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It's been a couple of months since I've been back but I did want to say a few things to all of those thinking about staying at Sapphire. I stayed at the condos at the top of the hill (the ones with the blue roofs). I was worried about the construction as I was studying at night when I came in.
The condo was perfect, it was a studio and looked out right over the marina. The breeze was great when the door was open and the air off, enough to keep it cool except at night (but that's just me). I got to watch all the boats going out with their guests early in the morning while enjoying the views. The condo was clean and had everything you could need in it. A blow dryer being one of the items (more room in your suitcase for goodies to bring back).
There's security before you can enter into the condo area and they stopped me each time so I felt safe while I was there. I was there alone the first couple of nights until my hubby could meet me later in the week.
The construction noise had to be going on during the day only because I never heard anything. Construction was going on in a different building and not in the one I was in. There's a restaurant that is open in the condo area and a pool to enjoy also.
The owners were great, they called to make sure that everything was okay and I'm sorry we never got together for drinks. You can visit their website at [www.condodelmar.com].
As for the beach area, all of the restaurants/bars were closed and I didn't see anyone doing the watersports activities. This didn't bother me as there are so many other places to eat: Toad and Tart is close, Fungi's is close and Red Hook is close.
C Urchin 😀
C: You are describing Sapphire Village Condos, not Sapphire Beach. The restaurant by the pool (used to be Azure) is reopening this week, according to ads in the paper. It will be called the Grapevine Grille. Reviews to follow soon! The restaurants at Sapphire Beach are still closed.
We rented from Rita for a night in June, very nice lady , very accomodating, and to my pleasant surprise she called just to be sure everything was okay in the unit. We had no complaints whatsover, the studio was very clean and we will absolutely stay there on a future trip, whenever that may be and short as those stays might be since we'll always spend the majority of our vacation on St John. 🙂
I've recommended their units a few times on a couple of boards, especially those people looking for inexpensive accomodations. For us, it was such a short walk to Sapphire Beach and the view was so beautiful from our balcony the price just couldn't be beat IMO. I much preferred the view from our Sapphire Village unit then the view from our more expensive beachfront unit at Secret Harbour (we spent one night at each before going to STJ for a week).
" It will be called the Grapevine Grille"
No more thai??? (sniff)
Why are the restaurants closed (it is now Oct 6 here in NH). Are they closed in Sept for off-season??
We will also be staying at the Sapphire Village condos in January, counting the days, although it's 70 degrees here today and the leaves are beautiful!
There are two different condo groups- Beach and Village. The Beachies have some sort of legal wrangling going on, so their two restaurants and bars are closed. On the other hand, the restaurant at the Village, is open. In fact, it has just reopened, as the posts above note. I hope to have a Grapevine Grille review for you soon.
EE, looking forward to your Grapevie review! Azure habits die hard. 🙁
I have to start out by saying that this venue is one of my favorites on the east end. It is poolside at Sapphire Village. The restaurants that were there in previous incarnations, The Oasis and Azure, are hard acts to follow. But when you have a beautiful dark wood bar, lanterns on the tables and pleasant (i.e.not loud!) music, you are starting with good material.
The new menu is very simple, although they will evidently add more specials as time goes by. There were several pasta dishes and, as I recall, 5 entrees: tuna, mahi-mahi, crab cakes, pork tenderloin and a steak. Add to that several appetizers, including a small pizza and baked brie, a soup of the day and some salads, including a poached pear that looked interesting and you have the menu. Desserts were key lime pie, bushwhacker cheesecake and a chocolate charlotte (a mousse pie with chocolate crust). Again, KISS appears to be the motto.
St Thomas seems to have a standard price now of around $25 for entrees, and GG is toeing that line. Salads were around $10 and large. Wine by the bottle (small selection, didn't see a separate wine list) were available for $28-$35 or so.
It seems that they want to appeal to a wide audience- something for everyone. This is a brand new restaurant and it needs some time for seasoning. They will do well simply from the fact that there are no other restaurants right now on the entire Sapphire property, but I hope that they add some items with a more local flavor. Next time we will probably try a variety of the appetizers. Service was very pleasant, as befits a new spot. I forgot to check the lunch menu, but if you are in the area, this is a great place to take a dip in the pool while waiting for your lunch!
And for all the Thai night fans, sorry! I hope Jacqui and her mom from old Azure will resurface with something along those lines!
