St. Thomas or St. Johns with kids

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:36 pm

Hi - Our family will be vacationing next summer with our two kids age 9 and 13. I have been researching but having a hard time trying to pick which Island. We want to stay in a condo or villa. We would like to be right on the beach with good views. The kids love to swim and our son who will be 13 then loves all kinds of activities as does our daughter. Any help would be appreciated.

Gromit · Post by **Gromit** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 2:54 pm

First of all WELCOME to the forum.

A lot of us are pretty STJ biased on this forum so keep that in mind...

But it all depends on what you want out of your vacay.

I find STT to be MUCH busier and more nightlife, crusie ship, shopping oriented.

STJ is more or a laid back nature oriented vacation. But with greta restaurants and fun shops.

STJ is 2/3's national park.

As for villa's -- I'm going to only stick to STJ for advice since I have only stayed with friends on STT and never rented there. We have however spent the past decade renting villas on STJ.

There aren't very many villas on the beach and quite frankly it's just not necessary. The beauty of STJ is its National Park beaches which are gorgeous and easy to access by car or taxi.

That being said there are a few places on the beach on island or with walking access to the beach. You just have to check the various villa rental co's on island. You can find links from this forum.

Most folks get a place higher up with amazing views and breezes and pick a different beach every day to drive to. Nothing is very far and quite frankly this is half the fun.

Finally, there's no "s" at the end of St. John. That's another island entirely. Most folks just use the acronym STJ anyway to make it easier.

You'll find some great advice on this forum and really cool people here and on island!

Enjoy!

Nic in KC · Post by **Nic in KC** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:46 pm

We don't have children, but traveled with my husband's aunt and uncle who do have two boys that were about the ages of your two kids. We were with them for a week on St. John and they absolutely loved it. They never once said they were bored or complained about anything. The tv was turned on only once the entire week. They loved snorkeling and floating in the water and totally got the relaxing vibe of the island. These two kids are busy at home all of the time so I didn't know how they'd do without a bunch of commericalized entertainment, but they loved it! Oh, we stayed in a villa, with a pool and hot tub, which provided a lot of evening entertainment for the kids, but we weren't on the beach.

Good luck in planning and I hope you find the perfect trip for your family.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 3:58 pm

Thank you! We have alot of time to research so I will just keep reading the travel forums which are so helpful.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:00 pm

I guess another question would be if we did stay on STJ in a villa what area would be the best. I know we would also want to visit STT too.

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:06 pm

For newbies I like to recomend the Chocolate hole / Great cruz bay area Close to town also close to the ferry to go to STT but far enough away to be quite

Gromit · Post by **Gromit** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 4:08 pm

Waterguy-- I agree.

Hawaii -- Just be aware though that there's also a major construction project on Choc Hole -- so just be sure to ask. If you stay on Choc Hole hillside though you'll be too high up for it to matter.

Lots of options in these quiet neighborhoods.

gibber161 · Post by **gibber161** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:25 pm

Gromit wrote:

Hawaii -- Just be aware though that there's also a major construction project on Choc Hole -- so just be sure to ask. If you stay on Choc Hole hillside though you'll be too high up for it to matter.

Gromit, a friend stayed in a villa on chocolate hole hillside and said if he wasn't told the contruction project was there, he would never have known about it..very quiet up on the hill.

loria · Post by **loria** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:50 pm

stjohn all the way--we have had our kids down there since they were infants and toddlers.---now they are 10 and 12 --they are super happy there

Iluvstjohn · Post by **Iluvstjohn** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:51 pm

Hi there! I think I will be able to help you figure out your plans. We have been to St. John 6 times......BK (before kids), With an infant, and with 2 kids....This I know...
1. You will want to be on ST. John and visit St. Thomas for a day trip

2. you will want to have a villa with a pool, atleast....or invest $ in a Westin villa for the activities for the older kid.....

3. Rent a car...to go to and from beaches as needed....and to and from St. Thomas as needed.

4. research the heck out of the 2 islands from this forum and books to maximize your time there.

How do I know this?
We stayed at St. Thomas on our first trip 9 years ago..and visited st. John for a day and fell in love.

Came back 6 months later and camped at Cinnamon Bay campgrounds and had a blast (BK)

Came back the next summer and stayed at Lavender Hill....again BK....

Came back a year later and stayed on Water Island with a 1 year old and newly pregnant...wished the whole time we were on St. jOhn...and did a day trip to st. john that was waaaaay too involved.

Came back 4 years later with a 3 year old and a 5 year old and stayed on St. Thomas at the Elysian resort (rented a condo)....right on the beach....with 2 great restaurants and a great pool...but longed for the beaches of st. john and did day trips there.

This year...we are staying ON ST JOHN with 2 kids, renting a villa, renting a car...and planning on a great great trip......my kids are now 4 and 6....

Iluvstjohn · Post by **Iluvstjohn** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 8:55 pm

Oh, I can't believe I forgot about a trip BACK to cinnamon bay campgrounds in dec. 2008 with a 3 and 4 year old.....(maybe I was trying to block it out).....LOL.....that goes before the trip to st. thomas in June 2008........

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:00 pm

Thanks so much. If you do not mind me asking who did you rent your condo from or do you know which sites are best?

Iluvstjohn · Post by **Iluvstjohn** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:06 pm

on st thomas? Or st. john?

St. Thomas was actually a private owner thru cowpet bay....

and this trip is at the Bay house in Coral Bay, st. john...thru....caribbean villa.com

http://caribbeanvilla.com/bayhouse/index.html

hope that helps..

(we had a great condo in St. Thomas....great area for kids....but we kept going back to st. john!)

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:11 pm

Thank you and yes I was looking at STJ. If we do stay on STT we would probably stay at Sapphire Beach. I like the idea of being right on the beach but also like the looks of many villas and more privacy. Just not sure yet. I know are son wants to try windsurfing but I am not even sure if he is old enough or if they have an age limit. Thanks again.

Iluvstjohn · Post by **Iluvstjohn** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:57 am

I will tell you to research sapphire beach....we did..matter of fact we had a unit booked there and the guy sold his unit a couple of weeks before our trip and the new owner would NOT honor previous bookings! As we also found out, the restaurants were closed and meager refreshments were being offered.

We were VERY glad we opted for a different place on STT.....

as for windsurfing....not sure......snorkeling would thrill him!

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St. Thomas or St. Johns with kids

St. Thomas or St. Johns with kids