Vacation Rentals by Owner

Great Spot for Families

Guest: njgregd (New Jersey)
Date of Stay: 03/16/12 Review Submitted: 03/26/12

This was my third year visiting Sapphire Beach Resort with my family, wife and two young sons and by far and away this was the best condo we stayed at for a bunch of reasons. First and foremost, the owner John is honest and available at any turn to answer any questions about his condo and the amenities. John is one of the good resort owners who pays extra for the amenities package which entitles you to beach chairs, snorkeling gear and fresh towels every day. Trust me that this is a big extra. Each chair rents for $7 dollars a day which could mean an extra $49 per person per chair just to sit on the beach in comfort. Second is the condo itself. Fantastic views of St. John, a brand new kitchen and beach toys for kids. His condo is in the “D” building which overlooks the pool and the rocky beach. It is free of the cruise ship travelers and is quiet and delightful to sit out on the deck, read a book and listen to the waves. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and will hopefully be back next year. When renting through VRBO, I view trust as the overwhelming driver to booking a vacation. Meaning, can I trust this owner to be honest and candid about their property, and can I trust the owner to be reliable with my money and fair about price. John gets an A+ in both of these categories.

Owner response:Thank you Greg for your very kind words. You and your family are welcome back any time.

Recommended for:Families with young children

beachyb

Guest: beachyb (virginia)
Date of Stay: 02/23/12 Review Submitted: 03/10/12

We had a wonderful stay. The view from this condo is amazing!! The unit is clean and the kitchen has just been redone. The sleep sofa in the living room needs to be replaced but other then that the place was great. The are loungers on the balconies but if it were my place I would have a cafe bar height table out there to enjoy my tea and meals on.Truly the view is incredible. We found the front desk personnel unfriendly but that really didn't matter because John the owner was great and answered all our questions and needs. We went to St John twice and the snorkeling was best right in front of my beach chair on Sapphire Beach. We rented a car but didn't drive it at night. Taxis are expensive since they charge per person but felt safer and it was hard to find parking. We found a wonderful driver who gave us her card and we scheduled every trip thru her. She even called us after we left so wish us safe travels

Owner response:Thank you for the review Beth, I have begun the process of replacing the cusions on the downstairs sofa and chair. Also, it's funny you should mention a bar height table for the upper balcony as I have been considering a higher table in order to be able to position people to be able to see over that board on the top of the railing. Thanks again, John

Recommended for:Age 55+, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Ralaxing get-away

Guest: JS (Dayton, OH)
Date of Stay: 02/15/12 Review Submitted: 03/02/12

We just got back from at week at this rental. Very nice location, great view from both balconies; it is postcard-like setting. The owner is very good to work with and was quite helpful. We talked on the phone for a bit before departing and he gave us some good suggestions which turned out to be very accurate. We rented a car and felt it was a good decision. Sapphire Beach Resort has no onsite restaurant so you are leaving everyday for meals as a minimum. You can get taxis very easily but we enjoyed exploring once we became comfortable with left side of the road driving. Sapphire Beach DOES have a conceirge for booking excursions and she was quite helpful (owner's suggestion). We did a couple of day trips while there that both had snorkling. Turns out the snorkling right off Sapphire beach was just as good as there are Sea Turtle and Rays there as well as a reef.

Owner response:John, Thank you for your review. There is a lot to do there and I'm glad I was able to help you with some suggestions. Please consider our condo if you decide to return to St. Thomas in the future. Regards, John

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

This was a return visit to the Saphire Beach condo

Guest: Tom (Stevens, PA )
Date of Stay: 01/14/12 Review Submitted: 02/10/12

The return visit was just as nice and beautiful, as the our first visit to this wonderful beach resort. The beaches are great and the snorkeling, which is close off the beach. Offers snorkeling over a live and active reef. The views of the beach and the island of ST. John from the condo balconies. Are always a pleasant reminder that your in a tropical paradise on vacation and it’s time to slowdown and enjoy it

Owner response:Dear Harry, Thank you for your kind review. We too have always found Sapphire Beach to be a magical place. Regards, John

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

10 days in heaven

Guest: NosheenMughal82 (United States)
Date of Stay: 01/01/12 Review Submitted: 01/17/12

The condo was awesome, its double story, with a Kitchenette and a Sofa Bed down stairs along with a bathroom and a Balcony, and the upstairs has a Bed, with a Sofa bed, Balcony and another bathroom, plenty of room to sleep 6. The Kitchen is well equipped, had an Electric stove top along with a Microwave and Refrigerator, which is VERY helpful, since the Island is EXPENSIVE!!!! Shampoo is $10, Lotion is $12, SunBlock is $15, Bread is $6, Eggs are $7, Water pack of 24 bottles is $10. and these are same prices regardless of the grocery store you go to, so go stocked up, as Taxi is expensive too. We found an awesome Taxi driver(Israel 340-244-8407 very cheap), who charged us flat rate instead of PP like everyone else. As for the Property location, it is CENTRAL, next to best beaches in town(Megans Bay, NO snorkeling very calm water, Coki bay awesome snorkeling, Sapphire has just the white fish, NO such Snorkeling, St.John has the best snorkeling with the underwater trail) Sapphire Beach where the condo is, is VERY VERY nice, you wouldn't need to go off the property. and NOT to forget John the property owner, is moreeeee then helpful in any and every way possible. Note: Maid service is ONLY available for the number of times, John pays them, and they DO NOT replace your bathroom towels till they come in for cleaning, however you can get clean Beach Towels everyday, we used them instead of the Bathroom ones, and cleaned ourselves.

