St. Thomas trip

[ohioguy2]

My wife and I have opportunity to travel to St. Thomas this October. We would stay at the Wyndham Sugar Bay (spelling?) Has anyone had any experience on this island? Do you know anything about the Wyndham? How about the weather in October? Another couple has asked us to travel with them, we are not certain if we want to or not. Thanks for your help.

[Deslok]

St Thomas is nice... but St John is better. My parents have had a place down in St John for almost 30 years now. Honestly, St Thomas is mostly just where the plane lands and you take the ferry from for the most part(actually, my parents head over to St Thomas whenever they are down because they usually need to pick up supplies for whatever little fixes need to be made around the house). Megan's Bay is nice but I can't honestly tell you all that much about the island. I would wholeheartedly recommend, if you have the chance, looking to take a hop over to St. John for a day, and if you've got more time available, the trip over to Virgin Gorda and the Baths is well worth it. Sorry that I can't be more help about St Thomas, but its hard to go wrong in the Virgin Islands.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

My wife and I have opportunity to travel to St. Thomas this October.
How about the weather in October?

The weather depends on when the hurricane is going to hit. Just something to think about

[ohioguy2]

We would certainly visit St. Johns for at least one day, perhaps two. We love to snorkle--I understand we would be very pleased with the snorkling on St. John. Hurricanes are certainly a concern--in theory this is the end of the season, or so my friends tell me--I tell them to explain that to the weather.

[Channing]

I agree with Deslok - if possible head over to St. Johns. I dont know about St Thomas, but Cinamon Bay over on St Johns has an underwater snorkling trail that is pretty awesome. If you are looking at moving your trip to St Johns try your hardest NOT to stay at the Westin. They have a manmade beach that is horrible, especially when virtually every other beach on the island is so pristine.

I am not sure if you are a golfer, but if you are, Mahogany Run is one of the nicest courses in the world. It is a little pricey, but one of those courses you will ALWAYS remember.

[ohioguy2]

The snorkling trail sounds great. My two worries now are weather and driving on the "other" side of the road.

[Channing]

The snorkling trail sounds great. My two worries now are weather and driving on the "other" side of the road.

ha - just follow the guy in front of you, and remember to drop it into second gear going up the sides of cliffs and you'll be fine!

[Deslok]

The snorkel trail is at Trunk Bay, not Cinnamon(Cinnamon is where the campgrounds are, and where you can windsurf if you want to, but Cinnamon Cay is a pretty good swim out to reach and while it has some very nice snorkeling, its a long haul to make it around the cay whereas Trunk Cay is just a short swim off from the beach). Though if you want to hit probably the best snorkeling, I'd recommend a trip like the Pirate's Penny/Stormy Petrol trip that hits the Baths in the morning, Norman Island for lunch, and then a stop at the Indians before coming back.

The driving really isn't much to deal with, mostly because the pace of things is pretty slow - and the highest speed limit on St John is 25 mph, there is one spot on the island where it is possible to get into 4th gear, and even that's pushing it.

The Westin isn't a bad place(and they get some big kudos from me for providing free emergency housing to a number of folks including my brother and his wife once when hurricanes were hitting, concrete construction being just a wee bit safer than wood, as evidenced by the fact that my parents are now on house #2 down there), its just that you shouldn't expect to spend your time on their beach.

And usually by that time of year you are fine, but its still a good idea just to check the weather channel storm tracker to make sure there isn't anything looking to head on through.

[ohioguy2]

Thank you for all your help--

[TNTDevil]

...Not actually at your resort but one next door. Ours (I can’t recall the name) wasn't as nice as the Wyndham but, it was still a fantastic time (I mean really how much do you need the room?)! We were right on the bay (just over the hill a bit closer to Red Hook than the Wyndham. The bay was excellent complete with it’s own reef (my son who was nine never got out of the water and actually found an octopus while snorkeling).

St. John's is a very cool island with fun nightlife and restaurants and some very nice beaches. If staying at The Wyndham you'll be very near Red Hook (were the ferry departs and lands) so you can grab a cab (very little $) over to the ferry landing and pop over to St. John's quickly and enjoy the beaches, restaurants and clubs on that island with very little effort. The only real bummer is if you hit a any of the clubs at night you have leave a bit early to catch the last ferry back to St. Thomas.

I recommend a trip into downtown for a good half day trip. Your wife will love all the duty-free shopping! I bought my wife a very nice set of David Yurman earrings for a lot less then you’ll pay in the States. If you go, try to avoid when the cruise ships off-load and they really clog the market.

