At the end of July (2014) we enjoyed one of the best vacations of our lives, 8 days and nights in unit E-15 at the Point Pleasant resort.
E-15, located near the top of Point Pleasant, is a cozy, clean and updated studio-sized condo with a very comfortable king bed, full kitchen equipped with utensils, plates, glasses and cookware, and a separate seating area with a satellite flat-screen TV and DVD player. There is free wi-fi. The upper swimming pool is a short walk away. And what a view!
Normally I am a late riser, but I was up early every morning to gaze at the vistas. To the side of the wrap-around balcony is the bay, where Jimmy Buffet's new resort Margaritaville is set to open, and across the bay, Coki Beach, famous for its snorkeling. From the front of the balcony, you can see St. John and, in the distance, Tortola and the BVI.
Point Pleasant itself, with units rising steeply from the bay to the top of the hill, is beautifully landscaped and well-maintained, with a courteous and eager-to-please staff. The cab ride from the airport to Point Pleasant is about $15 per person.
At present at Point Pleasant, there is a bar on the bay, Panga, which serves casual food (burgers, tacos, etc.) and superb tropical cocktails.
There is a small beach at the bottom of Point Pleasant where you can snorkel, adjacent to the Sugar Bay resort, which holds a carnival party on Thursday nights.
Only minutes away from Point Pleasant on the East End of the island is the village of Red Hook, which offers the best variety of dining and drinking establishments on St. Thomas. I highly recommend the Italian restaurant Pesce. A mile or so past Red Hook is the Food Center supermarket, which sells steaks, fresh fish and live Caribbean lobster. Also, wine, beer and a wide range of liquors. We saved ourselves quite a bit of money eating breakfast and dinner at the condo.
At Red Hook you catch the half-hour ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. The ferry leaves on the hour and costs $14 round trip. Also close by is Sapphire Beach, which has good snorkeling and plenty of shade trees. At Sapphire, you can catch a day sail to St. John and various snorkeling spots aboard the 57-foot sailboat Nightwind. For $115 (if paid in cash), you sail from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., make at least two stops, with an open bar all day, fresh fruit and pastries when you board, and a delicious lunch. They take up to 15 passengers, but there were only six of us the day we sailed.