Marriott's Frenchman's Cove Charlotte Amalie

The Room was a lovely suite, the view was incredible. The staff friendly and helpful. The locals are very kind. The beach was ok and the water is incredible all over the island. We found other beaches to visit on day trips, our favorite was Sapphire Bay just past Red Hook, it also had the best snorkeling. We visited St John and Trunk bay was really nice but the snorkeling was disappointing.

Other than 90 degree days/ 80 degree nights and muggy, we were delighted to be there in the off season. However, this meant that many places were closed for one reason or another. We shopped when the cruise ships were not in town to avoid crowds. We enjoyed dinners/lunch at Wikked, The Caribbean, Molly Malones, and especially XO Bistro. Our final dinner was at the Old Stonehouse Farm with a five small course meal that was a wonderful way to spend our last night, a bit spendy but worth it!

We purchased our 6 bottles of Rum, Vodka and misc at Kmart as it had the best prices and comes with a box that you can check at the airport. Be sure to buy the right size and proof (not 151) all survived the trip home in one piece. You can actually purchase more you just have to pay duty (tax) for it.

Tips on what to take:

Plenty of sun screen, bug spray, hat/cap, casual comfortable clothes/shoes (we were mostly in bathing suits and shorts). Starbucks coffee, snacks and first aid kit.

A view to die for! All the 2 & 3 bedroom suites have beautiful views of Port Charlotte. We had a typical Marriott 2 bedroom villa, with 2 baths, full kitchen, livingroom and 2 balconies overlooking the pool and beach. Although the site is still under construction and will be for the next 3 yrs., we were not at all disturbed by the building.

The location of the timeshare is a 5 minute drive from downtown Charlotte Amalie. We rented a car at the airport from Budget (horrible counter service) and drove the island with no problem (left side of the road with American cars). Caution is needed as there are a lot of blind curves. I would suggest renting a car, as the taxis are expensive. The staff at the timeshare were all excellent, friendly and helpful particularly Glenda, who made some wonderful restaurant recommendations. The pool was just beautiful, the perfect temperature, with a fun slide for the kids. There was plenty of chaises and umbrellas for the guests' use. In the pool area was a breakfast and lunch snack bar, which had excellent breakfasts and a great Caesar salad for lunch. There is also a convenience store and gym in the pool area. A few steps down from the pool is the beach. The water is very calm, no waves, but there is a dead coral reef which you must walk over, so were foot protection. There are beach chaises and umbrellas, but the umbrellas are rented for $5/day at the beach only. It is an OK beach compared to others on the island. If you don't like the Cove beach, you can take the free shuttle to the hotel beach next door, which is much nicer and much larger.

There is a couple of food stores wiithin 5 minutes as well as a KMart. There is a shopping center at Tutu Mall, about a 20 minute drive, which has a new IHOP, Kmart and a Costco like store, which has much better prices. Be prepared for for food sticker shock, so bring plenty of snacks from home.

Make sure you take the day trip to St.. John and visit Trunk Bay. It was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and virtually deserted. There are facilities at most public beaches, which include changing areas, bathrooms and snack bars, as well as chair rentals at some.

Wish I was going back soon!

My husband and I, along with another couple, stayed at Frenchman's Cove the first week in August. Overall, we had a great week but would we go back...not until they improve the beach.

We own a timeshare in Aruba and traded for this week in STT but we would rather go back to Aruba next year. Life was just a little simpler there walking back and forth to the 3 Marriott properties instead of having to hop on a shuttle.

The good: Our apt is just what we expect from Marriott...beautiful and top notch!! The view from our balcony on the 4th floor was fabulous!! The location of the resort to downtown and other areas is great!! We loved working out at the fitness center every morning and watching the cruise ships arrive. The one pool that is open is very nice with the bar nearby. Pardon me if I sound lazy but we sure missed the in-the-pool-bar from Aruba! All the people we came in conctact with at the Cove were very kind, friendly, and helpful.

