Secret Harbour Beach Resort

The highlight of Secret Harbour Beach Resort hands down is the snorkeling, which was the best of any of the other beaches we visited on either St. Thomas or St. John. So many beautiful tropical fish and so much to explore! We had a 1 BR condo ocean front. The condo was not luxurious and had a few small issues. One night the AC unit in the living room spilled water all over the wall and floor, ruining a cell phone charger. However it was very spacious and the full kitchen was great. We ate at the beach side bar/restaurant a few times. The food was good but the service was lacking espeically due to one very rude hostess / server (this was a common theme in St. Thomas in general). All in all, we had a good stay. If you love snorkeling this is the place for you.

Had the best time at Secret Harbor Beach resort. It's a small, intimate resort which has so much going for it. The location was perfect for us - 5 mins to Red Hook which has great restaurants/bars and where the ferry terminal to St John's is located. The condos worked really well. They are big and have a full sized kitchen. We had breakfast in our room but then ate at Sunset Grille on the property for lunch. The food there was always excellent. In fact, the food on the island overall was exceptional. The beach is gorgeous. It's part of a marine reserve so there is fantastic snorkeling and you are literally swimming with fish in crystal clear water. Apparently the water temp (which was refreshing without being too cold) is a good 5-8 degrees warmer than Megan's beach on the other side of the island. There is also a pool and hot tub on an upper terrace which has great views. Recommend getting a condo in blocks 1-4 as they are right on the beach. April was a perfect time to go as it was 80-82 degrees everyday with sunshine. We didn't hire a car but I would recommend it. Taxi's are expensive for a 5 min cab ride. Secret Harbor has parking for guests which is unusual but gives you the freedom to get around the island.

Amazing location beautiful surroundings

Only one very expensive restaurant and a patio where to eat. Need car for any shopping or pay for taxi. Room was expensive beautiful location 2 steps from beach but bathroom had very small space for your toiletries.

Beautiful property with calm waters

The setting tries very hard to carry this place. The ocean is gorgeous. Truly. The pool is fine, the beach is perfectly pleasant. And that is where the magic ends. This place is wildly overpriced for what it actually is. Not terrible, just aggressively mediocre with a luxury price tag slapped on it. Also, let’s be honest about the vibe no one mentions: it is basically a daycare with a view. Small children everywhere. It makes sense, it is a calm, safe little beach, but if you are expecting anything remotely peaceful or elevated, think again. The room situation was almost comical. The door did not work. Not “a little tricky.” Not “needs a jiggle.” It was stuck open. Completely. And the response from staff was essentially a shrug. Security? Privacy? Not their concern, apparently. Since this is a 3rd world country, you do want your doors closed. And then the pricing of "cabs". Truly unhinged. They just invent numbers. Eight minute shared van ride with a suitcase? Forty five dollars. For what, exactly, the scenic tour of the parking lot? The service is where things really fall apart. Rude across the board. Front desk, restaurant, general interactions. You feel like you are inconveniencing them by existing. The only bright spot was the housekeeper, who was lovely and the only person who seemed remotely interested in doing her job well. And the towels. I have never seen a hotel so obsessed with towels. It is like a full time administrative process. Cards, exchanges, tracking, rules. It is absurd. Just buy more towels. You are certainly charging enough. After we left, we were prompted to write a review and in the email, it said, "KEEP IN MIND: We do not own the restaurants". ahahaha. The restaurants manage to serve genuinely good food, which almost makes it worse, because the service is so unbelievably slow. Fifty five minutes for two eggs on toast. That is not a delay, that is a lifestyle choice. Dinner was no better. HORRIFIC service, terrible attitudes. REALLY BAD. DO NOT COME HERE. Bottom line: beautiful water cannot save a place that feels like it is nickel and diming you while rolling its eyes at you. If you are going to charge like a luxury resort, you actually have to function like one.

