donald@home
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2001
- Messages
- 352
Hey Kids-
Back after a week long stay at the Westin St. John, which was one of the best vacations I have ever had. Some people on the DVC board have shown an interest into maybe trading into the Westin St. John, so I thought I would share a few thoughts and opinions with you in the form of a not-so-brief trip report. Travellers include Me, my signifcant other, Scott, and our friends Phylle and her husband Drew.
SATURDAY-
The flight arrives at the airport on St. Thomas. There is a Westin lounge at the airport, near baggage claim, for anyone staying at the resort. Before the trip I imagine the lounge to be a beautiful room, with numerous sitting areas and a buffet table containing refreshing punch drinks and finger sandwiches. It turned out to be a little room with one couch and a chair located behind a counter at the end of a very long line. This, we find out, is check in. Once we check in and take a coveted seat in the "lounge" we hear a women announce that the bus to the dock is leaving and anyone who is checked in should proceed to the busses. "Just leave your luggage there" she yells. "There" is in the middle of the airport baggage claim area, unattended. As we sit on the open air bus waiting to depart, I wonder out loud if we will ever see our luggage again.
The bus takes us on a very short trip to the dock where we have an hour and a half wait for the ferry to St. John. We spend the time having a drink and a platter of nachos at the bar at the dock, and wandering the aisles of a little super market, wondering how many $6.15 gallons of milk and $8.50 gallons of orange juice we should get.
We board the boat and it departs for a quick 40 minute ride to the private dock at the Westin. The boat is standing room only, so we are concerned about the check in process at the resort. We had no reason to worry, because when we step off the boat, they welcome us with cold washcloths and rum punch. They check off our name and we take a seat on a golf cart and we are whisked through the grounds of the resort to our room.
We are staying in one of the two bedroom villas in the time share portion of the resort. The time share portion is located across the road from the main resort area, high up on a hill overlooking the resort and the bay beyond in one direction, and the mountains behind us in the other direction. The view is breathtaking. So is the walk up the hill to our room, as we find out during our stay. Luckily they have golf carts available on request if you ever want a ride to or from your room.
The timeshare portion of the resort is very small. I think there are only 16 two bedrooms (four in each of the four buildings), so trading-in may prove to be difficult. We are owners there, as well as DVC. We fell in love with the island during a Disney cruise last year. At the time you couldn't stay at the Westin St. John with DVC points, so we bought in after some research, sight unseen. This is the first time we have seen the resort and the rooms, and we have to admit that we are a little disapointed. It is certainly no DVC resort. The buildings are being COMPLETELY renovated, inside and out, and we were in a unrenovated room. The finishes and furnishings are a bit dated. Not bad, but not what you expect when staying at a Westin. We peaked in on one of the renovated rooms and they look much better. Granite countertops, hard wood cabinets. We will be asking for a renovated room when we go back next May.
Our luggage miraculously does arrive, we unpack, settle in and take a nap. We decide to cook dinner in our room that night to save a few pennies, and we sleep the first night in the Westin Heavenly Bed. They are not kidding with the name Heavenly. It is truly the most comfortable bed I have ever experienced.
SUNDAY
We sleep late, get up and have breakfast in the room. There are two small pools in the timeshare section of the resort. We spend the morning in the small pool, then head into Cruz Bay for lunch.
A little about St. John for anyone who has never been there or doesn't know much about it: It is the smallest US Virgin Island. It only measures 9 miles wide at the widest point. You can drive from the Westin to the furthest point of the island in about 40 minutes, going 20 - 30 miles per hour the entire way, which is the speed limit on the entire island because of the twisty turny hilly roads. 3/4 of the island is National Park so there is VERY little development on the island. There are only two hotels on the island, the rest of the accomodations are made up of bed and breakfasts, private villas, and campgrounds. Cruz Bay is one of only two "towns" on the island. It consists of shops, restaurants, ferry dock, visitor center, and you can walk from one end to the other in about 6 minutes. Wild chickens and roosters roam the streets, along with friendly feral cats, and friendlier cab drivers asking if you need a ride. The other town is Corral Bay. It is much smaller than Cruz Bay, with only about 10 buildings making up the town.
After lunch we head to one of the MANY beaches on the island. The beaches are NOT TO BE BELIEVED. There are dozens of beaches on that small, beautiful island, each one a gentle crescent shape; some easily accessed, some requiring a small hike, some a long hike; all of them with clear, blue, green, turquoise water, and white, white sand. Close your eyes and imagine the most perfect beach you can imagine, the beach of your Robinson Crusoe fantasy. You will find that beach on St. John. When we get to the beach, we stake out our claim among a perfect cluster of palm trees, and we are the only people in sight. Luckily we are there in the down season, and there are few people around. We swim and splash in our own private paradise until the sun just begins to set. The cab is waiting for us, just like he said he would be, and we head back to the resort for dinner in the resorts fine dining restaurant. A walk on the beach at the resort after dinner ends the night.
