Pavilions and Pools Romantic, affordable - your own 1-BR villa with a private pool. 5-minute walk to beach. Complimentary Breakfast Buffet. Ask about Romance packages.
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort Fun, friendly beachfront resort with a Caribbean flair. One of-a kind All Inclusive plan with 100% a la carte dining, and also Eurpean Plan rates.
Hillcrest Guest House All rates have been reduced by 20%. Additional discounts & senior rates, see website.
4th visit to St. Thomas / St. John. nice beaches & good resturants w/ beautiful scenic vistas though St, John is much quieter the beaches are spectacular. easy ferry ride from red hook to many destinations - St. John, virgin gorda, etc
great day sail on new horizons
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Excellent Time at Villa GardeniaVisited: December 2008
Posted by anncd135
Villa Gardenia is a wonderful house situated on the north side of St. Thomas with sweeping views of other islands. The inside of the house is beautiful as well--not the typical "island home." The outside patios make the perfect place to spend your day.
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I read mixed reviews. I travel a lot, and tried to stay the one night (I was scheduled for three). I have to believe the reviews that it is terrible.
I saw the rats, many cats, and left after three hours for Frenchman's Reef and some great views and great vacationing.
This place is owned by multiple condo owners and seem to be overseen by their choice of useless management. But it's cheap, and it shows. I left, but and had a great stay for the rest of my days at Frenchman's Reef.
1 users found this review helpful. 1 found this review unhelpful.
attractions, St. Thomas, USVI traveler review
It was expensive use of vacation time.
Posted by mig
I checked it out before going to island. It sounded much like horse-back riding excursions (never a gallop period). It was an expensive use of my vacation time, and there were no better views possible than what I saw on foot - for free.
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This is a poor man's retreat.Visited: December 2007
Posted by mig
Stick to the area of Frenchman's Reef. This spot is for tight budget vacation junkies. You know how "I got a great deal" goes - you also get nothing, just a big black hole for your money.
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We couldn't have asked for more.Visited: November 2008
Posted by pugapso
The Green Iguana lived up to our expectations and more. Sue attended to our every need, even bringing us bananas one day and pumpkin pie with cream another day. She answered all of our questions and recommended restaurants.
The steps were not a problem, though I think we counted about 150 from top to bottom! The location was excellent giving wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.
Free wireless Internet was a bonus.
We would not hesitate to stay here again. Thanks, Sue and Buddy!!
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My family of four adults and two active boys, 10 and 3, spent Thanksgiving week at Ocean Kaleidoscope. We all loved our stay, and Curlson and Gail, the owners who live on the third floor of the villa, were marvelous hosts.
We had a unique island experience, as there was a fire at the Virgin Islands power plant and we had no power for one and a half days. We actually enjoyed the "camping out" experience. Curlson brought us buckets of water for our personal use, and we used the water from the hot tub to flush the toilets. The stove and gas grill were used for cooking, and we survived just fine.
We visited Sapphire Beach, Magens Bay Beach, Mountaintop, the Botanical Gardens, Red Hook, St. John (by ferry) and Cinnamon Bay Beach on St. John, Charlotte Amalie, and a kayak trip by some of us. We even managed to get in visits with my husband's cousin who lives on St. Thomas.
We had rented the second floor, the larger of the available rentals, and the first floor. My husband and I loved our first floor retreat, so we could escape the noisy boys if necessary. Curlson and Gail never complained about the boys' noisy play.
Our views were outstanding, and I will remember those always. However, I really miss hearing the roosters crowing. They crowed all day, and I loved it.
It was a great Thanksgiving week, and Curlson and Gail joined our extended family for a memorable Thanksgiving dinner on Ocean Kaleidoscope's lovely balcony.
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Unfortunately, all the other negative reviews are correct.
The service was horrible, the room was not clean, and there was a constant musty moldy smell. There was no hot water for the shower, the pressure was low, and the drain didn't work properly.