Owner response:Thank you Nosheen for taking the time to write this wonderful review! Very informative. I too learned some things. I was under the impression that fresh bath towels were available as needed. I will take it up with the on site management. Thanks once again for staying with us. Sincerely, John

Recommended for:People with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Fantastic Condo+++Fantastic Owners

Guest: Dawn (Panama City Beach, FL)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 04/19/12

This review is long overdue. Stayed two weeks at this fantastic condo October 2011. Condo overlooks the pool and Carbbean. Words can barely describe this breathtaking view. Location of this unit is perfect! Condo clean and has a great remodeled kitchen. Everything worked great!!! Staff at the resort were very courteous and accommodating. Security was great. Bed was heavenly. Especially waking to a breathtaking view every morning. Now for the owner...John went above and beyond the call of duty. Very professional and accommodating. I would not hesitate to book this unit again. No problems and no worries. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

Owner response:Thank you Dawn for your wonderful comments. It's great to know that others appreciate our little "slice of heaven" as much as we do!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

The views are truly breathtaking.

Guest: Gina and Paul from Maryland (Baltimore, Maryland)
Date of Stay: 06/09/11 Review Submitted: 07/26/11

WE HAD AN AWSOME HONEYMOON! This was our first time visiting St. Thomas we were very happy with our trip and can’t wait to come back. Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina is really the best place to stay on the Island. They are over the top. The Villa has fabulous views, a big beach, wonderful pool, marina next door and great banana cabana where you can get drinks and snacks. We loved the fishing charter trip we took on the Double Header at the marina. It has been our favorite charter that we have ever taken. You can swing by the dock at 7 pm and buy some of their local catch too. We ate fresh fish all week. I was a little nervous about renting from the intranet, but John went out of his way to provide information and details to help ease my comfort. The unit is not renovated, however it is clean and has everything you will need. The king bed is very comfortable and the fans really keep the place cool. I have passed the villa information along to all my frineds who are interested in visiting the island too. The views are truly breathtaking. I would highly recomend this villa.

Owner response:Thank you Gina. I appreciate you writing this.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Best Views on St. Thomas

Guest: Sherri (CT)
Date of Stay: 04/14/11 Review Submitted: 04/24/11

My family and I stayed in John's unit over April vacation. We had spent a week in D building at Sapphire 3 years ago and couldn't wait to come back. The views of St. John and the BVI's from this building are amazing. The resort has a wonderful beach and a great pool. Our kids enjoyed themselves all week. They even met up with friends they had met during our previous stay. This is a place you love to come back to. John was great through the rental process. We had a small mix up with the cleaning service but John was available to help out and made sure evrything worked out well. The unit is not renovated, however it is clean and has everything you will need. We loved snorkeling and saw many sea turtles and rays. We ate out a few times but cooked breakfast and most dinners right at the unit. Drinks from the Banana Cabana were great while on the beach. We've been home one day and are already talking about going back next year! We just love this place.

Owner response:Thank you Sherri for the wonderful review. I would have to agree with you when you say it's a place you "love to come back to". We've been going back since 1994 and always look forward to our next visit. Thanks for staying with us. Regards, John

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Exactly what we were looking for and then some!

Guest: Diane & Dan (Barlett, Illinois/USA)
Date of Stay: 03/06/11 Review Submitted: 03/15/11

First of all, if you are looking for the most AMAZING location, you need not look any further! There are a lot of beaches on St. Thomas but, honestly none of them are as beautiful as Sapphire Beach. This particular unit has two floors, which means two balconies, which means two wonderful, wonderful views. Just imagine waking up in the morning, laying in bed and looking to your right and seeing the ocean and hearing the waves first thing in the morning. This is what you get here. The resort itself is very well maintained and clean. The staff was friendly and attentive. The two pools were cleaned every morning. One thing I want to add about the two pools is that there was no crowding at all. We went in the beginning of March, which from what I understand is part of peak season, and at times I felt that I had the pools all to myself. Also, when you are laying by the pool, you are also laying right by the ocean with the way that the pools were designed. Pure paradise! There are no restaurants or bars on the property itself but, have no fear…you have a full kitchenette here. The unit itself is on the third floor of the best building….Building D. Parking was so easy and never a problem. The unit is clean and very well maintained. There is a full kitchenette where I made breakfast every day, there is a coffee maker, blender (for all your drinks), and a toaster as well. Every night I used the blender to make all sorts of drinks using some of the island’s famous and delicious rum. We would sit out on one of the balconies before bed and enjoy the ocean breeze and our drinks. One of the more important things to me was the way that the whole renting of the villa was handled. When you are renting a vacation home from someone you don’t know, you may be (at least I was) a bit hesitant or nervous. I mean you haven’t been there so, you really don’t know what you are getting. Well, let me just tell you, John is AMAZING to work with. First of all, he handles everything in a very professional manner. He is so informative and helpful. He’s the real deal. If you have any questions, you can call or email him and he is full of so much information. He will make suggestions on places to go and things to do. It’s almost like he is your own personal travel advisor. He always replied to my emails within a day and always returned my calls by the end of the day. John was a real pleasure to work with. We would stay at his place again and know that it is worth every penny!

