Carambula resort is underrated! GORGEOUS, private non- crowded property from the prestine white sandy beaches, peaceful snorkeling (where I saw sting rays, many colorful species of fish, crabs and peaceful nurse sharks) and gorgeous sunsets to the hills and rainforest the resort is surrounded by just 5 miles from the airport and about 10 minutes to the nearest grocery store, 20 to 25 minutes to the nearest towns. The swimming pool is gorgeous and surrounded by cabanas and lawn chairs near the bar. It is open 24/7 which is ideal because some people are night owls and want to swim at 3 am. This resort is NOT all inclusive and doesn't advertise that it is. Activities at the resort available for entertainment are scuba diving, snorkeling, volleyball, pool table, the bar, pool & hiking. Wifi is great hasn't gone out once and we are on day 5. Power has only gone out 1 time for exactly 20 seconds. You have 2 options for transportation. You can rent a car (which I recommend) if you rent a car it is more expensive here than other places BECAUSE unfortunately the entire island is plagued by thousands of potholes all over the roads which is disasterous for vehicles. The rental car places know this as the harsh conditions of the roads cause far more mechanical issues with the rental vehicles than under normal circumstances so it costs more to rent in order to keep up with the cost of repairs to the vehicles on this island. You drive on the left side of the road here. You will spend $50 or more per day plus about a $500 deposit depending how long you have the car. We paid $65 per day for a mid sized vehicle for 7 days. Gas is pretty reasonable about 3.69 per gallon.You can also take a cab, have them stop at the grocery store on the way in and pick up groceries because it can be expensive to eat every meal at the restaurants. The food is good. I have eaten 5 meals so far and they have all been good. Taking a cab in and out of town will end up costing you almost as much as a rental depending on how often you want to explore town. So far I've explored almost the entire island with the rental car. Even though the virgin islands is a US territory IT IS NOTHING LIKE THE US! If you come here feeling entitled enough to judge the locals and their culture then you will not appreciate the fact that this resort employs the locals which is a huge part of the charm. I enjoyed the diversity. The employees of the hotel are very friendly and accomodating. They are not robots so if you expect them to stand around all day creepily smiling for no reason until you grace them with your presence or request then you clearly need a lesson in diversity and basic people skills. If you aren't going on vacation with an open heart and mind then why bother? You are destroying the experience before you even arrive. Along with the local charm at the resort there are a handful of kitties who frequent the area they are friendly and keep the resort critter free. They are also great for people who have cats that they had to leave at home. The cats are relaxing. If you're not a cat person leave them be and they won't approach you. I stayed in the 2 full bed room with kitchenette, fold out couch and ocean view. Loved the room had everything I needed to enjoy my stay, beds are super comfortable slept well. Service here is amazing. They provided us with what we needed without even having to ask. We are not high maintenance people so I'm sure that helps the overall experience. The resort is quiet. I will suggest that you bring really good bug spray for the beach. Noseeums are a biting insect that are all over the island. Research them before you come and pack itch relief creams. I've seen complaints about the cost of food at the resort. Just to educate travelers, we went to the grocery store because we have a kitchenette , groceries on the entire island are 2 to 3 times higher than in the USA. It's an island therefore it costs more to transport food and merchandise. The cost obviously falls on the customer. It's not that the restaurants are expensive, food on the entire island is expensive. Souvenirs are reasonable but be prepared to double your food budget and rental car budget.

Shocked this property is even associated with marriott. By far the most outdated and rundown property of theres I've ever visited. Booked 4 nights moved out after 2. The rooms are so dated. Tvs don't work. Trash cans over flowing. Dirt and debris piled up in areas. Windows not cleaned in years. Pool tiles are mostly loose and shifting. Algae in large spots of the pool. On a positive note the views are awesome and the dinners excellent. Needs a complete make over. I stay over 100 nights a year at marriott and this was embarrassing.

Hotel should be shut down! worked for the Marriott 35 years. Lots of safety issue at the pool,property cleanliness is none, mold on outside furniture. Asked to speak with property manager did not come. At checkout they could not print bill.

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY! There are so many things wrong with this property. 1. Front Desk staff is overly rude. They don’t care if you paid a thousand dollars. They will talk to you as if they are doing you a favor. 2. There are power cuts in the middle of the night when room goes dark. 3. Properly is literally falling apart and looks nothing like the internet pics. 4. Taxi to anywhere does not come before 45 minutes and then also it is never on time. 5. They dont have a phone in the rooms. They give you a number which is not answered 9 out of 10 times. When you request something, they either show up after a very long time or get the request wrong. I can keep going on and on…. 6. They have no additional courtesy for people with infants 7. The propery is dirty. 8. The stuff inside the room is missing or broken/filthy. You can easily find previous guests’ trash behind/under the bed or tables. 9. The restaurant on site is very expensive with auto 20% tip added for a very slow service and below average food. I would never recommend this property to anyone!!!

The reviews had me worried, but we honestly loved our stay. We had a second floor room, and it was really pretty, spacious, and clean. The bed was very comfortable, and the AC was great. We had a lovely balcony and great ocean views. The only strange thing was the shower only had warm/hot water, which wasn't a problem for us so we didn't ask for a room change. Our room was a walk from the main building, which gave us some good exercise and kept things peaceful and quiet. If you have mobility issues, you may want to call ahead and make sure they give you a room in a closer building. We loved the grounds, and the snorkeling right our your door was excellent! The beach wasn't raked thoroughly, but we personally liked the more natural look. Pool was very nice (I'm picky, and I didnt think it was gross or anything), and restaurants had good food. Restaurant prices were a bit high, so we did go venture to some of the other restaurants in the area (not very many). We rented a car so we could explore more, and I would recommend that. Overall, if you're looking for an absolutely pristine property, you should be paying absolutely pristine prices. There is no poolside drink service, *only* 1.5 restaurants (one is only open on weekends), and every surface isn't repainted every 4months to combat being right on the shore. But honestly, we really loved it, thought it was very nice, and would come back. One rec: bring bug spray (for the whole island)