Since I live here, I have never stayed there, but I have visited it several times, although not the beach (but we have 42 others that you will want to visit, as well!). The rooms are nice, the grounds are pretty, the pool and play area are great. I wouldn't opt for the all-inclusive option, unless you plan on hanging out there all the time, which no one does. The island has too much to offer to stay in one place the entire time. Most people I have talked to wished they hadn't paid the extra for the all-inc. package, as they kept finding themselves everywhere BUT at the resort. Hope this helps some.

Hi Ingrid.

I have stayed at the Wyndham and Marty summed it up very well. You can also search this forum for past postings on the Wyndham.

Lili

We actually just got back on Saturday from a week in STT. We stayed at the Wyndham and had the all inclusive plan. We were glad we had it because we spent most days in the jeep exploring the island and were happy to be able to stay at the resort to eat. Down side, the service at the Manor House and at the Mangrove were horrible. As for the beach, it is pretty small but it's the "off" season right now and was never crowded during our week stay. So I guess it depends on when you'll be going. The beach is rocky at the edge of the water.

Erinn

I would definitely recommend the Wyndham - Just returned home after staying with them for 9 nights.

The beach is a bit rocky at the edge - but you can wade out to cool off. My favorite beach was at Coki Point - right around the corner from the Wyndham. Great snorkel, crystal clear water, soft sand, drinks available and on the first day we saw a sea turtle. It doesn't get any better then that.

We didn't go with the all inclusive - although if you like mixed drinks..I would go for it. A bushwhacker is $7.00 bucks - and they aren't that big. We ate at the Manor House and the Iguana Grill once each, they were both pretty good. If you like to drink then you might want to go with the all inclusive - so you can drink freely and not worry about a bar bill. On the other hand, if you don't drink - don't do it. There are great restaurants in the area worth trying.

The Wyndham is very clean, everyone was very nice and I fell in love with the Iguana's.

Jen

I cant believe we didn't get to MEET!!! I asked about you several times at the front desk. Nobody could find you registered....until the day you checked out.

I'm ready to go back!! Our room was spectacular - they upgraded us to an ocean view when we got there.

I loved the Iguana's - I miss them. Each morning I went down to the hot tub to see what they were up to. At night we hung out and tried to spot them hiding in the trees. They are amazing creatures.

I want to write a trip report..but I don't know where to start.

Love Jen

Ingrid,
Wyndham beach wasn’t large but not tiny and had good snorkeling. People hung out in the water all day if that’s what you mean. Generally speaking, people don’t go to St Thomas for Wyndham’s beach, but there is something always going on at that resort and many planned activies. We didn’t plan to stay there but ended up there, but that said, there are plenty of chairs and beach towels, drinks, food, big pool with a kid zone. The view was fantastic from our balcony;, the bed was comfortable; the room was clean with table 2 chairs, desk, TV, clock radio, a dressing area with additional vanity sink, under counter fridge ice bucket, coffee service, and additional cabinetry above to store snacks. Large bathroom, a hairdryer, iron/board. The bath towels were skimpy. They had conveniently located soda machines and ice machines.

We were not on the inclusive plan because we go to different places or to the places we have enjoyed for years. We thought the Tuscan restaurant was excellent but that one isn’t included in the all inclusive plan. Lobby and shops, lounge gambling were all very nice, as was the staff.

We discovered that from Wyndham’s beach you can walk to Fungi’s through Point Pleasant. For us, that was the best thing about Wyndham. From left of Wyndham beach you carry your sandals and walk through shallow water for a couple of steps onto PP’s postage stamp beach, then up the steps through PP’s nature trail. We saw guests also kayak over to Fungi’s from Wyndham too. From Fungi’s, if you want, you can then walk across Grand Beach’s property out the side gate that will take you to Coki Beach down the road.

We won’t return because this resort really isn’t for us due to the appeal it has for families with kids and groups with weddings and reunions. The shuttles run constantly loaded with packs of people traveling together on vacation. Perfect for families, and it is also a secure property and not a place that purposely attracts outsiders. It has a very steep location and has a long hard walk to most rooms or down to parking at the bottom of the property. Most use the shuttle everywhere. The spa was attractive to groups from all the weddings it seemed. All and all it was very family oriented there.

Our stay at Wyndham was not a planned stay, we were in a villa for the first time and discovered we weren’t villa people, so bagged it and checked into the Wyndham. We chose Wyndham because now it is the only quality resort on the East End since Grand Beach is still closed, and we do love the East End location. All the villa people may balk at this but we don’t like being home on vacation, even if the home is on Peterborg (Longview villa). We like coming home to resort amenities and a beach bar, pool and beach after a grueling day limin on one of the many other beaches, or day trip to another island. We don’t always want to drive either, especially at night after a few drinks and dinner, and taxi drivers don’t like driving people out to Peterborg,

We are partial to the East End love going to Coki beach, and consider it having the best views, local flavor and island atmosphere, but we would have rather stayed at Grand Beach if it were opened. I hope when it does reopen it remains much the same as it was before.
I hope this helped you to decide, and I know you will enjoy your vacation on St Thomas no matter where you stay.
LB

LB: I am with you! When I go on vacation, I want someone else to do the dishes! And if I get a little mint on my pillow with the blankie turned down, I am happy, happy!

