my husband and i are thinking of going to st. thomas next february. we enjoy smaller resorts when we go to the caribbean that are on the beach or very near the beach. can anyone recommend such a place in st. thomas? some of the places we like are buccutti beach in aruba and we used to stay at dawn beach hotel in st. martin years ago.
thanks.

A smaller hotel on a beach is Bolongo Beach Resort. It's certainly not fancy but is family-owned for many years, has a pool, restaurants, etc.

You might like Secret Harbour. It's really popular & the units have kitchens. Good restaurant. http://www.secretharbourvi.com/

Elysian Beach Resort is another to check out. Good restaurant on site as well & both Secret Harbour & Elysian are near Red Hook where there are several restaurants plus the ferry to St. John.
http://www.elysianbeachresort.net/

has anybody had any experiences going to bolongo, secret harbour or elysian beach resort? i'd love to hear from someone who's been to any of these 3 places.

I will vote for Secret Harbor for above reasons and it is close to the St. John ferry in Red Hook.

My hubby and I considered Bolongo Bay, but our travel agent said "don't do it". I am looking forward to checking BB out for myself & also eating @Iggies. Looks like a fun place.

We recently booked a unit @Sapphire Beach resort thru vrbo.com. A walk out unit that looks beautiful. I hope we've made a good choice for our first trip to St. Thomas.

p.s. We've stayed at the Bucuti too. What a beach!!

Tricia, I'm curious about why your travel agent urged you not to go to Bolongo Bay. I've always found it to be a great place, though not always in perfect condition, and I really like the fact that it's family-owned. It's a little out of the way, that's true, and the beach is a little rocky. Otherwise, I have always liked it.

Not so with Sapphire, which has had periods of ups and downs. At present, reports are that restaurant service is still erratic and that the general renovation and improvements have not yet made it to all the units. It's an undoubtedly beautiful beach, so there's that. And it does seem to be on the way up again, rather than on the way down. But whether you have a nice time may depend on your particular unit.

we are about to book a room at secret harbor. does anybody have any advice about what specific or general room to request. all the reviews seem to be pretty positive. if anybody has had a "bad" experience, i would appreciate your telling me about it before i finalize my plans. thanks