BookIt.com Verified Traveler Kyle D. from New Lexington, Ohio

"Staff was extremely nice and cordial from check in through out the stay, my only complaint was that as soon as you checked out they were done with the hospitality. We had a family of 4 and they would only leave 2 towels and wash cloths each day, so we had to call room service or track them down each day to get extra towels for our family. We also had an incident where the pool concierge ran out of towels, I waited over an hour for more towels to come, and instead the girl told me I would have to go all the way up to the main lobby and get towels there. That is a nice little walk (uphill), I thought they should have been all over that for me. Other than that, this staff was amazing, the cooks, chefs, bartenders, and room service were all very nice. There was one bartender that was not very friendly one day, but she may have just been having a bad day. The resort was very nice and clean, but the 'private' beach was definitely overrated. There are so many rocks, that it was hard to enjoy the ocean/beach, we spent most of our time in the pools because of this. The only other thing would be that they should crack down on the smokers. This is 'Paradise', and you have cigarette butts laying around everywhere. You are outside, so I know you can't tell people that they can not smoke, but they should enforce the smokers to put their butts out in a proper way, not flicking them any and everywhere. Airline staff was very unfriendly, they would greet you with a glare, instead of words and a smile. The staff in St. Thomas in the boarding area was no where to be found, except for a couple of employees outside sleeping. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Maryiana Todorova from Dublin, OH

"Arrived 07/04/12 - Customer Service Skills - below zero (they have to take some classes for this subject); No A/C for 3 days and half; No data port internet in the room(even willing to pay surgarge); Mini refriginator - did not work well; Portable fan; Elevators - working nowhere except the lobby - the executive manager works there so, it needs to work; We look for these stuff because we are not rich people as some of the guests and we paid to have them; No variety of food - guests from all over the world; 7 days had the same Club Sandwich; 7 kind of cocktails; 7 shots - drinks; All of these for a big hotel like Sugar Bay Resort and Spa? Spa - manicure - $35 plus $7 for tip - it is already in your receipt - want or do not want you have to pay and the service was horrible; We spent $ 4,200 for this vacation - all inclusive; round trip flights; and the room - it is not worth it; People wake up - if you are rich probably is ok for you to wave hands and say 'I have money, I don't care, and I do have fun.' Good for you but not for us - we have to pay now for this vacation. Everything is expensive even in the island. Please don't waste your money for St Thomas USVI; instead you can search and see St John - o my very nice place and it is different. "

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Maryiana Todorova from Dublin, OH

"Bad Customer Service; No A/C for 3 days and 1/2; No Varieties of Food; 6 days Eat the Same.; Isn't good and very expensive; No internet just in the lobby; We didn't paid to stay in the lobby; It is not wotrth the money we spent"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler from Lake Mary, Fl

"My family and I went to this resort (six total) with great anticipation. We booked the all inclusive. Sadly, I will never recommend St.Thomas or this resort to anyone. The hotel boast six restaurants on site. In reality, only one serves breakfast every day. You only have two restaurants to choose from for dinner. The buffet style Manor House and the Baci in which you have to make a reservation. We were very dissapointed with the foods that were served. Breakfast was exactly the same everyday.(American buffet style with an omlette station).Imagine,eating the same foods everyday for six days! The reservation restaurant(Baci) was a waste of time.We ate there two days. It took us about three hours each day to complete our dinner. Service was extremely slow. I was told that their menu doesn't change but stays the same for a month. The food was definitely not worth it. All of the dinners we ordered were mostly covered with some sort of sauce. We were looking forward for the typical caribbean cuisine but none could be found at this resort. We had to eat out one day just to enjoy some callaloo soup and curries. The only good thing about this resort is the activities. Their carnival night was excellent. Be aware that it's very difficult to move around St.Thomas without a taxi. I feel we paid way too much just getting around. They charge per person, not trip. Even a local guy we got to take us around charged too much. The safari bus doesn't go everywhere. This resort is secluded and you need transportation to get around.Overall,there is not much to do in St.Thomas or St.Johns except swimming or snorkeling. Everything closes on non cruise ship days. We were looking forward to take the semi-submarine at Coral World but was told that it only goes out on cruise ships' days. Most of the stores in the mall were also closed as well as some of their landmarks. The cruise ship comes in once or twice a week. If you go to this island be prepare to wait for everything. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. It tooks us two hours waiting in line for customs.
"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Stephanie S. from Norcross, GA

"My husband and I booked this trip in order to get away and do nothing for a week...we hadn't been on vacation in 4 years! I had booked us at Sugar Bay Resort & Spa because it had an all-inclusive option, and I had read in other reviews that it was close to a few good snorkeling destinations. Our vacation was June 11-16, 2012.

