Antilles@Sapphire Beach, A Terrific Value!!.............Great Hotel W/O
Written: Aug 13 '03 (Updated Oct 17 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: It's oceanfront on one of the best beaches of St Thomas
Cons: They bring in outside parties a couple of times a week.
The Bottom Line: How many times have we said "Location, Location, Location"?
Once again those are the three words that make this place the value it is.
|
|
|
| popsrocks's Full Review: Antilles Resorts at Sapphire Beach |
For those who have kept up with my reviews, you know that I didn't know where I was going on this last vacation. I dealt with the on line company Hotels.com. In doing so I booked the wrong place!! Just last week my wife and I stayed at this mystery place.
To make a long story short, I went to the site looking to book Sapphire Beach and Marina. Somehow this big guy, me, goofed big time!! I inadvertently booked the Antilles@Sapphire Beach. I realized this just four days before leaving to travel. The Hotel.com policy is to charge two nights stay plus service charges for any cancellations within a weeks time in this season. Rather than go through any of these problems and losing $$$$$, we decided to give this resort a try.
GETTING THERE, But, "Where is there?"
Because I booked online I didn't have much contact with the hotel. The online companies really don't want you talking to the places first hand. After some searching I found the Email address to the place direct. I did Email telling them that I read there was complimentary transportation to the hotel, yet I had nothing in hand about it. Other places we stayed in the past issued transportation vouchers.
Antilles@Sapphire Beach did respond telling me to go to a particular tour company station within the airport in St Thomas. We did arrive at Cyril E King Airport on American Airlines. The tour office was right across from the baggage claim. The people there did have my name noted and they hailed a cab for my wife and me. The taxi took us on a slow trip through the shoppers paradise of Charlotte Amalie. We passed three cruise ships in the Harbor and took the twenty-five minute ride to the hotel. It cab ride was complimentary.
As we made a turn into the complex my wife and I both notice the name of the place as Sapphire Beach and Marina. It seemed to us that this guy was making the same mistake we made in booking. We were going to the wrong place!
"No!!" He assured us, "This is Sapphire Beach and Marina and it is also Antilles@Sapphire Beach!" Now my wife and I are more confused than ever.
The driver drops me off at the lobby that has signs welcoming us to the Sapphire Beach and Marina, nothing about Antilles@Sapphire beach. He says he will stay in the cab and wait until all is worked out.
I walk in, go to the check-in desk, tell them I have arrived and they tell me, "Sorry, We cannot help you. You need the Antilles@ Sapphire Beach, we cannot help you here". My frustration must be beginning to show.
The gal at the desk directs me to a hotel phone in the lobby and says she will connect me to Antilles. The phone rings, I get a machine. "Antilles Sapphire Beach is not available now. If this is an emergency please dial *** ****.
Now this IS becoming an emergency to me! I call the number. No answer!! Next the cab driver comes in and tells me he just received our room number. I'm thinking, "How can he have my room number when the desk doesn't have me listed and I can't get through to the Antilles Number?"
It seems he called back to the airport and the tour company had the information and hadn't given it to him while we were still there.
He drives us up to a building a hundred yards away from the lobby area. He shows us where the room is and assures me, this is the place. Huh, I'm still in the Sapphire Beach and Marina Resort!!
My wife goes to the room. The door is open and the room seems ready for newcomers. The room is all perfectly done. There is a small welcome bottle of local rum and a couple of cans of coke on the table.
The driver tells us someone will be with us soon and helps bring in the luggage. A woman comes to the room in just three minutes. She has an envelope in her hands and knows our names and welcomes us.
I ask, "Please help me understand what's going on!" After some talk around the kitchen table we are told that Antilles is an agent company for properties that are condos. The Antilles@Sapphire Beach has condos within the Sapphire Beach and Marina Resort with a few small differences in amenities as offered by the name resort. I'll get to them in a bit.
OUR ROOM
The suite as the room is known, is a combination bedroom, kitchen and living area. The first area entered is a small hallway that passes the bathroom and then enters the bedroom. This in turn opens to a full kitchen area and then again into a living room space. The total area was about 14'x 34'. There are doors that open up to the deck. What a view!! "Location", is the word.
