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Published: 10/18/24
All Your Westin St. John Questions Answered
If you’re headed to the U.S. Virgin Islands soon and considering staying at the Westin on St. John, I’m here to provide you with all details I learned firsthand during a weeklong stay on the property in January 2024.
I had a lot of questions before my visit – some that I didn’t want to pester the kind front desk staff with – so I decided to create this guide so you know exactly what to expect from a stay at the Westin St. John Resort Villas. I’ll share why we chose this resort for our girls’ trip, if I’d come back, and everything you need to know to make the most of your stay.
Whether you’re wondering about how to get to the Westin St. John, if you need to pack beach towels, how St. John grocery deliveries work at the Westin, the resort’s on-site amenities, or anything else, I’ll answered all your questions below.
After reading through these FAQs about the Westin St. John you’ll be able to make an educated decision about whether this U.S. Virgin Islands resort is right for you and your group.
Pros and Cons of Staying at the Westin
Pros:
- Great, clean facilities
- Friendly, helpful staff available by email, phone, or in person both before and during your stay
- Basically a functional little village with everything you need for your USVI vacation
- Nice pool and beach area
- Airport shuttle and private ferry make arrival fuss free
- Lots of activities
- Towel exchange and option to take beach towels off-site
Cons:
- Expensive (and subpar) dining options
- Must take a taxi whenever you want to leave the property
- Beach activities shut down very early in the day
- Pool and beach can get crowded and noisy
- Uninspiring beach compared with the rest of the island
Why We Chose The Westin for Our St. John Vacation
In short, we chose the Westin because it seemed like the easiest option for our group of four adult women. As a Caribbean Island newbie, I was apprehensive about booking a vacation rental because I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to get around the island without the assistance of resort staff.
As it was, the Westin provided absolutely everything a person could need on their U.S. Virgin Islands trip. If you came to the island solely to relax and soak up some sun, you would never need to leave the property. If you’re planning to explore the island quite a bit, I actually think a vacation rental is a better option, but more about that later . . .
The fact that Westin provides an airport shuttle and private ferry from St. Thomas to their dock on St. John was another selling point.
Although we booked through a travel agent which made figuring out prices a little tricky, the Westin seemed like a comparably priced lodging option for St. John, especially when you factor in the pool, complimentary beach gear, towel exchange, concierge assistance, and other little perks that make the Westin a relaxing, easy place to stay.
As the only chain resort on St. John, the Westin is an excellent choice if you’re part of any travel loyalty programs, particularly Marriott. We booked through Delta Vacations and were showered with Skymiles for our stay. Since those Skymiles turned into a free flight to the European Christmas market, the perks of staying at the Westin aren’t just limited to your time on St. John.
How To Get To the Westin St. John
The Westin St. John is located on Great Cruz Bay, just south of Cruz Bay on the far east end of St. John. Since the closest airport (Cyril E. King Airport – STT) is located on the neighboring island of St. Thomas, once you arrive on the U.S. Virgin Islands, you still have some traveling to do.
By far the easiest way to reach the Westin St. John is to book the resort’s private ferry. You can make this reservation by emailing the front desk before your trip.
As of January 2024, the cost for a round-trip ferry through the Westin, including the shuttle from the airport to the ferry terminal in Red Hook was $150 per person. The cost is simply added to your stay and paid at check out. Don’t forget to tip your shuttle driver both ways!
How To Use the Westin St. John Private Ferry
- Collect your bags at STT baggage claim.
- Directly adjacent to the STT baggage claim is the small Westin St. John lounge. Check in here to catch the next shuttle and ferry. Note: When you check in here, you’re actually completely checked in for your stay.
- Westin staff will load your bags into a transit van and drive you about 30 minutes to the ferry terminal in Red Hook.
- Once you’re loaded onto the Westin ferry, it’s about a 15-20 minute sailing to the Westin’s dock in Great Cruz Bay.
- Expect to be greeted with rum punch on the dock as you disembark. At this time, you can schedule your return sailing time.
- Westin staff deliver your bags to your room.
If you’re not using the Westin ferry, to reach the Westin St. John Resort Villas from STT you will need to:
- Get a taxi from STT to either the Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook ferry terminals.
- Take the ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John.
- Once in St. John, take a taxi to the Westin. It is about a 10 minute drive and costs $9 per person or $7 per person for groups of 2 or more. (St. John taxi rates are set so all drivers charge the same rates.)
If you have a lot of bags, the Westin ferry is definitely the way to go. If you’re traveling light, you will save quite a bit of money by doing the taxi/ferry logistics independently.
The Logistics of Staying at the Westin St. John
Getting around St. John from the Westin
With the exception of a quick hike to the Dolphin Market grocery store, you will need a vehicle whenever you want to leave the property.
The Westin is located on the other side of a very steep hill that prevents you from accessing the restaurants, shops, and other amenities of Cruz Bay without a vehicle. (If you could safely traverse this hill, it would be about a 30 minute walk into downtown Cruz Bay.)
The easiest way to get around the island is with open air taxis. These taxis are pick-up trucks who have converted their beds into bench seating that’s covered with a metal canopy. There’s a taxi stand both in downtown Cruz Bay and also on the Westin property. You should check out current St. John taxi rates before your visit so you have a sense of how much cash you’ll need for your trip.
One note, taxi drivers operate independent of the Westin, so there’s no guarantee a taxi will be at the taxi stand. The driver also might opt to wait for a couple more guests to join before departing. I planned an early hike one morning and learned the hard way that taxis usually don’t arrive at the taxi stand until about 9 a.m.
