socrates

Was at both the Renaissance and the Marriott in October 2000...I'd prefer the Renaissance, We thought the staff was much nicer than at the Marriott

doc

A former Stouffers (I think) vs a former Holiday Inn property, I'd also likely go for the REN! Of course I'd surely enjoy either!

BTW, I stayed at Frenchmans Reef the night I first got engaged at an earlier dinner at Cafe Normandy.

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-16-2002).]

lele14

Socrates: How long does it take to get to town? Are there other things around the hotel - places to eat, etc.

Thanks!

Hawkeye

Personally, I like the Marriott, but the Renaissance is also nice.

Marriott - nicer facilities and closer to downtown. You can take the water taxi across the harbor. Make sure you get a water view. If possible, the Morningstar rooms on the beach are nice.

Renaissance - better for children and the water is much calmer. More activities. I thought it was a bit of a hike back to the rooms as they are set on the hillside. The Renaissance is on the Eastern edge of the island (near red-hook and the Ferry to St. John) and probably takes 20-30 minutes to drive to the downtown area.

Either way, enjoy!

socrates

Ummm...if my memory serve's me correctly I believe the Marriott is about 10-15 mins, and the Ren is 15-20. Marriott is set off on it's own, the Ren has several other resorts nextdoor but few/none stand alone restaurants near either

socrates

If you stay at the Ren besure to ask for a pool side room...loved it and it was close to everything (no long walk to the hill side rooms)

dknn

I was in the same situation like you. I stayed there for 5 days in October 2001. It was ok. There is a long hike up to the rooms. If they don't give you a pool side room ask for a corner room. When I was there, only one restaurant was open on the premise. The Baybreeze restaurant was pretty expensive for the quality of the food. An average dinner entree was about 17 dollars and the selection was small, mostly pasta dishes

I thought the beached SUCKED. It really wasn't even a beach, its about 50-75 feet wide and more like an inlet. The water was murky and there was a lot of seaweed. Also you cannot go out that far b/c of the buoys. Coki beach which is good for snorkeling is across the street. Its a public beach

Most of the restaurants were closed on the island at the time. The concierge wasn't well informed about this and recommend places that were closed. You definately need a rental car if you stay here b/c there is not much outside of the resort to walk to. Plus you wouldn't want to walk outside of the resort if you cared for your safety. The town is about 15 mins away,7 miles.

By the way, the cheapest place to buy alcohol is Kmart.

[This message has been edited by dknn (edited 01-17-2002).]

[This message has been edited by dknn (edited 01-17-2002).]

socrates

Never thought of that...I'll have to keep that in mind next time I'm there <GRIN>

lele14

Not only was KMart the cheapest place to buy alcohol, it was the cheapest place to buy snacks, bread, etc., and we stocked up!

I loved the Marriott but, even knowing that St. Thomas is expensive, their little store gave me heart palpitations when I looked at the prices

twinsflytoo

The Renaissance does have other restaurants nearby. Just outside of the property is a little English style pub called the Toad and Tart. Very low key, dart board etc, live music some nights and very good seafood pie and shepard's pie. Also not very expensive, unlike other places on St Thomas. The hotel next to the REN has a restaurant called Agave. Great view of the water and St John's. Also good food. Try the seafood Cardinal (expensive).

0524

Dig a little deeper and stay at the company's sublime Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas.

Hawkeye

If you are traveling by mid-April, the Ritz in St.Thomas is participating in PointSavers (25% less).

http://www.marriottrewards.com/mes/m...OfferCode=W098

[This message has been edited by Hawkeye (edited 01-21-2002).]

cactuspete

See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/002163.html for my trip report on the STT Ritz.

Dugernaut

We stayed on an award stay 2 years ago and were very pleased with the hotel. We were upgraded as a gold to a poolside room overlooking the pool/beach and out towards St Johns.

St Thomas isn't at the top of my list for return vacations, but I would recommend it for the rooms, staff and location.

