We just returned from a week at Sapphire Beach Resort. I too was concerned about the negative reviews that started popping up. All I can say is that for us, Sapphire worked out beautifully. We are well traveled and have visited many islands. This is our second trip to STT. We rented an ocean front suite. If you like to have a few cocktails in the afternoon, there isn't a better place than SBR. Each room comes with a HUGE balcony over looking one of the most gorgeous beaches in the Carribbean. Each evening they have live Carribean music at the bar. We found our room to be comfortable and clean. It appeared that all of the furniture had been recently recovered. The drapes and bedspread looked new. The kitchen was well stocked and everything seemed brand new. The snorkeling at the hotel is very good, for shore snorkeling. In fact, we went to Trunk Bay on STJ and although the corals are beautiful there, the fish are the exact varities that we saw at Sapphire. The snorkel rental is free for guests. Yes the cruise ship people come in at around 10 a.m. I didn't think this was such a big deal. When we were there it was Easter week and the resort itself didn't appear to be full at all, my guess would be that it was 60% occupied. I'm sure we were there the busiest week of the year. If it was operating full capacity and an extra 100 people showed up, I guess that would be a problem. We went down at around nine and always got a great spot. The chairs are gone by the end of the day, but that's the way it usually is at any resort. The resort is very spread out and most of the cruise ship people hung out near the snorkel shak. I didn't see any of them at the pool, which is sort of tucked at the far end of the resort. There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in Red Hook. We ate at Off the Hook, which was excellent for seafood. We also ate at Duffy's Love Shak, which is a fun place to go for crazy drinks and burgers. Cuzzins was our favorite place in C.A. The nice thing about staying close to Red Hook is that you're right near the boat to STJ. We also did the day cruise to the BVI on New Horizon II and they dock right at Sapphire Beach Marina. It was really convenient. If you do select SBR, I would definitely recommend going on expedia, I booked our room for about $190 per night including tax. Good luck!

was wondering how far in advance you booked for this hotel before you left on your trip. i want to stay at this hotel in february 2006. i hear they book up fast. so wondering when to book. any info would be great. what building were you in? thanks, shelly

We,ve always stayed at Secret Harbor.Great snorkelling, great beach bar,nice private beach,Blue Moon Restaraunt, and not too far from Red Hook and the restaraunts and bars there! And the rooms are nice also! Chuck

If you have a decent number of reviews, use a rule of thumb from basic stsatistics: ignore the worst 2 or 3 and likewise the best over-the-top reviews and you'll likely wind up with an accurate picture.

I think I booked the trip in September. I needed to book my air that early anyway because we used frequent flyer miles. You can also go on tripadvisor.com and research sales. Good luck!

David:

Try Point Pleasant Resort......it's our favorite.

F.I.