Just back from two weeks at CB. Our Caribbean tastes are simple; a nice home on the beach with kitchen, AC, a little covered porch. No elevators, no tents. Chenay Bay met our needs perfectly. After a little discussion of what constitutes an "oceanfront" unit we settled into unit 49 (thx Vic). Most of the rooms are on the hillside and are booked as garden view or ocean view. There are are only 6 or 8 that are really "oceanfront" none are actually on the beach. If an unobstructed ocean view is important it's worth a phone call, rooms 47 &48 have the most to offer for views & privacy IMHO. Time share owners obviously get preferance. There is renovation going on but it seems to happen on island time, some days more than others. A big new home is being built to the east and makes more consistant noise. We spent a lot of our time touring the island so the work was never a bother, if one only stayed at CB all day it might be an issue. The renovated rooms we saw are really very well done. As mentioned in other posts the location, beach, bar and restuarant are way cool. Having traveled most of the carib one of the things I look for is how many of the locals spend their time (&money) at the resorts. CB seems to be hugely popular, we couldn't get a table at a friday night fish fry! The breakfast, lunch & dinners, while not quite Bacchus or Duggan's were all surprisingly good. We found all of the staff to be really pleasant (thx Keesha, Eric) and the daily maid service efficient. We looked in our other picks; Sugar Cove etc; condo row, bars on the third floor balconies? the Buc; nice but we don't golf, coney island beach chair scene, Cottages; funky cool but too far from C'sted dining. Everyone has different wants for a vacation, Chenay was, for us, the best on St Croix.

First, the good stuff: the beach, pool, restaurant and bar are fabulous. The staff is very friendly and helpful with the exception of an apathetic front desk girl and a cranky bird. The price is fair, but you get what you pay for.

Be aware that this place is an active construction site. We lost water one day, cable for 2 days and even then the signal was bad. There was a constant hum of band saws, drills, and hammering. There are workers, cement trucks, Bobcats, etc. all over the property.

Our room was atrocious. Our pre-renovation room was like a low-rent efficiency hotel room. The towel rack constantly fell off the wall. The paint was peeling. The beds were hard as a rock. We had to ask for our room to be cleaned after 2 days and even then it took until 4PM on our third day. The "walls" are paper thin. We could here the workers conversations perfectly in the next room starting at 8AM. Needless to say, we were paranoid that they could hear us just as well.

Our front door lock was a joke (I accidentally opened the supposedly locked door just by pushing hard on it); and one day we came back to find the adjoining room door un-deadbolted and swinging open. The room next door was being renovated so that front door was totally open. There is not a safe in the room so we were constantly having to make sure our valuables were with us at all times.

This place is "going timeshare" anyway so this review may not have any value, but I felt it needed to be written. I think Viktor, the new owner, is painfully unaware of the term "service". Sure, he'll smile and say "Hi, how are you all doing today?" but yet does nothing to solve or explain the problems.

As for the island itself - it's gorgeous for snorkeling. See Will to go on Jetski's (next to the Purple Papaya), do the Black Beard's tour to Buck Island (it's incredible), and BRING BUG SPRAY! The no-see-ums will eat you alive. Even so, we can't wait to go back. We may even stay at Chenay Bay again - AFTER the renovations!

use a good bug spray all day long - if you're prone, the "no see ums" will get to you and make things unpleasant. Hope they improve the beds soon, and the deeper swimming isn't great - lots of growth, BUT the rest was great and worth the visit. Kayaking from your beach and lovely long walks. Loved the cottages and lay of the land; the atmosphere is intimate/homegrown - gratefully lacks the corporate feel - nice food, good variety of live evening music, . Because it's small, there's a very mellow feel to the place, never crowded or noisy. Arrange to rent a car (from Olympic) to be picked up from the airport which (for 24 hours) costs the same as a taxi to the resort from the airport. In this way you also cover the trip to the supermarket ($24 return) as well as a trip into town the next day ($24) and the car rental will bring you back to the resort - you do the math!! Travel the island - it's beautiful and diverse - definitely worth the visit

I went to Chenay Bay,St Croix,USVI for five days in mid-December,the off season.The wife and kids stayed behind because of work and school,respectively.I flew Spirit Air from Tampa to Ft Lauderdale to St Thomas and then got onto the very last single engine flight over to St Croix at about 5 PM.Everyone else had shut down due to wind gusts and slight rains from Olga.The ferries had wussed out too.Ace Flight Center did it for $70 one way, and flew when no one else would.I caught a taxi out to the resort from Christiansted and checked into my bungalow.Absolutely fabulous.Polished marble floors,granite counters throughout...infinity pool,kayaks for guest use,all sorts of watersports equipment for guest use,an outdoor bar/restaurant.If you are on a budget,use the lunch menu at the bar and enjoy the view.Otherwise,I've heard the restaurant is good...but pricey,as are all eating establisments in the USVI.There is a pristine and secluded beach that is part of the National Park system just adjacent to Chenay Bay resort,and runs about a mile.No building zone there forever! The bay itself is protected by an island so the currents are gentle.The beach is literally covered with all sorts of coral,sponges and other reef material for shelling.The sky is blue and the breeze is gentle.The staff is,for the most part,professional and courteous as well as capable.While we were there,the staff had their annual Christmas party...Wow!...open bar for everyone.Guests included.Lots of Dancing and fun.Hors D'ouvres and snacks were served.While you are there take a catamaran tour out to Buck Island for snorkelling and a beach break.Prettiest beach I've ever seen.The reef is great too. Downtown Christiansted is charming and European style.Tons of little shops and pedestrian zones for shopping as well as a few waterfront,open air cafe/restaurants.The only thin that I would change when I return with the family,and we do intend to,is to rent a car.The resort has a private parking lot with no charge for parking your rental overnight.The resort itself is in a remote location and is a safe bet if you want a peaceful interlude in a seaside village of clean,bright ,beautifully landscaped bungalows.I found nothing to complain about,though many will complain over anything.The new management has said that they will be upgrading the bungalows interior this year (2008) and much of the material is already on hand in containers on the property.