We have just returned from 6 nights at the Tamarind Reef, sans our two toddlers, in celebration of my wife's 40th birthday. About 5 years ago, we spent 4 nights there and this time, after much research, we could not find an alternative that seemed like better value on any island.

This time we rented a car, which was a wise move given the duration of our stay and the fact that we had been there before. This gave us mobility to visit other beaches, explore the island, shop for groceries, easily eat out, etc. It's not really necessary for shorter stays, though.

We found that the Deep End Bar had been renovated completely since our last stay, and the menu is now a little more upmarket. We ate there our first night. The food was delicious, although my pork tenderloin was a bit overdone. Service was good.

The rooms are very comfortable overall (aside from pillows, see comment below) and are aging quite well. Some small signs of decay are creeping in like a rusty air conditioner, peeling paint in bathroom, cracked tiles on bathroom floor, but nothing terrible.

Pluses:
+ Room rates do not cost an arm and a leg
+ Kitchenette facilities available, suitable for preparing breakfasts and light lunches
+ Right on the water; perfect views from patio
+ Never seems crowded
+ Reasonable food on premises
+ Incredible hot water/showers. You can dial in the temperature to the degree!
+ Air conditioned, although we barely used it.
+ No bugs to speak of, in room or outside
+ Beach shack with free kayaks, snorkel gear etc.
+ Beach is nice for relaxing on, for snorkeling or for wading.
+ Snorkeling from the beac
+ Can kayak out to Green Cay and snokel right around it
+ Great pool and bar. Nice beach for relaxing on.
+ Next door to Green Cay marina for Buck Island tours and the Galleon Restaurant.
+ Good security. In-room safe

Minuses:
- A little isolated if you do not have a car, but taxi rides to C'sted not too expensive
- Double storey construction means that any elephants residing above you might disturb your sleep, especially when they leave for the airport at 3am (grumble , grumble)
- Awful pillows. They were so high they gave us both stiff necks. We asked for better ones, but they did not have them.
- The guy who runs the beach shack (Jerry) can be a bit creepy (my wife's description). He always tries to persuade her to swim or sunbathe in the nude. We're not prudes, but don't need instruction in that department if you know what I mean.
- The beach can be a little breezy, which clouds up the waters for snorkeling too.
- Not a great beach for swimming.

Look, it's not the Buccaneer, but frankly we could not justify paying more than twice the room rate for not much more comfort (and bigger crowds). We like the Buccaneer's beach in terms of sand, palm trees and shelter from the wind, but there are many other nice beaches. And we still got to eat at the Terrace for one evening (it has a better view than the Galleon).

The Tamarind Reef is not for those travelers who have more money than sense and who demand to be pampered to a sickening degree. It's for independent people who desire a reasonable level of comfort, and appreciate getting good value for their money. We would go back to the Tamarind Reef in a hot minute.

I stayed at the hotel for a week and liked it very much. The rooms are in pretty good shape, the maid service is very good not to forget the security - there are surveilance cameras, security during the night and a guard at the gate from the main road.

The hotel is in a closed area near elegant villas overlooking the beach and marina. It is small enough not to have all the hoopla of a big resort but still have a nice pool, a beutiful beach and restaurant/bar that seem to be popular among the hip crowd on the island.

We've been back for almost 2 months and still can't decide what was the best part of our stay at Tamarind Reef. Was it the people? Was it the beauty of the resort or the beauty of the whole island? Was it the snorkelling..the food...the drinks...the comfort. I guess it was just everything. We will be back!

we stayed at the tamarind for 10 days & had a great time. the deep end bar is the place to be; you get to meet a lot of locals like woody, lou, & laurie & the staff there will take great care of you. say hi to char for us, kenna, jane, jennifer & colleen, & especially lisa, the chef, who made us some fabulous meals & even cooked what we asked for. the prices are very reasonable; the red snapper that lisa prepared was awesome & only $14.00. the little beach was clean & jerry at the beach shack will take good care of your snorkling needs & has a great swim suit collection as well. and ladies, be sure to ask about the mermaid t-shirt & how to get one!! =) our entire experience was very positive & we felt safe the entire time as well. roy, the night watchman is a fun guy to visit with if you stay up to close down the bar & he is a great dj too so if you're there when he's playing you will have a blast. be sure to call 007 for your taxi service, he's awesome, & if you want to rent a car for a day or so to get around we'd recommend it but you don't need one the whole time; taxis were 3.50 per person to most places. we visited the buccaneer because we were in st croix for a wedding there & it is beautiful but don't try to go barefoot or shirtless as there is a dress code. the locals at the deep end told us they call it the "Buck-a-minute" & we found that to be true. at the tamarind it is more relaxed & laid back, which we liked. the galleon is very nice & close by & we would recommend the snorkling at buck island,(we went on the Big Beard catamaran) & the st croix brew pub on the boardwalk in christiansted. rumrunners was good, too. we did some scuba & had a good time w/ the folks at dive experience. it's a nice little shop & they take good care of you. be sure to pick up a crucian hook bracelet at sonya's or the carribean bracelet shop & take some flavored rum home w/ you, too. you get 6 bottles per person. have fun. carol & len