The Westin St. John Resort & Villas - St. John, USVI

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It's getting better every year. Visited: May 2009 Posted by akarex I am an owner at Westin St. John as well as a few other Westin resorts in the states. Yes, this resort is undergoing a transformation -- it was a Hilton before Westin purchased it, so they have had to work with what was in place. This stated, the Westin is spending time and money to upgrade the facility to the level of the other proberties -- which are awesome. They are also building a full spa which should be a year away. As for St. John, I have stayed in both the rooms as well as the villas and the rooms do need a make over. However, the renovated villas are the best I have seen. As the others have posted, the island is beautiful. You must get out and experience the other beaches and the restaurants. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The rooms need an upgrade. Visited: November 2008 Posted by lj The resort was nice, but the rooms need an upgrade - the towels were rough, the floor was sticky, and the bathroom was old. The bed was good, though. We stayed near the pool, and the pool was nice. The spa was not worth it, but the gym was good. In addition, the beach was clean, and the watersport offerings were excellent! The staff was not consistent. I suggest you eat outside hotel and go downtown for dinner. The buffet breakfast was not good at hotel, either. St. John was awesome. We are going back - just not to the Westin. 10 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? There are positives and negatives to the Westin St. John. Visited: July 2008 Posted by nhparrothead I come to St. John each year, and stay at the Westin. Like most hotels, it is not perfect. The rooms vary, as does the housekeeping which is maintained by an outside company and not the Westin. Overall, the place is not bad. If you have issues, talk to the managers and they will fix it. The pool is nice, and Dorsett (who works at the pool bar) is fantastic. She will take great care of you (if you take care of her). Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have not had weak drinks. I never eat at the hotel - except for lunch (which I either get from the bar or Mango's Deli). The hotel is convenient, as it is only a $4 cab ride to town - or my favorite stop at Woody's for happy hour. The beach is so so. If you really want to experience a beach on St. John, there are many, many to choose from - and well worth the cab ride to get there. Don't judge by this beach. 6 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was not awful, yet not great. Visited: May 2008 Posted by awhsnow83 I stayed at the Westin St. John for my honeymoon in May of 2008. Overall, it was a good experience, but the hotel was nowhere near your normal Westin or resort standards. I stayed in a traditional room facing the beach and the pool. If you are staying in a traditional room, I would recommend the 120s. The bed was comfortable, but the carpet was stained, and the shower was mediocre at best. The hotel rooms were in significant need of an upgrade. It was like staying in a bad Holiday Inn with upgraded fixtures. The food was incredibly expensive, and the food on the resort was less than spectacular. Chloe and Bernard's was a two-star restaurant with five-star prices. I would recommend heading into town for meals. We really enjoyed Paradiso. The Westin pool was one of the nicest I have been to. The pool bar was over priced, though, and served weak drinks. 8 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a perfect stay. Visited: May 2008 Posted by lesm We travel to St. John every year. My family and I stay in a villa, and have enjoyed it very much. We visit four to five different beaches, and all are great. We also rent a car and see the island. Now, is everything perfect? No. However, when you have the volume of visitors to the resort and the island - some care about the resort and beaches, and others abuse it. As for those who claim it's expensive - remember, it's an island. Everything has to be shipped in. If you want "cheap", use your vacation time close to home and go to a Holiday Inn Express. 7 users found this review helpful. 8 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Our stay was great - with a few mishaps. Visited: December 2006 Posted by mauimau We are owners at the Westin St John. We own a new villa. I must say our villa is wonderful and I do love the resort. It is expensive to eat and do activities, but hey, it is an island. I would recommend a day sail and seeing a bit of the island. The few mishaps were the following: The doors do not close tightly on the villas, and the mosquitos eat you alive. The beach at the resort needs to be cleaned daily, as a lot of cigarette butts litter the beach - not the greatest if you have kiddos. Why they do not tell people to trash their butts in sand cans, I have no idea. There is also a strange smell towards the end of the beach. Overall, though, it's a nice place to stay, and is a good value for the island! 7 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Soon to be timeshares Visited: November 2006 Posted by nialriver We were told upon arriving that they were changing the resort to all time-share, and the hotel part would be going away. With that in mind: the room we stayed-in had a view of the water that was blocked by a very large tent used for receptions/gatherings. The electricity kept going on and off all over the resort the seven days we were here. The pool was wonderful, even with the construction of the new pool bar and private cabanas. The food service in the dining area was very slow - except for the breakfast buffet (think island time). But still, it's a beautiful place. The massages were great, and we loved the food at The Mango Deli. 11 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I received the worst service food. Visited: May 2006 Posted by cnistler2 This was a very large resort, and transportation within the