About my bad review.

I am posting this in the discussion forum in response to the comments made about my review of the Westin, St. John. Let me begin by saying I am not the prissy, complain about everything type. When out to dinner and a member of my party starts complaining about the service being slow, I am the one to point out how busy the restaurant is. I’m the guy that always picks up the check and subsequently leaves the server a tip large enough to have the good majority of them return to the table wide eyed in surprise with profuse thanks. I’m the guy who tips the bartender for keeping the ice cubes cold, even though I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t do these things for recognition or to feel superior by flashing cash. I do them because I know what it’s like to do menial work for low pay and I know what it’s like to struggle for every cent just to keep a roof over head. I take things as they come and all through out my life I have taken lemons and turned it into lemonade. That being said, I have never returned home from a vacation feeling cheated and saying “I had a bad time” with the exception of my stay at the Westin, St. John. To put this in perspective let me state that I have slept in neighborhoods that most people wouldn’t want to fly over, more so, I have lived in neighborhoods most people wouldn’t fly over and in my travels I have stayed in everything from the lowest bargain basement accommodations to some of the most luxurious available and upon my return from St. John I posted my opinion.

I am happy that other people have had considerably better experiences then I did. I would not wish a bad vacation upon anyone. I am however entitled to have my opinion as it pertains to my experience. Let me state clearly, that due to my experience at the Westin, St. John that I do not recommend it and will not return there. I am however returning to the Virgin Islands in November and I am choosing to stay somewhere else. Others may feel differently as they have had different experiences and I respect their opinion. What I do not have respect for are the comments made by robing19 and leian1 in which assumptions are made about my character or that any part of my opinion is as leain1 put it “unwarranted”.

As leain1’s comments were the least condescending I will address those first. As far as maid service goes, I would have had no problem paying for additional visits to our room and at the Royal Resorts (where I am an owner) maids come everyday, except Sunday. As far as the taxi ride being $16.00, here’s the math: $4.00 each way per person and as my fiancé accompanied me the taxi cost $16.00 for the two of us round trip. Further more I am completely aware of the fact that when you travel to different places you experience different modes of transportation and foods. I have stayed in parts of Puerto Rico where the predominant mode of transportation is a donkey and the iguana lizard is referred to as a tree chicken. The taxis are unsafe. The drivers fly through those narrow roads with 20 people in the bed of a pick up. My suggestion to anyone else going to the Virgin Islands is to rent a car. On one taxi ride from town back to the resort we were driving by a bar where a brawl had broken out. The taxi driver stopped the car and tried to intercede in the fight! This put EVERY passenger at risk to injury. I had to tell the driver to get back in the vehicle and drive us away from danger. Is Cancun a bit Americanized, absolutely, but just as you can take trips to BVI or One of the other USVI Islands from St. John, you can take trips to Cozumel, Isla Mujares or jungle Tours from Cancun. My point is not that one location is better then the other, as I said I will be returning to the Virgin Islands, it is that my experience at the Westin was bad.

In response robing19, let’s start with the idea that 5 Star is one thing in one place and something different somewhere else. This might be one of the dumbest things ever said. The whole point of a rating system is to give people something to compare. It is a form of measurement in a sense and measurement is uniform. An inch is an inch and a mile is a mile no matter where you go. Different people may have different opinions of what 5 Star is and that is what the review boards are, peoples opinions. Different measurement systems may be used, for example metric vs. imperial, but the measurements themselves do not change based on location. A meter is a meter, a yard is a yard. We may figure out ways to convert one form of measurement to another, pounds to kilos, but the actual weight does not change. Having been to many destinations in the Caribbean; Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Multiple Islands in the Bahamas, not to mention the Florida Keys and The Mediterranean Islands of Ibiza and Majorca, it’s safe to say I enjoy island vacations. I depart with no expectations for a destination I have never been to. I do however have expectations for a certain service level when going to a resort in The Westin/Sheraton chain. Westin is a brand and when you stay at a Westin you expect the service to hold up to the same standard at all locations. Do you expect Tide Laundry Soap to clean your clothes the same way every time? Yes you do! In my experience, and I reiterate IN MY EXPERIENCE at the Westin, St. John I found the service to be substandard based on my experience at other Westin Locations and other timeshare resorts I have stayed in. The bad experiences with the staff were many and I only stated a few to illustrate some of the reason for my opinion and I did not go into greater detail because I did not want to relive every bad experience I had at the Westin, St. John.