The Wyndham has a very nice spa and miniature golf course. And they are working on a bumper boat ride that sounds fun. And about the steepness of the property: St Thomas is nicknamed "The Rock." The mountains are what makes it so pretty!

LB, thank you for your review of the Wyndham, even if it wasn't for you. We don't often find a detailed review of the Wyndham. I have never stayed there, but have stayed at Grand Beach (honeymooned, no less). I am surprised to find that you felt that Wyndham catered more to families. Interesting to note.

What did you not like about villa travel? Just curious. I like to get a sense of what people enjoy and don't enjoy about it. You were on Peterborg? Did you get your money back for the villa that you left? Please tell us more about that experience. We don't often (if ever) hear about people who vacate villas.

Thanks LB. Great feedback!

~Blu

Blu,
By the way I really enjoyed your trip report. I mostly lurk on the board from work but needed to work at home so chimed in. I thought Wyndham Sugar Bay gets a bad rap way too often. And it is what it is and has its own market just like McDonalds does, middle america.

Yes, Peterborg , and no money back. We had gotten a real deal on flights and I didn’t spend thousands at the Jeweler so we sort of broke even. We felt trapped in a villa. We didn’t like it because we felt too much like we were at home. Lets see; we killed a day checking out of the Ritz and grocery shopping for the Saturday check in at the villa. I kept straightening up the place, making the bed, dishes, cooking, cooked out on the grill, lying on the sofa watching TV. Sounds all well and good but these things were not about vacation for us and we don’t care how nice a villa is. Good thing we had friends with taxi’s, but even still, we hated taking advantage even though we were paying customers. And if it was raining, forget about it. Calling some of those roads is a stretch.

Well, we went through a hurricane at Grand Beach once and still everyone had a ball. We missed reggae music at a resort every day from 4 till 6 by the pool when we come back from being out all day, even listening from our balcony with our feet up. After a night out we missed stopping for a nightcap and last dance before we turned in. We missed room service if we got home too late from a long day and napped till dark. We missed shuffling through the sand to Fungi’s for a bloody mary at 11. We liked shuffling through the sand to the street to Coki, and friends that hung there so we missed that too. Without getting into a car or changing out of our bathing suit, all that unplanned stuff we missed. We knew if we stayed at the villa we’d miss out on interaction with locals and running into friends, many of which work in the service industry and at other establishments.

We didn’t go back to Ritz because we liked the east end better. And actually the Ritz had a worse kid problem, they were running the place unsupervised and in all directions. At least Sugar bay offered more to occupy children.
LB

Hi,
My husband and I stayed at the Wyndham last year and it was our first time in the USVI's, my first time to the Caribbean. We stayed in a ocean view room in D building. It was very nice, clean and we had a view of St John and some really cool brain coral in the water. We did the all-inclusive because we knew how much alcoholic drinks would cost and we got our money's worth. The food was ok, sometimes very good. The beach was enough for us. There are plenty of chairs and plenty of things to do. We did go on a tour of St Thomas with Tropic Tours. Our guide Reggie was so nice, he took pictures of everyone with our cameras and was very informative. We went shopping in Charlotte Amalie and spent a day at Coki Beach and toured Coral World. We went to Magen's Bay and were disappointed due to the large number of people on the beach from cruise ships. We ferried over to ST John twice and snorkeled Trunk Bay. We also did a couple's bath & massage at the Journey's spa. It was great. We stayed in the off season (1st week in November) so it was pretty dead and some stuff not open, until a convention showed up and those people were RUDE and complained often about almost everything (Food, weather, island time, and those of us having a good time). Please take the trip advisor reviews with this in mind: Some people you can't make happy. We heard people complaining it was hot?! We were waiting for the shuttle one day near the pool and after an entire 3 minutes (I timed it), one of the other vacationers said "FINALLY!"

We had a great time. We talked to many people and actually made friends with a couple from Philly that we still talk to. I amazed myself and my husband at being so social because I am usually very reserved. Must have been the booze. We are from the Northeast so we tipped everyone who gave us service even though we did all inclusive (That is just the norm here and I have been in the service industry enough to know that it is always appreciated)

Tips on the Wyndham- sign up for their rewards program, get an ocean view room (B, C or D Building) (some rooms face other buildings), make friends with the bartenders if you like to drink (Vie and Doc were great at the Ocean bar near the lobby) and Karen at the turtle rock Bar near the pool. The last night we were there, an Eagles game was on and they let us ( about 30 people from Philly and suburbs) take over the Turtle Rock Bar even though it is supposed to close at whatever hour. I would definitely tip. We had one server bring us a sampler of all the desserts one night and the bartenders attended to us with generous top shelf portions and friendly conversation.

I guess the resort is a family magnet because it is the only truly all-inclusive. We like to go in off-season and avoid this and the higher rates. This year we are renting a villa on St John but we would go back to the Wyndham if staying on St Thomas.

Thanks for the great tips. We are staying at the Wyndham end of November....I think it's still considered low season yet.
I WILL print all this information out! I love watching the iguana's! I can't wait! I love the idea about walking to other beaches especially Coki!
And I did join the rewards program & just got my card in the mail!