Has anyone been to either Sapphire Beach or Secret Harbor in St. Thomas recently? Can't decide between the two. Heard Sapphire completed some of their renovating but I don't want to stay there if they are still in the middle of it. Which hotel is nicer. Are they equally safe? (Security on beach, etc.) Am I ok walking around either of those beaches at night? I would appreiciate any feedback you might have. Thanks!!

It is my understanding that the room renovations are completed at Sapphire and they are now working on the new community center which does not impact on guests. "Nicer" is relative depending on one's perspective but I really enjoy the lovely beach at Secret Harbour and the Blue Moon Cafe there. The SeaGrape at Sapphire is not very good! There are no patrolling guards on the beaches nor is there need for any! The entrance to Secret Harbor is a bit unsettling down a rather rough road but once you get to the beach and the resort, it is low key and not "glitzy" with a grande entrance! rob

I have had the opportunity to stay at both properties the summer of 1998. When I return someday, I will book a condo at Secret Harbour. The rooms are larger, the beach quieter, the restaurant better, friendly people, the whole atmosphere more laid back, etc. Guess it depends on what you're looking for, but both places are great. Both resorts have nice pools; the one at Sapphire is a bit more convenient (have to climb stairs to Secret Harbour- but oh, what a view!) Secret Harbor was well maintained.

We just stayed at Secret Harbour for a week with our 7 year old. It was great. <BR>The beach is beautiful, the staff is fantastic and very helpful. The rooms are very clean and the view is gorgeous. <BR>We had a great time, and are looking forward to going back.

Stayed at Sapphire Beach in November 1999. Excellent beach! Rooms were OK, but if renovations have been completed they should be much better. They are located very close to beach. <BR>Security was very good. Security guard made his presence known & was very friendly with our 2 young children. <BR>Pool restaurant/bar had very good service & food for lunch(free for kids). Didn't try hotel's main restaurant the Seagrape. Definitely give Cafe Wahoo in Redhook a try. Went there twice & food was some of the best I've found anywhere.

I stayed at Sapphire Beach in 3/00, supposedly after the rooms had all been renovated, at least that's what they had told us.( we went on the tour where they tried to sell us a unit) We were not impressed w/ the rooms--still look quite rundown, but we did not spend much time in the room. It was nice to have a kitchenett. The beach area was nice. There were many very rowdy teenagers there at the same time. They took over the pool area and were very bothersome to other guests. (a younng men's basketball team and young women's basketball team, so we understand) We were quite disappointed with management's decision to book this group and then to allow them to disrupt other guests' vacations the way they did. We will probably not ever return. We did eat at Blue moon one evening and it was very good. The resort as a whole seemed pretty quiet, quaint. Hope this helped.

Just stayed at Secret Harbour in Mar 2000. Stayed at Saphire 2 yrs before that. We went over to look at Saphire to see if we made the right decision in Feb. Saphire looked totally run down! It is the best choice if you are going wiht a family though. We just loved Secret Harbour...not a huge beach but great snorkeling. We saw giant sea turtles and stingrays right off the beach. Rooms are nice and pay the extra to be beachfront. Questions? Pls e mail and I will try and answer.