What we didn't like...the beach! It's tiny and you just can't use it for swimming & lounging and the snorkeling isn't great there either. We took the shuttle back and forth to the hotel next door at least 4 days and sometimes 2x daily We never had to wait too long for the shuttle but it just got old after while. We enjoyed using the hotel beach and pools but found ourself wishing we had that at our resort! The hotel restaurant down at the lower pool was a great place for lunch or a casual dinner.

We had a great half day sail on Jollie Mon...highly recommend! Enjoyed taking the car on the ferry to St. John. The beach at Trunk Bay is #1 on my list of best beaches ever!!! We arrived by 10:30 am and had so much fun we spent the entire day...truly beautiful!!

We visited STT in June 06 for our honeymoon and stayed at Marriott's Morning Star Resort. We loved STT and Marriott so much that we bought a timeshare at the work-in-progress Frenchman's Cove next door. We returned to STT this past July with friends and family in tow, to stay at the Cove for our first time. It's not quite up to usual Marriott standards, but it's still under construction and staffing is fairly new. The 2BR/2BA villa was great. Lots of room! The kitchen was nice to make breakfast, quick lunches, and occassional dinners. The infinity pool with water slide was fun. The construction didn't bother us a bit. We had a nice view from our living room of the cruise ships coming in and out of the harbor. There's only one restaurant so far, it was OK. Slightly pricey, but not unexpected for a resort restaurant. The gym is nice and overlooks the water. The Kids Club area was pretty cool. The kids seemed to enjoy it (they had a Wii to play with). The beach is still under progress, but our guy said they were waiting for permits for the inflatable platforms for the beach. Because the Cove is for timeshare owners and guests only, there are a lot less people than at Reef and Morning Star. Thus, the free Marriott shuttle takes a long time to pick up from the Cove to take us to the Reef/Morning Star. But the very helpful and informative bellman said that once the resort is completed, there will be a dedicated shuttle just for the Cove.

The location of Marriott is great. It's 10 mins from Charlotte Amalie, 5 mins from Havensight (where the cruise ships dock), 10-15 mins from Red Hook, 15-20 mins from the airport.

We'll definitely be back many many times.

We just completed our first two week stay at Frenchman's Cove. As owners in the Marriott Vacation Club we had been eagerly awating this trip.

The property while still under construction has two complete buildings, pool, lunch grill, fitness center and kids activity area. The condos are beautiful, well appointed, spacious and suprisingly quiet. Construction noise was at a minimum during our stay. The beach is quite nice, the dead coral reef is a minor annoyance and can be walked over easily. Wear water shoes.

The property provides some basic necessities. Dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, bath soap and shampoo. Pool towels are also provided. The kitchen is well stocked with dishware, silverware and appliances, although we would have preferred a toaster oven to a regular toaster. Also there was no metal spatula for using the outdoor gas grills, the plastic ones will not last long.

The wall safe is a bit small so large items like cameras may not fit. The TV's and DVD players all worked well.

While the property is new it is not totally without problems. Our villa had some smoke detector issues, random alarms that became annoying. Also one day the elevator in our building was out, carrying groceries up to the 5th floor was an adventure. There was also a resort wide power failure for part of one morning after a very violent nightime thunderstorm.

All in all, we are very pleased to be owners and are already making plans for our 2008 stay.

This property is highly recommended.

Recently returned from a week at the Frenchman's Cove in St.Thomas. View is excellent, people friendly and extremely helpful...pool and kid's club was outstanding. The food at the Sunset grill was very interesting (not boring) and delicious. If anyone gets a chance to go here..take the chance! The fitness facility was a big bonus and I worked out everyday looking out over the bay. Thanks to the ladies at the kid's club(my son will always remember how nice it was)...Kristin and Stephanie?. You did a wonderful job to make us feel at home and entertain us. Now about the rooms themselves...tastefully done and those were the most comfortable beds I have ever sleep in while traveling. I have already booked for next year the minute I got home....Thanks, Marriott for making the vacation the best one I have ever taken...see you next year!

Please remember, owners only.