We enjoyed our stay and thoroughly enjoyed meeting our goal of doing nothing but swimming, snorkeling, laying on the beach or pool-side, and basically just chilling out. That said, there were both pros and cons that come with staying at this resort.

The pros: The grounds were kept clean, despite the neuter-release program they have going on with the local cats. If the cats go to the bathroom somewhere, it is promptly removed. You never see trash anywhere.

The landscaping and views are beautiful. I like the green iguanas everywhere - it is cool having them sitting around the pool, basking in the sunshine. They are all full-grown adults.

This time of year may not be the best time to go if you want clear skies and views for miles, because African dust blows over the islands and creates a haze that just sits there every day and makes everything a little hazy. When we decide to revisit the islands, we are coming in January/February.

The pool area was nice; the beach was small but adequate. We got sufficiently burned the first day. :-) The vast majority of the staff are friendly and accommodating. The food was very good; there was always plenty to choose from, as long as you aren't too picky about what you eat. The meat was always cooked to satisfaction, and we never went hungry (with the all-inclusive, going hungry is impossible).

That being said, there are some cons that lead me and my husband to disagree with its four-star status: The rooms are a little worn down. Ours was clean enough, but the bed was atrocious. It dipped way down in the middle, and my husband looked under the bed to find that the frame was also bowed way down. So that led us both to roll into each other just about every night. A couple of the lamps had burned out bulbs, and our TV remote for our wonderful, out-of-date analog TV didn't work (I found out from another couple that the deluxe oceanview rooms have flat-screens, and some rooms don't have a TV at all). These things are easily fixable; however, in a resort that is touting 4-star status, you shouldn't have to go to the front desk to request those things: they should be checked in every room and replaced as needed. We heard from others on the resort about things like the towel rack falling off the wall and hitting the toilet, the bathtub not draining, and roaches in the bathroom. As both me and hubby are wildlife biologists, we can deal with critters in our room, but we realize that most other people cannot, so it needed to be stated.

Baci is somewhat overrated. Hubby's fish was overcooked, but otherwise his meal was good. My steak, ordered rare, was actually medium rare, which I also like, so it was still good. However, after eating there once (the service was a little slow, even on 'island time'), we found we enjoyed the buffet at Manor House more, so we continued to eat there.

Sometimes there is a disconnect between the front desk and the rest of the staff. You sometimes have to go and ask twice before anything gets done. We had to ask twice about replacing our TV remote; and when it was time to leave, we had gone to the front desk to checkout and asked that our bags be retrieved from our room. Two hours later, when we are getting on the shuttle to depart for the airport,we find out that no one had ever gotten our bags! So there was a last-minute rush to get our bags so we wouldn't miss our ride.

The snorkeling is average to below average around the resort area. We had a good time snorkeling and saw some cool fish, but the vast majority of the coral here is dead due to pollution. We didn't make it to St. John, but I have read in other reviews that a snorkeling trip to Trunk Bay over there is worth it!

In summary, if you are looking for a relaxing vacation and are willing to put up with a 3-star resort that thinks it is a 4-star resort but just isn't there, then I recommend Sugar Bay Resort (I never hit the spa, so I cannot comment on that part of it). We may visit the U.S. Virgin Islands again, but I don't think we will stay at Sugar Bay again. I believe there are better resorts and hotels on St. Thomas as well as St. John and St. Croix."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Nick Villareal from Los Angeles, California

"After reading other reviews of Sugar Bay, I was alittle aprehensive regarding our recent stay. But we are not the type of travellers to just take what we are given, and went with an open mind. Sugar Bay resort was actually pretty good!!! We did not go all inclusive, we aren't that big of drinkers anyways, we did however go with the breakfast included package, and it was just fine. We had 2 rooms, which were nice and clean, nothing too spectacular or over the top, the pool was great, and the beach though a bit rocky had great snorkeling. I would definitely stay here again"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"The views from the room and resort are amazing! The resort has on their website that it recently went through renovations. Not sure where. The rooms (carpet, curtains, paint) are very worn. The staff was always very friendly and accomodating, the pool area, beach, grounds were well maintained and pretty. The only reason I would probably not stay there again is because I was a little disappointed in the restaurants. Not being big on buffets, that's the primary style unless it's a burger or a pizza. I would prefer a sit down (menu) and served meal like at Baci - outstanding! So my next trip to St Thomas, Ill look for a resort that has all inclusive dining, not so much buffets unless its limited to breakfast and or lunch. Dinners, you want just a little different dining. Thought they could do a little more evening activities. The resort got real quiet by 10:00 - make it like a cruise ship with a lot more to do and youll have a great experience for the guests!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Isabel Ramos from Highland Village, Texas

