Carambola Beach Resort St. Croix

This resort has potential but being taken for granted. Having a nice size beach full of seaweed 3 days in a row, poor customer service at your restaurant, and mold/rust in room (unacceptable). The location is great and away from busy town. I would probably suggest renting a car if you are able to drive on opposite side of the road (taxis are expensive). We called the hotel prior to our arrival for a pick up at the airport, we were denied any assistance. Meanwhile talking to one of the taxi driver available at the hotel location we found out it is possible to request an airport pick up. Although, if needed to be drop off at airport from hotel, that service is offered for a fee per person. The beach was cover with seaweed for 3 days. We had to go to another beach to fully enjoy the ocean ( Cay Beach ). Highly recommended. The water is clean. The feet to cross over $5 R/T for adult, $1 kids. They have a BBQ shack ( Rolling Smoke BBQ ) amazing and affordable food options. On the boardwalk before ferry you will find a brunch and ice cream place. The taxi fare from the hotel was $40pp if one person and 20pp if more than 2/3 in group. The food at the resort was “ Meh” nothing stood out for us. Be very careful and check your receipt. We had a price discrepancy in our check, the prices didn’t match the menu price (overcharged). The breakfast was $32pp and $20 kids. Was not worth it for us. The options were limited besides the omelet station. The pastries look frozen, so does the pancake station. The eggs very dry as well as the potatoes. Bagels/yogurt/omelet were ok. The service wasn’t the best either. Lack of service by the pool. We had to walk to front desk for towels. Pool is a decent size. Assuming they: Upgrade the rooms Clean the beach every 2 days Assign an attendant to the pool Add a satellite bar by the tennis court Add some games and wooden chairs on the lawn by tennis court with lights and a fire pit at night Lower the breakfast price or provide more options or simply better food quality choices Modify your lunch menu to reflect island/tropical food choices: BBQ, Conch fritters, rice, tacos for example at decent price will keep your guests from venturing out if they can get the Caribbean feel over all from food and location especially for those looking to relax Train the staff in customer service and how to speak and address guests.

This is a WOW location. Private, tropical, stunning and perfect if you’re looking for your own private beach vacation. My wife and I will be back soon and often. For a wonderful dining experience there are 2 fabulous restaurants 2 miles away on Cane beach.

What We Loved: From the moment we arrived, the staff — including the front gate security and front desk — were welcoming and kind. Our room wasn’t quite ready despite a late arrival around 5:00 PM, but the friendliness helped ease the wait. Breakfast was a highlight each morning, thanks especially to the cook preparing omelets fresh to order with a great attitude. The resort itself is peaceful and quiet, making it easy to sleep in. The gardeners didn’t start early, which we appreciated. The beach area is absolutely beautiful, with soft white sand, lush green mountain views, and little to no sargassum during our stay. The air conditioning and ceiling fans in the room worked very well, keeping things comfortable. What Needs Work: The property overall is quite run-down. Many areas — including the window coverings, walkways, and buildings — are in need of repair. Gutters had plants growing out of them, and rust was visible throughout. The pool appeared green and uninviting, possibly due to surface discoloration, and the former hot tub has been filled with dirt and turned into a planter. In the room, we found sand on the floor upon arrival, the light and fan in the toilet area didn’t work, and the TV was unusable (we ended up using our own Roku stick). There are no pool or beach towels available onsite — you have to request them at the front desk. Additionally, the rinse-off shower near the beach had very low water pressure and no foot wash area, which probably contributed to the sand tracked into the room. Service at breakfast was lacking. The server/hostess seated us but never returned to the table either day — and the restaurant wasn’t busy, with maybe five tables occupied. WiFi in our room was painfully slow at around 3 Mbps, which made even basic tasks difficult. What to Know Before You Go: • Rooms have a small kitchenette with a fridge, microwave, hot plate, and basic supplies. • The resort is about a 30-minute drive from Christiansted, with patchy cell coverage (Verizon). Download maps ahead of time to be used offline. • Roads are dark at night and very narrow and winding. Driving is on the left side of the road, but cars have U.S.-style left-hand steering wheels. • Drinks at the bar are expensive — a virgin piña colada and a rum and Coke came to $23. Having a rental car and buying beverages offsite is a good call. • The Christiansted boardwalk has great, casual dinner spots with scenic views, chickens wandering around, and large fish looking for scraps near the dock. Food: We only ate breakfast at the resort, which was solid. Omelets were made to order and excellent. Bacon was great, though the potatoes and watermelon were a little dry. My son said the pancakes tasted frozen. The rest of the buffet included scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits & gravy, cereal, yogurt, fruit, grits, and coffee/juice. In town, we had dinner at Shupe’s on the Boardwalk and The Mill Boardwalk Bar Brick Oven Pizza — both were fantastic. Shupe’s food is served to-go style in a paper bag, but the burgers and Cajun fries were delicious. The Mill’s Meat Freak pizza was a hit with both of us. Marriott Titanium Elite Experience: Status was acknowledged. We received free daily breakfast for two (about a $46 value), a drink voucher for two beverages at the bar, and four complimentary bottles of water per day. A late checkout was granted, though only until noon. No room upgrade was offered, even though the resort appeared mostly empty during our stay. Final Thoughts: This was a relatively inexpensive trip, and to some extent, we got what we paid for. The natural beauty of the location is undeniable, and the peaceful atmosphere is a plus. However, the resort needs significant updates to meet the standards typically expected from a Marriott property. If you’re looking for a quiet beach escape and aren’t too picky about the details, it may be worth it — but go in with modest expectations.