MONDAY
Today we spend the entire day at the resort, splashing in the resorts HUGE pool (think of the Coronado Springs pool, minus the Myan Temple and crouching tiger), and playing on all of the "toys" in the water of the beach at the resort (water trampoline, giant marshmallow thing that you climb up and slide down into the water, giant water see-saws, floaty rafts...). Dinner that night is in the town of Cruz Bay at a beautiful outdoor restaurant in a little shopping village. It is a very casual island, proven by the fact that there is a window in the ground floor mens room, above the toilet, with no glass in it. There is literally an eye-level, arched 2'x4' hole in the wall of the mens room that looks out onto a parking lot behind the restaurant.
TUESDAY
We take the resorts ferry boat back over to St. Thomas to do some shopping at the main shopping town. On St. Thomas we find ourselves back in traffic and crowds. It is then that we realize how quiet and secluded St. John really is. We love St. John now more than ever.
WEDNESDAY
Today turns out to be one of the most wonderful days. We rent snorkel equipment from the resort and have room service make up picnic lunches for us. We rent a car and drive (on the left hand side, which is the way they drive there) to the end of one of the roads and hike about a mile along a rocky beach. We come to a sandy area of the beach and find a spot under some trees. Once again, we are the only ones around. We unpack and put on our snorkel gear and I wonder how hard this will be, as I have never snorkled before. I imagine myself sucking up snorkels full of salty water and masks filling with tiny fish. One second I am wondering if I can actually do this, and the next I am gliding effortlessly over fish and coral and sting-rays and baracudas. The floor of the ocean drops further away, until I am about 30 feet above the bottom. Even at 30 feet, the ocean floor is still clearly visible. We make our way to a little island in the middle of the bay, and then head back for lunch.
After lunch we apply more sun screen and snorkel some more. After a few more hours we head to another beach for more swimming and snorkelling. We shower and then drive on the left hand side over the mountain to Corral Bay, the other town on the island, for dinner.
Back home, we realize that even with applying sun screen numerous times to our backs, we have all burned VERY badly. We spend the rest of the vacation avoiding the sun and applying aloe gel to each others back. TIP - when snorkelling on St. John, apply a high SPF sun screen to your back and the back of your legs about every hour.
THURSDAY
To avoid the sun, we decide to join a 3 mile hiking tour down the side of the mountain in the National Park, to an isolated beach at the bottom for swimming, and a boat ride back to town. Little did we know that a tropical wave (the edge of a hurricane) is hitting the island in the middle of the hike. We hike through pouring rain and take refuge in an abandoned sugar mill built in the 1700's, with dozens of bats sleeping above our heads, and hermit crabs crawling on the ground below our feet. Swimming is out, and we are afraid that the boat won't come because of the rough water. The boat does come, but we need to hike up and over a hill, to the next beach. As we hike up the hill, the heavy rain has turned the trail into a muddy river, reminding me of the scene in "Romancing the Stone". We make it to the beach and we see the boat anchored about 200 yards off shore, bobbing and rocking in the water. We need to take off our shoes and socks and wade into the rough water to board a rubber dinghy, 6 people at a time, for the trip to the boat. It takes 6 trips back and forth, to get everyone into the boat. Finally we are underway for a roller coaster of a ride which seems to go on forever. When we get back to town, we are barefoot, wet, covered in sand and mud. We look like a boat full of extras from the "Poseidon Adventure".
The evening is spent in the room waiting for the rain to end, so we can make our way down to the resort for dinner.
FRIDAY
The weather has cleared, but it is still overcast and cloudy. The day is spent at the pool, wearing t-shirts in the pool to protect our still red backs. Iguanas of all different sizes and colors call the resort home, and at 3:00 every day they have an iguana feeding. We follow the staff member carrying the big box of lettuce, and suddenly we are surrounded by about 2 dozen iguanas. I have a new appreciation for these beautiful, gentle animals as we feed them lettuce.
Dinner is again in Cruz Bay in a wonderful little restaurant that looks like a tree house.
SATURDAY
We pack, have lunch, and reluctantly board the ferry to St. Thomas for the first leg of our long journey home.
It might not be easy to trade into the Westin St. John, but it is certainly worth the effort. The resort is a reflection of the island itself with it's beautiful beach, great food, and friendly people.
I am not sure how many of you made it this far, but if you did, thanks. If you have any questions about St. John or the resort, please feel free to ask.