I just got back from mid May 2007. The best news is that the new hot tub, pool restaurant with bar, and work-out room as well as the second building (Virgin Gorda) are scheduled to open on June 1st if all the permits pass. Great news since they are behind about 3 months in construction.

I posted the latest pictures taken. Construction was noisy, but inside I could barely hear it. More noise only when construction vehicles backed up (beep beep).

Staff was as helpful as possible. Can't wait until return next year.

Stayed at the Marriott Frenchmans Cove timeshare during the second week of May. Currently 28 units are online, with 30 more coming on June 1.

2BR units were first rate all the way. Staff is awesome. Shuttle to the Marriott hotel was very good and frequent.

Pool was very nice, both parents and kids loved the small water slide.

Only downsides....the beach onsite has rocks with sea urchins just 3-4 feet offshore and is basically useless. I suggest using Morningstar Beach at the Marriott hotel or take a ride up to wonderful Megens Bay beach.

Also, this place is about 3 years away from being totally built out, so you do have some construction noise and many temporary facilities are in place till the resort is complete.

I suggest renting a car while in USVI.

I also highly suggest spending a day in St. John on the awesome beaches.

We were the first guests to stay in Villa 145, a two-bedroom unit on the fourth floor at Marriott's Frenchman's Cove in St. Thomas, VI. As such, we were expecting there to be some minor glitches that needed to be addressed during our stay. There were a few, but for the most part, the villas are beautiful, functional and in a very enviable geographic location. At present (Feb. 2007) there are 30 units able to be occupied. Two are being used as a check-in area and model. Of the other 28, 2 are three-bedroom units and 26 are two-bedroom units. There are no lock-offs, all being dedicated two and three bedroom units. The plan is for 70 additional units to become available June, 2007. At build-out, there is expected to be approximately 228 units.

As you enter the unit, the kitchen is to the right. It contains cherry wood cabinets, 18 cu. ft. stainless steel fridge, oven and dishwater, black composition counters, and the full complement of eating and cooking utensils. A coffee maker is provided as well as a tea kettle, toaster and built-in microwave. The entryway, kitchen and dining area floors are covered with 18" beige ceramic tiles making for very practical use and cleaning, although, with time, grout discoloration may become an issue if it is not addressed from the very start. The first door on the left was the entry into the 2nd bathroom, which also has another entry from the second bedroom. Opening the second set of doors (louvered) on the left, you will find the stacking washer and dryer which were very easy to use. The third doorway to the left leads to the second bedroom. The high, curved headboards of the two queen-sized beds are maple/ginger in color. All bedding is the new Revive Bedding by Marriott, very comfortable with white duvets, two large pillow shams, two standard size feather pillows and blue scarves draped across the foot of the bed. We asked for foam pillows and we received them within a short time frame. There are two floor lamps on the outer side of each bed and a table lamp on the drawered nightstand between the beds. Overhead there is a ceiling fan/light combo operated by a sliding fan and on/off light control. The balcony is large enough to fit a small, round cocktail table and two chairs with a beautiful view of the harbor area of Charlotte Amalie. There is a corner cabinet which contains a TV, DVD player and three drawers. The second bedroom has a closet (wish it had a light in it) with wooden hangars and a broom and dustpan. The bathroom off the second bedroom has one sink, black composite counter cherry wood cabinet with two open shelves on each side and a center cabinet with a door. A 1600 watt hair blow-dryer is provided. Four beach towels are provided in each bathroom (a total of eight) for the week's use.

The tiled dining area has a maple colored table with six large upholstered chairs. Seats are a camel colored, leather looking material and backs are cranberry, camel and blue colored paisley. There are two stools at the breakfast bar. Lighting in the entire unit is very good except for the closets. The living room has a border of the 18" beige ceramic tile and blue carpeting secured to the floor in the center. The couch (blue background with light yellow print) is a queen-size sofa bed. On one side of the couch is a table with a glass top and a spinning globe of the world beneath. The other side has a maple colored wood table. Both have lamps and coasters are provided. Two striped stuffed chairs are in front of the large picture window. We immediately turned them around to face the awesome view of the water. In the center of the room is a trunk/chest with a leather-like top. Across from the sofa is a large armoire with three usable drawers and a TV and DVD player. The channel lineup is very extensive, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News and various HBO stations. Unfortunately, none of the TVs are plasma or LCD. With a brand new, purpose built timeshare, we were surprised that Marriott Vacation Club did not introduce plasma or LCD televisions into the original design.