The BEDROOM
The bed was a king. It is actually two singles together with a proper spacer between them. The mattress was a bit too hard for my wife. She is accustomed to a firm mattress with a thin layer of the egg crating foam at home. The bed suited me fine.
Behind the bed was a shelving unit that kept books and things tidy. It had a mirror within the unit itself. There was a florescent light that was used for night reading. It's a bit to bright for me.
Overhead is a fan. This is in addition to the rooms central air conditioning. The A/C was a problem for me in that the vent was directly on the bed. It started to feel quite cold after a while. I would then pull a blanket and even the comforter over me. Then when A/C shut off things got a bit muggy and I would shed the blankets only to put them on again after waking to the cool draft on my body from the A/C again.
Thankfully that was the only problem we had with the room. The rest was wonderful. There was plenty drawer and shelf space for our over packed wardrobes of the week. Besides the A/C there was a ceiling fan above the bed. The room did not have a safe.
The rooms all had 12"x12" white tiles flooring that actually was the same on the back entrance area through our rooms, bathroom, and right on out to our deck. It looked good and cleaned easily. The walls were all a cream colour and except for some marks from the back of our chairs on a small part of the wall, all was in very good shape. The walls and ceiling looked fresh and clean.
On the wall is a divider that can be pulled to give privacy to the bedroom area from the kitchen/living area. We always kept the room open as it was only two of us and we always wanted that view of the palm trees and the beach.
THE BATH
My wife really was happy with the bathroom. We had separate sinks. We had all out toiletries at our own place with a small shelf across the wall that helped organize things. It also had plenty of towel bars, hooks and towel racks for storage and tidiness. Plenty of large towels , hand towels, and wash clothes we neatly stacked on shelving in the bathroom.
The resort gives no countertop amenities such as shampoo, rinses and the like. The room did have a 1600 power hairdryer, good lighting, an exhaust vent, and full mirror.
The shower/tub had good pressure and water temperature regulation.
THE KITCHEN
Walking through the next area from the bedroom is the kitchen complete with a refrigerator, stove, oven, toaster, blender, microwave oven and coffee maker. We had to bring our own goods. We did purchase some coffee and a few other items but for the most part ate out. All other needed kitchen utensils, flatware, dishware, pots and pans were there for our use.
The table was a glass top rattan piece with four matching rattan chairs. A small vase with some artificial flowers were centered upon the table. They were attractive. There were a couple of other arrangements on top of a few pieces in the room. They did not add to the rooms decor at all. This one did.
A dimmer switch regulated light was over the table. It was white in colour as were all the lampshades and both ceiling fans in the room.
THE LIVING AREA
Into the living area we found a pullout couch with many throw pillows in light coloured tropical prints. The coffee table and end table all matched the kitchen table and chairs as did two padded rattan chairs in the living room. There were brightly coloured printed drapes that opened and closed easily to show off our magnificent view. The whole effect of the decor throughout the suite was light, airy, and cheerful.
Both the bedroom area and the living area had a TV. Neither had remotes. One was brought the next day. I had to program the remote myself.
Inside the rattan cabinet, with the large TV in the living area, was also a CD/radio with speakers on top of the unit. The sound was excellent.
The TV was satellite and had about forty US stations. As with most Caribbean destinations you can't find the local weather on the TVs in the rooms. By waiting for the tropical updates on the weather channel I was able to follow some satellite images that did help me plan the weeks itinerary.
OUR PORCH
The glass doors were centrally located on the back wall. The handle of the door was broken and we had to deal with that the full time there. The door did lock properly.
Through those doors were an unbelievably beautiful view. My wife told me that when she had entered the room and saw the view she almost started to cry. It was that gorgeous!
The porch had two lounge chairs and two other low chairs. It was a wrap around porch. This was wonderful for us so we could be on the east side as the sun came up in the morning.
We were on the second level. Palm trees and the turquoise seas were in front of us always. This was also a very quiet area of the beach. We never heard any voices or sounds.
The bottom rooms had access directly to the beach. Some people like that. We preferred the view from above one level. The units are four stories high. The bottom and second units are as I described. The top two floors are the villas. These contain the bedrooms on the top level and the kitchen/living area just below. This was a bit better suited for families.
