St. John is great but what about W Vieques or St. Regis Bahia Beach in Puerto Rico? Beautiful hotels in great locations, Vieques has the beaches and wild horses and is very quiet where as Bahia Beach is near the rainforest and other nice beaches.

I thought the Westin St. John was a bit pricey but St. John is a small island so it's easy to get out to food in other parts, the Marketplace is only a few mins away and has a couple restaurants and grocery store and town isn't much further. Aside from that it was beautiful and due to the westish facing beach you can stay on the beach later than some other areas and watch the sun set.

We stayed at Frenchman's reef for one night a couple weeks ago and I'd avoid it personally, the rooms are very blah for the price and most don't have a good view (opposed to the Westin where all the rooms face the ocean direction, though you may not see much of it) plus it is in the middle of nowhere and our cabs here in VI are awful, expensive and generally not the most friendly. I'm not such a fan of St. Thomas though as it feels like a big city dropped on a small rock, if you want to spend some time in a city then I'd recommend the St. Regis as you're only 30 mins or so from San Juan