Sapphire Vacations — Hotel in Saint Thomas

Not as advertised Building E — Villa Jade

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I have stayed at the Sapphire Beach Resort before and have enjoyed the stunning location, the beautiful views, and the amenities…a welcome kit and access to snorkel gear and cooler rentals from the front desk. We also know the size of the units can be small, so for this trip, we opted to pay more for a unit with a Murphy bed that would better accommodate our family with 2 teens.

When we arrived, there was no Murphy bed…just 2 sleeper sofas plus our king bed. The free amenities that were advertised were not there. No welcome kit. There were 2 kid-sized snorkel gear & a couple of pool noodles—when we went to the front desk to borrow snorkel gear, we were told the front desk didn’t service our unit (the unit description indicated they did). We were also not allowed to borrow a cooler (and contrary to the unit description, there wasn’t one in the unit). There also weren’t beach chairs in the unit (per the description). **after spending the better part of a day tracking down what should have been free amenities, and several hundred dollars in additional expenses, we settled in to enjoy the rest of our time at Sapphire.

Side note: the unit was advertised to accommodate 6 people. We called to change our party from 3 — 4. They charged an additional person fee ($115 for 4 nights). Although I approved the charge, I have never been charged an additional amount for a person within the designated capacity at other units.

Although the owners were responsive at first, when I contacted the owners to let them know there were issues, they waited until the day we were leaving to respond…and only said they would check the description of the unit and they would get back with me. A week later, they still haven’t.

Side note: this unit is in building E which faces the beach side that tends to be more susceptible to sargassum buildup (and smell) and there are dumpsters outside the unit where the sargassum is collected for disposal. Sargassum is seasonal based on wind/sea conditions. Sapphire Resort does a great job of...

Although this place has a great location right on the quiet Sapphire Bay with coral reefs right off the coast, there are some major disappointments. Let's start with negatives: our safe box did not work, they couldn't repair it, and they gave us a security key instead. Our neighbors had the same issue, we had to wait over 24 hrs to get our towels, shower door, patio door and entrance door kept malfunctioning (poor or zero maintenance), falling apart and ready to collapse cabana next to the swimming pool (make sure your children do not go near it).

Positives: GREAT snorkeling location with several coral reefs near the beach with very rich fauna and flora. white sand beach with spectacular views, free roaming hens and roosters waking one up every morning before the sunset. if you are lucky you will see a brown pelican diving and catching fish and or gliding right over the ocean surface.

I was told that Airbnb and VRBO destroyed the real estate market and it is hard to find workers here today. Covid did not...

I had a very good experience at this unit- Bld E 306. The condo was well furnished , with all the amenities you would expect. Very well maintained and clean. Location was fantastic. Beach in front was rocky, but we like Greek beaches.(Beaches in Greece can be rocky) The view was completely unobstructed unlike the A- B -C buildings with sandier beach fronts, but with obstructed views of the beautiful VI Islands- we had St John, and the BVI's right in front of us , along side the marina next door. If you want a sandy beach access, it is a one minute walk along the shore. Snorkling was some of the best I have experienced. The pool was nice, but I think the owner's association should get together and renovate the pool bar area and sublet it out to someone to operate a pool / snack bar. Restaurants and Bars on site were good. Sudis- very good. I would recommend this unit and would consider returning again. Nothing is perfect, but I am going to give it 5 stars. Highly...