This hotel has 7 of the world's most beautiful beaches, all with chairs and floats and most with lots of shade for guests, plus snorkeling right off shore. The grounds are immaculate and the staff was extremely pleasant. There are no televisions in rooms but there is one in the bar area. I'd heard there was no cell phone service but my cell (AT&T) worked perfectly. Not much nightlife, but Cruz Bay is only a 5-minute, $5 taxi ride away. This resort is perfect for those looking to spend as much time on the beach/in the water as possible. Also, the resort is basically in the national park, so it's a great location for nature lovers--in addition to the tropical fish, giant conches, stingrays, and turtles in the water, we saw wild donkeys, deer, mongoose, iguanas, and tons of birds.

Scott Beach had a lot of shade, very calm water, and a shallow reef off to the left--perfect for introducing kids to snorkeling.

the most wonderful experience weve ever had on a vacation. no tv no phone is the only way to go!!!!

take extra money for transportation

The hotel accommodations were wonderful. The restaurant staff at the beach grill were not friendly and a little slow. However, the food was good and the other restaurants at Caneel Bay were wonderful! Especially loved Turtle Bay.

The hotel and the grounds are lovely. My surprise was at the cost of food ($29 per person for the breakfast buffet; $3 for a can of coke). We had some service problems too. There was a family staying in the room above us and the kids were outside playing on the staircase. We could not sleep from their noise, so we walked down to the front desk and asked if we could change rooms. We were met with a lot of resistance and one young woman working at the front desk even made faces at me while I was speaking to the Concierge, very bizarre, and not the sort of experience you expect from a luxury resort. Eventually the front desk manager moved us to another room. The new room was clean and quiet, but the experience with the front desk was unpleasant and left a bad feeling afterwards. Also, the service at the beach side bar restaurant was very bad nearly nonexistent. In any case, you go to St. John for the beaches and they are beautiful and the water is still clear. I went snorkeling and although I did see some colorful fish and other sea critters I also saw a lot of dead or damaged coral. I now know that no one or no company can own the beaches on St. John (they are all considered public) so unless you really do not care how much you spend at a hotel to eat and sleep (and can brush off the potential unpleasant service experiences) then I would suggest staying at another location on St. John.

Traveler's tip:

Caneel Bay is a peninsula with beaches all around it and beautifully kept greens and coppices throughout, but sparse on guests, meaning the beaches are practically your own; over our stay, we can count the number of people on the same beach as us on one hand. The cabins are extremely comfortable. The atmosphere is very relaxed. The only downside is the food; Equinox is astoundingly disappointing: very unimpressive food at a very high price with a wine list bettered by your local Bennigan's; the Turtle Bay restaurant is only slightly better. Sadly, there's little in town either.

The only reason I would recommend this hotel is for the sheer beauty of the surroundings. The water and palm trees. The Resort is out dated, need a little TLC. The service was unacceptable. Most of thye staff had no clue what they were doing. A lot of new-hires at a busy time of the year. The quality of the room was it's location. We were steps away from the beach.

On arrival you are greeted with a cool towel to refresh right off the Ferry which is provided by the Hotel(170.00 for 2 people unlimited use. Includes your taxi ride back to the airport all included), then taken to your room by golf cart. Inside is the softest bed and down pillows, complimentary bottle of Cruz Bay Rum and a lg. bottle of water. A mini bar stack full of drinks and snacks for a nominal charge. In the bathroom-slippers, robes, lg. bath products (re-stocked daily or as needed). Enjoy turn-down service complete with a decorative sea shell and proverb every night before bed. The resort has 2 formal restaurants, which reservations are recommended, buffet style restaurant that serves Breakfast, Lunch, and some nights dinner. There is a Beach Bar/Grill as well. All the food was spectacular. Be prepared to pay for it. Recommend "Meal-Plan". I would definitely go back with a significant other next time. I also recommend the "Aloe Wrap" at the Massage Centre. Amy was awesome!

Traveler's tip:

The Hotel was nice and what we expected. It is an older structure built around the 60's probably. It was well appointed as good as one can expect for an older building.

Traveler's tip:

Caneel Bay was truly a wonderful and relaxing vacation. Very kid friendly, laid-back and wonderful food. I highly recommend this resort.

The grounds are very nice at Caneel Bay and the beaches are beautiful but that is about the extent of good at this resort. The rooms (garden view, courtside, and ocean view) are very disappointing for what you pay. If you don't get the all inclusive food part, the meals at any of the restaurants are extremely expensive and ok in quality. We stayed in the ocean view rooms and it wasn't nice at all. Our friends stayed in the Garden view and were also very disappointed for what they paid. The Bell service was very disappointing too. They collect your luggage at the gate to deliver to your room. We waited 7 hours for our luggage after arriving and they still never delivered it so we had to go find it tucked away behind the front desk just sitting there and bring it to our rooms from there. I don't recommend this place.