In addition I can state emphatically that the SCUBA operation at the Westin St. John is deplorable. To the inexperienced or untrained diver they may seem first rate, however as I am a Certified PADI Dive Master with 9 specialty certifications and over 150 logged dives in the last 5 years alone, I can view their operation through a significantly more qualified lens. I dove with them 4 times while I was there, thinking on each dive that tomorrow would be better and taking into account a bad day of diving beats a good day of working and really wanting to find something redeeming about the resort I kept returning. The shop staff had the personality of cardboard and the “Dive Guides” ignored many basic safety protocols. With the exception of one Dive Master named Rich, who was excellent, I would not dive with any of their so called professionals again.

In closing I would like to say that I thought the Virgin Islands were beautiful, the restaurants were excellent, the beaches (the ones away from the resort) breath taking and I look forward to returning in November 2007. I just won’t be returning to or diving with the Westin, St. John and as I am not an owner there i do not need to post raving opnions of the place in effort to keep the resale values high.

I also stayed at the Westin St. John. I travel to an ave of 4 major destinations a year. My family and I had a blast there both times we stayed. One thing I must say is that if we didn't rent a jeep I may have felt different. The beach is good for laying out. we spent little time at the resort during the day. St john has the best beaches but you have to get away from the resort. They have a great gym and we all pitched in when it came to cleaning the room. We bought food at the starfish and cooked out by the pool right by our time share. The room was nice and my kids loved it there. Kids 20,18,16. So to sum up. nice rooms. Great gym. Great pool. Below ave beach, good for laying out. But with beaches and roads and views that rival anywhere and i've been everywhere why wouldn't you rent a jeep????? We did so much every day that everyone passed out by 11. And yes i'm never in bed that early. I thought it was great but you have to rent a jep and explore.....

danielp24 wrote:

I also stayed at the Westin St. John. I travel to an ave of 4 major destinations a year. My family and I had a blast there both times we stayed. One thing I must say is that if we didn't rent a jeep I may have felt different. The beach is good for laying out. we spent little time at the resort during the day. St john has the best beaches but you have to get away from the resort. They have a great gym and we all pitched in when it came to cleaning the room. We bought food at the starfish and cooked out by the pool right by our time share. The room was nice and my kids loved it there. Kids 20,18,16. So to sum up. nice rooms. Great gym. Great pool. Below ave beach, good for laying out. But with beaches and roads and views that rival anywhere and i've been everywhere why wouldn't you rent a jeep????? We did so much every day that everyone passed out by 11. And yes i'm never in bed that early. I thought it was great but you have to rent a jeep and explore.....

I think everyone can agree on 1 thing. It is time for a vacation. These emails are exhausting. I think you had a bad experience and just like when someone who had a great experience; it needs to be shared. I have been to the Westin twice and I have loved it but I do remember that the service needed to improve and now that I read danielp24's review, I remember the beach was nice but it pailed in comparison to the other beaches on the island. The taxis are definately crazy and unsafe. Still, I would go back because with all of these aforementioned negatives cannot outwieghed the overall experienceof the beauty of the island, the resort and the people. I am also a person who doesn't dwell on the little things (I am not trying to minimize anyone's feelings, this is just a statement of my character). For me... instead of thinking that the plane ride was long...I focused on the fact that we did not crash...and so forth. Anyway, I think all of the comment are valid. I have not been back for 2 years but I did buy 3 weeks at the Westin St John in a 3 bedroom villa. My decision was puerly financial because the cost of the timeshare and the revenue you can generate minus the maintenance fees allows about a 12% return on your money. I plan on going back this year and I hope it is how I remember, no cell phone, no laptop, you can see your feet in the water, frozen drinks, great food, etc.