grounds was a problem. We'd call the front desk for a ride, and 30 minutes later, no one had shown up. We'd then have to place another call. Also, the food at the actual resort was the worst I've ever had. It took them three tries to cook an egg so the white part would not run across the plate. My daughter's wedding was at the Westin, and the wedding planner changed twice during the six-month planning phase. The food at the reception was awful, very overcooked and bland. Also, the wedding cake was supposed to be vanilla, and when they cut the cake it turned out to be chocolate! All in all, we spent $20,000, and I was completely crushed. I will say that the water sports were amazing, but of course they are a vendor and not directly tied to the Westin. We called the headquarters for the Starwood Resorts and told them what happend - their solution was to offer us Starwood points to put toward a stay at a different Starwood location. I told them to keep them. We would never go back. 6 users found this review helpful. 7 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Words can't explain - come here for yourself! Visited: July 2005 Posted by kamar_claxton52 Everything is beyond great - the beaches, the pool, and how far the rooms are from each other. It is so attractive. I love it. It is so nice, words can't even explain! Come here for yourself and you won't want to come home - trust me on this one! 4 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? words can't explain go there for yourself Visited: July 2005 Posted by kamar_claxton52 Everything is beyond great! The beaches, the pool, how far the rooms are from each other, it is so attractive I love it it is so nice words can't even explain! Go there for yourself you wouldn't want to come home trust me on this one!!!!!!! 2 users found this review helpful. 2 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I didn't find this to be a luxurious resort. Visited: July 2005 Posted by lanablas We went to the Westin last July. The pool was fantastic, it was just the right temperature. It was perfect for a day after visiting the beach. However, the beach at Westin was full of seaweed, and it did not have the blue, translucent waters associated with St. John. We spent most of our time at the Caneel Bay Resort, where the beaches were magnificent. Also, we had the oceanfront room, which was not luxurious. The bathrooms have not been renovated in years. The staff was nice, though. Overall, I would not recommend staying here. 6 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Incredible...from the first step onto the boat. Visited: November 2004 Posted by kari143 Let me set the picture for you as we experienced it: We arrived off of a nine-hour flight, walked through a very small and islandy - yet foreign - airport where we were welcomed by a beautifully decorated and inviting Westin lounge. The staff registered us into our room (yes...at the airport on St. Thomas!) and whisked us away onto an open air taxi. After a five-minute ride, we pulled up at a beautiful marina, had a quick island cocktail at the bar, then headed onto the Westin's boat, the "Westin Breeze". I wasn't paying attention, but somehow all our luggage ended up on the boat and we set out for St. John. After a stunningly beautiful 35-minute ride, we rounded the corner and entered this beautiful bay where the boat staff announced we were "home" for the rest of the week. There were palm trees on the beach, buildings spread out amongst floral gardens and a gazebo with bougainvillea all over it...that was our welcome sight to the Westin! And it got better...we stepped off the boat where we were greeted by another staff member, were handed a rum punch (they even gave me seconds), a chilled towel to refresh with and a bellman was waiting for us with keys to our room. We were in heaven! Again, our bags somehow appeared in our room, but we weren't paying attention...too much fun rolling around in the Heavenly Beds! That set the mood for our entire week. The Westin was fabulous, and the staff was amazingly friendly (although we did encounter one or two who looked like they may have had a rough week). The food was fabulous - yes, it was pretty expensive, but a trip to the grocery store and a couple other restaurants in town confirmed that everything was just a little pricier if you have to fly it down! Chloe and Bernards was excellent, but the Beach Cafe was great for a more quick, casual dinner. We saw a lot of the island (definitely worth at least one day off property), but our favorite was just lounging by the huge swimming pool, and being served rum drinks by the waterfall! What an incredible time my husband and I had...we will definitely be back next year. Once we find a great spot, we are truly loyal customers! 11 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the best valued vacation ever. Visited: August 2004 Posted by jship6966 We are just back from St. John and had an awesome time! We decided last minute to take a much needed break before school was back in session and got a wonderful deal for the airline and at the hotel since they said it was off season! From the moment we landed in St. Thomas, we were escorted and told where to go, when to go and how we would go! We were taken to this cute little beach bar (forgot the name) and had fun island drinks and a much needed bite to eat. The boat took us straight to the Westin and the resort was beautiful. We did not read the reviews before booking our trip, and I am glad we didn't because it would have made me nervous. But let me tell you...everything was great. Our room was right by the pool and we spent a lot of time around the pool and at the restaurant/pool bar. We heard that the pool was closing for renovations the week after we left. We could tell that the floor of the pool needed them. We went to the beach once and climbed on all the "toys", took an island tour and went to two other beaches...Trunk Beach actually charged to use their beach. Although it was pretty, that really turned us off and it was so crowded with cruise ship people that had come from St. Thomas. We loved the beds and ordered room service quite often. Only once was our order missing something and they were back within five minutes with the ketchup! It was exactly what we were looking for in value for our vacation. We are both teachers heading back to school, so this was both luxurious and affordable for us. We are thinking about going back again next summer with friends and hope to have the same great experience! 