Most cruisers are familiar with the location of the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef hotel on St. Thomas as they enter into port. Its prominent position perched high-up on a cliff is the first sight one sees when approaching the island. This 30+ year old hotel just closed for a much-needed $48 million restoration, due to re-open in October. Nestled in a cove next to the hotel is Marriott Vacation Club’s Frenchman’s Cove timeshare. You can see the hotel on the far right in the picture below. The brightly painted buildings is the timeshare.
All villas at this beachfront timeshare offer spectacular ocean views. Tiered up the side of a mountain, the 6-story buildings wrap around the cove with the main pool in the middle down by the man-made beach. Each 2-bedroom villa offers 2 balconies, one off each bedroom, and the familiar Marriott Vacation Club layout. These units are not lock-off capable so the second bedroom has 2 Queen beds.
Below are the views from our 3rd floor villa. I think this is the best part of this resort. It is rare you can visit a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare and be guaranteed stunning ocean views.
The beach at the Cove is quite small so many guests head over to the larger, natural Morning Star Beach by the hotel. A shuttle runs guests over to the hotel every 15 minutes. Below is a picture of the beach at the timeshare.
The Green Iguana is a regular visitor to the pool. These creatures can grow up to 6 ft. long. I was shocked the first time I saw them.
There is one restaurant on-site of the timeshare which offers breakfast, lunch and a limited dinner menu. This pool side restaurant is swimsuit casual and offers very good food–try the Fish Tacos, they are excellent. A privately run restaurant at the hotel called Havana Blue offers delicious Latin-fusion cuisine and creative martinis. The concierge recommended an established restaurant on island that was under new management called Old Stone Farmhouse. This is a MUST. The ambiance, food and service were all excellent. The menu offers surf and turf combinations but the chef offers a twist –create your own dinner. Every guest heads in to the kitchen to view the fresh catch of the day or to see what was just freshly flown in–ostrich, elk, New Zealand lamb chops, Mediterranean seabass, Maine scallops. You pick the size of each portion and combination you desire and create your own meal. It is fun and not outrageously expensive. Plan on adding $40 to your tab just for the cab ride to and from the hotel.
St. Thomas is a shoppers haven. Every store is duty free and tax free with jewelry being the predominant item to purchase. I found that the same item could be found anywhere from 10-25% less than what you would pay on the mainland. Many shops sold the same item so you have to check them all out to find the best price. For only $8, a water taxi picks you up at the timeshare dock every hour and whisks you into town in only 20 minutes. It is a fun and informative ride as the captain regales you with stories about the island.
After spending a week in St. Kitts we flew to St. Thomas on Liat Airlines for only $89. We only had 2 days to spend at Frenchman’s Cove so I will put it back on my list for a longer stay.
