Had I known they were still building the place, I would have paid a few more bucks to stay closer to the boardwalk. Tropical days get hot, so they start construction in the cool of the morning...about 7:15 am. Every. Day. While I was there they were cutting tiles to extend the patio and lumber for some other part of the work site. I would have complained except most days I was up at 7:30 anyway to go diving.
The few days I didn't have to get up early, the noise was unbearable. Forget afternoon naps, or relaxing by the pool (no lounge chairs anyway). I have no idea why they put me in a room 20 feet from the bandsaw when the whole place was nearly empty. I know it was nearly empty because when I complained that the shower never got warm, they said I had to leave it running because it took longer when there weren't many guests. It was about 15-20 minutes wait for warm water each time...so much for conservation. Luckily I was able to use the extended cool shower to rinse my scuba gear. Of course the warm water came faster on the weekend, when the hotel was packed with people...very loud people who came in from the bars at 2:30 am and yelled up and down the courtyard for an hour despite my calls to the front desk.
The room had a fridge, which is crucial because the restaurants are expensive and close early. However there was only one microwave...outside, in the courtyard, in the middle of the construction. Not even sure if it was intended for use by guests.
Piles of lumber and other construction materials were stacked in the areas that were supposed to be emergency exits, according to the map in the room. Both "exits" were padlocked iron gates. The only way out was through the lobby.
Half the outer wall of the courtyard is plywood with a frame of 2x4s. And they didn't seem to be working on that part. The photos on the website show a brick wall, with a big tree conveniently obscuring the temporary lumber wall.
The lobby also looks opulent in the photos...but that's not the whole story. The flowers are artificial and permanent, and there are speakers playing an island radio station very loud...complete with commercials and insane DJs. On top of this you'll usually hear whatever different radio station the person at the desk is listening to on the computer. The one time I wanted to buy something from the bar, the kid at the front desk said he didn't know if he was allowed to sell anything. I wouldn't have spent any time in the lobby at all except it was where the free guest computer was...this was one of the reasons I chose the place...I didn't want to bring my laptop.
Apparently they had just re-painted the white wicker furniture in my room because some bags I had leaning against the nightstand got streaks of white paint on them. There was a nice flat-screen TV, but it was mounted so high on the wall that the top touched the ceiling.
Overall? I was there to dive, so a room with a working shower and a decent bed is all I really need. They made the bed and appeared to replace the towels every day. The bed was comfy if you stayed off the side with the broken springs. However I wish I'd known about the construction...I would have stayed somewhere else. It just didn't occur to me when I was making the reservation to ask "By the way, are you done building the place I'm paying to stay?"
- Company Hotel Christiansted