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This was the worst hotel we have ever visted! Visited: August 2004 Posted by alisonschurman My husband and I decided to stay at the Westin for our first year anniversary. This would be our second time visiting St. John (we stayed at Caneel Bay the first time). We thought it would nice to try a different resort. We read all of the message boards and we did see a few negative messages about the Westin, but for some reason we thought we would be lucky and have a better experience. We were wrong! To start, the housekeeping cart was permanently placed in front of our room (regardless of front desk calls and moving the darn thing ourselves). The pool was dirty and a bit green. Their one beach had an odor to it, the staff was never friendly, and we thought the service was just plain awful! What was supposed to be a romantic getaway, ended up being a nightmare! Lucky, we rented a jeep (which they some how screwed up our reservation-but ended up fixing it). The jeep enabled us to go back to Caneel Bay beaches and all of the other great locations on St. John. 4 users found this review helpful. 4 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? this was a fabulous resort - A+. Visited: June 2004 Posted by woodrum4 The Westin understands customer service and goes out of their way to treat people well. 3 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This island is absolute paradise! Visited: June 2004 Posted by djltb23 The Westin Resort was the most magical place I have ever been to in my whole life. I have been traveling since I was very young, and I have never seen such a beautiful place. The boat ride from St. Thomas to St. John set the tone for a wonderful week. The rooms were heavenly clean and open. You could walk right outside to the pool. The pool was an amazing sight. At night, florecsent lights glowed around the pool, and swimming under the waterfall was always refreshing. They also offered fun activities such as jet skiing, which was absolutely exhilarating. They took us on tours of islands I thought I would never see. The island itself was small, yet entertaining. There were plenty of places to have dinner or drinks. Food was extremely overpriced, yet worth it. Everything about this trip was magical. The fact that some people wrote they were unhappy with their trip really shocked me. My cousin was married on the island, and everything was perfect. They really went out of their way to accommodate us. Also, the staff was extremely pleasant. I found so many kids my age who had moved to this island for a while to figure out what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. I can understand why it is extremely peaceful. One day, I will return and spend more time here. It was truly a heavenly place, and the Westin was extremely nice as well. 4 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? This place was fantastic. Visited: January 2004 Posted by pattyal We had a great time at the Westin. Everything from the arrival to the departure went smoothly. The Westin had its own ferry, which took about 35 minutes to get to St.Thomas and then it was about a five-minute taxi ride to the airport. The Westin had the transfers down to a science. The property was very well kept. It had a very large pool and was right on the beach. Trampolines in the ocean and nonmotorized water sports were included in our stay. They also had flotation mats which you could use in the ocean and we were able to use them in the pool as it was not real crowded. They had a couple good restaurants but be prepared, they were expensive. It was not a problem as it was only a $3 taxi ride to Cruz Bay where there were many restaurants which were more reasonably priced. Taxis were always available outside the lobby which was great as we did not have to wait very long for a ride downtown. They had a great fitness area where each aerobic machine had its own LCD tv that you controlled. The club was free to guests and had a great spa program. Our room was always clean and we found it to be comfortable. They had those heavenly beds and baths which were nice but I still prefer my own bed. The only problem that I could see for guests was if your room was not poolside or oceanfront. The hillside rooms were far from the pool, but they had shuttles that ran 15 minutes around the resort to take you to where you would like to go on the property. I must say that the staff was very friendly and happy to please you. Followup phone calls were made to see if our request was met and if we were enjoying our stay. There was no pressure to look at timeshares, which was a nice change. I definitely recommend the Westin and St. John and am looking forward to visiting again soon. