We stayed here last year thinking once again the price was right and its just a place to sleep and take a shower. We are not people just who stay in resorts because the 3 USVI has so much to offer. MAN have things changed in 1 year. Our travel agent booked us here because it was what we wanted. We should have listed to her. Last year as we were leaving they told us when we came back there would be some major renovations, ok we thought. We got there this year and we were in shock. We had booked a king size smoking room. What we got was a walk in closet with a double bed. The room was so small we had to lift our suitcases over the bed to put them on stands. The front desk girl was different and not an islander. She could not speak English very well and did not understand a word we were saying. Ok 1 little bump in the road. Got all of or luggage into the room had to open up the sliding glass door because the room was permiated with some sort of air freashner that rose such a funk that it was nausiating. ( please excuse my spelling) Went down for coffee the next morning before we began our day because the information still states FREE continential breakfast, UMM not so much. Your first cup of coffee is $1.50 and the FREE continential breakfast, well is no longer free, it is now $10.95. Ok we would just order breakfast that last us all day. Went back to the room to shower before our day exploring what we did not see the year before. Turned on the hot water and it was like the color of coffee and smelled like sulpher. DISGUSTING! The towels were filthy and when we asked for clear ones there would be a charge. We used our beach towels that we had brought with us. The free courtesy shuttle to town is no longer free as advertised there is a cost of $4.00 a person. Town was not the same alot has changed in a year but for the better of the economy. I will continue to travel to the USVI because of my love of the atmosphere and the people and the slow rocking sway when your on a boat in the sea, however I will never stay at the Best Western Carib Beach again.

March 2007------

Watch out for this hotel. My family and I into this hotel with guaranteed reservations and guaranteed rates. The desk clerk informed us that she would not honor our guaranteed reservation. I showed her the confirmation number for each reservation and the guaranteed rate and her response was this>
"Sir, don't you know that when you make a reservation through Best Western that the rate quoted on the guaranteed reservation is what the rate was at the time that you make it, and has no bearing on what you will pay when you check in. You always pay whatever the rate is on the day you check in" I told her that that is not how guaranteed reservations work , but she said that the reservation only guarantees a room, not a rate. I asked to speak to a manager and was told none was available. Then asked to speak to one the next day and told none would be available.

She said we would have to pay the rate she gave us, and she ignored our resevation..... I checked into the rooms and then called the international Best Western reservation line and told them what had happened. They said this was crazy and they would take care of it. THey contacted the same desk clerk immediately and she told them "well, I don't know how to change the room rate in the computer"/. When asked when the manager would be in, she told them the next day and that it would be fixed.

The clerk was the most discourteous individual I have every encountered int 60 years of travel. ....... My only thought is perhaps this may be a method of skimming money from clients and the hotel.

Could it be possible that she would charge us more, but enter the payment at the lower room rate that was guaranteed, and then pocket the difference in cash that might be received that day?

That's the only thing that makes sense to me.

A word of warning. There are two Best Westerns at the airport in St. Thomas. I thought I was booking at the BW Emerald Beach Hotel, not knowing that I was being booked at the BW Caribe.

I will never stay at the Caribe.

P.S. This is the first review I have ever done.

Our flight got canceled, we get to stay an extra night. No hotels on island except next to airport so we stayed here. It's mostly clean, some kind of sour smell permeates the rooms and restaurants but I don't want to know what the source is. By the time you pay room cost plus taxes it's about $200/nt to stay here. Don't do it unless you have to. Take a ferry to St. Croix and pay the same rate for a nicer trip. This hotel is only useful for those who want to be next to airport.
And by the way DO NOT get tricked into taking a taxi here from the airport. You can walk, it is that close. Walk past taxis and toward airport exit on sidewalk. Continue past pay gates and take first crosswalk on left, cross street and walk up the driveway to lobby. They'll charge you at least $6 per person to take a cab here with luggage and it's a rip off because it is literally a thirty second cab ride.

Used it for our last night to be near the airport. Bad choice!

Very run down, bad condition, and you have to walk down flights of stairs with all your bags. We arrived at 3 pm to be told we couldnt check in, and had to come back later.

When we asked what time the shuttle runs to the airport, we were told "WALK". It was about a ten minute walk, with all the bags.

The TV had one channel. PBS. Yawn.

The pool is tiny, and closes at 6 pm. Not a typo - 6 pm!

The "beach" is a strip of man made sand. Ugly.

It's one of the worst run down hotels I've been in in years.

Do yourself a favor and stay somewhere romantic in downtown (Like our first nights stay - the Hotel 1829) and just pay for the 10 minute cab ride to the airport. It would cost about $12 to the airport, and you would go home feeling like your vacation was wonderful.