Back after a week long stay at the Westin St. John, which was one of the best vacations I have ever had. Some people on the DVC board have shown an interest into maybe trading into the Westin St. John, so I thought I would share a few thoughts and opinions with you in the form of a not-so-brief trip report. Travellers include Me, my signifcant other, Scott, and our friends Phylle and her husband Drew.
SATURDAY-
The flight arrives at the airport on St. Thomas. There is a Westin lounge at the airport, near baggage claim, for anyone staying at the resort. Before the trip I imagine the lounge to be a beautiful room, with numerous sitting areas and a buffet table containing refreshing punch drinks and finger sandwiches. It turned out to be a little room with one couch and a chair located behind a counter at the end of a very long line. This, we find out, is check in. Once we check in and take a coveted seat in the "lounge" we hear a women announce that the bus to the dock is leaving and anyone who is checked in should proceed to the busses. "Just leave your luggage there" she yells. "There" is in the middle of the airport baggage claim area, unattended. As we sit on the open air bus waiting to depart, I wonder out loud if we will ever see our luggage again.
The bus takes us on a very short trip to the dock where we have an hour and a half wait for the ferry to St. John. We spend the time having a drink and a platter of nachos at the bar at the dock, and wandering the aisles of a little super market, wondering how many $6.15 gallons of milk and $8.50 gallons of orange juice we should get.
We board the boat and it departs for a quick 40 minute ride to the private dock at the Westin. The boat is standing room only, so we are concerned about the check in process at the resort. We had no reason to worry, because when we step off the boat, they welcome us with cold washcloths and rum punch. They check off our name and we take a seat on a golf cart and we are whisked through the grounds of the resort to our room.
We are staying in one of the two bedroom villas in the time share portion of the resort. The time share portion is located across the road from the main resort area, high up on a hill overlooking the resort and the bay beyond in one direction, and the mountains behind us in the other direction. The view is breathtaking. So is the walk up the hill to our room, as we find out during our stay. Luckily they have golf carts available on request if you ever want a ride to or from your room.
The timeshare portion of the resort is very small. I think there are only 16 two bedrooms (four in each of the four buildings), so trading-in may prove to be difficult. We are owners there, as well as DVC. We fell in love with the island during a Disney cruise last year. At the time you couldn't stay at the Westin St. John with DVC points, so we bought in after some research, sight unseen. This is the first time we have seen the resort and the rooms, and we have to admit that we are a little disapointed. It is certainly no DVC resort. The buildings are being COMPLETELY renovated, inside and out, and we were in a unrenovated room. The finishes and furnishings are a bit dated. Not bad, but not what you expect when staying at a Westin. We peaked in on one of the renovated rooms and they look much better. Granite countertops, hard wood cabinets. We will be asking for a renovated room when we go back next May.
Our luggage miraculously does arrive, we unpack, settle in and take a nap. We decide to cook dinner in our room that night to save a few pennies, and we sleep the first night in the Westin Heavenly Bed. They are not kidding with the name Heavenly. It is truly the most comfortable bed I have ever experienced.
SUNDAY
We sleep late, get up and have breakfast in the room. There are two small pools in the timeshare section of the resort. We spend the morning in the small pool, then head into Cruz Bay for lunch.
A little about St. John for anyone who has never been there or doesn't know much about it: It is the smallest US Virgin Island. It only measures 9 miles wide at the widest point. You can drive from the Westin to the furthest point of the island in about 40 minutes, going 20 - 30 miles per hour the entire way, which is the speed limit on the entire island because of the twisty turny hilly roads. 3/4 of the island is National Park so there is VERY little development on the island. There are only two hotels on the island, the rest of the accomodations are made up of bed and breakfasts, private villas, and campgrounds. Cruz Bay is one of only two "towns" on the island. It consists of shops, restaurants, ferry dock, visitor center, and you can walk from one end to the other in about 6 minutes. Wild chickens and roosters roam the streets, along with friendly feral cats, and friendlier cab drivers asking if you need a ride. The other town is Corral Bay. It is much smaller than Cruz Bay, with only about 10 buildings making up the town.
After lunch we head to one of the MANY beaches on the island. The beaches are NOT TO BE BELIEVED. There are dozens of beaches on that small, beautiful island, each one a gentle crescent shape; some easily accessed, some requiring a small hike, some a long hike; all of them with clear, blue, green, turquoise water, and white, white sand. Close your eyes and imagine the most perfect beach you can imagine, the beach of your Robinson Crusoe fantasy. You will find that beach on St. John. When we get to the beach, we stake out our claim among a perfect cluster of palm trees, and we are the only people in sight. Luckily we are there in the down season, and there are few people around. We swim and splash in our own private paradise until the sun just begins to set. The cab is waiting for us, just like he said he would be, and we head back to the resort for dinner in the resorts fine dining restaurant. A walk on the beach at the resort after dinner ends the night.