how dare you call me out - and state something like that - what is clear to me is to stay away from WSJ and STJ - ah

jleone wrote:

I am posting this in the discussion forum in response to the comments made about my review of the Westin, St. John. Let me begin by saying I am not the prissy, complain about everything type. When out to dinner and a member of my party starts complaining about the service being slow, I am the one to point out how busy the restaurant is. I’m the guy that always picks up the check and subsequently leaves the server a tip large enough to have the good majority of them return to the table wide eyed in surprise with profuse thanks. I’m the guy who tips the bartender for keeping the ice cubes cold, even though I don’t drink alcohol. I don’t do these things for recognition or to feel superior by flashing cash. I do them because I know what it’s like to do menial work for low pay and I know what it’s like to struggle for every cent just to keep a roof over head. I take things as they come and all through out my life I have taken lemons and turned it into lemonade. That being said, I have never returned home from a vacation feeling cheated and saying “I had a bad time” with the exception of my stay at the Westin, St. John. To put this in perspective let me state that I have slept in neighborhoods that most people wouldn’t want to fly over, more so, I have lived in neighborhoods most people wouldn’t fly over and in my travels I have stayed in everything from the lowest bargain basement accommodations to some of the most luxurious available and upon my return from St. John I posted my opinion.

I am happy that other people have had considerably better experiences then I did. I would not wish a bad vacation upon anyone. I am however entitled to have my opinion as it pertains to my experience. Let me state clearly, that due to my experience at the Westin, St. John that I do not recommend it and will not return there. I am however returning to the Virgin Islands in November and I am choosing to stay somewhere else. Others may feel differently as they have had different experiences and I respect their opinion. What I do not have respect for are the comments made by robing19 and leian1 in which assumptions are made about my character or that any part of my opinion is as leain1 put it “unwarranted”.

As leain1’s comments were the least condescending I will address those first. As far as maid service goes, I would have had no problem paying for additional visits to our room and at the Royal Resorts (where I am an owner) maids come everyday, except Sunday. As far as the taxi ride being $16.00, here’s the math: $4.00 each way per person and as my fiancé accompanied me the taxi cost $16.00 for the two of us round trip. Further more I am completely aware of the fact that when you travel to different places you experience different modes of transportation and foods. I have stayed in parts of Puerto Rico where the predominant mode of transportation is a donkey and the iguana lizard is referred to as a tree chicken. The taxis are unsafe. The drivers fly through those narrow roads with 20 people in the bed of a pick up. My suggestion to anyone else going to the Virgin Islands is to rent a car. On one taxi ride from town back to the resort we were driving by a bar where a brawl had broken out. The taxi driver stopped the car and tried to intercede in the fight! This put EVERY passenger at risk to injury. I had to tell the driver to get back in the vehicle and drive us away from danger. Is Cancun a bit Americanized, absolutely, but just as you can take trips to BVI or One of the other USVI Islands from St. John, you can take trips to Cozumel, Isla Mujares or jungle Tours from Cancun. My point is not that one location is better then the other, as I said I will be returning to the Virgin Islands, it is that my experience at the Westin was bad.