Owner response:Thank you Diane for your very kind review. I am extremely happy that we were able to make you comfortable with your decision to stay with us and that your stay was enjoyable.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Love this place!!!

Guest: JJJ (Blue Point, NY)
Date of Stay: 02/18/11 Review Submitted: 03/27/11

Love this place!!! This is our second trip to St. Thomas at this unit, and we just loved it, again. John is the absolute best and you can trust him, and rely on him. The views are spectacular on the third floor, and the unit is large, clean, nicely appointed, and comfortable with 2 full baths, 2 TVs, and 2 balcony’s to enjoy those amazing views. We were so close to the beach, the pool, the marina, and Red Hook making Saphire Beach a perfect location. Also, the beach at Saphire is one of the nicest on the Island, and provides for very convenient snorkeling, swimming and sunning (lots to see and do here), lounge chairs are included. There is a snack bar/grill on the beach, snorkel, kyak and paddleboat rentals (very reasonable), the marina is next door for boat trips, parasailing, jetski rentals etc). There are many restaurant/bar options in Red Hook (5 minutes away) Subway, Duffy’s Love Shack, Fish Tails, the Cellar, Pesce, Molly Malones etc., as well as a grocery & drug store. The Ferry is also right here (a must is to take a trip over to St. Johns). We stayed in this unit two yrs ago and enjoyed it even more this time, as we were more familiar with the area and forgot how incredibly beautiful St. Thomas really is. Can’t wait to be back there- Thanks to John we are now hooked on St. Thomas!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

John is The Best and the 2 floor Condo has the Best Location and Views

Guest: Jeff (New Jersey, USA)
Date of Stay: 11/04/10 Review Submitted: 11/12/10

Again, enough can not be said about how helpful and nice John was. My wife, kids (13,11 and 5) and I stayed for a week. We had plenty of room. 2 tvs and 2 full bathrooms was very nice. By far the best location. The condo is on the point so no other building is in view when you look from the balconies. It is right next to the pool, we could see each other from the pool and balconies. It's 1 building to the snack bar and 1 building to the Marina. We saw St John, Tortola and numerous Cays from the rooms. Red Hook only took a few minutes to get to by car and there are some really good eats. Pesce/The Cellar was our favorite, but we also liked Molly Malones and Fishtails. The farthest attraction on the island is only about 20 minutes away. We loved the pool. The kids kept alternating between the upper shallow pool where my 5 year old could stand and the deeper lower pool where he could play on the many steps and seats. The beach was great and we rented 3 sets of snorkel equipment for 4 days from the water sports center for only $30. If we ever get back to St Thomas we would definitely stay here again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Condo owners are awesome to work with & the views can't be beat!

Guest: Kim (Lititz, PA 17543)
Date of Stay: 07/18/10 Review Submitted: 07/30/10

John was so helpful & fully explained what was included in the codo. John always got back to me in a timely manner. Condo is spacious & has wonderful views of the beach, pool, & St. John. The snorkeling at Sapphire Beach is unbelievable. We saw sea turtles, eels & tons of colorful fish in the two coral reefs at Sapphire. We have vacationed in St. Thomas 6 times & will only stay at Sapphire Beach! Thanks for sharing your wonderful codo with my family John!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Randy & Terri1 (-)
Date of Stay: 02/13/10 Review Submitted: 02/12/10

We vacationed in St. Thomas in Jan. 2010 here and LOVED it. The condo is very nice, spacious AND what views. The people are so friendly and again the views were awesome. We will be back. Very good people to work with!

Recommended for:

John is Fantastic

Guest: JaneGirl (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Date of Stay: 08/02/09 Review Submitted: 08/17/09

I spoke and/or e-mailed with John several times regarding this property. It turns out that we will not be going on our St. Thomas vacation after all, but when we do go, I will be calling John. He was so excellent to work with. Answered my many, many questions about the condo, the complex, the beach, as well as many other St. Thomas questions. He always responded in a clear and timely manner, which was greatly appreciated. I would definitely recommend this condo to my friends and family. Hopefully I will have the chance to stay in it myself sometime in the next few years. Thanks again!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: Dan45 (East Lansing, MI)
Date of Stay: 06/04/09 Review Submitted: 06/04/09

I had an amazing vacation in St. Thomas in early May! You would have to search for a looong time to get a room on the beach like that. The accomodations are spacious and the 2 hours of free snorkel gear really was a bonus. I was amazed at the variety of fish directly off the beach. We saw sea turtles, cuddle fish, neat coral and TONS of fish. I would definitely recommend Sapphire Beach to anyone looking for a super reasonable price and GREAT location. You have to do a day sail too!! Nightwind was the best!

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