Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort - St. John, USVI

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It was even better on our third visit! Visited: May 2002 Posted by hank_mancini My wife and I just returned from our third visit to Caneel Bay and it was our very best vacation ever. One of the differences this year was that we stayed for ten nights, instead of seven last year and four our first year. The longer stay and being familiar with what Caneel Bay had to offer allowed us to really enjoy it. You may ask what does Caneel Bay have to offer? The first answer would be the beaches. Having traveled to French Polynesia, Hawaii, and much of the Caribbean, I have not seen more beautiful or enjoyable beaches. One of the reasons they were so enjoyable was the lack of people. I never counted more than about 25 people on Scott Beach, our favorite. Another reason we enjoyed Caneel Bay was the very relaxed atmosphere. It was a very peaceful and relaxing place. After a day or two, there just did not seem to be any reason to move fast or worry about any schedule. We also loved our room. The bed was the most comfortable we have ever slept in, the linens and pillows were of excellent quality, and the beach and bath towels were excellent and plentiful. There were louvres on three sides of our room and we kept them open 100% of the time, letting the breeze blow through. The resort was just plain beautiful. There was so much open space that my wife kept asking me "are you sure this wasn't a golf course at some time?" It was a very romantic place. The food at Caneel Bay was also very good, but somewhat expensive. We enjoyed a number of dinners in the Beach Terrace Bar. The food was very good and it was a very informal place where no one seemed to mind if you sat for hours. There was entertainment every night starting at about eight. My highest recommendation would be that we are planning our fourth trip for June 2003. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? It was the best vacation we've ever had. Visited: December 2001 Posted by adresner We went to Caneel Bay to celebrate our first anniversary. We didn't think a seven-day vacation in the Caribbean could even come close to our incredible two-week honeymoon at the best resorts in Hawaii, but this place won us over heart and soul. We were also lucky to be here off-season and got a great rate and upgrade to a premium room on Scott Beach. Call the hotel directly, they run specials now and again. The grounds were incredible and we couldn't help but take long walks exploring each and every part. It was even more beautiful at night under the full moon and shooting stars. The beaches were the best I've seen (and we are beach people), and we snorkled off our beach whenever we had a moment. Even the morning of our departure, we got up early and just floated for two hours. The beach was never crowded - never had more than a few people in view. The older couple next door slept out on the beach one night and the honeymooning couple down a few rooms admitted they skinny dipped in the middle of the night a few times. Food in the resort was very good, but we often went into Cruz Bay for dinner to many wonderful places. The day trips and excursions were a lot of fun. The bed and pillows were really comfortable - I've even ordered a few pillows for home. The room was cleaned often with clean beach towels and our ice bucket was always left full. The bath products were the best! Some of the staff had a bit of an attitude, but overall everyone was very nice and helpful. It seemed to me there are so few places like this left in the world. It was the absolutely the most relaxing, beautiful and special place I've ever been and we are already planning our next trip back! 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Everything we wanted in a Caribbean vacation! Visited: December 2001 Posted by mandj My wife and I almost decided not go to Caneel, which would have been a big mistake. We spent two weeks here, and found the resort to be very much as described by their website and by the onsite reservations department. (It's worth calling to the property directly; they were not only helpful, but also very candid in answering all our questions.) As others have posted, the property is truly gorgeous--straight out of the pages of a travel magazine. We thought their facilities appropriate for the resort's philosophy. The rooms and common areas are simple but classy (enough so that a number of Hollywood celebrities make it a repeat destination). Although you may be disappointed if it’s truly "brass and glass and glitz" that you're after. Rooms without tv's or phones were fine with us (contrary to other postings, there are a number of phone kiosks located throughout the property). The only hitch with the phones was in trying to coordinate plans with other guests. You had to send notes back and forth between rooms. Much has been said about the property's upkeep and the staff. It's a non-issue. Really. Our room was well looked after twice a day--including lots of clean luxurious beach towels left every evening (which were very handy for the early morning snorkeling that we did). Linens, towels and bathroom soaps/shampoos etc. were all first-rate. Ice was left for us every morning if we wanted it (no charge, in case you're wondering). As for the