First Night - need help

[alw1977]

We've gotten a great fare on Spirit and decided to go Friday-Friday instead of Saturday-Saturday. Our Westin reservations (via hotwire) are Saturday - Friday. That means our arrival day we've got nowhere to go. Would you suggest doing that night in St. Thomas and then hopping the ferry over first thing on Saturday? That's our initial thought as STT hotels are a bit less expensive. If so, any recommendations? What hotels are near the ferry dock? I keep hearing about Secret Harbour but don't know its location. Help!

[canucknyc]

We'll be spending our first night at the Holiday Inn in Charlotte Amalie. Nothing fancy, but reasonably priced. From what I gather, it's very close to the ferry dock.

[Tom In Mi.]

We're leaving tomorrow but don't get our Villa until Saturday, so we are staying the night on STT at the Best Western. Short walk from the Airport. It's an option.

[LysaC]

We stayed at the Green Iguana for our first night this past December. We loved it!

We booked one of the rooms with a patio- a must! The patios are large and furnished with very comfy big chairs that you can nap in .

The walk down to Charlotte Amalie is quite fun- the 99 Steps. The walk back up is an adventure but doable with a few quick rest stops .

The managers are a husband and wife with a dog named Coki. They have the office open and have beers and other beverages as well as some snakcs available to you til @ 8pm.

There's no restaurant on-site but Herves (I think) is down the hill.

The managers will also drive you and your luggage to the ferry for less than the taxi drivers will charge you.

The Green Iguana is nothing fancy, no beach, but it is clean and nice and we really enjoyed our stay.

[waterguy]

The terammind inn"sp" on stj is good for a night.

[liamsaunt]

Secret Harbour is only about 5-10 minutes by taxi from the Red Hook ferry. I'd recommend it.

[Nic in KC]

We ended up in the same situation. We decided to stay on STT as most everyone thought that would be less stressful as our plane doesn't land until 4 pm. The time of year we are coming down (April 28) is the last part of Carnival so we couldn't find any one night reservations on STJ anyway. It was very hard to find reservations on STT. We ended up at BlueBeard's Castle which some people on the board gave decent reviews and we were looking for the most affordable place to spend one night. It will be nice to have that entire other day on island!
Have a great trip!
Nicolle

[Bob & Anita]

Recommend Secret Harbour: situated in a beautiful harbor, has a nice beach, decent snorkeling, close the the Red Hook ferry, has a good bar and wonderful restuarant. Overall a great way to kick into your vacation island style.

[RickG]

We like the Tamarind Court for a couple of nights. Good breakfast and nice courtyard with a bar.

http://innattamarindcourt.com/

Cheers, RickG

[chrisn]

We stayed at Best Western Emerald Beach right down the road from the airport. Nice pool and restaurant. Right on the beach and fine for a night. I think the rate was about $150.

[Diane]

Another vote for the Inn at Tamarind Court. It's not fancy, but it is clean, easy to find (straight up the hill from the ferry dock), and walkable to everything in Cruz Bay. The manager's name is Stephanie and she's very friendly and helpful.
We arrived late in the evening last year and didn't want to pay the cost of the villa or Jeep for that day, so stayed at Tamarind Court the first night. We walked to Mongoose Junction, Dolphin Market and enjoyed orienting ourselves to restaurants, etc. before getting the Jeep the next morning. I think the rate was around $150.

[SuefromMA]

My recommendation, based on places we have stayed at on STT would be either Secret Harbour or Best Western Emerald Beach.

If it were me, I would base my decision on "how much time" I would be at the hotel. If I arrived early enough in the day to really enjoy a gorgeous beach with great snorkeling - it would be Secret Harbour hands down. Also, if you are an "early riser" you could even get up early enough on your "check out" day to enjoy more snorkeling in the AM. (And of course would be welcome to use the beach even after check out.) The restaurant is beachfront & really nice. And SH is only 5 - 10 minutes from the Red Hook Ferry.

If - on the other hand - I were arriving on STT later in the day. I would opt for BW Emerald Beach. They have a gorgeous pool that is amazing - particularly at nite. The beach is really nice & the rooms are beachfront, as well.

It would be much cheaper than a night at Secret Harbour. I never had a "meal" at BW - only had the "minimal" free continental breakfast. But, you can order breakfast off the menu. So, I couldn't really attest to the quality of their meals - if you were there for supper.

Whereas, Secret Harbour has an incredible & romantic beachfront restaurant and also a more casual snack bar.

Staying at Best Western would give you the option of taking either the ferry from Charlotte Amalie or you would get to the other end of island & take the Red Hook Ferry.

[alw1977]

We'll be getting there fairly early - at 1:20. Since it's a Friday arrival, I'd imagine the airport will be less of a zoo than on a Saturday. You guys tell me - will we likely be at our hotel by 3:00? If so, we'll probably go with a beachfront hotel. We are early risers on vacation, and I love being on the beach. Then, we can roll over the to ferry dock by eleven and be on St. John by noon. Store our luggage at the Westin, get some groceries, and voila.

[SuefromMA]

If all goes well - you could possibly/probably be out of the airport by 2:30 (I am assuming you will need to wait for luggage. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the other end of the island (if memory serves me right).

So, in my opinion - get to Secret Harbour Beach Resort! If they have Beachfront Suites available - you will be in heaven!

And the ferry is only about 5 minutes away. So, you can be in St. John the next AM in the blink of an eye.

Good Luck!

Keep us "posted"! No pun intended!!