Carambola Beach Resort St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

“Worst Resort Stay Ever – Avoid Carambola at All Costs!” “If you’re looking for friendliness, security, cleanliness, and an overall resort feel – this is NOT the place.” Review: I booked a 7-night stay at Carambola in St. Croix through AA Vacations in August 2025, and it was the worst resort experiences I’ve ever had. From the very beginning, the lack of hospitality was evident. The front desk reps don’t even acknowledge your presence when you walk into the vestibule—you have to be the one to greet them. The guest rooms are shockingly outdated and poorly maintained. There are no phones in the rooms, which means if you have a question or emergency, you must physically walk to reception. Our door lock was dry rotted and fell apart, leaving our room unsecured for the entire day even after we reported it to reception that morning. The wood finishes in the room were grimy and gritty, ants were present, and there was no microwave, which is a problem since food from local markets can’t be warmed up. The amenities are equally disappointing. No lifeguards at the beach or pool, no towel service, and no poolside bar despite being advertised. Not all of the TV channels worked, and at no point during our stay did any staff member check to see if things were going well or if anything could be improved. The resort is also extremely isolated, perched alone on a mountain with nothing within walking distance—no shops, no restaurants, no recreation. You can’t even take a walk off the property safely, since the only access road is a narrow, unlit, curvy mountain road. To make matters worse, the resort forces you to rely on their contracted car service, which is overpriced and unpleasant. We paid $150 for just over two hours of service, and one of the cars had roaches—confirmed by the drivers themselves who carried a can of roach spray in the vehicle. Yes, a roach crawled out during one of my rides. Overall, this was a horrible stay. The front desk staff is unfriendly and unaccommodating, the property is unclean and unsafe, and the entire experience lacks the basic hospitality you’d expect from a “resort.” While it may be quiet, it in no way meets the standard of a resort-quality experience. Bottom line: I would not recommend this place to anyone. Save yourself the frustration and book somewhere else where your time, money, and comfort are valued.

We had a wonderful time!

Bugs was crawling on table in restaurant

Stayed at Carambola Resort recently. The location and beach are absolutely beautiful, but the resort itself feels very run down and poorly maintained. Cleaning standards are low, and the staff is hit or miss — some very helpful, others not at all. Food was a big letdown and way overpriced. Breakfast was $32 per person for basic eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Lunch and dinner were chain-restaurant quality at best. On our first night they had to find staff just to open the restaurant. Thankfully, there are much better options within 10 minutes — The Landing, Off the Wall, and Ama — all on the water and far superior. Finding your room at night can be frustrating since the buildings aren’t well marked. The pool is a nice size but offers very little shade. If you rent a car, the resort is 20 minutes from the airport and within 30 minutes of everything else. St. Croix itself is absolutely awesome — the island made the trip worthwhile. But the resort is best suited if you just need a place to crash while exploring, not if you’re expecting a true resort experience.

Overall, the property was beautiful. The only issue was the linens weren’t so clean. Other than that I loved the place.

I think they need more people to keep the place in good condition and clean on the outside.Rooms are clean pool need improvement and probably shop store is needed

The beach was within walking distance to our room. You could hear the waves at night. The pool area and the cabanas were well kept and it was great area to just lounge and relax. Aliyah at the Flamboyant bar was an excellent server. Very attentive and professional. She suggested several restaurants in the area. Now to why I will not stay there again. The front desk staff is rude. We arrived early (12noon). I attempted to check in understanding it may be a few minutes. Precious, suggested we have lunch at the bar and our room should be ready by the time we were finished. It was not. We continued to wait. While it appeared guests who arrived after us were able to check in, we still waited. I was told my room would be ready by 4pm and we could hang out. At 3:51pm, i inquired if our room was ready and was told by Precious it was not and wouldn't be ready until closer to 5pm. I asked if there was something wrong and she replied, "the staff is just slow today." I didn't quite know how to take that response and it seemed inappropriate to tell a guest. There were no ice machines where our room was and instead we had to walk back to the front desk or over to the near side of the resort at the bar. The ice had started to melt by the time we got back to our room. One of the glass windows in our room was broken and the resort attempted to hide it behind the storm shudders! Why not just replace it or tell us about it from a safety perspective.

The location is spectacular. The rooms are like tree houses. The buildings are lively.

Housekeeping took our trash can and never brought it back. I even requested at front desk another. No luck. Maybe they are short on supplies, management needs to check that out.

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.

Pros: incredible views beautiful natural surroundings. The staff was absolutely AMAZING super friendly and helpful. Great place to relax Cons: property could use updates and parking was pretty far away from my room. Windows and doors wouldn’t lock all the way but was upstairs so kinda ok. Bar and restaurant closes early like 9/10