The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas

Very nice hotel with amazing views. The biggest upset is the Executive Club, if you want a relaxing time in the club you may not get it! Parents can be extremely disrespectful to others allowing their children to disrupt other paying guest’s time in the club. The club gets turned in Romper Room with unruly children while the parents sip wine and ignore their responsibilities! Screaming kids running around the club is not the experience you go for.

Nice resort in a beautiful location. Rooms were very functional and well maintained. Views are tremendous. Access to activities is excellent - boating, sailing, kayaks etc. Front desk/check in ladies are pretty but generally surly. ATM fee of $3.75 for a max of $200 per transaction is annoying. Last dollar tends to stick and not drop down - you have to reach up to grab it - so count your money! Be careful of taxis - there is an agreed upon fee structure that is not always posted. One taxi driver tried to charge us the airport rate (which is much higher because of govt fees) when we were not going there - albeit close. Housekeeping and bell staff tend to be very friendly and efficient. Restaurants are very scenic - be patient with island time service. Although, oddly, Alloro gave away our outdoor table for a birthday dinner because we were 7 minutes late for a reservation. So - we stared through glass at the more scenic tables for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

This hotel shouldn’t carry the Ritz Carlton name. It is NOT of Ritz caliber. It is old & the guest rooms and buildings are tired. The beds suck. You have to find the ‘hole’ in the mattress and try to settle in there. Food was awful. NOT what we were expecting for the high cost. The guest room buildings do not have elevators, which makes getting your luggage up/down quite an adventure. The bell staff that drove us on golf cart to our room wasn’t able/willing to carry the larger bag up 3 flights of stairs. Pool food/drink service is slow & inattentive. The beach chaises need repair & at least a cleaning to remove the mold/dirt. Overall we were terribly disappointed. The only reason I gave them the 2nd star… was because of the beach.

This is a beautiful property but the service is uneven. When you spend $1k/ night you expect the best. Our room had a lovely view, but we never knew if the room would get cleaned. After a day with no cleaning, I called and requested that they just make the bed and empty the trash, another day I had to ask for washcloths. Outside our room the water fountain was out of order. On the plus side, the beach is beautiful and we enjoyed ordering Mai Tais under the palm trees and gazing out over the bright blue sea. We visited all on site restaurants, which are pretty small considering the large number of people staying there. Both times at Alloro we sat at the bar because reservations are difficult to come by. Sails and Coconut Cove are both casual and have a nice view of the water. Southwind is a nice little coffee shop serving croissants and muffins in the morning. We were surprised at the number of kids at the resort. When we first arrived the pool was super crowded with lots of kids and families. It was noisy at first but quieter later in the week. We did a fun snorkel trip on the Lady Lynsey, which anchors right there on the beach. I’m not sure this resort quite lives up to the Ritz Carlton name, but the lush landscaping and beautiful beach setting make it special and overall, a very nice place to visit.

I am writing this review as I am still at this hotel so it’s fresh on my mind. The service here is absolutely terrible. All the women here have the worst attitudes. They hate their jobs and hate people and it shows. Then men here are so lazy and have no manners. The hotel itself is OK. Rooms are fine (they were updated) and hotel lobby is nice. The property is old and tired. There are several dead rodents on the property, run over and no one picks them up. Beach area is small. There isn’t an adult pool which is annoying when you want some peace. The service at the beach is non existent, so if you want a drink or food, be prepared to get it yourself. Again, the workers here hate their lives. The bathroom by the pool didn’t have any paper towels and the toilets were disgusting. The worker was on her phone and didn’t care. Food is OK. I’m not expecting fine dining so it doesn’t bother me. But a smile and good customer service goes a long way!!!! I would pass on this place.