We stayed only one night at Maria's by the Sea in order to take a ferry the next morning. We loved Maria's and booked a sea side room. It was large and very clean and the restaurant was very good. The staff were very friendly. I read some reviews of Maria's that weren't that great and I think the people who wrote them are just way too picky. You are in the BVI and you are a guest there. Be friendly and the staff will be friendly and helpful. We thought the prices for the room and the restaurant were fine. The small pool was clean and lovely. We would defintely stay at Maria's again and for a longer stay. If you want a 5 star luxury hotel, go someplace else. For us simple folks, it was lovely and we were very happy.

We arrived in Road Town apprehensive of what we'd find for a hotel since we'd read so many reviews of how awful they all were. First of all, if you are from the U.S., a Hilton Honors guest or something like that, just lower your expectations a little and you'll be quite surprised at how nice this little gem is. The people are stand-off-ish at first, but, when you are kind to them they will bend over backwards for you. You cannot be in a rush. They just don't function like that. We ended up in a room with two double beds and asked to be switched to a king (which is more like a queen) and they gave us a great room -- room 310 btw, which has the best balcony and a large front living room).

It's one block off the busy main street, one block from the ferry terminal and one block from the crazy cruise dock but you'd never know it. The Village Cay restaurant over at the marina was the best place we found to eat nearby - a lively crowd and decent food. The Pub about 1/2 mile down the road was great, too. Fort Burt's is a lovely place to get a view of the whole harbor and they have a quiet bar and a gourmet menu.

All and all, we'd stay here again if we needed a night before sailing.

During a recent trip to the BVI's we stayed on 2 seperate occasions at Maria's By the Sea. Our first night was in a non-view room over the parking lot. We arrived on the ferry from St. Thomas and walked the 3-5 minutes to Maria's. The room was spotless, had air conditioning, 2 double beds, and basic non-fancy decor. It had an in-room reridgerator and a coffee pot. We had a 7:00 am ferry to catch the next morning so the location was perfect. My daughter loved the swimming pool and the food was expensive, (but about avg for the BVI) but good and portions were huge.

Our second night, about a week later, was on the third floor water front room and it was beautiful. Again, the room was spotless, the AC was really noisey - but I shut it off and opended the sliding door - the screens were well sealed. The view was beautiful. There were also deck chairs to sit outside on, coffee maker, refridg, and the decor was a little nicer - still basic - but nice. Again, we used the pool most of the late afternoon and early evening.

My only complaint (and its not really one) is that I did finally get used to the roosters and now that I'm home I miss hearing them.

I found the staff to be very nice and helpful. They even stored a bag for me for a few days. I would not hesitate to stay here again - it was a very clean safe hotel with great helpful people.

Don't be put off by the negative reviews. We stayed here one night before our Windjammer cruise. The hotel is not fancy but the room was fine. The pool has been newly renovated. The grounds seemed to be well maintained. The staff were especially helpful and even went out of their way to assist with locating our lost baggage. The food at the restaurant was above average. If you are looking for a place to stay for one night or more, good location and friendly staff ... this is your place. I would not hesitate in going back.