"This was our first time to visit, it wasn't what I expected. The staff at the resort wasn't the friendliest, which really surprised us. From the front desk to the guys at the front of the hotel were good, no problem. The restaurant staff from the inside restaurant to the pool side restaurant, extremely rude, like we were a bother to them. We were planning my 50th birthday party for October and we were planning to take my whole family (20 people ) to St Thomas to celebrate. Unfortunately Sugar Bay is NOT on the list to re-visit."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ari from Placentia, Ca

"We decided to get the all inclusive package at this resort, which is the way to go. The food is very similar to cruise food, however, there are about 3-4 places to choose from. The drinks are awesome!!! Especially the tropical drinks and they have no problem keeping them coming.

The pool area is very nice and clean. Local vegetation and animals (iguanas, cats) make things fun for the kids. The beach area is great too. Lots of lounge chairs to use, clean water, a little bit pebbly near the water, but nothing to ruin your time. There are also snorkel gear and kayaks available at no charge with the all inclusive package.

The rooms are tidy and clean. Air conditioner works nicely. Fridge available in the rooms, so taking up left overs is easy. We did have a problem one day with the water not working, but it didn't ruin our stay, it was back and running in a few hours. Sometimes the power goes out, but it was in the middle of the night, so it wasn't a big deal. You have to remember, this is a tropical island, water and power don't work like they do in the States.

Staff was friendly. They gave us great suggestions as far as beaches to visit (cinnamon bay in St. John, and Linguist beach in St. Thomas.) Also, take the safari bus for 2$ a person instead of taxis when getting around the island, this will save you a lot of money. We ate off the resort one night, at Fish Tail. Great place, highly recommend it for seafood.

Our trip was fantastic. It was exactly what we wanted, relaxation."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Thomas Smith from Baltimore, MD

"I am told this is the only all-inclusive resort in this area. The resort is very comfortable. The staff treated us extremely well. In my opinion the food could have been a little better but all in all it was certainly palatable. I would have liked something a little more exotic but I can assure you I didn't lose any weight there. The booze was good and there was never a problem getting a drink. The bartenders were professionals and could mix anything you wanted."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Stephen from Tennessee

"Me and my girlfriend stayed here for six nights and we definitely loved every minute of it. Great views and great hospitality. Food was delicious but redundant. Can't complain about anything. St. Thomas is the definition of paradise, there's no way to not have an amazing time."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Richard Gonzalez from Davie, FL

"The resort seem to be a safe haven for multiple cats. Staff was literally on 'Island Time.' The food was decent. Disappointed that there was no Caribbean cuisines on the menu during our stay. So much potential, but lacking an effective management and staff personnel. Room was comfortable although the A/C seems to cap out at a certain temperature. For an all inclusive resort, a lot was not 'All inclusive.' Would not recommend this resort to anyone nor will we return. Yeah Mon!"

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler A Recent Traveler

"Sugar Bay is a good overall property. Great value for the price. We didnt take the all inclusive package since we spent most of the time on trips around the islands (St. John, Tortola, Virgen Gorda, etc.) The pool was great and the staff was friendly."

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BookIt.com Verified Traveler Ann from Woodstock, GA

"Had a great stay. Facilities were clean and staff very friendly and accommodating. Food was good - maybe not quite what would be expected for the gourmet palate - but certainly adequate; similar to what we have experienced on cruises. Easy to catch a taxi to go somewhere if you wish, but we mostly stayed, relaxed, and enjoyed the pool and beach. A day trip to St. John's is easy from this location; Red Hook Ferry a short taxi ride away."

