St. Thomas?

[DonaldnDaisy5]

We are considering (planning) on vacationing on Saint Thomas next Christmas.

Anyone with advice, experience? Any recommendations for sites? Hotels? Beaches? We are a family of 5.

We are not planning on cruising. Dh is not a fan.

 

[disney4us2002]

We've only been for day visits while cruising but I always think St. Thomas is just gorgeous. Sorry, no recommendations for hotels since we have no experience but we did always feel pretty safe on St. Thomas. If you do go, be sure to take the ferry to St. John - hands down the most beautiful spot we've seen! Even though you don't want to cruise, you can get tons of info about St. Thomas on the cruisecritic . com website. They have separate message boards for many of the islands the cruise ships visit.

Just a thought, the title of your post might throw people. I've never seen St. Thomas written out like you did in the title so other readers might not immediately get what you're asking about.

 

[Flight]

Just a thought, the title of your post might throw people. I've never seen St. Thomas written out like you did in the title so other readers might not immediately get what you're asking about.

I had the same thought.

 

[diznygirl]

I had the same thought.

As a good Catholic I had no idea this would be about an island!

 

[sdjen]

Can't help with hotels but I've been there twice on a Disney cruise. Not sure the ages of your kids but make sure to check out Coral World. There is a beach right next door if you want to swim too. We've done a semi sub tour which was fun. Last time we did a sea lion encounter which was awesome!

Have fun. It's a beautiful place!

 

[zoo2tycoon]

We spent a week there two years ago. We did a VRBO. It is gorgeous. We did a snorkel through Rumbaba to St John. It was fantastic. We did Sapphire beach which was near where we stayed. It was beautiful. We always felt safe. We also did ferry and spent day on St John. If you rent a car some can't go over to St a John. They drive on opposite side of roads. Driving crazy but we managed. We are going next month on a cruise, have one day there and so looking forward to it.

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Stupid autocorrect!!! It has a thing about abbreviations....loves the dis abbreviations! Usually catch those wasn't thinking about saint vs st...gave me street or saint...

 

[DonaldnDaisy5]

Can't help with hotels but I've been there twice on a Disney cruise. Not sure the ages of your kids but make sure to check out Coral World. There is a beach right next door if you want to swim too. We've done a semi sub tour which was fun. Last time we did a sea lion encounter which was awesome!

Have fun. It's a beautiful place!

Kids will be 13, 11, and 6...11 has small issue with tight spaces. She likes to know she has an exit. Has flown successfully thankfully...

 

[sdjen]

Kids will be 13, 11, and 6...11 has small issue with tight spaces. She likes to know she has an exit. Has flown successfully thankfully...

You might want to skip the sub then - it was a little tight. But, I think they would enjoy the rest of coral world.

 

[akhenaten]

Trunk bay in nearby St. John is absolutely perfect...and a great spot for snorkeling. It is a US national park...has a lifeguard and protected cove. I am not a strong swimmer and my 12year old had never snorkeled...but we were very comfortable there.... ( cruise passengers..so I have no St. Thomas recommendations.....)

 

[mickeyboat]

Another option to consider if you are looking for a more low key vacation is to stay on St. John and take the ferry to St. Thomas for shopping and excitement. We honeymooned there and had an amazing time.

 

[JoeA]

We stayed in the Marriott a few years ago and although the hotel was nice, we were right above the Rhum Bar and they drank rum until about 2:00 am every night! I love to swim and snorkel and there were some great spots. Ditto the ferry to St John.

All that said, I found the island to be noting more than a great "cruise stop" and was really crowded when the ships came into port. I have no real desire to return, to be honest. Sorry to be a "downer" - just one man's opinion!

 

[CaoilinnsMom]

I thought that St. John was ever so much prettier and cleaner than St. Thomas. There are beautiful hotels and the beaches are just beautiful, Trunk Bay is fabulous. St. Thomas was your typical crowded, poor Caribbean island to me. Not such a fabulous exploration destination unless you just plan to stay at your resort. That was my impression.

 

[clori]

I was there on a cruise but my daughter 9 did snuba which is more underwater than snorkeling but not as in depth as scuba diving and no heavy equipment etc. She loved it. It was a program just for kids of certain ages at Coki Beach and not affiliated with a cruise line.

 

[anniemae]

we stopped there on a cruise and it was so gorgeous. I remember taking a tram up a mountain and the view from the top was stunning. St. John was beautiful too. I remember thinking that if I was to go to an island for vaca, st. thomas would be it!

 

[MickeySP]

We've only been for day visits while cruising but I always think St. Thomas is just gorgeous. Sorry, no recommendations for hotels since we have no experience but we did always feel pretty safe on St. Thomas. If you do go, be sure to take the ferry to St. John - hands down the most beautiful spot we've seen! Even though you don't want to cruise, you can get tons of info about St. Thomas on the cruisecritic . com website. They have separate message boards for many of the islands the cruise ships visit.

Just a thought, the title of your post might throw people. I've never seen St. Thomas written out like you did in the title so other readers might not immediately get what you're asking about.

As a good Catholic I had no idea this would be about an island!

Also Catholic but I only thought this was about the island, not about the saint.

Best Western Emerald Beach - we loved the resort. It was relaxing and not invaded by cruisers when the ships land.