MONDAY
Today we spend the entire day at the resort, splashing in the resorts HUGE pool (think of the Coronado Springs pool, minus the Myan Temple and crouching tiger), and playing on all of the "toys" in the water of the beach at the resort (water trampoline, giant marshmallow thing that you climb up and slide down into the water, giant water see-saws, floaty rafts...). Dinner that night is in the town of Cruz Bay at a beautiful outdoor restaurant in a little shopping village. It is a very casual island, proven by the fact that there is a window in the ground floor mens room, above the toilet, with no glass in it. There is literally an eye-level, arched 2'x4' hole in the wall of the mens room that looks out onto a parking lot behind the restaurant.
TUESDAY
We take the resorts ferry boat back over to St. Thomas to do some shopping at the main shopping town. On St. Thomas we find ourselves back in traffic and crowds. It is then that we realize how quiet and secluded St. John really is. We love St. John now more than ever.
WEDNESDAY
Today turns out to be one of the most wonderful days. We rent snorkel equipment from the resort and have room service make up picnic lunches for us. We rent a car and drive (on the left hand side, which is the way they drive there) to the end of one of the roads and hike about a mile along a rocky beach. We come to a sandy area of the beach and find a spot under some trees. Once again, we are the only ones around. We unpack and put on our snorkel gear and I wonder how hard this will be, as I have never snorkled before. I imagine myself sucking up snorkels full of salty water and masks filling with tiny fish. One second I am wondering if I can actually do this, and the next I am gliding effortlessly over fish and coral and sting-rays and baracudas. The floor of the ocean drops further away, until I am about 30 feet above the bottom. Even at 30 feet, the ocean floor is still clearly visible. We make our way to a little island in the middle of the bay, and then head back for lunch.
After lunch we apply more sun screen and snorkel some more. After a few more hours we head to another beach for more swimming and snorkelling. We shower and then drive on the left hand side over the mountain to Corral Bay, the other town on the island, for dinner.
Back home, we realize that even with applying sun screen numerous times to our backs, we have all burned VERY badly. We spend the rest of the vacation avoiding the sun and applying aloe gel to each others back. TIP - when snorkelling on St. John, apply a high SPF sun screen to your back and the back of your legs about every hour.
THURSDAY
To avoid the sun, we decide to join a 3 mile hiking tour down the side of the mountain in the National Park, to an isolated beach at the bottom for swimming, and a boat ride back to town. Little did we know that a tropical wave (the edge of a hurricane) is hitting the island in the middle of the hike. We hike through pouring rain and take refuge in an abandoned sugar mill built in the 1700's, with dozens of bats sleeping above our heads, and hermit crabs crawling on the ground below our feet. Swimming is out, and we are afraid that the boat won't come because of the rough water. The boat does come, but we need to hike up and over a hill, to the next beach. As we hike up the hill, the heavy rain has turned the trail into a muddy river, reminding me of the scene in "Romancing the Stone". We make it to the beach and we see the boat anchored about 200 yards off shore, bobbing and rocking in the water. We need to take off our shoes and socks and wade into the rough water to board a rubber dinghy, 6 people at a time, for the trip to the boat. It takes 6 trips back and forth, to get everyone into the boat. Finally we are underway for a roller coaster of a ride which seems to go on forever. When we get back to town, we are barefoot, wet, covered in sand and mud. We look like a boat full of extras from the "Poseidon Adventure".
The evening is spent in the room waiting for the rain to end, so we can make our way down to the resort for dinner.
FRIDAY
The weather has cleared, but it is still overcast and cloudy. The day is spent at the pool, wearing t-shirts in the pool to protect our still red backs. Iguanas of all different sizes and colors call the resort home, and at 3:00 every day they have an iguana feeding. We follow the staff member carrying the big box of lettuce, and suddenly we are surrounded by about 2 dozen iguanas. I have a new appreciation for these beautiful, gentle animals as we feed them lettuce.
Dinner is again in Cruz Bay in a wonderful little restaurant that looks like a tree house.
SATURDAY
We pack, have lunch, and reluctantly board the ferry to St. Thomas for the first leg of our long journey home.
It might not be easy to trade into the Westin St. John, but it is certainly worth the effort. The resort is a reflection of the island itself with it's beautiful beach, great food, and friendly people.
I am not sure how many of you made it this far, but if you did, thanks. If you have any questions about St. John or the resort, please feel free to ask.
