I am tentatively planning a stay at the Sapphire Beach Resort in St.Thomas in July. I have read mixed reviews on this resort and wonder from someone who has been there recently how it was. Also, is the food that expensive? THanks!

Didn't stay there, but at Morning Star('99) Went to visit to see what it was like. I was very glad I had not decided to stay there. The water was beatiful, but the beach was not as spectacular as others on the island. The hotel looked like it was ready for a face lift.

Hi Kris:<BR>Sapphire Beach is great, but I recently stayed at a B&B in town, that was recently remodeled and had an excellent view of the bay. While there I ate one of the best breakfasts I have ever had and there was so much privacy. The Inn keepers will become your friend from the moment you meet them. It is walking distance to shops and it is minutes from Magens Bay the best beach on the island. Take a look online: http://www.bellavista-bnb.com.

Jen<BR><BR>How many posts are you going to use to SPAM that B&B...? Give it a rest lady!

Buyer Beware. <BR>Hotel owners, B&B owners can post here too. Read with caution! <BR>This message board is here to <BR>share travel experiences and knowledge. It is not a forum for free<BR>advertisements. (Jenn!)

Kris,<BR>My family(two sons-age at the time 4 and 11,husband) and another family with 7 yr old stayed there in June 2000, and the accomodations were absolutely great. Both of our condos had just been recently revamped with all new furniture from top to bottom and the sleeper sofas were some of the most comforatable we have found. The unit we had, had a living area with queen sleeper sofa, dining area,full bath and a balcony downstairs- and then upstairs there was a king size bedroom area with a sitting area with a queen size sleeper sofa,full bath and a seperate balcony.<BR><BR>It was immaculately clean. We were in unit C310, the best building on the property, over to the side of the pool area, so not much traffic in front of your unit, overlooking the point that extends from the property, you can see the harbor area beside the property from your balcony to watch the boats come in and out but far enough away that you really dont even hear them. <BR><BR>The beach area was o.k. with lots of shade in areas if you needed it, and good snorkeling there right in front of property. There is a small pool, with limited seating, but my family barely used it, we have a pool at home and can swim anytime we want so my kids were more inclined to stay at the beach area and snorkle and use the kayak and the battery powered water lounge chair of which we did several times a day. My kids are avid snorklers even my 4 yr old would put a life jacket on and hang out with one of us adults for a very long time.<BR><BR>The Sea Grape restaurant is not very good we were told by MANY people, so we did not eat there even though at the time kids ate free. The grill at the pool area made a good hamburger and we ate there a couple times, but mostly we ate lunch and breakfast in our condo. If you need recommendations on restaurants or a day trip(one my kids still talk about), please email me directly and I can give you list of where we ate of which all of them were great, we did not have a bad meal the whole week we were there. It was a great place for kids and adults alike, though there were alot of families. It is a very convenient location to get to grocery shopping, Red Hook, shopping, restaurants, etc. Have a great time and safe travel

I used to live in STT and Sapphire is not a great resort. It is old and run down, I agree with the last post the beach is nice, but the food is terrible. I have eaten there many times. Also, if you are looking for a place that is private, do not go there. On the weekends they have bands and it is like one huge night club for the locals. Also, they have windsurfing contests on the beach sometimes, and it is packed! Try Morning star as it is a gated resort.

Morningstar is not a gated resort but there is security sometimes whe you drive in just like all the other resorts. Sapphire is not old and run down especially since they've had a redo recently. SeaGrape is not recommended but breakfasts and lunches are okay. Handy to Red Hook for the ferry dock and other good dining out options. Sunday there is a beach party and some weeks one of the cruise ships uses it for a beach. Kids stay and eat free.

I despised this resort. People unfriendly, not helpful. One pool - temperature cold. Pool is somewhat small. Beach is not wide at all and cannot hold a full hotel. The child care area was pitiful. Caregivers stick your kid in front of a t.v., tennis was never offered thru kids program, and the playground had grass growing inside the sandbox. The restaurant (Seagrape) was not appealing however, the staff at the pool dining were pleasant. Never received complimentary wine in room. I have been to many places in the Caribbean and this was the worst! Most enjoyable vacation I recently had was in Baja, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. I also wrote a letter to the Sapphire Beach hotel (managed by Doubletree now) and never received a response despite I mailed them a letter 2x. Totally unresponsive.