BTW, there is a fantastic restaurant there at the Wyndham (it’s completely open-air) and another just down from Red Hook at another resort.

All-in-all, a fantastic time!

[Channing]

ahh - trunk bay, you are correct. either way, both are awesome. I dont mean to dis the Westin - just saying that with the natural beauty of other beaches so nearby, it would be a waste to stay there for their beach (as you stated) although the wave runner tour out of the Westin is pretty cool - they take you by water around the different islands and tell you different stories about the islands.

if you are into hiking - there are also some great hikes on saint johns - my favorite is the Rams Head hike (I believe thats what its called) - htere are some absolutely breathtaking views!!

[dukemomLA]

I love St. Thomas and enjoyed my stay there. That said, a day visit to St. John (...oh,my God) was amazing and wonderful. And if I get a chance to go there again...I'd stay on St. John -- and visit St. Thomas.

Of course, I love solitude, beautiful beaches, a chance to be naked without cares, etc. Both islands are wonderful. So...stay on St. Johns, shop and dine on St. Thomas -- and explore both -- and their seas -- as much as you have time. HAVE A GREAT TIME!! It's a wonderful, beautiful place.

[GDT]

Has anyone had any experience on this island?

My family generally goes every January. I was under the impression that you didn't want to go during hurricane season but I'm not sure when that is, exactly. I thought the Wyndham was on the west side of Charlotte Amalie and my experience is all in the Red Hook area, on the east end (I may be wrong). I can certainly recommend restaurants if you decide to go.

In general, I love the island. St. John is also nice but they both have the same weather.

Greg from Cincinnati

[Rich]

And don't forget, when stopped at an intersection, that the cars entering the intersection from the left are on the far side of the street and the cars from the right are on the near side. Don't make any right on red turns, either...that would be very bad!

I can't recall...is the steering wheel in St Thomas on the right side or left side? If it's on the right, then a manual transmission becomes an ordeal because you have to shift with your left hand.

Actually, driving in St Thomas is trickier than it seems, with all of the cliffs and tight turns and that right-left thing. I used to go as a kid with my family every year, but after a few years my dad opted for taxi-ing around. Driving became too frustrating for him.

[Deslok]

The cars are American, with standard driving configuration that you are used to. So it really isn't that big a deal(and yes, having lived and driven in various other left driving spots, shifting left handed in the middle of traffic is a pain).

[hc5duke]

And don't forget, when stopped at an intersection, that the cars entering the intersection from the left are on the far side of the street and the cars from the right are on the near side. Don't make any right on red turns, either...that would be very bad!

I can't recall...is the steering wheel in St Thomas on the right side or left side? If it's on the right, then a manual transmission becomes an ordeal because you have to shift with your left hand.

Actually, driving in St Thomas is trickier than it seems, with all of the cliffs and tight turns and that right-left thing. I used to go as a kid with my family every year, but after a few years my dad opted for taxi-ing around. Driving became too frustrating for him.

According to wiki the steering wheels are on the left side, which I guess Deslok already answered. Seems like a dangerous idea, they'd need to try this someday.

[DevilAlumna]

ahh - trunk bay, you are correct. either way, both are awesome. I dont mean to dis the Westin - just saying that with the natural beauty of other beaches so nearby, it would be a waste to stay there for their beach (as you stated) although the wave runner tour out of the Westin is pretty cool - they take you by water around the different islands and tell you different stories about the islands.

if you are into hiking - there are also some great hikes on saint johns - my favorite is the Rams Head hike (I believe thats what its called) - htere are some absolutely breathtaking views!!

Man, all this talk of beautiful beaches, and the daydreaming it's inspiring, is making it really hard to make it through the last couple hours of work out here in (perpetually) gray, rainy Seattle.

My next vacation spot (hopefully!)

[rthomas]

This is where I'll be in two weeks with my family.

http://www.surfsidebeach.org/

This time of year I prefer NC/SC.

[Deslok]

Well, I am a little jealous of anyone going to the Virgin Islands, since I won't make it there this year. Of course, the reason I'm not making there this summer is I'm just starting on my travels which is roughly speaking the following:
Seoul(home)-Tokyo-London-Oxford-London-Prague-Vienna-Hvar-Krk-Venice-
Santorini-Athens-Naples-Rome-Florence-Nice-Barcelona-Madrid-Lisbon-Porto-
Lisbon-London-Tokyo-Seoul.

Oh, and then I might hop over for a weekend in Shanghai to do some shopping. So I guess I really can't complain(and in case you are wondering if I'm nuts, the Venice to Barcelona portion is a family get together cruise).