Caribbean Islands

With the year coming to an end and a handful of Westin points about to expire, we were surprised when the Westin on St John had availability over the Thanksgiving Day weekend and did not hesitate to scoop up the booking. It had been 21 years since we visited last and a lot had changed.

Several devastating hurricanes had put the island on its back-foot and rearranged the resort landscape. Afterwards, the Westin was rebuilt as a vacation villa property and several others shuttered their doors entirely. Local people who stayed in their homes during the storms told us they endured great hardships during and after, and that if faced with another hurricane, they’d head off-island. The landscape has grown back, with some lingering signs of the devastation. The people were as warm and friendly as we remembered. The pace on St John is slow and quiet, a good thing. Loved the colorful jitney taxis, excellent dining and those tropical nights. One big disappointment was the absence of coral and fish life off the beaches, where snorkeling was consistently poor. Seems that even in this lovely national park, you need to get on a boat and go offshore—or hike on trails to remote parts of the island for some distance—for a decent experience.

There was one major hiccup with our room. The air conditioning would not turn off and after waiting a number of days for a response to our pleas for help—going as high up as requesting an (as yet unanswered) response from the general manager of the resort--they finally told us they were unable to fix it during our stay and moved us to another room for the last week. And the bugs were voracious leaving Betsey with 80 bites, so if you visit be prepared. We left relaxed heading into the Xmas holidays. Not sure we will be back, but it should be on your list at least once!

Betsey, having lived on the East Coast is no stranger to the warm islands of the Caribbean. However, being a left coaster for all the time I have spent in the Americas, 2003 was to be my first year to visit this archipelago dotting the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The trek to St. Johns takes you thru St. Thomas with a quick boat ride to this fantastic getaway. We stayed at the Westin, and while the service was spotty and the property was being upgraded, the surroundings and tranquil island lifestyle made for a relaxing stay.

Curtain Bluff was our destination in celebration of Betsey's mothers significant birthday. Out on a point the resort has a beachhead on both the ocean and a calm bay. The rooms are spacious and well decorated and the word pampered comes to mind when remembering the service. With one of the best wine cellars on the island and an excellent menu all day long, it is a getaway spot for R+R.