As always, we chose where to stay on St. Thomas based on dive shop reviews, not reviews of the resort, so we are used to "making do" with so-so accommodations. Secret Harbour was a pleasant surprise, being a little outdated but mostly good. 1. Parking: We always rent a car so that we can explore after our morning dives are done, and on some islands the parking situation is stressful. That is NOT the case here. They have it figured out. Resort guests use their room key to access a guest-only parking are that always had open spots. Zero stress. 2. Front desk: Super friendly and helpful No notes. 3. Beach: The beach at the resort is clean, calm and lovely. Because we dive we don't normally spend time at the beach afterwards, but it was obviously well-maintained and a pleasure for swimmers to enjoy. 4. Towel guy: When you check in you are given one towel card per person. When you want a towel you give the guy in the towel hut your card and your room number and then when you return the towel you get the card back. You need to return the card when you check out or you'll be charged for a towel. It's a simple system, except that on three occasions during our week long stay there was no one in the hut, or anywhere around it, when we were there. Because I watched their system, I ended up leaving my card/ taking a towel myself twice and returning my towel / taking back my card once. Some people though might not be inclined to help themselves, and I can see that getting frustrating for them. 5. Room: As many have said, the rooms can be outdated, and that was certainly the case with ours. Our two primary complaints were that we reserved an ocean view room, but our view was of a walkway and a tree, and more importantly, that THIS ROOM HAD THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE BED IN THE WORLD! We have been taking scuba vacations twice per year for the last ten years, in some hotels that felt more like motels than anything, and still no bed has ever been so un-sleepable as this one. There wasn't just a dip in the mattress. There was a chasm that you could lose a car in. On both sides. What we ended up doing was I slept on the terrible bed in the dead center, at the peak between the two chasms, while my husband slept on the sofa bed in the main room. We made it work. The other negatives about the room were that the TV in the bedroom didn't work. The toilet water was always an off yellow color. And the AC controls worked when they felt like it. Because this wasn't a luxury vacation for us none of these bothered us much. Otherwise, the room was perfectly serviceable. The kitchen was clean and had everything we needed. The wifi was steady. The water pressure was good. The sofas and loungers were comfortable. 6. Food: I'm reviewing the restaurant (Sunset Grille) separately, but we ate there twice for dinner and both the food and the service were very good. We had breakfast one day and lunch one day, and both times the services was VERY "island time." It's clearly a different crew for dinner. After that we made our own breakfast in the room and found other places on the island for lunch. 7. Overview: If someone is headed to St. Thomas for a luxury vacation for relaxation and pampering, this is not the place. If you want to take the family somewhere with a good location and good beach, without all the bells and whistles, this is the place. Despite some drawbacks with the age of the property, everyone (but for the restaurant floor staff) was energetic, enthusiastic and pleasant. They really made you feel welcome and comfortable. We don't normally go to the same island twice, but if we were to return to St. Thomas I would stay here again,.

We rented a 1 bedroom ocean front condo for 9 days. Less than a minute from beach. We love it here, our 4th visit. Little to no waves in this bay location, which is great for kids non swimmers, snorkelers. We did not bring our snorkeling equipment this trip,wish we had. Zero issues getting chairs, umbrella at the beach. This beach is not crowded which is great. Our condo, 311 was nicely done, would be happy to get this condo again. Food is very good at the patio, we are there 4 times for lunch/dinner, once more for breakfast. If menu was a bit more varied.would have went even more often. Ate at sunset grille once, no complaints by me, my wife underwhelmed with lobster Mac in cheese. $17 one way for two to red hook. Order taxi at front desk, easy peasy. The taxi ride from airport to resort reconfirms the wisdom of not renting a vehicle for me. Hilly, hair pins turns, driving on left side, lots of traffic. Only time we leave resort is for dinner in red hook. Lack of car not an issue for us. We use VIP provisioning, link on SHarbor website. They have always worked out well for us.

Pros: The cove is great with lots of snorkeling. All of the rooms have a view -we were on the 4th floor with a really nice big balcony and a view. The restaurant is good with great service. The hotel is in a convenient location near Red Hook. $8 per person by taxi. Bed is really comfortable. Cons: Biggest downside is the beach gets swarmed by cruise boat folks who get dropped off and and try to use the hotel’s chairs or bring their own. The beach really isn’t that big so it gets crowded pretty quickly. Our TVs would not work. We told the front desk the first day and they said they would send someone but they never did. That’s kind of a basic amenity for a 4 star hotel I would think.

The condo was roomy and spotless. The Sunset Grille and The Patio were great. All the servers and bartenders were top notch. Great place!