Our stay at Carambola Beach Resort in St. Croix was extremely disappointing. From the moment we arrived, things felt off. The floors in our room were dirty with sand, and the bedding had sand in it as well, which made it clear the room had not been properly cleaned before we got there. The public restrooms on the property were filthy and poorly maintained. The condition of the room was unacceptable. There were stains on the walls from old water leaks, and we were without hot water in the shower for three days. Housekeeping was unprofessional, leaving bags of trash under the stairwells near guest rooms. Clean towels were handed to us in trash bags, which was shocking and unsanitary. The property itself is not well maintained. Sidewalks are cracked and broken, there are large potholes throughout the resort, and the lighting at night is poor, making it unsafe to walk around. My spouse was almost hit by a staff member who was speeding through the property in a golf cart with no lights on. It was a serious safety issue. Staffing across the resort is a major problem. Restaurant and bar staff were rude, dismissive, and clearly untrained in customer service. After waiting almost an hour for food, we were finally told that several items we had ordered were unavailable. On top of that, bar staff were openly cursing and complaining about management and coworkers in front of guests, which was completely unprofessional. This resort has potential, but it is clear that there are serious issues with cleanliness, maintenance, and overall service. I would not recommend staying here until major improvements are made.

BLUF: Overall, not a bad experience my wife and I enjoyed our time here. If staying here recommend renting a car to save $$$ from getting to the resort from the airport, and you’ll save money by being able to have the ability to go get your own food and drinks if need be. Having previously lived on an island, no matter how often pest control sprays you will see bugs occasionally. Expectation management. Status (Ambassador lens): I paid with points and used my nightly upgrade rewards to upgrade from a partial Oceanview to an Oceanview. I am glad I did! As noted below, we had to move rooms for one night and while the room was set up the exact same way, not having the view made a world of difference if having a cool vibe and ambiance is your thing. Breakfast was comp’d which was great because I would not have been eating here if it wasn’t. Everything from the restaurants, etc. gets billed to your room and then taken off at the end. Location: It’s pretty remote which is nice and peaceful. There are a few restaurants 5-10 minutes down the road that are priced pretty decent for what you are getting considering where you are. It's a little dated, but IMO its not as dated as I would have thought based on other reviews. There are 26x building units on the property. When checking in and checking out you can get assistance from the bellhop with moving your luggage via a golfcart to your room. Service: On the first night my wife and I noticed a significant amount of black mold on the ceiling. The front desk was able to move us into another room for the night, and we were back in our original room the next afternoon once they had come cleaned. No issues with the staff making separate accommodations for us. Dining: The mahi mahi sandwich was pretty good with tons of flavor and my wife enjoyed the crab cakes as well. Breakfast, like other reviews have said its pretty steep at $32 for an adult buffet. But I will say the omelet bar was really good, I don’t know about $32 good, but still pretty good. Pool: not used Beach: Great views at the beach and it was an added bonus having chairs that were free for use, although the seaweed was rather bad during our stay. Fitness Room: The equipment is a little older but the dumbbells go up to 75lbs which is pretty good for a hotel gym. There are 2-3x treadmills, a few ellipticals, two flat benches, a leg press machine and a cable machine. Recommend: Buying your own bottled water from Cost U Less or Plaza East. At $3 a bottle that can add up quick!