We just got back from a trip to St. Thomas and we stayed at Secret Harbor Beach Resort. We were so pleasantly surprised at how nice this property was. We thought it would be a hotel room, but it was a furnished condo with a fully equipped kitchen, and everything we might want to make our stay comfortable. The view from the spacious balcony was fabulous and over looked the harbor. The beach is beautiful and the Dive shop was excellent. They were very encouraging as we learned how to snorkel and paddle board. This harbor has a coral reef which makes snorkeling a pleasure to newbies and pros alike. The restaurant had delicious food and the cleaning staff kept our room fresh and clean. We can't wait to go back.

We stayed for 5 nights in unit 434 (2/21/13 through 2/26/13). We had a condo with a large balcony on the 3rd floor. We could not have been happier with this place. It was very spacious and cozy. The beach is beautiful with decent snorkeling (hard to find resorts with great beaches attached in St. Thomas) and the price was fantastic! The beach restaurant was expensive and the food was just ok. However, on our last night, we ate at the fancier restaurant and it was delicious! The only problem was the fact that w/o a car, we were going broke on taxis. Ouch! Although I don't know if I would be comfortable driving on my own (opposite side of the road). The roads are narrow and winding and people think nothing of walking alongside of them despite the fact that they are part way in the road. Scary. The people working in the dive shop were very friendly and helpful. I would definitely come back to Secret Harbour!

Here we go.....

The GOOD:
Gorgeous beach, beautiful water, fabulous snorkeling and swimming.
Very pretty well maintained grounds.
Our housekeeper, Clementine, was wonderful. Margaret at the front desk very professional.

The BAD:
Our condo was very shabby and run down. The furniture was typical beach furniture, very outdated, which was ok. BUT the cushions on the 2 chairs and pull out sofa were FILTHY. Bathroom tiles cracked and FILTHY. Poorly "decorated" The 80's are calling.

Beach towel "check out" was a joke. I was told I couldn't get a towel without my "towel card". Do you really think I would travel 2000 miles and spend $400 dollars a night to steal a $1. beach towel? Ridiculous. And one towel only.

The UGLY:
Bathroom behind bar / front desk was FILTHY. When I talked to the interim GM, Tavia, about this, she said it was schedule to be renovated. WHO CARES? Does that mean you can't clean it in the meantime? Huge trashcan, lid on floor, no liner, cracked toilet tank, missing parts, wads of tp on filthy floor, tp just stuck on a rail.

Staff is mostly unfriendly / surly. Maybe 2 actually greeted us during our stay. When I needed to get my key replaced (it had de-magnetized) I was told by a front desk staff member that "The key system is really bad, this happens all the time, and you should NOT put it in your bag with all that clutter" REALLY???? What happened to "Of course, no problem"???

The staff is clearly in need of leadership and training. I could live with a dumpy room, but a dumpy room combined with an unfriendly / unprofessional staff was not ok. Because you are required to pay in full when you arrive, we were basically held hostage. Never again. Would have checked out after the first night.

Written confirmation, issued 11/26/12 states that the office is open 24/7. NOT TRUE. In fact, when my cab was not there at the prearranged 6:30am time in order to catch my flight, I called the posted after hours "Emergency Number" which is on the office door (which is closed 1am-7am). The number just rings and rings, and finally I got a message in Spanish telling me that the party I was calling was not available. Good thing no one was having a medical emergency.

BOTTOM LINE:

Stay elsewhere, and just go there for the day! The restaurant and bar, which are owned and managed by a separate company, were delightful. Megan in the restaurant and beach service was FAB!

We went and spent the day at a large, internationally known hotel company's resort in Charlotte Amalie. Turns out it was the same price as our room. 3 pools, gorgeous hill views, spa, several restaurants - GORGEOUS! AND, every single staff member we encountered throughout the day looked us in the eyes, greeted us, asked if we needed anything.....GREAT TRAINING! It showed. Very professional.

I spoke directly with Tavia (interim GM) about these issues. While she did indicate she wished I would have spoken to her while at the resort, frankly, none of the issues could have been fixed in a day. Was actually told by a front desk person that the GM listed in another response on TA, was not the GM, but "lived on a sail boat with her boyfriend". I couldn't believe a staff member was telling me this!

FINALLY, be sure to take bug spray. If you are susceptible to chiggars, mosquitos or no see-ums, you will be eaten up....which of course, happens anywhere!

The Rooms of the hotel were very clean and good. The restaurant and the bar were both wonderful and had good choices in food and drinks. The beach was the best about the whole thing because it was just amazing and wonderful and the bay was full of life. We saw fish and a sting ray. Just wonderful. It was all great.

P.S. Avoid the taxi service as much as possible. They will drain your wallet.