ABOUT THE GROUNDS
Access to the room was from the back of our building. The flora was beautiful in that area. It was lush and well maintained. Parking was right behind the units. This was convenient when we rented a car.
I could not say the same about beauty beyond the parking lot. At one time there were plans to put a swimming pool and some other units up in that area. It was never done and there is a chain link fence and dried up fields with some storage trailers on it. Some attractive hedges or coloured fencing would help hide the eye sore.
The oceanfront of the units were OK looking. They were all done in wood that has grayed and weathered over the years. The resort has about four or five of these buildings. Though it is for the most part in good shape, I didn't find the outside of the units particularly attractive contrasted to the inside that were excellent.
THE POOL
They have a two level fresh water pool that was fairly close to our unit. The way it was set up we never heard any late night sounds from it. It is open all night! No life guards ever. This is a family resort. There are children there. Though all children are supposed to be watched and supervised by adults, this was not always the case.
Most activity in the pool was over at about ten PM. The pool was fairly clean. It wasn't crystal clean but wasn't dirty either. We keep our pool at home very clean.
The pool is not all that large, in fact I feel it is probably too small for the amount of units in the complex. This was off season so it really wasn't a problem.
Just beyond the pool area is a place named Prettyclip. It is a peninsula that goes out about fifty yards into the ocean area. It is lined with palm trees and is used for weddings and the like. It is always open and has a few lounge chairs at the end. We sat out there one evening and one morning. It was delightful. I had a notebook in hand and for the first time ever wrote my feelings at that moment down on paper. I have provided a link to read about that wonderful moment in my life.
At the pool area is a bar that also offers some light fare during the day until 5PM. The prices were reasonable and their burgers were excellent!!
THE BEACH AREA
All this overlooks Sapphire Beach. This is known to be one of ST Thomas's most beautiful beaches. It really does have stunning views. Unfortunately due to two hurricanes in the last fifteen years there was damage to some of the shoreline and trees. Some beach is washed away, however, there is still PLENTY of beach to share.
We spent many hours just sitting in our lounges, with a drink in hand, in the shade of the trees, checking out the scenery. Beyond our shores we could see the island of ST John and the British Virgin Islands in the distance. We did do a one day trip there to see the famous Baths of Virgin Gorda. That's another review to read in the near future.
We spent most of our time at this beach in the water, however, snorkeling and seeing plenty right there!!
We actually go to these islands for the snorkeling. Just in the areas off our beach we saw a sea turtle, a few barracuda, a couple of different kind of rays, squids, and many many other kinds of fish.
Pelicans were having a field day feeding on the small fry that were all in the area too.
The coral was not the best. This area is probably just to used and damaged by those who don't keep their fins of the coral. It was decent however and there were some spots that were wonderful. The best snorkeling we did on the US Virgin Islands were in St John. We stayed there last year and paid a visit again this year. Also the Baths were excellent!!
WATER SPORTS
Open to us was a sports center with a few non motorized crafts. Motorized jet skis and the like are available for rental at the marina less than a five minute walk away.
Every morning we would go to the fellas in the sports center and they would set us up with lounges and towels for the day. The chairs are locked up.
They also sell and rent snorkel gear, sun lotions, underwater cameras and the like.
All beaches in St Thomas are open to the public. For the most part I had no idea as to whether the people in the water were tourists or locals. I'll explain the rest of that statement in a bit.
BAR and RESTAURANT
In front of the main lobby area on the beach is the bar. It is under a protected open air canopy of sorts. The drinks are good and the prices fair. Once again the view is all about location and this beach has it!
Right next door and also open aired, yet protected is the SeaGrape Restaurant. It was rated as a four star eatery. Our first impression was a far less rating. But please let me explain.
This hotel caters to outside groups on occasion. We were drawn to the area by the sound of music in the late afternoon of our first day there. There was a lively party going on and the guests were playing games and having a great time. What we also noticed were cigarette butts being strewn about, soda cans rolling around in the breezes, and snack bags blowing in the wind. The place looked terrible and we didn't see anybody cleaning up.
My wife and I then became a bit apprehensive about the place. All this was happening in and around the Seagrape restaurant. It was not open at the time, but, from the looks of things we thought we would have to spend most of our days out on the road site seeing.
