My husband and I just returned froma fantastic vacation in St. Thomas. Having lived 'on island' in the past, I knew what a great beach Sapphire is and how great the condos at Crystal Cove/Sapphire Bay West Condo's are. In fact, when I lived on island, I rented one of these same condos. I highly recommend booking through VRBO and in particular, had fantastic accomodations in unit B11. The furniture was clean and charming, kitchen utensils and appliances were new and up to date and anything you could think of needing was already there for our use in the condo! The owners were in touch at a moments notice via phone or email and there were absolutely no complications checking in or during our stay.

My husband and I stayed for 10 days. There are no restaurants on site, so I highly recommend renting a car so that it is easy to make the 2 minute drive into nearby Red Hook where there are many great restaurants. The Sapphire resort down the beach is undergoing renovations so it is somewhat boarded up, however, it didn't matter as the owner of the condo we rented supplied absolutely everything we could think of needing from snorkels and fins to beach towels, beach bags, and all amenities such as an in unit washer/dryer (very handy), the biggest screen tv I have ever seen and literally tons of dvds and books for relaxing. My husband literally wanted to move there! There is a marina withing 5 minutes walking distance down the beach wear it is easy to take a nice sailing day trip or a motor boat day trip to the BVI!

We are already planning our trip to return to Crystal Cove and in particular, B-11 next year! we can't wait!

We bought a package thru Hotels.com and opted for a studio apt- but to our surprise, we ended up with a large, one bedroom condo that had fold out beds and could have slept 5 people comfortably (there were only 2 of us) and had 2 full baths. The condos are older- look to be from the 60s- but the outsides are kept in perfect condition and the grounds are immaculate with fabulous flowers and wonderfully manicured lawns that are continuously being worked on by the hired help.
We stayed in B3 and it was not fancy, but was very clean and functional. Could have used better kitchen ware, etc. in the kitchen, but all appliances worked well- short walk to a laundry facility and a beautiful pool if you need a change from the beach.
We were able to see people walking on the beach from our front window, but couldn't quite see the water since the beach angles down. There is food available and tropical drinks available on the beach served by waiters if you desire. There are shade trees on the beach which is wonderful if you need to escape the afternoon sun but prefer to remain on the beach.
These condos are about 1.5 miles from Red Hook. Driving is on the left side with cars that have the steering wheels on the left- odd. The roads are narrow and curvy so we opted not to rent a car. Options to get around include taxi - somewhat expensive- OR, travel with the locals. Go the road and flag down Open Air Safaris and pay $1.00 for a ride to Red Hook or $2.00 to go all the way into Charlotte Amalie for shopping. Red Hook has good restaurants, and a small grocery store. We shopped there and also at the Pueblo Store in C.Amalie which was much larger and had better prices. Liquor is quite cheap - about 50% less than you pay in the U.S., but wine is expensive.

We thought we snagged a bargain on a beach front property on St. Thomas.
Crystal Cove was reviewed very well on Tripadvisor BUT be aware. The units rented from owners are probably as nice as can be but rented from any websites is just bad. We used one of the hotel rental sites and booked Crystal Cove for $124 a night the week before Christmas. It was the worst. Old, musty first floor unit with a view of the stairs to the second floor. We came, we saw and we left!!!!

First off, these condos are old, dirty and buggy. I saw units in 3 out of the 4 buildings and they are all of the same low quality. In one unit that my group stayed in, there was a couch in the bedroom so dirty that a college fraternity wouldn't keep it. In another unit, the kitchen utensils looked like they were from the 50's - wooden handles, rusted metals, just unbelievable stuff. Another unit had small ants crawling all over the counters. Drawers are filled with old crap left behind by previous occupants.

Secondly, BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU BOOK THIS THROUGH EXPEDIA or HOTWIRE or any other travel consolidator!!!!! If you show up to the address of the hotel, and present your Expedia (or other) confirmation, you will be very rudely told that you DO NOT have a reservation. You actually bought the unit rental from another OFFSITE management company. This woman at the desk of the property itself (Ms. [--]?) is extraordinarily rude and will not explain to you how to check into your room. In fact she will tell you that you do not have a unit reserved there. You will show her your confirmation papers, with the very address where you will be standing, and you will be berated by Ms. [--].

Instead, you will have to know the address and phone number of the management company that sold you the room, drive there to check in and get the key to your unit. If you just paid your taxi and it has left, you will be shoot out of luck.

Third, the beach area itself is nice, but the amenities on the beach are shuttered, dilapidated and mostly abandoned. There are one or two vendors selling hot dogs from a cart and snack bags of chips, but that is it.

Finally, do not stay here if you are just passing through and need a room before or after embarking your cruise. The property is far away from the docks and the taxis are very expensive ($60 each way!) and once you get to this property you are landlocked - there are no restaurants, etc. You have to taxi into town to eat or buy anything.