On the right side of the unit is the master bedroom. The king bed has a red scarf draped across the foot of the bed. The closet has a fairly good size safe, but not large enough to hold a laptop computer. An iron and ironing board are located in this closet. There is a soaking tub (not whirlpool) and two sinks. Beneath each sink is a doored cabinet. There is a drawer with a 1600 watt hair blow-dryer and two shelves between the cabinets. A door separates the toilet/shower area from the rest of the bathroom. Across from the bed is an armoire with TV, DVD player and three drawers. On either side of the bed is a one-drawered nightstand with a bottom shelf and a lamp on each. The master bedroom also has a ceiling fan/light. The sliding glass door enables you to enjoy the balcony which contains a round glass topped table and four metal chairs. The view is spectacular! There is also a door in the living room that leads to the master bedroom balcony. The air-conditioning works very well, but it is not a silent unit.

The infinity pool and surrounding area were excellent for the 28 units that were open. But when additional units are completed come June 2007, one hopes that many people will opt for the beaches around the island as this first pool area does not appear to accommodate huge numbers of people. There is a very small beach at Frenchman's Cove which does not look to lend itself to swimming, but will accommodate additional lounge chairs. The larger Morning Star Beach is available at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef. On the day we went to Morning Star Beach, it was very crowded. There is limited parking available at the Morning Star Beach.

We had anticipated barbecue grilling while here, but were disappointed that the property didn't yet have a grill station. Upon discussion with management, it was decided that they would set up a temporary grill station until a permanent solution could be found. The very next afternoon, there was a grill station available for use. In addition to ourselves, we saw many others enjoying the use of the grill.

Internet access is complementary, but, unfortunately, the connection is intermittent. Restarting your computer might allow you to continue your access, but there is no guarantee as to how long you will remain connected. This seems to be a common problem with some of the Marriott Vacation Clubs.

Check-out is at 10:00 AM, with no late check-outs allowed. This presents somewhat of a problem as most flights for the continental U.S. leave in the late afternoon. Since the health club is not yet open, there are no showers if you intend to use the pool or beach. After much discussion, management has agreed to offer one hospitality room at the Frenchman's Reef, providing a shower for those in need. Hopefully this problem will be resolved when the Health Club opens.

Also, I would recommend renting a car as taxi rates are per person and not inexpensive.

Being the first occupants, we were surprised that more problems did not ensue. We give credit and thanks to management and associates for their efforts both before and during our stay.

My husband and I stayed at the Marriott's Frenchman's Cove (next to Frenchman's Reef and Morningstar Resort) the third week in March. We had a two bedroom, two bath unit with full kitchen and two balconies. The view was incredible- the harbor, the cruise ships, the mountains, and, of course, the water. Even in the evening, the view was spectacular due to the lights of the city.

This is a new resort (timeshare) and only one building is finished. The pool is completed but needs to have more shade, so using it was limited to early morning and late afternoon for us. We rented a car. One nice feature is "garages" for those who rent cars- it's really the first floor of the building, but the area has been made

into individual units to park your car. We had breakfast in our kitchen each morning (groceries purchased at Food Center, East End,) and then had lunch and dinner out. Our favorite restaurant was Oceana because of the food,service, and the atmosphere.

We went to several USVI beaches, including Megan's Bay, Morningstar and Secret Harbor. We even took the ferry to Jost van Dyke to experience the Soggy Dollar Bar.

Having been to the Virgin islands several times, I would have to say this was the best accommodations and the best time that we have had. Can hardly wait until the next time.