Concierge can also set you up with a jeep rental during your visit. After one trip on the windy roads with drivers using the left-hand side of the road, it was clear that taxis were our preferred way to travel around the island.
Towels
You can save room in your suitcase by not worrying about packing a beach towel. The Westin provides towels to its guests and does allow these towels to be taken off-site. You can exchange towels whenever you like at the beachside activity desk. You can also use the dryer in your rental unit to freshen them up.
Water sport rentals
One big perk of staying at the Westin is access to the resort’s large (manmade) sand beach and various beach toys like snorkel gear, kayaks, and paddle boards. You check out these items from an attendant located on the beach.
Sadly, the one day we planned to take advantage of these amenities, we arrived at the beach at 3 p.m. only to learn that water sport rentals shut down at 3:30 p.m. While I enjoyed my 20 minutes tootling around Great Cruz Bay on a paddleboard, I would have liked to do so in a more leisurely manner.
Groceries
Regardless of what you read ahead of time, you do NOT need to arrange grocery delivery ahead of time if you are staying at the Westin St. John. Grocery delivery is pretty popular on St. John. (Who doesn’t like the idea of coming into their rental with a fully stocked fridge?!)
However, because the Westin is a private resort, grocery delivery services can’t bring your groceries to your rental. You must meet them at the front desk and, if like me, you miss them, you will need to go to the store to pick up your order.
Instead of replicating my grocery delivery headache, just plan to get everything you need at the Chocolate Hole Dolphin Market, a fully stocked grocery store just a five-minute walk from the Westin. The Dolphin had everything we needed, including breakfast items, produce, and even alcohol.
The Westin also offers a well-stocked convenience store, Mango Deli, with a large selection of groceries, but you will pay a hefty price for the convenience.
Dining at the Westin
Simply put, dining at the Westin is not very good. There’s really no reason to belabor this point. Our first meal on St. John was at the resort’s beachside Snorkels Bar and Grill and it was underwhelming at best.
Guests often complain about the price of dining at the Westin, but when you factor in a taxi fare of $14-18 per person round trip to get to Cruz Bay’s restaurants, I don’t think the Westin’s prices are particularly outrageous.
In addition to their beachside restaurant, the Westin also offers Mango Deli which has grab and go food like sandwiches and pizza and a sit-down restaurant near the dock area with somewhat limited hours: Lemongrass Restaurant and Bar.
Amenities at the Westin St. John
If our two-bedroom villa is an indication, you can expect clean, modern rentals at the Westin. But the real reason to stay here is for the amenities beyond lodging.
The Pool
The centerpiece of the resort, even more so than the beach, is a large pool complete with palm trees, a small waterfall, and plentiful lounge chairs. There’s also a jacuzzi. Just like in Key West, there are lots of free-range iguanas on the property, so be ready to share the pool deck with several of these docile reptiles.
The pool does get busy in the afternoon and the pool staff is often hosting activities for the pool goers.
The Beach at the Westin
The beach at the Westin is manmade, so don’t expect the pristine white sand that you’d find on St. John’s famous beaches like Trunk Bay or Maho. The bay doubles as a marina and there are a ton of boats moored here including, most notably during our visit, a partially submerged sailboat.
The chief complaint about the Westin’s beach is how murky the water is. It was definitely the least tempting water of all the St. John beaches we visited.
If you had little kids, this would be a great, easy place to spend hours of seaside fun. As four grown-ass ladies, we only spent about 30 minutes here during our entire week on the island. The sheltered bay surrounded by high hills brimming with vacation homes just couldn’t compete with St. John’s north shore beaches.
Concierge
The activities staff at the Westin were great! We had a really nice orientation meeting with a member of this team where we got a map, island information, a welcome packet with some coupons and activity suggestions, as well as a chance to ask questions. You could pop into the office at any time for help with dinner reservations or planning an activity.
Other amenities
The Westin offers a fair amount of amenities that we didn’t use including the tennis courts, fitness center, and kids club area. They also have a small boutique on site where you can stock up on souvenirs or island essentials like sunscreen.
My Takeaways About My Stay at The Westin St. John U.S. Virgin Islands
As the only chain resort property on St. John, the Westin offers visitors a very typical American resort experience. We spent a week in one of the two-bedroom villas centrally located in the middle of the resort. All the facilities were clean and well-maintained and the staff were incredibly kind and helpful.
If your goal, like ours, was to experience as much of the island as possible, the Westin’s irritatingly close, yet so far location from Cruz Bay may prove a pain point. However, if the focus of your St. John vacation is pool or beachside lounging, this is a lovely base for quality R&R.
If you’re particularly concerned with “getting your money’s worth” at the Westin, you will need to plan at least one day at the Westin beach to enjoy their complimentary beach gear and poolside activities.
For those simply looking for a clean, comfortable place to rest their head after a long day of USVI, you’d probably prefer a vacation rental closer to Cruz Bay so you don’t have to dish out taxi fares every time you want to leave your accommodations.
Conclusion: What To Know Before Your Westin St. John Stay
Overall, we had a great stay at the Westin St. John Resort Villas and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to USVI visitors. However, you should consider if you need all the amenities offered by the Westin. If not, you may prefer to stay in a more centrally located location so you have easier access to good dining and activities around the island.
For me, the biggest surprises about the resort was how early beach amenities shut down in the afternoon, how convenient the Dolphin Market grocery store was to the resort, and the fact that there’s no way to walk from the Westin into downtown St. John.
If I did stay at the Westin again, it would probably be almost solely for the convenience of taking the private ferry from St. Thomas straight to the resort.
I hope this post answers all of your questions about staying at the Westin St. John Resort Villas. If you’re still wondering about a specific aspect of this USVI resort property, shoot me an email!
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