Hey.....I am going next week so will tell all when I get back!

We are headed there in 19 hours, 46 minutes and 14 seconds, and I too will give an update when we get back.

Keep in mind that my report will be based upon realistic expectations for the islands, not based upon a comparison to the Four Seasons in Manhattan.

My report will be like that too........on a teacher's salary I am lucky to afford the air fare.......

I live right above Sapphire Beach and walk the beach every night and day. So I have seen a one beautiful place go down hill. There is no resturant, bar or grocery store, except a small stand that one of the owner has. They all closed about two months ago. There is a legal battle between the the owners of the condos and the land owners. This has been a big drain on the operation so not many things have done to spruce it up.

But here is the good news. Sapphire Beach is still sapphire beach. It is beautiful, the turles are still there, the trees are still there and so on. So if you can over look the negatives then go and enjoy the beach.

If you want another alternative then stay at Crystal Cove. We have a unt there for rent. But I would not discourage you from going to Sapphire Resort. But know what you are going to get.

Billd

That is why I rent a car and go to the grocery store.....I also pack some food for like breakfast and lunch.....beach is the priority...food is secondary.
I am almost 50 years old but still eat Peanut butter and jelly for lunch.maybe I have been teaching PRE-K for too long.....ya think?

Yes, there was a rat sighting. Of course it has been taken care of. The owner's association takes very good care of the condo buildings, beach and the ground around the buildings. We have no control over the concessions. We've set up a stand for drinks and sandwiches, Grapevine Grill is just up the hill and they deliver. Red Hook is close with many dining choices. It's still IMHO the best all-round beach on the island. That combination of beautiful sand, views plus great snorkeling is tough to beat. Check out the listings on VRBO. My guests are still giving rave reviews. The lack of concessions hasn't bothered them a bit.

I have been to crystal cove many times and always found it clean and well kept up as a matter of fact my wife and i are looking into buying one of the condos as a retirement home ....probably be down in early July for a close up look-see

Have to disagree with billd's estimation of observing a "once beautiful place go down hill." There have been substantial renovations to the property over the last couple of years and even before then I can't remember it ever having looked at all "dumpy." Certainly "weathered" exteriors but nothing worse. The never-ending saga of the restaurant/bar concessions is just that and in no way detracts from the essence of Sapphire.

cw: there are rats EVERYWHERE here and although I haven't read any complaint anywhere specifically about rats at Sapphire, I'd venture to guess that a guest probably saw one flashing by at night on a walkway or in a tree. Mongooses were imported years ago to curb the rat population which ate the sugar cane but the brilliant idea fizzled because nobody thought about the fact that mongooses are diurnal and rats are nocturnal. So now we have both. Me, I rather fancy a nice little Rat Pie with Spam Sauce now and then...

Enjoy your vacation! Cheers!

I'm anxious to see some trip reports come back. We are about to book for late July but I'm hesitant. Thanks everyone for you input.

I wouldn't hesitate!

let me know when you get down and i'll point you yo some units for sale. i have owned and rented units there for over 24 years..the mtc fees are about 700 a month, taxes are about 1300, water is 7.5c a gallon, and electric is about 40c a kilo what, three times us main land levels.

billd

cw, For many reasons, Don't Hesitate. GO. You won't regret it..

We just returned from 5 nights at the Sapphire Beach Resort (Antilles) and it was wonderful. We stayed in building D room 304 ( I think)and it looked onto the pool and a super view of STJ. They are renovating now so some rooms are "newer" and some still have the old stuff..like stove, white counters and cabinets. I found it to be clean and everyone was super nice.......everyone! We had a free continental breakfast every morning and the lady that served it put some music on and had a smile everyday. juice, coffee, croissants, bagels, muffins. We had an upstairs with a king bed, pull out couch and two bathrooms.

The place had areas that were boarded up and there were no places to eat on the property down the hill except for a small stand that had GREAT mahi mahi, burgers, wraps and chicken. You could order pizza and have it delivered by SENOR pizza and we did...it was soooooo worth it. At the condos up the little hill behind the marina hill the "Grapevine" or "Grape tree" place was open and they had servers walking around on the beach taking orders and delivering them to the beach-goers if you wanted.
Ours was a time share that my friend traded to be there so we had a full kitchen. We went into RED HOOK for shopping and ate out dinner sometimes. The Star-something market right there near the ferry had great sub sandwiches for about 7 dollars. We got most of our food there and cooked. We had a car and it was well worth the money...Dependable was $287.00 for the whole week.
We found that the Italian restaurant in Red Hook was way over priced and the host turned her nose up when we asked for REGULAR water and not "some bottled water for the table" like she suggested....we are teachers ...we drink real water.......LOL
Tickles which is near the WATER ISLAND ferry was good too but do not bother with the BBQ shrimp "SPECIAL"
for $19.99 you get french fries and six small shrimp that are like one inch. We thought for sure that the cook made a mistake and put the lunch shrimp. They were just rolled in regular BBQ sauce that was hardly heated. The manager went to check and that was what the owner wanted to serve so he gave us some on a plate. I could fit four on my fork at one time.
anyway.
All in all a great time..the best beach with nice winds and shade areas!

Glad you enjoyed your visit and just wanted to make one small comment about the bottled water.

I own a restaurant on STT and don't serve tap water to customers. I don't want to bore anyone with an "Island Water 101" dissertation but, like many other establishments (and private residences) we use cistern water. As required by law it's tested monthly by a water lab for potability, is safe to drink but it doesn't taste that good. I won't serve it for that reason and also buy my ice commercially. Sure I'll brush my teeth with it and shower with it and cook with it but it's my preference not to serve it. The bottled water is inexpensive and tastes "right!" I don't serve anything I wouldn't eat or drink myself. Sorry the host turned her nose up at your request - we always explain why we don't serve tap water to anyone who asks and have never had a problem. Cheers!

I think it's a good idea also to drink bottled water wherever we go. My stomach is use to MY tape water here. I never want to take the chance.

All three of us drank tap water all week in STT and STJ and not one of us got complained that it did not taste good.. Also when I lived in STX I drank the water.
I guess it was ok or maybe school teachers have immune systems that people would pay $$ for because we work with kids all the time eat cafeteria food and drink from the kids water fountain on the playground. LOL

Always drink the tap water at Sapphire and never a problem. Tastes much like the "city" water we get at home. A little chlorine taste but barely noticeable.. I wonder what the Restaurants that serve bottled water use for their ice cubes? You see, they have to pay that bill. When ever someone tells me they are looking out for my interest at MY expense, a red flag goes up.. Do you really think the restaurant would serve you water that was not safe? Should never be a problem if the water purification system is maintained and working. Taste preference is one thing, Safety is another.

Not sure of that point , bobcside but, as I did say, I buy my ice and don't make it myself from my cistern water. I pay a lot of money every year to have the water tested on a monthly basis, then pay an extra for annual nitrate testing, etc. You're right - it IS a taste preference. On a few occasions when dining out over the years I've asked for water, forgotten to say "bottled water" and have been given restaurant tap water that tastes lousy (to me.) If it bothers anyone to pay a minimal charge for a bottle of water and a clean glass of ice - both of which I pay for - then so be it. But, as I said, in 13 years of business it's never been an issue. Cheers!

Personal preferences, that's what it's all about.