Christine
My daughter and I went to the US Virgin Islands for Spring Break and I managed to find this nice resort at the last minute. It’s about a half hour away from the airport on a quiet side of the island and right near the ferry.
When we got to the Crystal Cove Resort we missed the entrance at first and had to drive back. There’s a little building in the front of a gate where you pick up the keys. The lady was very nice and gave us our keys and some beach towels and explained how the gate worked. Make sure you keep the gate number. I just put it on my phone and that’s all I needed.
Our Unit
Our unit was clean but I have a feeling this was probably the last one available because of the decor. They are privately owned units that the resort handles renting out. They are condos and you can either get a studio style place or a larger one with a master bedroom. The studio though is actually a Murphy bed with two single beds that come down. Not as comfortable as a full bed. The condo was dated and while it was great to have a kitchen, the utensils were a little cheap and the stove was old and the whole thing would get super hot.
I joked to my daughter that the Ropers must have left this to us for the weekend, but she didn’t get it. I had to explain Three’s Company to her but she didn’t get it. Anyway, totally Mr’s Roper’s kitchen. The porch was also not usable and clearly where they stored some things. But the price was reasonable and the place was clean and everything worked. The resort itself was very nice and right on the beach. I think we’d be happy to go back, but just be a little more discerning about which unit I’d get. I spoke with some other guests who talked about how beautiful their units were.
The Caribbean Vibe
When we arrived it was Sunday and there was a great party vibe going on down by the bar and restaurant. We went and got something to eat and I had my first Pina Colada in awhile. It was great. The beach was beautiful and it has some great views. The only downside was that the bar closes at sundown, so I had thought I’d go home, take a nap and come back out. However, when I got there it was all closed down and each day it closed early. I had envisioned making dinner for my daughter, and then walking down the walkway and grabbing a Mai Tai in the evening with the adults but it was completely quiet by 7pm. Oh well. It was still relaxing.
The Wildlife
One of the first things we noticed was the free range chickens. It’s a thing in the Virgin Islands. It’s not like pigeons but these chickens just roam around freely and the chicks are so cute. Also, iguanas are fairly common so my daughter was in her glory. My daughter told me on the plane she’d love to see an iguana close up so mission ACCOMPLISHED!
The Beach
Each morning I got up early and went out to the beach to watch the sun rise. It was so relaxing and of course, I would have brought my daughter along but you just try to get a teenager up at dawn to sit on a beach on their week off. So one of our days there I just got to the beach in the morning, took a swim and when I came out of the water there was a woman hanging dresses in a tree. So for $20 I got the loveliest tie-dyed beach coverup/dress. I wish I had bought a few more.
You can tell that the resort got hit hard during the Hurricane but they have done a lot of work to restore everything and focused on the areas where people would use most. There’s also another resort next store that shared Sapphire Beach with us that has a nice pool and also looks really nice. So when booking I’d take a look at both of them.
Either way if you are looking for a clean, chill, quiet beachfront condo, this is the place for you. But make sure you know the specific unit you are getting and what it looks like so you can avoid the dated rooms with the ancient VCRs and resin utensils.
However, no matter what condo you get you absolutely can’t beat the sun rises. Check out my pics and also go here for more info about Crystal Cove Resort
