Carambola Beach Resort, Kingshill, U.S. Virgin Islands

Carambola Beach Resort

 by  anonymous  on  2008-07-17

The resort was lovely, very well kept up, and amenities were good. Members of the staff were uniformly friendly and efficient. Our room was very nice-we had one with a kitchen and garden view-with a view of the pool and ocean in the distance as well. The comments I had read ahead of time about the location of the resort were true-it is a lovely location on the hillside, but quite remote. Unless you wish to spend all of your time at the resort, you really need to rent a car. The pool is very nice, and was usually not very crowded at all-in fact, sometimes we were the only ones there. But the ocean can be quite rough-I was wanting to snorkel, which was difficult in the rough waters, though there is quite a bit to see. Apparently the north shore is always quite breezy, which makes for nice temperatures, but wavy water. The "Pirate's Buffet" at the resort was fun, and the food was good, but otherwise there was seldom anyone in the main dining room in the evening, and we found the food at the pool bar good, but the menu limited. We did a lot of our meals in our own kitchen, but you definitely need a car to get to a grocery store. There is quite a bit to see and do on the island, but the roads are not in great shape, and are hard to follow. Be sure to go to Buck's Island-we took a sailing/snorkeling tour through "Big Beards" that was fantastic! Water is beautiful and the reef is awesome! We also hit the Cruzan Rum Factory, the Whim Plantation, and the Botanical Gardens on a cloudy day and all were worth seeing.

Carambola Beach Resort

 by  anonymous  on  2008-07-09

I booked this trip as a last minute vacation from travelocity and was sort of rolling the dice with the hotel. Surprisingly, the hotel looks very much like the pictures. Its situated on a secluded part of the island and has a beautiful private beach. Hammocks and all ! Very good value for the money. I would highly recommend this for a couple or a family trip. Most of the rooms have a direct view of the beach and have a private screened patio with seating arrangements and candles. Theres a dive shop onsite to rent equiptment and the pool/hottub was clean. Couple of things - if you're staying here, get a car. You'll need it to go anywhere outside the hotel vicicnity. There is a budget counter in the hotel that I relied on, but they are sort of expensive. Also the hotel itself is good, but the staff have a stick up the butt attitude and need a serious course in customer service. In the week I was there, I never saw a single employee smile. Maybe a cultural thing, but they could do better. I will aso echo something from another review - this hotel could be a five star resort if they took better care of the rooms and place in general. For example - While the room and bed was clean, the phone smelt like crap and the tv was sort of busted- or while the bathroom was generally clean, all the faucets were limed out. Small things. There are two resturants and food is on the expensive side but thats expected at any hotel. All things said, I would stay here again. The location, price and general ambiance is unbeatable. There are some real dumps in St Croix so choose your hotel carefully.

Beautiful Place

 by  anonymous  on  2008-07-07

I moment I pulled in front of the resort I noticed something was wrong. My fiance and I had to roll our own luggages to the front desk. The staff at the front desk were very uninviting. they did not smile and no one says good morning or hello at Carambola. Once we ckecked into our room, we quickly ran back to the front desk to upgrade to a renovated room. The room which were given was a complete mess. The floor looked dirty the room looked dated (old) & smelled funny. The upgrated room was a lot better (). We went to the resort's restaurant and met the waitress. She was beyond rude and unpleasant. When we tried to order arond 9:30PM after we checked in, she said the kitchen was closed when the kitchen was clearly open (she was too busy to take more orders). The night before we left, we wanted to have a drink to finalize our little getaway. XYZ made sure she ruined it. After she seated us, we ordered two Pina coladas. she said we would have to give up your seat if we get a guest that's willing to buy more food. We reported it to the manager. He was nice enough to apologize for her and offered us breakfast the next day. XYZ did not serve us! Never Never never going back.

Carambola Beach Resort

 by  anonymous  on  2008-06-11

This was not our first stay at Carambola and it certainly won't be our last. The staff is welcoming and helpful. The rooms are all very large and have a screened in porch. The newly renovated rooms (all are going to be renovated eventually) are lovely. The rooms not yet renovated are a bit worn but very clean and comfortable. All rooms are so close to the beach you can hear the waves. The beach is gorgeous with good snorkling. For golfers, beautiful Carambola Golf Course (Robert Trent Jones) will challenge your skills. My husband and I have tried other Caribbean resorts and islands, many much more expensive, but Carambola and St Croix remain our favorite destination.

Beautiful Place

 by  anonymous  on  2008-05-31

Carambola is a picture perfect resort. The lovely, white sandy beach, with clear waters are great for snorkeling, and gorgeous tropical landscaped lawns are delightful. There's plenty to do-- scuba, snorkeling, tours of the island, etc all which can be coordinated from the hotel. The staff are helpful and friendly, and though the resort is out of the way, a covenient budget car rental has been provided on-site. There were a few negatives, our oceanside room --although right on the beach, felt old, the furniture was a bit worn, and the floor felt dirty. I hear the hotel is currently being upgraded, so make sure you request a room in the new wing, if you dont like the feel of a room with character! My biggest complaint about the resort was the food, the selection is limited and the food is overpriced and less than average in terms of taste. The friday night pirates buffet iwas the exception but otherwise plan to dine at restaurants nearby. Overall i highly recommed Carambola for an unforgettable vacation in the Carribean.

Carambola

 by  anonymous  on  2008-05-30

POSITIVES: This hotel was a beautiful place to stay. It is located on the North side of the island so it is about a 25-30 minute taxi ride to Christensted. The grounds, room and the beach are emmaculate. The sands are soft and the water is nice. The hotel is secluded and you will have the beach to yourselves. NEGATIVES: ince the hotel is located on the North side of the island, everything else seems very distant. To get to Christensted, you will have to take a taxi (which will run you 16/pp RT) which can get costly if you go to town often (which is where all the activities are). You can get a rental car, but keep in mind that they drive on the left side of the road, the road are small and VERY curvy and the street lights are VERY far and few between. Locals pay very little attention to traffic lights and stop signs. There are only two major restaurants on the grounds and the menus are very limited as far as food choices and very expensive. The restaurants are only open for ceratin hours of the day and there are no snack machines on the grounds either. The food is cheaper in town, but the service everywhere is extremely slow. There are not many things to do on the island and things are very expensive although there are no taxes. There is one casino (Divi Carina Bay) located on the East side of the island, but it is small and not very entertaining. For adventure, try the Big Beard half day/sunset sail or just take a trip over to Turtle Beach. It is truly amazing. I hope this review helps.