Caneel Bay St. John
 

Hi...I have been somewhat reasearching Caneel Bay in St. John as a vacation spot for my husband and I next summer, however, it seems a bit expensive. I'm wondering if it is worth the extra expense, and/or if there are other comparable resorts that might be less expensive...Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

Yes, yes, yes!! You are paying for having 7 beautifully perfect beaches at your doorsteps. We rented a car at first & explored other beaches but turned it in early since the beaches are property were just as good, if not better & we could just walk out our door & not have to deal with driving. We took a taxi into town each night to eat. The accomodations are probably less fancy than some other properties of that price but you are really paying for the setting. We had courtside room at first & due to our toilet breaking, were moved to waterview after 2 days. We couldn't have afforded to pay for the upgraded view but if we could have, it was soooo worth the money. Good luck!!

Going to a Caribbean resort is somewhat like shopping for a home--all about location. Plus, every good thing that you'd like to have has a price tag attached. If you want romantic tropical paradise on 170 acres, so sprawling you can almost get lost, set in a National Park with no development to be seen anywhere, 7 tree-shaded white sand beaches with wade-in snorkeling, you have found it. Caneel is upscale casual--very nice rooms but no TV, no phone, no marble baths, no grand lobby. The many repeat visitors want it that way (and said so in a survey several years ago). Take a look at their video on www.caneelbayhotel.com
As nice as that is, it doesn't begin to do justice to the place. Yes, there are less expensive, but they are not Caneel.

Sorry, website is www.caneelbay.com

I could and have found fault in our 7-8 stays at Canneel of 6-12 nights over the past 12 years but it is a special place. That is if you enjoy one of the few top class snorkeling spots left in the Caribbean, lovely beacheas, manicured property and the equivalent of 1 acrea per guest. The food was top classs until about 2000 then went down hill but has come back the past 2-3 years to between a 3++ and a 4 on a scale of 5 being the best for the Caribbean, in my opinion. Yes, some staff are haughty but for the most part Starwood is and has addressed the problem based on a short visit this year while sailing through the Virgin's a few months ago and staying on the Caneel property for several hours then dinner and returned for breakfast and and a snorkel before sailing on. Yes, it is $150+ more per day for 2 than other fine places but for 6 or 7 nights it will insure you enjoy yourself if the weather cooperates.
I DO NOT work for Caneel or Rosewood Resorts, trust me.