Caneel OF room
 

Hi! We're on our way to our 2nd trip to Caneel Bay--last time we stayed in a courtside room; we had anticipated doing the same thing this year, but because of remodeling/construction, that area was not available. We ended up booking an ocean front room and requested one on Turtle Bay beach, rather than Little Caneel or Caneel Bay beaches. Any input on these OF rooms? Any input on the oceanfront rooms in general? Thanks!!

Stayed in a TB oceanview, was great (the views, rooms not so much). TB beach seemed less crowded then other beaches around the hotel. A little far away from the main hotel area.

Since you've been to Caneel already, you know the layout. Different people prefer different spots-- for different reasons. I don't think there's a "best" room; it's all according to one's druthers. Some people don't prefer Turtle because it's somewhat noisier, i.e. more boat traffic. On the other hand, those rooms are pretty much right on the beach and that's a high priority for many people. On the other hand, many people (ourselves included) don't like the over/under configuration of rooms on Turtle (and Hawksnest). Little Caneel rooms are larger than the others-- and the beach has great shade, and there's lots of privacy. But sometimes families are put in those rooms. Caneel beach rooms are much more removed from the beach-- it's a kind of long view and that beach isn't the most beautiful (many think) Etc. But you know all this from your first visit, no?

Salty: In short, which beaches did YOU most enjoy last time you were at Caneel? Where did you spend most of your time? (Why?) Did you stroll the property a lot? Were there areas you thought were more lovely than other areas? When you talked of a possible return visit, did you hope to spend more time at a particular beach/area? Which one(s)? Did you frequently take advantage of "tea time" at Turtle Bay? Would being way over at Little Caneel make such afternoon visits too cumbersome? Did you notice the lack of lanai privacy when you walked past the Caneel Bay rooms? Did that seem objectionable or not a problem at all? Etc Etc Etc.

We went to all the beaches -- we loved the long walks to everywhere! So, I'm not really concerned about being close to anything in particular. We walked basically the whole place every day! I think what I'd love the best is a beautiful view...one that includes the lush foliage and the water. I want to enjoy some Champagne overlooking the sunset each night! I think I might be leaning more toward Little Caneel! Good point about the over/under config. We were on the top level of our courtside room & liked that better. I would definitely want lanai privacy.

When we stayed in a Little Caneel room, there was actually a nice bathtub as well as shower. If you're tub people (and if they still have the same bathroom setup), that might be an extra delight for you. And those rooms for sure are larger. The privacy is great, but the views imo aren't quite as good as from some of the other rooms. For one thing, you're not up high. For another, the plantings are very fullgrown and obstruct views a little bit. But I still think the views are wonderful (EVERYWHERE at Caneel). The beach at LC is small and tends to be mostly in the shade. (We liked that.) And it tends to have fewest people (at least each time we were there). It's also the beach off which is our favorite snorkeling at Caneel-- that whole left side all along the rocks and out around the point to Honeymoon Bech and on to Salomon.

The tub sounds great--and I love the whole privacy idea. Loved Honeymoon beach too! Thanks for the snorkeling tip; we actually didn't get to snorkel in that area last time. Thanks!

Quietest beachfront spot with privacy on uncrowded beach is upstairs on Hawksnest Beach. Wade-in snorkeling right out in front, short walk to Scott or turtle for alternate snorkeling. Another plus to Hawksnest is the it faces east towards the tradewinds, so you can live open air, using the ceiling fan for cooling, rather than having to use A/C and close the room up.

One other factor at LC is the early morning ferry (I think 6 am) which brings the help from St.Thomas. I heard that every mnorning. The snorkleing is nice off that beach, although the beach itself is small and mostly shade. We have stayed many years at Turtle. The disadvantage is the strong surf at night (yes I'm a light sleeper) and the rooms are small and dated. The beach is pretty though. If you're a sun person, the beach gets shady mid-afternoon and can get buggy. The views from the upper rooms are fabulous. The lower rooms don't have the same views but have easy access to the beach. I don't know if that direction actually gets a view of the sunset. I don't think so. IMO there is no point in paying OF prices for Caneel Bay rooms. If it is just the view you are after and you plan to travel around the resort anyhow, why not consider the Ocean View rooms instead and save some money. The ones along the coast from Caneel Bay around to Scott Beach have great views and sunsets. Hope this helps.

My husband informed me that we are actually staying in an ocean VIEW room (I had said ocean front, which don't exist--they're beach front). The idea of the tradewinds coming in the room sounds heavenly :)

http://www.caneelbay.com/i/pdf/caneel_bay_map2.pdf
This is a link to the grounds map at Caneel. For ocean view rooms, upstairs in the bldgs. behind Caneel Beach would probably afford the most privacy and breezes. Hawksnest is beach front, a higher price category.

If you choose Little Caneel, be sure to ask for a room as far from the dock as possible. There's definitely a certain amt of boat traffric at that dock. Also, it's not the best place to see sunsets (as you can see from looking at the map). For other reasons, those rooms are great though.
I think the rooms above Caneel Beach are probably the LEAST private of any. They have nice, long views, but every time we strolled by, we found ourselves thinking how sad it was to have absolutely no privacy on the lanais: You are fully exposed.

Caneel Ocean View rooms are a very short stroll to Caneel Beach. Upstairs rooms should provide a great view.

Turtle Bay Ocean View adjoins Turtle Bay restaurant, has outstanding views, is a short stroll to Turtle Bay Beach and has a private tropical path to a tiny beach below. I am not sure of the swimming/snorkeling there. In addition, in the evening, I have observed guests from these rooms use the estate verand as their private patio. Also, I am uncertain if these rooms have been reclassified as Premium Ocean View. If so, their price is the same as beach front.