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 Caneel Bay - St. John —  Location: Beachfront - This tiny island is only accessible by boat or ferry. 126 rooms Modified American Plan (MAP) includes breakfast and dinner. $80 per person, per day Full American Plan (FAP) includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. $100 per person, per day Beverages and gratuities are not included. Description from resort website: Seven secluded white sand beaches border 170 lush acres where Caneel's accommodations have been artfully built to blend into the landscape - 4 - restuarants Gentlemen are asked to wear collared shirts, slacks and closed-in shoes after sunset when dining at Turtle Bay Estate House during winter (jackets are customary, but not required). Ladies will feel comfortable in evening resort attire Airport greeting - Wellness Center - Fitness Center & pool - Garden Walk - Massage demonstrations - Feature movie presentations - Afternoon tea - Twice-daily housekeeping service  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 2  ~ U.S. Virgin Islands Resort Reviews Index ~ The US Virgin Islands Travel Forum 
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| Caneel Bay - St. John | Heather |
I am currently planning a family trip to the DR and found your web site to be a wonderful resource. When I saw a separate site for Caribbean resort reviews, I decided to submit one on Caneel Bay.
I was motivated to offer our experiences after reading Caneel reviews, both good and bad, on several web sites. This review is lengthy but there are many points to cover on why or why not Caneel Bay may be a place you would like to visit.
My husband and I have vacationed at Caneel Bay three times in seven years. Our first trip was our honeymoon in June 1995. We returned again in May 1999 over the long Memorial Day weekend. Our last trip was over the 4th of July week in 2002. My husband and I absolutely love Caneel Bay. It is a very unique place.
ON-ISLAND OPTIONS
As far as resort options St. John really only has two, the Westin (formerly the Hyatt) and Caneel Bay. The Westin is like Disney World and Caneel Bay is like a deserted island. They could not be more different. If your idea of a dream vacation is pool bars and cable TV, stay at the Westin and leave Caneel Bay to the travelers that desire peace, quiet, and beautiful beaches.
THE JOURNEY
Upon arrival at the St. Thomas Airport, you are taken to downtown Charlotte Amalie. Depending on the Caneel ferry schedule, you may have time to walk around town. Check the resort’s ferry schedule, which may be helpful when you arrange flight times in and out of St. Thomas. We liked the opportunity to have a chance to wind down for an hour or two before catching the Caneel ferry. There are many waterfront cafes where you can enjoy the atmosphere.
We always look forward to the Caneel ferry. The ride is so relaxing and there are so many things to see along the way. If you are interested, one of the ship's mates will be happy to play tour guide by pointing out areas of interest along the way. They serve punches, both rum and non-alcoholic, on the trip to the resort. After a greeting of cold facial towels at Caneel’s dock, we were immediately transported to our room. Take your bathing suits in your carry-on or purse. While the luggage arrives within a reasonable time, you will want to hit the beach as soon as possible.
THE RESORT
Caneel Bay is spread out over nearly 200 acres. The rooms are scattered around the resort and I don’t think there is a room that is more than a five-minute walk from one of the beaches. We walked every path on the resort and all room categories certainly had their positive points.
Anyone considering Caneel Bay should be fully aware that this resort is quiet. No congo lines or limbo bars here. There is evening entertainment at The Caneel Bar, which usually consisted of live island-type music.
The breakfast buffet is wonderful. We rarely each lunch because it carries us through to dinner. I believe they also have a complimentary continental breakfast but it may end too early for some people.
I read in reviews varying opinions on service at Caneel. Our experiences were positive. Just remember, on St. John, it is island time.
The restaurants are good. Eat at the Equator on the first night, preferably before sunset, as the view is great. On our first trip, we included meals with the package. The second and third time, we dined both on and off the resort. Cruz Bay is a short taxi ride away and we liked the variety in town.
The grounds are stunning. The resort runs little jitney buses around the resort but we prefer to walk. If you are a walker, take sneakers along, as there are many paved paths and dirt trails to explore.
THE ROOMS
We stayed on the same beach all three trips and in the same room twice. (Why mess with a good thing?) Buildings are either one or two stories and all rooms have patios or balconies furnished with chairs and loungers.
The rooms are tiled with nice furnishings. Air conditioning is a recent addition. We were there in July and didn’t use it. There is a mini-bar in the room with the typical mini-bar prices. If requested, the resort will bring in a small refrigerator. On all three trips, we went to town the first day and purchased refreshments for the beach.
There are no TVs or phones in the rooms. There are phone stands in close proximity to all the rooms and the main resort building has a nice business center.
THE BEACHES
All are unique and beautiful. The resort provides great beach towels. There are more than enough beach chairs and rafts. At times, we were the only ones on the beach.
The resort also provides snorkeling equipment for use during your stay trip. Being that St. John has many places to snorkel, this is a very nice feature. Pick it up at the dock.
OFF THE RESORT
If you like to explore rent a Jeep either at the resort or in town. The taxi buses are convenient and reasonable but we like the freedom to roam the island. St. John is stunning; each bend in the road brings a view more beautiful than the last.
Trunk Bay is a popular snorkeling beach. Skip it. All the St. Thomas cruise ships run day trips to this spot. On the day we visited, it was packed. We couldn’t swim without getting a fin in the face from the person in front of you. You are paying Caneel prices to be on Caneel beaches, enjoy them.
The town of Cruz Bay is the main town on St. John. Bars and restaurants range from the predictable tourist-type traps to local establishments. Because we chose local seafood, we always had good food wherever we ate.
| Caneel Bay - St. John | Hank Mancini |
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It has been almost a year since my wife and I vacationed at Caneel Bay. We
are going back May 1st! The fact that we are anxious to return to Caneel
Bay is a good indication that we were very pleased with our April 2000 stay.
As pleased as we were, there were some shortcomings, specifically service.
While the overall service was "good," it certainly was not "excellent" as
the reputation and price would indicate. When I wrote to the property's
general manager after our stay, I was pleased to receive a prompt and
personal response. What we are going back to Caneel Bay for is the beaches and the atmosphere. Our days consisted of having breakfast delivered to our room at 8:30, heading for the beach about 9:00, and realizing that it was time to go back to our room sometime late in the afternoon. This was VERY relaxing! The beaches are beautiful and even though the resort was full, the beaches appeared to be almost deserted. I don't know if this is because there are seven beaches on the property, or whether guests were doing something else. We are going back to sun and swim and relax! Our room, on cottage point, was great. No TV or phone and that helped us relax. The room had a deck overlooking the bay and louvers on three sides of the room. There was air conditioning, but we did not use it because we did not need it. The resort provides fresh and very luxurious beach towels in your room every day, as well as a small ice chest filled with ice. There was a minibar which we used for soft drinks and juices. The furniture and furnishings were very comfortable. We enjoyed spending a lot of time in the evenings in our room.
My wife and I can't wait to go back to Caneel Bay. |
Last Updated: March 2003