The food was frozen the first night, and the second night - it was just bad.
On one positive note, the pool was beautiful, and the lunch by the pool was good. It was far from paradise, though.
2 users found this review helpful. 0 found this review unhelpful.
It's a great place - we can't wait to go back.Visited: March 2007
Posted by jjb
Secret Harbour is beautiful! Maybe people are giving bad reviews because they want to keep this place a secret! If too many people know about it, we won't be able to get back!
Truthfully, it is not luxurious. We didn't want that. It is relaxed, clean, quiet, private, and gorgeous. We did want that.
We were here with our two teenaged sons, and they loved this place! We have all traveled in the Caribbean and Mexico, so we do have a fair amount of experiences to compare with.
Having a kitchen was great. The staff was pleasant and helpful. We had one problem with the drainage in the shower, and it was fixed within a couple hours.
The restaurant on-site was fantastic! Snorkeling was safe and fun. We kept seeing a little sea turtle and many other sea wonders right there off the beach!
The dive shop was convenient, professional, and accommodating, for both scuba and snorkeling trips.
I understand each unit is unique, privately owned and decorated. The unit we got was clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. The rooms did show their age, but it was nothing troublesome. We were in the beachfront rooms - we are beach fans. I do think our experience would have been different if we had a room uphill from the beach. Although, those are closer to the pool.
I've tried to looked for some place new to stay in the USVI, but nothing seems to match up to Secret Harbour, so we are hoping to return this spring!
The only down side is the distance to town. The taxi fares add up quickly.
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I stayed at the resort this restaurant is associated with. I had the stuffed Caribbean lobster for dinner for our anniversary. It was so good, I am still thinking about it!
The bartender from Rhode Island during the day was fun, and she did a great job.
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This is a great place to stay.Visited: November 2008
Posted by 2stillscratchinginse
We found the Green Iguana to be a great place to stay. Sue was very accommodating. She went above and beyond by helping us out with our luggage while we were camping. She also saved our skin (literally) by lending us anti itch gel before we were even staying at the hotel. We were covered with no-see-um bites from the first few days of our trip at a beach resort!
There were lots of steps to get back from town. It can be tough with groceries if you don't have a rental car. It can be fun at first, then very tiring after a while. So, I suggest you get a car or stock up with lots of groceries before you stay.
The hotel has parking, and taxis will take you places if you find one. However, at night it's not as easy -and a little scary to get stuck somewhere you were not expecting.
The room was great. The hot water worked in the shower (which isn't the case everywhere). Sue also sells snacks if you find yourself not wanting to go back down those steps to try and find groceries.
The taxi service Sue recommended to get to the airport was prompt, so we had no worries about catching our early morning flight home. Also, she will call them for you.
The bed was comfortable, the room was clean, and fresh beach towels are provided every day (if you need them).
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We read the ads for the Old Stone Farmhouse Restaurant and decided it would be a good choice for dinner one evening while spending a week in St. Thomas. What a disappointment!
Yes, the historical significance of the property and the ambience were fascinating. However, the food was absolutely terrible.
The first three courses were so small (about two bites in each one), and for the most part tasted bad. My husband and I both got the lamb for the main course, and it tasted awful and was very fatty. Even the wine was awful. How can you ruin a glass of Pinot Noir?
After the dinner, we had such a bad taste in our mouths so we asked for mints. They said they couldn't give us any, but gave us sorbet. It also tasted terrible. We couldn't finish it. We were both up sick at least half that night.
Needless to say, we won't go back. I can't believe that awful meal came to over $170.00!
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This is a fabulous place to stay in St. Thomas.Visited: November 2008
Posted by jillybean1947
We just returned from about our 8th year of enjoying a week-long vacation in St. Thomas.
We have been staying at Emerald Beach, and enjoy the resort tremendously. The rooms are large, very clean and lovely, with a beautiful view from the balcony. The staff is wonderful - so friendly and helpful. Everyone from the manager, Joel, to the kitchen staff. The taxi drivers, bar staff, and housekeepers are great, too.