Bravo Papa

I stayed at the Renaissance Grand Beach on points last week. We attended a wedding at the Ritz -- there is really no comparison between the two resorts. Here are some thoughts about the Renaissance:

MY ROOM:
We stayed in a hillside room, "upgraded," with a vaulted ceiling and a nice view of the bay (which is only mildly picturesque). I am glad I didn't spend too much time in it because the bed was uncomfortable (mattress hard, sheets coarse, etc.), the air conditioner spat water intermittently, and there was a strong odor of mildew in the furniture. A handle had fallen off of one of the dresser drawers and had never been replaced. Tiny mites invaded my computer bag (which I left near the door). The tile grout in the shower was significantly moldy. Like i told my girlfriend: "this is a great room for free -- I'd be pretty angry if I'd have paid $429 a night for it."

One nice thing: there was a working refrigerator and wet bar in the room that came in quite handy.

THE PROPERTY:
For the most part, the property is well-tended. Landscaping is well-maintained, and the building exteriors are in decent repair. It�s hardly an architectural prize, but not much on the island is.

RECREATIONAL AMENITIES:
They have two hard tennis courts, and two soft ones that are a bit difficult to book because of the locals who take lessons there. The tennis "pro" shop is a bit of a disgrace, but the staff is quite friendly.

The beach is fine. It's not huge, but it is clean and private. When I was there, it was far from murky � quite clear, in fact. Guests can sign out non-motorized crafts (i.e. windsurfers, sea kayaks, etc) for free. We took a couple of sea kayaks out into the bay and were delighted to see several sea turtles popping their heads above the water to get a breath of fresh air.

The swimming pool seemed fine, but I didn't go in it. Too many kids. Poolside service is slow -- than again, ALL service on the island is slow -- and often surprisingly surly. This is surprising for an economy that is so dependent on tourists, but I guess you just have to get used to it.

The best thing we did was dive with Chris Sawyer Diving Center, which has an adjunct facility right on the beach in the resort. I got my Open Water certification (having completed classroom work in Charlotte) with them, and we went on some pretty amazing and challenging dives.

Dining:
As noted previously, (Smugglers and Baybreeze) the two restaurants onsite are mediocre at best. I also found the Agave Terrace next door (recommended elsewhere in this thread) mediocre, but its beachfront sister restaurant, Fungi�s, excellent and accessible for Caribbean fare and beer. Just outside the property (and a shockingly perilous quarter-mile walk at night -- it cannot be understated how threatened one can feel on this island) was an excellent Italian place called Romano's that, while expensive, was surprisingly tasty. I can also highly recommend a seafood place in Rood Hook called Whale of A Tail and a trattoria in Mongoose Junction on St. John�s called Paradisio.

Tips:
>> Determine how much a cab is going to cost BEFORE getting in the cab. Fares are regulated, but the cabs have no meters. Local drivers charge pretty much whatever they feel you'll tolerate if you ask "how much?" once at your destination.

>> "Buses" look an awful lot like taxis but only cost a buck per ride. Consider using them instead of taxis.

>> They drive on the left side of the road in cars with steering wheels on the left side of the cars (just like the cars in the US). If this doesn't intimidate you, then by all means rent a car.

>> They also drive like maniacs on steep, narrow, winding, pothole-pocked roads. If this intimidates you, then by all means avoid ground transportation altogether.

>> For what it's worth, there are WAY too many cars on this tiny island. Why don't people use scooters or motorcycles? One of the great mysteries of the island.

>> St. Johns is infinitely nicer than St. Thomas, in large part because the cruise ships don't stop there. Know the ferry schedule and keep an eye on your watch -- if you stay past the last ferry, a water taxi can set you back $100 or more.

>> Watch your wallet. You may never stay in a more unscrupulous, remorseless place in your life. EVERYONE, it seems, is trying to pick your pocket. Even the hotel tried to tack on a bogus $27 nightly "upgrade fee" to my bill and resisted my protestations mightily before acquiescing as they should have all along.

I actually enjoyed myself � the weather was perfect � mid-70�s, breezy, with a daily squall or two. However, if it weren�t for the wedding and associated events and the diving (I did six dives total), I don�t think I would have had as much fun.

And if I had to PAY to stay at the resort � well, forget it. I think I would have asked for my money back.