Anna, I am curious to know when you stayed at Sapphire. Was it recently? How were the accomodations (clean? well maintained?) and in what way was the staff not helpful? THanks

We stayed next door at Crystal Cove 5 months ago and spent a fair amount of time at Sapphire Beach Resort. Some comments:<BR>1. I don't believe it is still a Doubletree resort.<BR>2. The pool isn't very large.<BR>3. The main restaurant is quite expensive, but there are lots of good places to eat 1 mile away in Red Hook.<BR>4. The beach is perhaps the best on St. Thomas with a hotel on it. Clear water, good snorkeling to the right, great views of St. John, Jost van Dyke, etc. It is a fairly narrow beach and it was a bit crowded for our taste. However, we were there during Christmas Week - I would think July would be much quieter.<BR>5. Some of the weeknight entertainment was lame, but the Sunday afternoon beach party was fun - a nice mix of locals and tourists, and a very good barbecue meal for $10.<BR>6. Convenient location for island-hopping (near Red Hook ferries).<BR>7. I have seen "specials" for this resort that are WAY below rack rates - make sure you get a big discount.<BR><BR>

Sapphire Beach is not fancy but we had a nice two floor suite which was clean and had a great balcony overlooking the water..it has the best views of St. John and the British virgin islands and should not be busy in July at all. The restaurant has little to be desired but down the street in Red Hook you can grab a great bkfast or lunch right next to the ferry and don't forget Duffy's Love Shack. Lots of other restaurants to visit. Will get back to you on my favorite (forget the name) fantastic view too! We had a great time. Don't drink the painkillers...Dr. ? the bartender makes a mean one. We had a great time.

Kris..the restaurant to go on St.T's is Agave Terrace..beautiful view and terrific food..Just a short drive up the road from Sapphire Beach. Molly Malones is next to the ferry..watch our for the iguanas. Some restaurants close during the off season so you will be limited.. try to stay away from the food at Sapphire except for a quick lunch or brkfst. Definitely take your free snorkel rentals from the hotel and take the ferry to St. Johns for a day trip..well worth it!

JJ, Thanks for your response. I am definitly going to take the ferry to St. John, but I heard there was a 2 hour limit on borrowing the snorkel equipment from Sapphire. Did you have any problem with that? I am also reading more about the "Painkillers" and can't wait to try them!!

Hi Kris...no problem w/ the snorkel equipment..we just had to return it by closing time...Actually I think we didn't make it till the next day...Don't forget Magens Bay up the street..awesome beach...Enjoy your trip!!!

Hi Kris,<BR>We stayed there 2/01. I hope some changes were made. The staff was inattentive as far as: 1. not responding to a no electricity call (needed to make 3 calls); 2. staff did not respond to delivering free bottle of rum; 3. basic friendliness at front desk nor with ground keepers; 4. attendants working rental equipment (scuba/snorkeling) had a bad attitude - making you feel it is a privledge to get equipment and always "come back later". I found the rooms to be clean. Overall, the ambience of the hotel did not leave you with the impression they care to know me or be responsive. Certainly not a Ritz Carleton type of attitude. And for them not to acknowledge my 2 letters about the serviceability of the hotel, says something for them. I have been to Caneel Bay, Frenchman's Reef, Westin on St. John, and find these places far superior.

There was a robbery there on Sunday. It is listed under the burglaries section:<BR><BR>http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_records?id=187283<BR><BR>

Actually if you took the time to read the article you would find that it was a burglary and not a robbery. Most likely someone returning to an empty room to find something missing. Gee, guess that would NEVER happen anywhere in the world except St. Thomas!<BR><BR>Truth Squad

David -- that Virgin Island News site is obviously a fake site with fake crime reports just to scare tourists.... don't believe it. Trust me, I am a business owner in the VI and we are working to get that site taken down. There is no crime problem in the USVI. Here is another of those fake web sites with scare tactics, with a false claim that the murder rate in the USVI is 5 times the national average...<BR><BR>http://new.onepaper.com/stthomasvi/?v=d&i=&s=Newsocal&p=46435<BR><BR>Believe me, it's all lies perpetrated by "The Man". Trust me on this. Although I am a business owner, I am in no way biased, and would be the first to tell you if any crimes occurred in the VI.