My very first partner was The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express 5 years ago. Since then I have been called an SPG Amex Star or an Amex Ambassador. It’s one of my most valued partnerships and I love the card! I literally use it every single day. I actually have 3 SPG Amex cards in my wallet as we speak: one personal card and 2 others for two of my different businesses. Each year I go on a few SPG Amex trips to show how easy it is to use the card and highlight some Starwood properties around the country and the world. I just got back from my SPG Amex trip to St. John, US Virgin Islands.

The US Virgin Islands are a US territory so there are no foreign transaction fees to worry about. Even if there was, the SPG Amex card doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees as I pointed out when I went to Mauritius with the new SPG Amex card last summer. This can save you a lot of money while traveling the world!

In order to get to St. John and not have to use a passport, you will fly to St. Thomas. There are several direct flights from all over the US including New York. I am not a fan of St. Thomas at all so I recommend heading straight for St. John. I ended up having 2 nights in St. Thomas this trip as a result of a cancelled flight. My advice is avoiding taxi drivers in St. Thomas as I found them, meaning multiple drivers, to be very dishonest and even threatening. But that’s another story for another day. St. John is very nice.

I stayed at the Westin St. John and it’s the best hotel on the island. It’s about a 7-8 minute taxi ride from where the ferry from St. Thomas drops you off in Cruz Bay. Again, be careful with taxi drivers in the Virgin Islands and make sure to agree on a price beforehand.

Once at the Westin, it is a sprawling resort with a large pool, multiple restaurants and a nice pool bar. There is also a private beach to hang out on and they offer several excursions. They even offers boats to the British Virgin Islands but remember to bring your passport if you want to go to Jost Van Dyke or any of the other BVI’s.

Unfortunately, the weather in St. John was not very nice for most of my stay. Obviously, you cannot control the weather but you can make the best out of the situation as I always do! So instead of lazing at the pool and drinking tropical cocktails in the sun, we headed out around the island.

The best attractions on St. John are the stunning beaches in Virgin Islands National Park. Trunk Bay is the most famous and always appears on many top beach lists in the world. However, I did not include it in my 30 best beaches in the world post although when I redo it I will give it strong consideration.

Aside from beaches, we happened to be there during their Carnival or Festival as they call it. That means there are massive concerts, parades and late night parties all over town. It can get very loud so be prepared but it’s a great way to see the real culture of St. John come out. Of course many islanders from St. Thomas and St. Croix come as well to party and listen to famous Caribbean acts perform.

But I must say that my favorite things about St. John were the fantastic restaurants we ate dinner in. The concierge at the Westin was fantastic and recommended some phenomenal restaurants. My idea of island food is usually pretty basic but recently some very high-end restaurants have opened in town.

My favorite was Extra Virgin. If you know New York City, there is an excellent West Village restaurant of the same name that I go to often. They aren’t related. The St. John version is fantastic and is a great value. I got the short rib; which was massive and only about $35 or so. Additionally, they have an extensive wine list and happened to have my favorite, a 2011 Silver Oak Cabernet, at a very reasonable price at around $100. I know that may sound expensive but compared to what they charge in the US, it’s very cheap!

I also loved The Terrace restaurant. It is located just off the main port overlooking the harbor. It’s a second floor restaurant with a great little happy hour bar, excellent food and tremendous value in terms of price and portions. I recommend the wahoo for a main and the foie gras appetizer.

Back at the Westin, we finally got good weather the day we had to leave so it was a short-lived pool experience but a lot of fun nonetheless. And for the experience I earned around 5000 Starpoints to add to my collection toward free nights at other Starwood properties using my SPG Amex card. If you don’t use it, I highly recommend you do. I believe it’s the best travel rewards credit card out there.

Disclaimer: I have a partnership with the SPG Amex card and receive financial compensation. I also partner with American Express and Starwood separately on other business ventures not related to the SPG Amex card. SPG Amex sponsored my trip to St. John by providing airfare and accommodation at the Westin St. John. I paid for everything else with my business SPG Amex card. This post was written by me based on my experience and has not been influenced in any way. I have had the SPG Amex card since 2001 and I am a lifetime platinum SPG member.

Sharing is caring!