I would choose Sapphire or Secret Harbor. Both have great beaches. I have been in the rooms at Sapphire and they are very nice, fairly large with small kitchen. Don't know about rooms at Secret Harbor but I imagine they are as clean as Sapphire's.

Steff:

We stayed at Point Pleasant (last week). Liked it so much that we bought a unit there. The units (primarily) are one bedroom units....they are about 800 square feet...with full kitchen, full bath, living room and dining area. Each uint has a balcony...some a wrap around balcony. What a view! The property is about 25 years old and is being renovated, but is in fairly good condition. There are 2 restaurants and 2 beaches. It's a big property with lots of nature trails.

We also visited Sapphire Beach & Secret Harbour while viewing properties for sale last week.

The Sapphire units are what I would consider a "studio" type condo of about 400 square feet. The property is right on the beach , so if you would like to walk out the door and be on the sand Sapphire is the place to be. There is at least one restaurant there. The place, however is in need of a "face lift". It appeared that maintenance has been withheld for a period of time. But, for a week's vacation it is in a good location.

Secret Harbour is a bit more secluded ...it's more of a family, quiet place. The condition of the unit we visited was very nice.

As for a choice..... I'd pick Point Pleasant.....but then again..... I'm prejudiced. Point Pleasant offered us more of what we were looking for in a resort and a "home".

Second choice: Sapphire Beach......third choice Secret Harbour.

Check out my St. Thomas trip report, on the USVI Moving Board, that I just posted.

Hope this helps.

Future Islander

Hi There,

I have stayed at both Secret Harbour and Sapphire Beach. While I have visited Point Pleasant and really enjoy the restaurants that are there, I never considered staying there because I prefer to have a room directly on the beach. Folks I know who do vacation at Point Pleasant really enjoy the large rooms and very nice views.

Secret Harbour is my absolute first choice of the resorts I've stayed at on St. Thomas. I've stayed at Sapphire, Bolongo, Morningstar, Pools & Pavilions and Secret Harbour.

It is almost like going home when you get down there. The staff is so stable and many have been there for so long that it's like seeing your relatives when you check in and then walk around the grounds. Ernest is the GM and is great host. Sandra in reservations, and Margaret at the front desk who has been there for about twenty years now and has seen SH go through all of its changes over the years. Julie, who owns Blue Moon Café (only one of the best restaurants on the island) has been there since her former place, Oasis had its demise over at Sapphire. Her main bartender, Bobby has been with her for years and is one of those "interesting bartender" types…..former champion surfer and all.

Anyhow, more specifics about the resort. ( I do have quite a few photos I can email if you would like). The resort beachfront is four buildings with the fifth housing the office, restaurant, shops, etc. We prefer a one-bedroom beachfront suite. Literally on the beach. The units are three stories tall so the entire resort is not that large…..I think maybe 70 or so units for the entire place. There are also condo units up the hill that you can stay in, while you still get a great location and spacious rooms, you lose the great beachfront location.

The suites are IMO very large for STT and well appointed. This past year ours had a new VCR as well as new patio furniture and wall hangings throughout the suite. You will have a fully functional kitchen that you can use. We always stock up with goodies and drinks when we first hit the island and make use of the facilities during our stays. It's great to have your morning coffee an a bit of pastry while you sit on the porch and watch the beach first thing in the morning or sitting in the evening having a drink while you watch the sun set. The suites have a nice dining area and a living room with color TV with cable. There are separate A/C units in the main area and bedrooms so you can chill the sleeping area and have the other area open to the outside if you like.

If you are looking for five-star pampering at a resort….this is not the place for you. If you want a nice, comfortable suite on a beach that is beautiful and not overly crowded; on water that is about the calmest you will find anywhere in the USVI and with very good snorkeling, this is a good choice. The resort is comparatively isolated (as much as you can be on the east end of STT) which reduces a lot of the traffic…….you'll find locals head there to use the beach as opposed to tourists. IMHO, it's one of the best kept secrets on St. Thomas…and many of the people who live on St. Thomas tell me the same thing.

As for watersports, there is not a lot here. There is a dive operation that you can use, but this is not the place to rent a lot of water equipment. Most here will be laying on the beach or snorkeling, although you will find a number of locals who will bring their boats in and tie them up while they come ashore and take advantage of the beach bar.

As for location on the island, SH is close to Red Hook and an easy drive into downtown CA or over to the north side if you want to head there. But, you will find that almost any resort on the east end offers the same….the island is not that large. The closeness to Red Hook makes heading back at night really easy….whether you are coming back from the day on St. John or after a tough evening of partaking the local concoctions at Duffy's or the Caribbean Steak House & Saloon. LOL.

I like the ten steps it takes to get from my room to the water at Secret Harbour…and I go to the island for the beach and snorkeling and SH gives me about the best of both on STT. Also, remember that it's really easy to go from one beach to another on different days so you can experience a lot of the nice beaches regardless of where you stay.

To me, SH offers the best combination of room quality, beach and water quality, nice staff, good food and drink and decent price of all the places I've stayed….but then I'm also partial to low-rise, beach properties as you probably could tell. Remember that you only spend so much time in your room…..to me it's the island that makes the trip.
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Sapphire Beach is a very nice resort. It is one of the group of low-rise, beachfront resorts that I usually consider staying at for every trip down to St. Thomas. I stayed at Sapphire several years ago primarily because it was the one time we took our children (8 and 10 at the time) to STT with us.

We had chosen the resort primarily because of the kitchenettes in the suites, the literal beachfront location, the "kid's club", and the "kids eat free" features. The first two benefits were worthwhile; the last two weren't. The "kid's club" turned out to be a glorified babysitting service with very limited hours of operation. My kids spent about an hour there before they were totally bored, but it turned out the beautiful beach and good snorkeling kept them more than occupied for the week. The restaurant, Sea Grape, was so bad and the kids portions insufficient for my kids' appetites, that we didn't take advantage of the free meal option and instead took them with us to some of the better restaurants on the island.

Still, the resort is nice and having been renovated a few years back, you should enjoy the rooms. The beach is one of the best on STT, the Sunday beach party is something we still go to every time we are on-island even though we aren't staying at Sapphire. Sapphire offered some onsite entertainment that was worth doing and the open air bar is really nice to sit around with a cold drink while you enjoy the beach and the music.

Sapphire is located on the east end of the island, relatively close to a lot of the other resorts and nicer beaches and close to Red Hook. That allows you easy access to the ferries in case you want to day-trip to other islands.

As with most places you stay on STT, you are really only a short drive away from a lot of really nice restaurants.

Hope that helps a bit.

Schultz

Schultz,
Please e-mail your Secret Harbour photos to me. We are planning a trip for September and have SH on our short list as well as Sapphire and Carribean Style.
I'm really interesred in what the rooms and the beach look like.
Can't always tell about thr website pictures!
E-mail is [email protected]
Thanks,
Fred