The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

I almost didn’t book bc of some of the reviews and I’m so glad I ignored the haters! We had the warmest welcome, property was gorgeous and they upgraded us to an ocean view king which I loved. The room felt new & fresh and the property was spotless. We loved the spa and sunset cruise. Only one restaurant was open for dinner which I knew from our booking. They sent us to the Easterly in Red Hook another night which we loved. The breakfast place made a killer latte and egg sandwiches. So much to do in this area, it’s not a place where you just hang around the resort all day like an all inclusive so maybe that’s the issue with the other reviewers. We went to St John and did a BVI boat trip which I highly recommend. Didn’t love the food at Alloro but service and atmosphere were still good. I would definitely go back- it’s an easy long weekend destination from the east coast

This was the poorest maintained Ritz Carlton I ever stayed at. It's grossly over priced for the resort. understaffed and many areas were closed. no music at pool and beach area was in poor condition. bug in my room. roaches and spiders. It was honeymoon gone bad.

Really wanted to give a glowing review full of compliments, but this stay was a mixed bag for us. The property itself is gorgeous. The views are amazing and the water on the small, private beach is crystal clear and a great temperature. The pools are very pretty and the staff is incredibly kind. Our room was very clean, a decent size, awesome deck where we had our breakfast each morning. Here are a few of the downsides: We have stayed at many Ritz’s and Westin’s in our travels. This one is probably on the lower tier of overall quality and service. Check-in was not good. We arrived after a very bumpy and expensive ($135) cab ride with some gorgeous views. It was 12:30 or so. The desk agent said that our room wasn’t ready, but hopefully in 30-45 minutes. We were dressed for cold weather coming from up north. The hotel is mostly open air so my wife and I were hot. We said that if we can’t get into our room soon, that we’d like a place to get changed into shorts and t-shirts. An hour passed. Still no room. We were sweating and the desk agent sent us to go get lunch. We spent an hour at lunch, still very hot, covered in sweat, we get back to the desk at 2:15 or so. She insisted the room still wasn’t ready, but hoped in the next 30 minutes. Long story short, we finally got into our room around 3:15. A more savvy agent could have offered us a poolside bungalow along with a changing room and some drinks to cool down. Instead, we were offered a $200 resort fee credit. Not the best experience. Check out had similar issues. Breakfast options are either $60 a person buffet, room service, or a coffee shop with sandwiches and smoothies. We left our room the morning of checkout at 845 to get coffee and breakfast sandwiches. When we walked back to our room at 9:15, our key no longer worked. There was a service phone in the hallway near our room. The phone didn’t work. So I had to walk across the property up to the front desk. There was no one at the desk. I had to walk around hailing people for help. 15 mins later I found someone. She had to make me a new key. Then I had to flag down a golf cart and get a ride to the room. No one offered to help us with bags, so I carried our suitcases up two flights of stairs myself. Not a huge deal, but not what we’ve come to expect when staying at the Ritz. Those crappy check-in and check-out experiences overshadowed what was generally a very nice stay.

Incredibly friendly and welcoming staff cannot disguise that this is a mouldering 1980’s property being marketed as a Ritz Carlton and sold, off-season and with half the restaurants closed, at eye-watering room rates more typical of the glimmering Tokyo or Nikko or other international bearer of the brand. It’s a two-star experience that leaves a sordid taste when contemplating the bill.

The security guard by the gate to the lobby, her attitude is terrible, no mannerisms. Hire better staff! Didn’t say good afternoon nothing, just came with an attitude!!! Not a good look for a 5 star hotel!! Train employees better!!!!!!!!!!