attitudes of the staff and interacting with them, our experience was wonderful. I can't imagine that anyone who smiles and says hello to a member of the staff will get anything less than a genuine warm response. We've found that anywhere you travel, showing a little respect and friendliness usually earns you the same in return. Caneel Bay was no exception. Their restaurants are expensive but not outrageous, and the food is quite good. We often ate at Caneel but also at a number of nice restaurants in Cruz Bay. (A rather expensive dinner at the Westin was the only real dud.) The snorkeling is great (big turtles, octopus, starfish, large manta rays, and thousands of neon-colored fish), nice tennis facilities, professional massages, and a decent gym if you can somehow force yourself to go indoors. Our personal highlight: drinking champagne under the stars on our private balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea! In sum, if it's wild partying or lots of golfing that you're after, Caneel will disappoint. Otherwise it is a splurge (because it is pricey) that's really special. 4 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Not what we expected from a 5-star resort. Visited: July 2001 Posted by deborah_martin It was our first real vacation in 5 years. It will be our last vacation at Caneel Bay. We don't mind spending the money, but we expect certain amenities. We knew that the property didn't have TV's or phones in the rooms, but were surprised to find that they had no ice machines or vending machines on the entire 171-acre property. The only phones were pay phones in the lobby. Since they have you captive on the property they control all of the prices. We requested information to determine whether we would go with one of their packages. We asked multiple times for activity prices and for the restaurant menus before we booked, but never got the information and booked with no packages. What a mistake! A hamburger was $15 at the bar. Most dinners (though very good) were $120 for 2 people. We made a lot of trips to Cruz Bay to dine at a much more reasonable price, even though it was not always convenient. My favorite part was the snorkeling right by the room and the beautiful surroundings. 1 users found this review helpful. 3 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? A magical place! Visited: July 2001 Posted by vanessadoss Our family picked Caneel Bay as our summer vacation destination. To our delight, it was even more beautiful than we expected. The best part was the amazing beaches and location near the adorable town of Cruz Bay, which had great shopping and restaurants. Rooms were comfortable and cooled by air conditioning. We didn't really miss television as much as we expected. The food was satisfactory in general with the more expensive restaurants being very good. The Monday night Grand Buffet is not to be missed. The property itself was very nice looking despite some brown grass due to lack of an irrigation system. Hidden hammocks can be found along some secluded beaches. Most of the staff was very friendly—our housekeeper came to know us each by name. Some service a bit slow, but it is the Caribbean; it's a laid back place and you can't really expect “city-speed” service. Overall, a great trip. We plan to visit again as soon as possible. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Michael and Jan's review said it all! Visited: June 2001 Posted by jmchugh I took my wife and six-year-old son to Caneel in June 2001 and thought that Michael and Jan's review was very, very accurate. The only thing I would add was that Caneel, with its seven beaches, accommodated both families, and guests who want absolute peace, quiet, and no kids. For those who fall into the latter catagory, I recommend Scott's beach. My wife and I took advantage of Caneel's daycare (my son really liked it) and spent a day on Scott's beach. We saw a total of four other people that day. I would like to thank Ken S. and all the other nice people who frequent this board for recommending Caneel. I surprised my wife with this vacation and, a year later, am still basking in the glow of the "points" I earned from this trip. Caneel might not be for everybody, but if you like what you hear from this and Michael and Jan's review, give Caneel a try! 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Caneel Bay - truly wonderful Visited: May 2001 Posted by armenmancini My wife and I just returned from our 2nd trip to Caneel Bay. We had a wonderful time. While there are seven beaches at Caneel Bay, we "got in a rut" and spent every day at Scott Beach, which we consider to be perfect. The service was excellent, starting with resort check-in completed at the airport. The staff is friendly and helpful. Several times when we asked for something the response was "whatever you want." Food at the two restaurants we ate at, Beach Terrace and Turtle Bay House was excellent. We really enjoyed having a breakfast hamper delivered to our room each morning. Our room was on Cottage Point, which we think is the best blend of privacy, convenience, view, and price. The rooms show some wear, but are very comfortable. Linens on beds and in bath are wonderful. Our room had louvers on three sides, which we kept open to allow the breeze in. We slept very well. We also enjoyed drinks and two dinners in the bar, the only place you can have dinner without wearing shoes and long pants. It was nice, friendly, and informal. After two trips (from the West Coast) to Caneel Bay, my wife and I have decided that we will definitely return next spring and probably every year! It's our kind of a place. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? jasonmink@shookdesign.com Visited: May 2001 Posted by jasonmink Staying at Caneel Bay for our honeymoon was a great choice. While it's true that it's quite expensive and that the service is sometimes found lacking overall, you cannot find a better location on St. John or anywhere else in the USVI's. We stayed on Turtle Bay and found this to be perfect for us. There was great snorkeling just off the beach. Happy travels. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Great Resort Visited: January 2001 Posted by AQUADESIGNS My girlfriend and I stayed at Caneel Bay. Caneel Bay was basically an upscale campground with 170 acres of beautiful scenery and beaches. The rooms were nice with a good bed, a really cool stone shower but beware of the mosquitos in the late afternoon. There was no phone or television in the room! I think Caneel Bay should get rid of this concept. They did have a free movie showing every night but we were too tired to go at 9 pm. I would suggest the tennis garden rooms. They were not the most expensive but were close to the front desk. You will need to use their shuttle that goes around the resort; remember this place is huge. You don't need to pay extra for the oceanfront rooms because all 7 beaches are accessible. I thought Honeymoon beach was the best. It wasn't crowded at all. If you visit St. John, you will probably want to visit Trunk Bay but be aware that these "tourist traps" are really, really crowded. I honestly enjoyed just using the Caneel Bay beaches. They were all private except for one. There were two computers with free Internet access. You will need this since long distance was very expensive. E-mail was my primary way of communication with the outside world. I recommend asking for a refrigerator before you arrive. It will be in your room before you check-in. There is a market in Cruz Bay. You should buy some snacks and drinks. Food can get expensive. Definitely do the Virgin Gorda trip to Little Dix Bay. It was worth the money. St. Thomas was good only for shopping. The St. John beaches blow St. Thomas' away. 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? AMAZING!! Visited: November 2000 Posted by ATraveler My husband and I visited Caneel Bay for our honeymoon this past November and had the time of our lives! Our week in paradise consisted of swimming, snorkeling, sleeping, and (of course) dining at Caneel's three fabulous restaurants. Caneel's seven beaches were absolutely pristine. We were able to snorkle off of every beach and see the most exotic sea life. On our last day we swam with sea turtles in the waters off of Scott Beach... it was amazing! If you are looking for rest, relaxation, and pampering, Caneel Bay is a wonderful place to visit! Definitely a first class resort! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Escape from it all and Relax! Visited: August 2000 Posted by davidzeb Yes, Caneel Bay is expensive. I came to St. John to relax. This is what Caneel is for! Many of the beachfront rooms on Caneel Beach are newly renovated and are very nice. You should not come here expecting the room to be immaculate. There is amazing snorkeling right off of the beaches in Hawknest Bay and my favorite, Turtle Bay. I saw several stingrays and turtles at both Turtle Bay and Caneel Bay. The food is expensive if you don't do a meal plan. I would suggest only purchasing the breakfast and dinner plan though. With a big buffet breakfast, who needs a huge lunch? If you do get hungry for lunch, you can order a sandwich from the bar and save a lot of money. I never found making reservations for dinner a problem. If there was a long line, I would simply come back later. I never had to wait more than a couple minutes. In the Caribbean there are ants. If you leave sugar out, ants will find it. Caneel places cans of bug spray in the room to help with the problem. Usually it's just the occasional ant on the wall... it really wasn't much of a problem. Go to Caneel if you want a beautiful, quiet, relaxing place to get away from the stress of the everyday world. My wife and I will definitely go back again! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Beautiful beaches Visited: April 2000 Posted by catalano My wife and I just returned from Caneel. We had a seven night stay and it was a few days short of what I would have needed. But it is best to leave wanting more. As in other postings, we were picked up and taken to the dock where we were transported to Caneel on a 30+ minute boat ride with very good rum punch. The view was nice on the way there. We were welcomed by staff and taken to our room without delay and our bags were there before we were. We stayed at Scott Beach which is one of the two best settings. The other is Hawksnest. Scott Beach rooms are single story buildings with four rooms to a building and Hawksnest is two story so you have someone in a room above you if you are on the second floor. We had only one couple with a child on Scott Beach and we rarely saw them and they were well behaved. Most of the children are in the rooms directly on Caneel Bay itself. The room was nice, but if you are used to paying hundreds of dollars for a room per night, you will find they are not like the Ritz or Four Seasons. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. You have to remember why you are there. The room was nice, but not like the two upscale hotels I mentioned. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our room and our stay. The room was nice and directly on the beach. The nice thing about our room was there was a small reef just feet off the shoreline which was great for snorkeling. Hawksnest Beach is beautiful, but we did not see as much there snorkeling as we did at Scott Beach. We saw turtles every time we snorkeled at Scott. We also saw many stingrays. We also saw a large Manta Ray! We saw barracuda along with various other types of fish. The grounds were nice, but they were brown to some degree because they had not gotten much rain there and the sprinkling system is not all encompassing. The meals were very good. We ate at all locations on the property. But, while the food was good, it was not great particularly if you paid for each meal. We used the meal plan as we used their Romance Package which also included gratuites for everything except drinks. I would highly recommend using the meal plan. While you may go out and eat on occasion off of the property, you will eat more meals there. The drinks were very good. The reason I do not give it five stars was because at times, the staff, well, how do I put it? They were not a motivated group for the most part. However, there were some that were very helpful and nice at the same time. The other reason was when you spend that much money, you expect a little more. With all of that being said, I will go back within a couple of years when I can afford it again. I can not think of any other place where the beaches are as beautiful and that is why we went here in first place. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? We had a terrific experience! Visited: April 2000 Posted by rosee9 I'm not sure where some of these other people stayed, but when we were at Caneel it was fabulous (April 2000). Great food, very nice room, 25 steps to a gorgeous beach, nice people and terrfic activities. Yes, it is expensive, but where else can you get 7 beaches, 4 restaurants, pretty grounds, many activities and a secure environment all rolled into 1 property? Believe me, I've looked and there just are not many like Caneel. Best idea!??!! Combine your Caneel trip with a few nights at Little Dix Bay. Another terrific Rosewood property. My only criticisim is that for the money of their packages, they should throw in some alcohol. (You feel kinda "had" whenever you order a cocktail the way it is now.) 2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Worth every penny! Visited: June 1999 Posted by ATraveler My wife and I decided to splurge and get married and honeymoon at Caneel in June of '99. It was absolutely fantastic. The seven beaches are gorgeous, the snorkling is great and the staff is unobtrusive but helpful. The Estate House restaurant is outstanding. The rooms are very appealling, even though most have no air conditioning. The private ferry service to/from St. Thomas was quite convenient and dependable. Jump on board and there's a rum punch in your hand before you can sit down. Hands down, this was the best stay I've had in the Caribbean. Sure, it's expensive, but worth it. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? I have seen better! Visited: December 1969 Posted by ATraveler My husband and I went to Caneel Bay for our honeymoon. I thought the grounds and the beaches were beautiful and I love the island of St. John. The bar and dining areas were nice, but not exceptional. Aside from so-so food, the rooms were awful. We were in one of the beach front rooms and the lack of air conditioning was uncomfortable. The ceiling fan and "trade winds" didn't cool us enough in the summer heat. The bugs were so abundant and when I first arrived I thought it was odd that they stocked the rooms with bug spray...I learned later to rely on the bug spray for relief! This was a poor case of value for your money. I have been to hotels that completely surpass this one in everything but price. I would not recommend wasting your money for privacy...the only thing this resort offers. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Luxurious and relaxing! Visited: December 1969 Posted by stevebachtel We were looking for a quiet resort to get away and boy did we find it! We are two twenty somethings uninterested in the drink all day, party all night frat-house mentality of some Caribbean destinations. We wanted to feel like we were on our own island. We arrived on St. Thomas and were immediately swept up in the crowded "shopping mall-like" hamlet. Time-share hawkers and cruise boat masses were everywhere. The Caneel Bay boat pulled up and took us away to the national park. The Caneel staff were waiting on the dock when we arrived, ready with smiles and cool wash cloths to freshen up. We went in late April and the weather couldn't have been more stunning. The resort was very clean, surrounded by open grounds and sugar mill ruins. We were cutting the budget tight so we reserved the cheapest of courtside rooms. After a quick tour of the grounds by golf