In response robing19, let’s start with the idea that 5 Star is one thing in one place and something different somewhere else. This might be one of the dumbest things ever said. The whole point of a rating system is to give people something to compare. It is a form of measurement in a sense and measurement is uniform. An inch is an inch and a mile is a mile no matter where you go. Different people may have different opinions of what 5 Star is and that is what the review boards are, peoples opinions. Different measurement systems may be used, for example metric vs. imperial, but the measurements themselves do not change based on location. A meter is a meter, a yard is a yard. We may figure out ways to convert one form of measurement to another, pounds to kilos, but the actual weight does not change. Having been to many destinations in the Caribbean; Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cancun, Multiple Islands in the Bahamas, not to mention the Florida Keys and The Mediterranean Islands of Ibiza and Majorca, it’s safe to say I enjoy island vacations. I depart with no expectations for a destination I have never been to. I do however have expectations for a certain service level when going to a resort in The Westin/Sheraton chain. Westin is a brand and when you stay at a Westin you expect the service to hold up to the same standard at all locations. Do you expect Tide Laundry Soap to clean your clothes the same way every time? Yes you do! In my experience, and I reiterate IN MY EXPERIENCE at the Westin, St. John I found the service to be substandard based on my experience at other Westin Locations and other timeshare resorts I have stayed in. The bad experiences with the staff were many and I only stated a few to illustrate some of the reason for my opinion and I did not go into greater detail because I did not want to relive every bad experience I had at the Westin, St. John.

In addition I can state emphatically that the SCUBA operation at the Westin St. John is deplorable. To the inexperienced or untrained diver they may seem first rate, however as I am a Certified PADI Dive Master with 9 specialty certifications and over 150 logged dives in the last 5 years alone, I can view their operation through a significantly more qualified lens. I dove with them 4 times while I was there, thinking on each dive that tomorrow would be better and taking into account a bad day of diving beats a good day of working and really wanting to find something redeeming about the resort I kept returning. The shop staff had the personality of cardboard and the “Dive Guides” ignored many basic safety protocols. With the exception of one Dive Master named Rich, who was excellent, I would not dive with any of their so called professionals again.

In closing I would like to say that I thought the Virgin Islands were beautiful, the restaurants were excellent, the beaches (the ones away from the resort) breath taking and I look forward to returning in November 2007. I just won’t be returning to or diving with the Westin, St. John and as I am not an owner there i do not need to post raving opnions of the place in effort to keep the resale values high.

was looking for a get away next week.

You just changed my mind. saw in the newspaper abouth that young fellow from Phlia that was beat to death by locals.. It sound a little to much

Thank you

I own at the Westin, 2BR week 52. We have been going there since the Westin was the Hyatt ( a long time ) we LOVE the island, but the Westin is a different story. For the fees owners pay the cleanliness and furnishings are awful. We own several timeshares, including Marriotts. Westin St John is a real disappointment in terms of owner satisfatction.

In spite of my problems with the resort, here are some St John suggestions…

Delbert Hill car and jeep rental (340) 776-6637 I like them because they are located right downtown and you can park in their lot, parking can get to be a problem sometimes.

Starfish Market for Food Restaurants Asolare (great for sunsets) Zozo (also sunsets) La Tapa Morgans Mango Lime Inn The new sushi restaurant in the Starfish Market Plaza surprisingly good! Joes BBQ hut in the center of town (it is open air, you can’t miss it!) Miss Lucy’s in Coral Bay for Sunday brunch Skinny Legs in Coral Bay for the best burgers on the island

Bars

• Make sure you visit the Beach Bar Great entertainment and Sunday Jazz . • Woody’s Seafood shack

Hey Westin Owners:

Please visit the new site by owners For owners.

http://www.stjohnvirgingrandvillaowners.com

Covers lots of topics including class action against westin for increasing fees.

Please join our forum: http://www.stjohnvirgingrandvillaowners.com/Forum

All the restaurants you mentioned are great; our favorite is Zozo's. We own a week (during Thanksgiving) at the Westin St. John, and after taking five trips there, we've always enjoyed it. We have a two-bedroom, two-bath condo with a great view of the bay. The Westin beach is subpar, though. Do go visit all the other awesome beaches like we do. Buy a book about them and do your research. We've found the employees at the Westin to be super nice overall.