We can't wait to return.
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The week we spent at the Green Iguana was absolutely great. Managers Sue and Buddy were extremely helpful in pointing out attractions to see, places to eat, and things to do.
The in-room kitchen helped for quick meals, too.
It was located off of downtown, and was a short walk to shopping and restaurants. The use of laundry facilities at the hotel was also very convenient. It was clean and secure, and was the perfect place to launch out from - regardless of our activities on St. Thomas or the surrounding islands.
We would go back again in a heartbeat.
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The views and beach were great.Visited: October 2008
Posted by mikeinboston
We had two rooms for five of us. This was right above the tennis courts with an ocean view. It was an excellent value for the money. I'm not sure I'd pay the "higher" listed rates, though, given some other properties I've stayed locally.
If you want views, comfort, etc. - it comes recommended.
The restaurant we ate at was mediocre and way, way overpriced, though. Keep that in mind.
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It's so good I want to keep it a secret!Visited: November 2008
Posted by mikeinboston
The reviews are in - from not only myself, a seasoned traveler, but also my wife and family. I planned a five-person get away for the family, and wanted clean, safe surroundings with convenience to town. My expectations were far exceeded!
Sue and Buddy were great, accommodating, and the perfect hosts. My father dislocated his shoulder during the trip, our car got a flat, and there were other adventures, but the place felt like home - and we had a great time even after the bumps. I could go on, but you already get the picture.
We hope to visit St. Thomas again sometime soon!
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When I read the other reviews, I was sceptical that it could be that good. It was!
Sue and Buddy were the best. Whatever we needed, they would furnish it (even WD 40 for removing sticker glue!). We loved the place, the views - everything.
There were four of us who shared a double bedroom room. It was so pretty and clean. Also, the bananas off the tree were so good.
If, or when, we go back, we will surely stay at The Green Iguana again. Thanks Sue and Buddy! People like you are what makes a good vacation great.
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attractions, St. Thomas, USVI traveler review
Do not use VIP Yacht Charters (www.vipyachts.com) on St. Thomas.
Posted by blondijones
I would highly recommend not using them ever!
In August 2007, we paid in full for two boats from VIP Yacht Charters. One in October (44MY) and one in December (59MY).
Once we were on the 44 in October, we realized that the December boat we were taking was going to be too much of a hassle not to have a full crew (we had a seven-month-old grandbaby going). We could either go on and take the 59 (which we had paid in full ($10k), but not take the grandbaby or broker another boat with a full crew to help out.
We talked to the owner (Bob). He said he understood, and we could reschedule for another time. I called in January, and he said just call him closer in. My husband called him, and he said he would “see what he could do”. We then received an email saying after talking to the owner of the boat, they decided they could not let us use our credit but would be happy to give us a 20% discount on our next charter.
First of all, if he would have told us we would have lost our money, we would have changed the trip plans and left the baby at home on this trip. I think it was all just a plan for him to keep our 10k! Yes, the contract indicated it was non-refundable. However, when you have a discussion with the owner and he says everything is fine… you take it for face value.
We charter on average six to eight weeks a year in the VIs - everything from 44ft bareboats to megayachts and have never been lied to like this. In my opinion, they are dishonest. If you value your money, don't use them!
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Pavilions and Pools Romantic, affordable - your own 1-BR villa with a private pool. 5-minute walk to beach. Complimentary Breakfast Buffet. Ask about Romance packages.
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort Fun, friendly beachfront resort with a Caribbean flair. One of-a kind All Inclusive plan with 100% a la carte dining, and also Eurpean Plan rates.
Hillcrest Guest House All rates have been reduced by 20%. Additional discounts & senior rates, see website.
wonderful beaches 
Excellent Time at Villa Gardenia 
This was a mere dump. 
It was expensive use of vacation time. 