Later on we had returned. Things were cleaned up and the atmosphere was completely different. We did eat at the restaurant. We had breakfast there a couple of times and had dinner once. Ha, did I tell you anything about the location? Yes, yes, the views are stunning!! Be sure to get a seat near the edge without the plastic wind breaks.
At the buffet breakfast people were feeding the iguanas fruit on the patio. They are quite tame and fun to watch.
The meals at this place were good. We had a Mahi-mahi dinner and steak dinner with drinks and appetizer and the bill was about $50.00. Very cool, no taxes in the US Virgin Islands. Good service and friendly people were there though.
POSITIVES and NEGATIVES
When I had to check off what kind of travelers this was good for I checked for the adventurer. Unfortunately I can't recommend this place as completely romantic because there are families and children. There were times when all was peaceful and perfect and the mood was broken by kids playing and shouting. At the same time this is not just a family resort. There were plenty of couples having a wonderful quiet time. This was a place where you did have to know that if something wasn't right where you were, just pick up your things and move down the beach a bit. It's a big beach. This wasn't to easy to do in the pool area because it is not a large site.
We also found out that every Sunday they have live bands that the locals come to watch. Again this changes the atmosphere of the place considerably. If you are into afternoon parties on the beach and buying a lot of rounds at the bar, then party it is!
I didn't feel as comfortable leaving my possessions on the beach because there were so many people just wandering around.
There is a schedule and you can plan when to be around or perhaps do some site seeing or shopping in town.
This resort does not have a fitness center.
On a very positive note, the Antilles@Sapphire Beach was in a great location for a few reasons. We were just a mile or so from Redhook. This is where there are many restaurants and boats that take you top other places. We did a side trip to ST John one day. We had stayed there a week last year and wanted to revisit a day.
We also did a day trip to Virgin Gorda and it's famous Baths. That was exceptional!!
Redhook also has grocery stores for those who want to stock the kitchen.The prices are decent and you can save a lot of money not going out to eat all day.
Another positive is that they have a Budget car rental right in the lobby of the resort and cars on site. I had to pay about fifty dollars per day.
Did I tell you anything about the location of their hotel right on Sapphire Beach. Oh yes, I may have. It is incredible!!
A FEW MORE POINTS
As I stated earlier, there is no desk you can go to for any king of service in reference to your room or stay. The desk is for Sapphire beach and Resort patrons only. As a guest of Antilles@ Sapphire beach we had only a phone number of a representative that would try and take care of us. They do not have direct contact with the maid service that takes care of the Antilles rooms that are intermixed with the Sapphire Beach rooms.
Service for our rooms at the Antilles was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. However, they did do our room everyday except Sunday. I wonder if it was because I left a small tip each day?
There isn't a place where you can talk to anybody. The phone call was your only option. We never had any real problems so it did not become an issue for us.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The price was excellent for what we received. We were going to originally spend a week or so in Montauk Point. This was about fifty miles from my home. They wanted over two hundred sixty dollars per night. I spent the same amount going to St Thomas air and hotel. There is no comparison on what our best value was.
We have decided that we would come back to this property again. Did I tell you, "The location is the best!!"
Other Virgin Island and Caribbean destinations reviewed by popsrocks .
US Virgin Islands An overview
St. Thomas VI An Island that has action!
The RITZ-CARLTON, St Thomas
Sapphire Beach and Marina, St Thomas VI
St. John VI The island that is quiet and pristine.
US Virgin Islands National Park, ST. John This park is awesome with private beaches and fantastic snorkeling!
Westin Resort, St John VI
The BATHS of the British Virgin IslandsLike nothing else you have ever seen!
Barcelo Resort, Dominican Republic
http://www.epinions.com/content_74779627140
Allegro Resort, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_75575363252
Hotel Mayaland, Mexico
http://www.epinions.com/content_77819317892
Sandals, Negril, Jamaica
http://www.epinions.com/content_7893694820
Renaissance Jamaica Grand, Ocho Rios
http://www.epinions.com/content_79371210372
Jamaica, Jamaica me laugh, Jamaica me cry
http://www.epinions.com/content_79715208836
Hotels.com The place I booked a US Virgin Island stay
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.