After reading the reviews here, we had some second thoughts about staying here. Reports of old rooms, average food, and onsite theft had us second guessing our choice. But St. Thomas was on my bucket list, so we took a chance. We're SO glad we did. We came for my 40th birthday - a parents only retreat for a long weekend. And although a few of the comments from others were true, we had a fantastic trip.

Here's what we read that had a grain of truth to it:
1) The bedroom door didn't seal fully, so we did hear more noise from the hall outside our room than we expected. This was especially true in the mornings, owing to quite a few families with young children. This was occasionally a surprise, but nothing that ruined our trip. The walls were plenty thick, so we weren't hearing noise from other rooms.
2) There were quite a few people onsite for a promotional trip from Toyota. Yes, there was an evening party on the beach we weren't invited to. But there was also a wedding (or two) while we were there, and we weren't invited to those either. (!) Just because we were staying at the Ritz didn't mean that we felt entitled to every event onsite. Instead of feeling like this took away from our experience, we actually felt as though these events added to the romantic and festive ambiance.
3) We requested a king bed, and were only given a room with two queens. Our room, however, was gorgeous, and we did fine. Although we would have preferred a king bed, it didn't ruin our trip.

Here's what we read that we found to be completely untrue:
1) Theft: We never had a problem at all. We put our items in a safe, and had no troubles. Furthermore, I left my good camera and other valuables pool-side every day, and never had a problem.
2) Room service: we had breakfast delivered twice, called for a ride in a brief rainstorm, and reserved a few activities, all from our room. No problems.
3) Check-in problems: our room wasn't ready when we arrived, so they gave us a credit for lunch, and we happily relaxed and ate a great lunch at Sails while they finished preparing.
4) Small, old rooms. Our room was a nice size, with a large bathroom with separate tub and shower. Our room was everything we expected on a tropical island. We were in Eugenia, which may be a newer unit.
5) Bad, expensive food: We loved the food everywhere we ate here. Sails had a great tropical pizza, pesto chicken panini, and fun drinks. Our special requests were honored easily at Bleuwater, and the breakfast buffet was wonderful. Yes, it's expensive, but if you're hoping to save a buck, you're probably at the wrong hotel.
6) Rooms far from the main hotel: Our room was in a building the second-furthest away from the main hotel lobby. We only went back to the main hotel lobby a few times, so it didn't matter much, and we could ask for a cart ride anytime. Also, we were just a few steps away from the beach, so it doesn't really matter where you are, because everything is close to the beach.

What we're still dreaming about:
1) The infinity pool is stunning at every hour of the day. My favorite spot was floating in the pool, watching the boats and looking out over the bay to St. John. Stunning.
2) The grounds are beautiful, with a reserve area for local birds and plants as well as stunning tropical flowers and trees throughout.
3) The water activities (catamarans, body boards, snorkeling equipment) accessible at any time of day, all included in the resort fee.
4) The sunset cruise for dinner in St. John on Lady Lynsey was magical.
5) The view from our room was amazing.
6) The cake delivered from the hotel for my 40th birthday was lovely, and a nice touch.
7) Pool-side food and drinks delivered while we sunbathed were not cheap, but excellent.

I'm so glad we took the chance and stayed here. Next time we might try the club level, for brunch included, as well as rooms with a view of St. John. We'd love to come back.

Unbelievable resort. Great views, nice rooms, and great pool and amenities. Will come back again.

Service not as consistent as other Ritz resorts. Some people are amazing (Catherine in Club Lounge) and others seem bothered to help.

Overall though great resort. We will come back next year.

We booked our reservation here with great hesitation based on previous reviews of food and service at this hotel. We feel a lot of the previous reviews were misinforming. I am very happy to report we feel this hotel has received some harsh undeserved reviews. I travel on business close to 80 nights a year and stay at RC hotels whenever possible. I feel I have a good vantage point on what the RC experience is. Lets start with:

Food- The food on property does not differ from other RC resorts. We ate at all of the restaurants. BlueWater was very romantic and the food was superb. Expensive? Not actually considering dinner here is on par with other RC hotels fine dining venues. Sails had excellent fish tacos and was perfect for dining when at the pool or beach. Room Service was fast and efficient. We also stayed on club level and found everything to be outstanding. Jake in the club lounge went over and above for any request we made. He must have graduated with honors from Ritz training, it showed in his attitude and spirit of service!

Rooms- Very Clean and the housekeeping staff did a superb job. The rooms have a beachy feel which differs from most RC properties so they are different so don't expect plush but do expect clean and comfortable.

Service- Jenna the front desk manager is one of the best front of house managers I have seen in a hotel period. She helped us with a reservation issue , took full control, owned the issue and resolved it. The club lounge staff was superb and if we needed items they never hesitated to get things done for us. Housekeeping came twice a day like clockwork and made certain we had everything we had ask for.

The resort- Likely the best views in St Thomas, the beach was excellent and their equipment was very nice and in good condition. The proximity of the rooms to the main hotel can be quite a walk so we used the complimentary rides on the golf carts. We simply called guest services and ask to be picked up, never waited more than two minutes. Take my advice use the service it works well.

The Spa- We had several services here. It would be great to see a wider variety of services than what was offered. Our service treatments were nice and the facility was good.

Red Hook was a perfect town and had some great restaurants like Carribean Fish Market, Sunset Griile and CoCo Blue.

Overall this resort was one of the best we have ever stayed at and we will return.

Habe stayed many times at the Ritz in St. Thomas.
This resort is breezy and has the most beautiful views on the island. There are a variety of activities available for guests and the private beach area is superb. Also, a large infinity pool with a large deck with plenty of chairs. Superb pool side food and drink service. Many beach activities available as the beach is just 20 yards from the pool.

Excellent restaurant for dinners with an Asian influenced menu. Great food.
This resort is on the east end of the island which is by far the most desirable area to be. There is a downtown (Charlotte Amalie) market that is worthwhile and several local shops. Also some high end shopping at Havensight which is the port of call for cruise ships.

A day trip to St. John is always an option. Many shuttles operate daily from the red hook area which is near this hotel. St. John is a smaller, more intimate / less crowded version of St. Thomas. Worthwhile for one day if you're on an extended trip. I recommend trunk bay as a St. John beach destination. Red Hook is also the place to go if you want to charter a boat or do some fishing. A few shops and restaurants in this area too.

Will return to this property. However.....prefer St. Maarten to St. Thomas but both are worthwhile.