I was hoping someone would have responded to this inquiry with better knowledge than I have, but I'll have to do. We stayed at the Hibiscus Resort for our first visit to St. Croix last August. We got an awesome price of about $100 per night, if I remember correctly. The room was beachfront with a wonderful terrace view. The bed was comfy, the room well equipped with a small (under-counter sized) refrigerator and a microwave. The air conditioner was wonderful. Decor was dated, and some money needs to be spent for minor repairs and updating. Again, we are not fussy people. We like clean and comfy.

However, many tiles were missing from the shower, floorboards on the terrace were seriously lifted and it was nearly impossible for me to open the sliding door to the terrace. My husband would have to open it for me. When I called about it someone came up to the room and spent a looooooooooong time working on it, getting it minimally movable for me.

OK, so the place is really funky in a lovely way. The front desk staff and the rest of the resort personnel were wonderful and would go out of their ways to be accommodating to any requests or needs. Mark will spend forever helping you find the best of St. Croix. I loved the restaurant, which has a minimal menu but each night offers special choices, which were fine. The staff there was fabulous, friendly and attentive. The bar always had local residents who would eagerly chat. One night during the week there was a fine little band playing a bunch of rock and roll, with folks dancing and general partying.

The beach in front of the resort is not so great for swimming. There's a little bit of snorkeling in some shallow water that is very very warm (in August, don't forget) I did not see much in the way of swimming creatures compared to what I see on St. Thomas or St. John. I understand there are some great snorkeling sites in other places, but we didn't get to them. We did see lots of beautiful beaches though.

As far as St. Croix itself, my information is so limited because on the second day after arrival I got an hideous digestive system virus/infection/bug and spent much of the next two days in bed, right by the bathroom, sleeping away my fever. Then, as I began to feel a bit better a tropical wave came by with rain and winds and overall cloudiness for a couple of days. Also, the water was filled with sargasso grass, which, when it washes up on the beach can get really stinky. So any St.Croix that I did see was from my room, or from a car. We did drive all the way out to Udall Point, stopped at a couple of beaches, then another day went the western route to Fredricksted, One day was spent in Christiansted, walking around and stopping in some lovely shops. A trip to the Fort was very enjoyable.

St. Croix calls for me to return. I don't know what it is, but I know I must go back, only this time for longer and staying healthy. I would stay at the Hibiscus again in a heartbeat, especially with the great rate I was able to get.

Any other questions, just ask. I'll answer if I remember.

I agree with Gerie. The only thing that got me to book Hibiscus was the low rate. From her description not much has changed in the three years since we stayed there. I'd be hard pressed to go back because I have found other places with the same or lower rate on better beaches on the west end.

I agree about the beautiful west end beaches and would definitely consider staying at Cottages or Sandcastles there during another visit. What Hibiscus has over those is its central location, which was important to us for our first visit to St. Croix. We wanted to see as much of the island as possible. Who knew a virus would interfere? Another on our list of places to stay that might fall in the same category is Chenay Bay.

Of course, the original poster was asking about Hibiscus, not about all the other resorts that are comparable.