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"We started by traveling to Minnisota for our Flight.. We had great hotel stay..We landed in St Thomas late..The people were friendly..We awoke early.. 4 am..Had a wonderful breakfast..The people were very helpful,friendly,and treated us like true Guests..The service at the Bars was as slow as you can get..we did wait quite alot for our drinks..Our room was clean,cool,and updated..Our housekeeper was friendly and took care of our needs..The beach was well kept..Beach towels were hard to get..I took that as a sign People stole them..We were there on June 20th..Slow period for vacationers..Sugar Bay Resort and Spa ..was a dream VACATION....(yes customs takes a lot of time)..Happy Travels"

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"My fiancee and I booked this trip in hopes to get away from the harsh winter chills for Christmas. We went for four nights and five days. We arrived December 22nd and it was quite chilly. We were greeted upon arrival at the resort with a welcome punch and our necessities for our stay. We were then escorted to our suite which was upgraded upon arrival to the Bay-view room which was a plus. Our room was EXTREMELY hot and humid in comparison to outside which was chilly. We went to dinner down by the poolside. The food selection was EXTREMELY limited and not seasoned at times. The drinks however were phenomenal and this is from someone who doesn't drink. The staff were very respectful and accommodating. My fiancee has food allergies and to our surprise they were not very accommodating to his request for things such as white rice of just plain vegetables. However, our last two nights we finally discovered the Baci Restaurant and their food was delectable. The wait to eat at that particular restaurant was ridiculous. We waited over an hour. The resort gets you on their website when they say that there are several restaurants with a vast selection of food. The food is basically American cuisine, my fiancee and I were hoping for real St. Thomas dishes. We had to leave the resort a lot to get great meals. The ocean front was very rocky and filled with reefs that cut our feet. The pool was freezing cold but they said that the heater was down. We got used to it. The three owners of the resort arrived while we were there. The staff were extremely busy attending to their every need and ignored the other guests. They came with three groups of friends and family In our actual room the shower didn't work but as soon as we mentioned it,they sent someone up immediately to fix it. My fiancee and I lived off of the bar food because the buffet and other restaurant basically served the exact same thing every night except Christmas eve and night. The manager of Baci restaurant was very kind and helped my fiancee to make our last night very romantic. We would return but not have all-inclusive because we basically ate off the resort and ended up sending money for that in addition."

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"We arrived at Sugar Bay on Friday, December 30th and were told by the front desk that the AC was out. They relayed that it was being worked on and should be fixed by the next day. However we then learned it had been out since Christmas or earlier and it was not fixed during our entire stay. Additionally when we arrived we were taken to a room that was already accommodated. We were then given a room where the lock battery was not working and could not get into. Finally we were given a suite; which was nice however due to the room set up we had no way to open windows where we were sleeping so then had no breeze and no air conditioning. Each day we or someone in our party of 10 asked about the a/c we were told it would be fixed; we learned it was finally fixed a day after our return (Wednesday 1/4). Overall the property is in a beautiful location and has a lot of potential but the bathrooms around the property were dirty and the main lobby women's bathroom was missing lights so half the stalls were dark. Many of the amenities were not available. The pool bar was not staffed. The Turtle Rock bar and restaurant manager were the only staff that were consistently pleasant and attentive. Most of the staff were slow or even made you feel unwelcome and that we were bothering them when asking for a drink or some other service. There were times where we had to request things multiple times and still did not receive a food order or drink. Because we had a large party we also requested dinner reservations %u2013 one evening we were told by the hostess she could not help us and we would just have to %u2018wait a long time'. Finally a manager came right over and assisted us. Each time we attempted to make dinner reservations it seemed to take effort or require escalation to a manager to help. During breakfast there was a wait even though many tables were empty. We were told there were no servers available however it was for a buffet. My wife works for a concierge company and has to write a review on our visit about St. Thomas. Unfortunately she will not be able to recommend staying at Sugar Bay due to the experience. Additionally I was entertaining clients during our stay and at this time, I don't feel it is somewhere I would bring anyone back to."

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"The whole campus was beautiful, clean and the staff was very efficient. The only thing I would do differently is the All-inclusive. The food quality was not very good and I think we spent more than we would have buying separate meals. If you can eat a lot of food, 3 times a day plus drinks then I say you'd get your money's worth. The small beach that was private to the resort guests was nice to snorkle off of and to rid us of our worries for locals stealing our things. I would return again. Also, DEFINITELY recommend paying for the round-trip transportation. The roads were tiny, uphill, busy, and they drive on the left side of the road. We never would have made it to the hotel."

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