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? The Westin was a fabulous getaway. Visited: December 2003 Posted by aleli This was our first trip to St. John, and staying at the Westin was a perfect choice. Those "heavenly beds" were perfectly cozy. We requested a room fridge and it appeared within 15 minutes. We had no complaints about our room other than a brief mention that flowering bushes were overgrown and blocking our view - by the end of the day, it was trimmed. We also had another day when a large tent obstructed our view of the bay and without being asked, we were given a complimentary breakfast. Westin meals were expensive (as expected), although spending one day at the pool and splitting a burger and a ceasar salad was just fine. There were plenty of reasonably priced meals to be had in town - Chilly Billy's for breakfast, Woody's for great bar food and better people watching, Cafe Roma (lots of recommendations for the pizza), Fish Trap, Morgan's Mango and Lime Inn, Skinny Legs in Coral Bay. If you're being careful with money, eat a very late lunch after a full day of sight-seeing and snorkeling. We usually ate dinner around 6, just before the dinner rush - better service and less waiting. Stop in at the Starfish Market and bring back snacks and fruit to tide you over between meals. Also, bringing along a small cooler on our daytrip worked great. We would load up on ice from our building, pack up some sodas and snacks and bring that along everywhere. We took several day trips, but our favorite was on the catamaran to Waterlemon Cay. Try taking the jetski tour around the island for a unique and exciting way to see St. John. Our favorite beaches were Hawksnest, Cinnamon Bay - easy to take a taxi back and forth, even if it meant a little wait to fill up with passengers. We did rent a car for one day - the drive around the island was breathtaking for its beauty and some scary hairpin turns. It didn't take long, and was the best way to get to Coral Bay and some of the more remote beaches and hikes. We did bring lots of suntan lotion and bug spray (only needed when strolling the beach in the evening ),as well as our own snorkeling equipment. Some of the beaches rented snorkel equipment, but they could run out if a cruise ship was in the area. Our best idea was bringing along a portable beach cabana that folded up very small. It kept us in shade when we were in the beach all day and protected us from brief showers. All in all, we had a fantastic time and we can't wait to return. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A lovely resort on a lovely island. Visited: July 2003 Posted by pmcampbell If you love St. John and want to stay with your family at a resort, you don't have many choices other then Caneel Bay and the Westin. I found the Westin to be the perfect place for two families traveling with six boys (ages 13 - 18). The kids loved the rock climbing iceberg floating in the bay and had many laughs and happy bounces on the water trampoline. They also enjoyed the large pool and the daily volleyball games. We adults liked lounging by the pool or on the beach or taking day trips to the many gorgeous beaches on the island. Our rooms were clean and comfortable. We had two nights of air conditioning problems, but management was cooperative in giving us a night's refund for the inconvenience. We didn't eat at the upscale restaurant (Chloe & Bernards), but did eat at the large open air restaurant. I wouldn't recommend this for dinner, especially since there were so many great restaurants on the island (Paradiso, Asolare, Morgans Mango). Food was mediocre. Also, their buffet breakfast, while plentiful, was a bit expensive, especially when you have kids who are small eaters and you are paying adult prices for those over 12. All in all, this was a fabulous island and the Westin was a very pleasant place, with beautiful landscaping and an acceptable beach (albeit not the pure white sand and clear blue water of the natural beaches on the island). It was fine for floating or dipping. It was large and busy, and even in the off season, lounge chairs by the water went fast. If quiet and solitude is what you're after, this may be a disappointment. It was very much full of families and activities. Although I must say I never really saw any of the things posted on the daily activities board actually happening when scheduled! We spent four nights here after spending a week in a private house on another island. It was the perfect combination! 3 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? What a wonderful resort and island! Visited: June 2003 Posted by bob_evans What a wonderful time we had at this Westin Resort and on the island of St. John! We were treated royally by everyone in the staff. The buildings, grounds and rooms were immaculate. The restaurants had great food and great service. And the beaches and water on St. John were far more beautiful than any others we've seen in the Caribbean or Hawaii! The hotel was great for families, we were very pleasantly suprised. In June it was full of families. They had a great pool area for play time, and the staff treated our 10-year-old like a king. As for the beach - many have said it's the worst on St. John. But keep in mind, the "worst" on St. John is far better than the "best" on many other islands. They did have a problem with fertilizer runoff from the surrounding homes stimulating algae/seaweed growth in the bay, though. The hotel staff told us they are getting nets to drag the shoreline to clean this up. But, it was only a minor inconvenience. There were several paths out around it to the water trampoline and climbing iceberg in the bay. We had a poolside room, so it was a quick walk to everything - the Villas were across the small road and required the use of the hotel shuttle. The town of Cruz Bay was only two minutes away, and the beautiful National Park beaches were just 15 minutes away by Jeep or taxi! After the first day, we didn't want to spend time in just a pool when all the beaches were so close by. Be aware that as small as the island is, everything comes from nearby Puerto Rico or the other islands, even the drinking water! So it is much harder for them to maintain all our "comforts of luxury" on their island. The hotel had signs that they are now a Wi-Fi hot spot, although we didn't get a chance to test it out. Also, we saved a bundle on the web reservations by breaking our nine-nite stay into five- and four-night reservations. There were lots of great restaurants on the island, and the east end was worth a drive out. It was less populated and beautiful. We can't wait to go back to the Westin and to St. John! 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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