cart, we were ushered to a marvelous room just steps from a quiet cove. A letter inside our room explained that we had been upgraded! Now, I know this will probably never happen again, but if you can get a room on Hawks Nest Bay... pay whatever they ask! There were never more than four or five other people on our beach (it's very hidden from the rest of the resort)! We were able to snorkel coral all by ourselves... this was exactly what we were looking for! The room was wonderful. All evening a cool breeze and the sound of surf blew in from the cove. The comforter was thick and the pillows fluffy. The floor was a rich tile and the bathroom was all full of colorful tile work... very tasteful. Again, we tried to trim our budget from what we were paying for the room. We took full advantage of the free continental breakfast (bagels, muffins, coffee and juice). We went to town (5 min taxi) for lunch from the grocery store. There was also a wonderful afternoon tea every day at the estate house. We spent the rest of our money on the expensive and admittedly mediocre dinners. Most evenings we were in our comfy bed by 8 p.m. reading our favorite novels and simply enjoying the peaceful company of each other. Skip the massage... I've had better here in Denver for less. The snorkel trip was o.k., but we managed to see more fish in our own cove. We did hike two hours over to Trunk Bay only to pay four dollars and share the sand with hundreds of cruise ship castaways. We were also dissapointed to learn we couldn't take the sit-on-top kayaks out of Caneel Bay (the bay in front of the resort). We had planned to tour some other beaches by kayak but were cut short by resort officials. The staff were friendly. At these prices our fellow guests seemed a bit aloof. Though some folks were very friendly. Didn't experience any bugs at the resort, many at Trunk Bay though. This is a great place to escape the crowds. Stick to the resort and town... I've rarely had such a relaxing vacation. We will go back (as soon as we save up for that great room)! 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't waste your money Visited: December 1969 Posted by kworldvacations If I could have rated it lower, I would have. I own a travel agency and travel quite often. I heard so many wonderful things posted about Caneel and their web site sounded like paradise!!! This was my first trip to St. John and I wanted to stay in the best. Boy, was I disappointed. I reserved a beachfront room for $750.00 per night and found I was going to be moved three times in one week. I wasn't thrilled but checked in anyway. My room was filthy, (had to wear flip flops so not to bring the dirt and grime into bed with me). I also experienced a horrible bug problem. I take sugar in my coffee and if I set the cup down for more than 30 seconds it was crawling with ants. The food was less than mediocre for the outrageous price. Had to wait 45 minutes for my "reservation". Needless to say, I checked out after three nights. The only credit Caneel gets is for the beautiful beaches but those can be enjoyed by all anyway since they are open to all if they can get there. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Don't waste your money Visited: December 1969 Posted by piovino No question, Caneel Bay is a stunning property, but for the price they charge, travelers are entitled to expect better... a lot better. It is generally run down, badly in need of refurbishment. The beachfront rooms are ideally situated, but are in the condition of your average worn out Holiday Inn. The whole place has the sad, shabby appearance of a resort that has seen better days, which, apparently, this one has. The food is at best average, and outrageously expensive. One doesn't mind paying resort prices for food, but for that price, it ought to be 3 star. The resort has only a buffet, for those who like their meals in bulk, two restaurants (one of which is closed in summer) and a bar where the limited menu offers $15 hamburgers. If you really like getting gouged, you can squander 80 bucks per person per day for an MAP at their pretentious, pedestrian eating places. Get familiar quickly with the very good restaurants in Cruz Bay. It seems to me that if a hotel wants to charge the prices of their big league competitors, it had better deliver. This place doesn't even come close, and inevitably, as people get wise to their act, their reputation will dwindle until it reaches the point that occupancy plummets, and they are forced to put some money into the place to bring it up to standard. 0 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful? Great beaches, but no reefs worth snorkling. Visited: December 1969 Posted by igileadi The resort is wonderful. The beaches match the postcard look and are very quiet. There were hardly ever more then 10 people on the beach in any given time (that may be due to the low season). The service was great and the quilts in the rooms were soft and warm (to offset the AC). The only problems were the thin walls (we could here every word our neighbours spoke or shouted). Also the snorkling is very poor in the resort, the boat ride may be the best choice for snorkling). I will definately come back to this resort. 1 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful. Did you find this helpful?

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