I stayed at both Wyndham Sugar Bay and the nearby Ritz-Carlton so my view of each place is colored by the other. On a scale of 0 to 100, I'd give Sugarbay 70-80, and the Ritz about 10 points higher.

Sugar Bay had a nicer ocean-side view than the Ritz (The resort-facing rooms are significantly cheaper.) More specifically, the man-made portion of the beach at the Ritz was more luxurious, and the deck chairs and surrounding architecture was nicer, but the Ritz hotel rooms were farther away from the beach and separated by a small utility road. The beach at Sugar Bay was smaller and seemed to be about 10 years out of date, though its small size is partly why the ocean-side view was prettier there.

But even though I give Sugar Bay good marks, in most every other way except the ocean-side view, the Ritz was even better. The staff at the latter were more numerous and more attentive. The overall architecture of the Ritz (think Italian villa) was of a higher quality. There was a musty smell outside my room at Sugar Bay unlike anything I smelled at the Ritz (though the inside of my Sugar Bay room was quite nice, and only slightly lower in quality than at the Ritz). The nightly list of activities at Sugar Bay (for example, a movie night, or a karaoke night) was designed to appeal to a different kind of consumer than the kind that typically chooses to stay at a Ritz. My biggest complaint about Sugar Bay was that they make you wear (and swim and shower and sleep in) a wristband like the kind you get at a nightclub, and I believe there's a $70 charge if you lose it. The mattresses in both places were too soft, but they were clean and not lumpy.

However, there's the question of whether the higher quality is worth the significantly higher price. In my case, the price of my Sugar Bay room was about half of what I paid at the Ritz (though the Ritz room included a delicious breakfast and what amounted to a room service meal for two). For me, that made Sugar Bay a better bargain.

I would recommend the Ritz only if you really need to impress the person you're with (and you're willing to pay a significant amount of money in order to be around people like yourself or else to avoid having to associate with budget-conscious people like me). A final caution: the Ritz-Carlton hotels in St. Thomas is not going to have the same level of excellence as the Ritz-Carlton in New York or Chicago. So even though the scenery in St. Thomas is much nicer, you should adjust your expectations accordingly.

One last note apropos of nothing: if you're planning an oceanside wedding in Saint Thomas, I highly recommend sprinkling rose petals up and down the aisle and on the veranda. If you're lucky, an iguana or two will crawl out of the shrubbery during the ceremony and start munching away. Awesome!

Very nice, but ridiculously expensive. Facilities are first rate, staff is polite and helpful, but couldn't really ever see going back at the prices they charge. You can shop around for a decent rate at the condos, but the extracurriculars like food and spa will kill you.

My husband and I had our second honeymoon at the Ritz in St. Thomas, and it was a great experience! The service was exceptional and accommodations were top-notch. The rooms are large, well-appointed and clean. The grounds and gardens are lovely, the restaurants are good, although expensive. The service was impeccable.

I loved my stay at the Ritz Carlton residences. We were there for 8 days thanks to Hurricane Sandy. Everything I needed in the kitchen and dishes were washed every day. Lots of towels and turndown service - with chocolate of course. Condo was clean and floors washed while we were out. The snorkeling is AWESOME right off the beach - on your right from the residence beach and on the left and right from the hotel beach. Incidentally, bring or rent your snorkel equipment from Red Hook - the prices are crazy at the Ritz, but you knew that. I saw turtles, rays, squid, too many types of fish, sea urchins etc. all without a taxi ride. Pools on both sides are great with big fluffy towels, ice water and well padded lounge chairs both sun and shade. We made a sand picture frame on the hotel side and it turned out great - saw a more expensive one similar on St. John. We charted one of the Nauti Nymph boats and had Captain Don (Zephyr Charters) take us to the BVI's for a day - MUST DO! Downside - they were replacing appliances in some of the condos and workmen were here and there but not in our way and the prices for the on site restaurants are crazy - forget room service - take out, cook or delivery is the way to go. Friendly staff to take us up the hill to the hotel or call a taxi.