Fantastic resort with great pool and restaurants---likely varying accoms--beach could use clean up though and no-see-ums
Family of 5 with 3 teens stayed in a private owner's condo. We loved the place! Since we had limited interaction with staff and did not rent directly from the resort, I can't speak to how different rooms etc. might be. Additionally, due to wicked no-see-ums after dusk---spray yourself down or if eating at Carib. Fish Market, they have spray at hostess stand and unattractive water entry---brown stuff--maybe seaweed, I can't give 5 stars. Perhaps there is a way staff can clear the brown stuff. Many more positives than negatives however. Every single one of us liked the place. While I can't speak much to how it was during the day as we were always out and about exploring and snorkeling, we liked the vibe of the place--not dead quiet, but not loud or rowdy. It was a good mix. I've researched USVI accoms on and off for a long time and we are big on large, unique pools which apparently is not a thing in USVI. So, the pool here was a big selling point---not huge, but large enough, pretty shape with unique features I'll let you discover for yourself. We swam in the pool at night and it was a good temp and nice way to end the day after active snorkeling and beach hopping. There is a snack bar by the pool, but it closed before we typically swam. The two onsite restaurants were both very good. We rarely ate out due to two kids with life-threatening allergies---for that and us we bought food at Food Center about 5 mins away. However, because our condo was so close to our room to the point we could see our balcony from around the corner and the resort felt safe, we did a rare thing and allowed ourselves a parent date. We went to CFM one night while the kids patiently waited for their... if you are good and get along you get the pool reward after we eat ;-) watching tv and playing video games. The main course was outstanding, though I'd skip their desserts. The child without food allergies wanted to use his own money to get a meal so I took him to Sangrias and ended up meeting my favorite local person we encountered in the USVI, Eduardo the bartender. He just seemed like a truly genuine, friendly down-to-earth guy! The burger was just ok, but those fries, even for me who does not like fries a lot, were so good. Both restaurants and even the snack bar and pool are all right by the beach with sea views. The one time we decided to give our sandy towels a break and get some of theirs was easy. We walked to lobby, gave our room number and returned them in an outside bin before we left. Aside from whatever stuff was on beach, the grounds were clean. I'm not into cats much, but the kids loved all the cats on the property (seems like a thing on islands sometimes). We lost power around 3 times, but the generators kicked right in so no biggie there. For snorkelers, Secret Harbor about 3-4 mins drive away from the resort was some of the most outstanding, amazing snorkeling I've ever done and it was right off the beach! I've gone diving before and it didn't hold a candle to the snorkeling here. All the kids also liked Coral World. Red Hook for the St John or wherever else ferry is literally 5 mins away. If first parking sign says "closed" don't fret keeping going around the corner and speak to attendant and hopefully you can enter there as we did. Quick, easy 15 min ferry to STJ. As far as the beach, aside from the brown stuff, it was a bit small, but chairs were out and it seemed nice enough with pretty palm trees. I'm not a layout type of person so I never really thought much about any of the beaches---our focus was more on pretty water and snorkeling. You are furthest from airport, Mountain Top and Magens Bay here, but for our interests, this was an ideal location. Again, I have no idea on accommodations as we rented from a private owner. I imagine they vary, hence some of the negative reviews I saw, but we loved ours. Overall fantastic resort we'd highly recommend!