Frenchman Cove preview package question

Hello. My wife and I are thinking of buying the four night preview package for next May. I believe that the lodging is at the Marriott Hotel rather than the TS though you could pay extra to stay at the TS.

I have heard mostly bad reviews about the TS beach and I know my wife prefers to sit/swim in the ocean rather than the pool. Would you guys recommend staying at the hotel instead or is the beach not that bad? Not sure how great the beach is at the hotel now that I think about it!

Thanks.

Marc,
The beach at FC is very nice but swimming is difficult at the current time as about 10' out there is a coral reef about 10' to 15' wide. The Marriott Frenchman's Reef doesn't really have a beach but shares one with the MorningStar Marriott resort. Morningstar beach is beautiful and great for swimming. If you stay at any of the properties chaise lounges and umbrella's are free. There are about forty steps down (and up) to the MS beach from the hotel. The layout is difficult to describe but imagine a peninsula with the hotel (Frenchman's Reef) located at the tip. On the right side is the TS (Frenchman's Cove) and on the left is the resort and the beach (Morningstar Resort). If I were going on a preview and you like the beach I would ask for Morningstar. It's a series of small cottage type buildings located directly on Morningstar Beach.

Guests at either the hotel or the resort are not permitted access to the facilities at the TS but I guess that would be waived if you are on a preview tour. It would be inconvenient to use the pool at the TS while staying at the hotel and the hotel and resort both have really nice pools with great views anyway.

I'll be going down in January for a week at Morningstar followed by week in the timeshare. I'll post any new changes after I return. If you are there for four days I'd plan a day trip to St John. IMO the best beaches in the world are on St John.

Jim Freeman

The TS Sales Types at FC are known to claim that approval is coming "shortly" from the USVI government to remove that rock/reef shelf and it's sea urchins (from the FC Beach facing into the harbor).

That would be a great story if it wasn't a fact that the National Park Service administers all coastline below the waterline as part of the Virgin Islands National Park. Some is additionally under the domain of the Army Corp. of Engineers.

For examples of their current attitude towards development, no ocean/bay front property in the USVI has been able to replace/build a dock for decades (with the exception of Yacht Haven Marina). On St. John, Caneel Bay, Cruz Bay, and The Westin's (then Hyatt) were allowed 20+ years ago and are on underwater property leased out by the government as per deals with the VINP. The STT Yacht Haven Project took over 10 years to get approvals for it's docks and those were deemed an economic development need, not something the Marriott can argue.

No, the beach below the waterline will be exactly the same in many years.