Caneel Bay trip report

Just got back from a weeklong stay at Caneel Bay on St. John.

Really enjoyable trip overall. I've got plenty of criticisms, but if you like beautiful beaches, starry nights, and a feeling of seclusion, I doubt there are many better places.

Caneel Bay has an a lot of land (and beach) for only 165 rooms. (160 acres is more than you might realize - it was a 5 minute walk to Caneel Beach and the main bar and restaurants from our room, and almost 10 minutes in the other direction to the Turtle Bay Restaurant. If you are out and about a lot and choose not to ride the shuttle, you'll actually get a decent amount of exercise. We generally chose to walk for that reason. (People who aren't mobile might prefer a less sprawling resort.)

The grounds are very nice, although a bit wilder and less manicured than at most comparable resorts. (If you like golf course manicuring, look elsewhere.) At night, the pathways are lit, but in keeping with the "natural" approach, they're still very dark. They provide little keychain flashlights in the rooms for walking in the evening. Walking at night was amazing, as the stars were incredible (perhaps because the resort is so dark). Most nights we had a 360 degree view of the stars, and the milky way was clearly visible.

The beaches at Caneel Bay are gorgeous. They aren't wide (typically 10 or 20 feet of sand from water's edge to the back of the beach), but we usually had them all to ourselves. Our favorites were Hawksnest (particularly in the morning) and Paradise beach. You can sit in sun or shade (seagrape trees on the beaches), with spectacular clear Caribbean water and beatiful scenery. They had foam mats for lazing in the water, and the snorkeling was surprisingly good. We saw barracuda, turtle, a stingray, spotted eagle ray, and squid, in addition to the usual tropical fish and coral. We didn't make it to Waterlemon beach (not a part of the resort), but heard the snorkeling was excellent there. We did a snorkeling trip to Jost Van Dyke and were disappointed. Snorkeling was just as good off the beach at Caneel.

Service and meals were spotty. There are some nice touches - they check you into your room at the St. Thomas airport, taxi you to the harbor, and ferry you straight to the resort. Once on the boat they have a crew that will serve soft drinks, fruit punch, or rum punch, so you feel taken care of from the start. They meet the boat on the docks with cool towels and take you straight to the room.

Other aspects of service weren't as good. The activities desk was little help - generally uninformed and overpriced. Our shower drain didn't work, even after they sent someone to fix it. Staff was generally courteous but not friendly. Restaurants delivered food and service well below what you would expect for the same price in the states. (We thought the $20 pp lunch buffet was the best value.)

Mid Oct seemed to be a great time to be there. Even with rates about half the winter pricing, I would guess the resort was maybe half full. (Only one restaurant - plus the bar - was open each night). The other guests were great. We ventured out a few times (to Cruz Bay, St. Thomas, and the Westin) and each time felt validated that we had made the right choice.

Thanks to those on this board that provided advice prior to our trip. Hope this is helpful.