Best Western Emerald Beach Resort

Beware, this is no longer a Best Western resort! I won’t stay here again, for the amount of money charged I expect better service. Rooms were clean and comfortable, location was nice though secluded, restaurant/​bar was so-​so. Examples of service issues: no towels in room upon check-​in, several hours before remedied. The next day the maid didn’t arrive to make up room until 4:45pm, by then we were already back in room to shower for the evening. This is the level of service I would expect at hotel that charges half of what we paid.

Beware of the guy working the little hut bar on the beach. He is overcharging the drink prices. When brought to his attention he will not apologize or give your money back. He will say sorry I have to charge what the computer says. Then you will point out the listed price on the wall and he will walk away with your money. Fun times. This happened on 2÷17÷16 at approximately 2pm. 2 coronas w lime. Advertised for 5.50 a piece. Charged 6.50 a piece.

It was nice that the room overlooked the beach/​bay, but there were some frustrations. There are stairs and no elevator or person to help with your bags. My friend and I were lugging around heavy wheeled suitcases up and down the stairs to get to our room, only to find that the room was already occupied by someone whose room hadn’t been ready. We then had to go back to the front desk, wait for them to find another room, and bring all our stuff upstairs to that room.
The A/​C didn’t work consistently well. I was told someone would take a look at it, but no one ever did.
The hair dryer didn’t work.
Our used towels were taken but not replaced.
The first day, my friend’s bed wasn’t made, but mine was.
I told the front desk twice that the water needed to be replaced in the fitness center. It hasn’t been replaced yet.
I ordered a salad at the restaurant to take back to my room. It was $ 15.50, which included an unadvertised $ 1.50 takeout fee. Ridiculous!
Roosters crowed every morning.

The food was great. I had the NY steak. Was better than NY fah sho! Lol I really wanted the jerk chicken but they were sold out! Figures it’s very delicious

Just view from my room and the proximity of this place to the beach is enough for me to give them a full 5 stars! Now I travel for a living — spend 4 days of each week in a hotel. I learnt long ago, that expectations need to be modified based on the location and type of hotel. When I went to this place, all I wanted was a clean bed to sleep on and gorgeous outdoors. I think the place delivered on both fronts. The rooms are clean and the balconies open up to a gorgeous view. The pool is alright — pretty deep, but the pool side restaurant was pretty big disappointment.
Room service sort of sucked, but honestly, we weren’t in the room enough to make a big fuss of it — their folks were lazy a pretty snooty. There are also a LOT of mosquitoes here — in the rooms, outside. just everywhere. I recommend getting a big bottle of mosquito spray and keep it on you at all times. The front desk staff was nice, though not always helpful. For instance, they couldn’t fix the air conditioning in our room — it was old and pretty bad AND could not provide an alternate like table fans etc.
What is also silly about the place is the fact that there is NO service on the beach are (bummer) and that I had to go check out and check back in my beach towels with the hotel front desk every day (so annoying)
Now all that being said, the location is awesome — 15 min walk from the airport (or a 5 min drive), the beaches so gorgeous and vibe so cool. Would I come back to stay? Probably — with a couple of bottles of bug spray though! :)

Second time staying here, love access to emerald beach. Rooms clean and comfortable. Few days we had to ask for our room to be cleaned, and went to get coffee at the self serve when an employee tried to charge us and said we give free coffee to cruise ship people yet we are paying to stay here. Not so happy with that!!! Front desk staff not accommodating. Pool down for 3 days.

Looks like a nice cosy place. We did not stay at this hotel but attended a wedding on the beach. It was beautiful and the staff were attentive and great. The reception was held at the hotel restaurant on the beach and served delicious food especially the steamed spicy fish.

I just stayed a week at the Emerald Beach Resort. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and the beach view from our 3^rd floor room was incredible. The restaurant on site serves great food although a bit pricey and service was a bit slow. the Friday night buffet was not worth the $ 30. The beach front bar was great with a nice variety of rum drinks. The Cruzan Confusion was the best drink. The pool was nice and the beach was perfect for swimming. They had live music poolside daily. The steel drum bands were pretty good but they had an 80’s cover band on Tuesday that was awful.
It’s only a 5 minute walk from the airport to the resort, so don’t need a taxi or shuttle for $ 45.
Also you could rent jet skis and paddle boats right on the beach by building 4.
Drawbacks include…
The resort is across the street from the Airport so there is a little noise when the planes come and go.
There is a flock of wild chickens that crow every morning at the crack of dawn.
There are about 5 cats that’s live on the resort property.(the gift shop manager feeds them) but they do beg guests at the bar and restaurant. Not good for people that have allergies.
The tiniest ants I’ve ever seen get into the room through the AC vent so don’t leave food out.
The TV looses signal frequently.

I’ve never stayed at the Best Western Emerald Beach Resort, however I’ve lounged on their beaches during my two visits to St. Thomas.
Both visits were day trips on a cruise. With very limited time and many great choices, I had to be selective over where to go. This is a great spot!
The environment is very laid back and chill. The beach is gorgeous and the water is great for a swim. It’s not a crowded «hot spot» but perfect for relaxation at its finest. The resort even offers chair rentals to non-​resort guests.
This resort is in high contention if I ever travel to St. Thomas for a longer vacation.

I can agree with most of the reviews here. We stayed a week and had a great time.
Employees:
Morgan at the bar wrote down a bunch of restaurants to try and was very nice. One in four front desk employees seemed pushy from being overwhelmed at times. All the staff members were very nice other than those couple times, pehaps some call ins? Concierge Jon was very helpful with excursions. Both room cleaning ladies were very nice and helpful too. By the end of the week stay, the restaurant staff had halved their waiting times to acceptable levels (on Island time?) Food was delicious but pricey.
I would stay here again.

This review is for the caribbean buffet dinner that was served in the dining room rather than the hotel. We didn’t realize they had this and happened upon it. The food looked amazing and didn’t disappoint. They had a little bit of everything and there wasn’t one dish that wasn’t short of fantastic. The cook was there to guide us through it and was very encouraging. Would definitely eat here again!

We stayed at the Resort last year just before Thanksgiving for 9 days. We had our doubts due to proximity to the airport. This turned out to be a non-​issue. The beach was awesome and water great. The Hotel is some distance from town, but for a short walk and a dollar you can catch a shuttle to anywhere. We ate at the restaurant every night but one and the food was delicious and the service was great. Our waitress was helpful and friendly. But the best part was the beachfront «Tiki» bar. Super drinks, reasonable prices, excellent bar servers and great friendly socialization with locals and guests. All the beachfront staff were the absolute best. Frankly, we enjoyed all the facilities so much we didn’t take much notice of the room. Must have been ok though. We can’t wait to go back to this Best Western.

This hotel is unimpressive. It will only fill your basic need to have shelter while away from home. The staff was unengaged and not resourceful. I have traveled to other islands and the hotel staff were kind, friendly, and helpful. This staff was none of the above. They barely greet you when you enter the lobby. When we asked about activates around the island or restaurant they literally had no answers or valid suggestions to offer.
There was a roach in our room, and when I called the front desk the attendant laughed and did not offer to change our room. On one particular day we had been out site seeing for about 7 hours we returned to the room at 5 PM and it was not cleaned, a few minutes later a member of the house keeping staff knocked on the door to clean the room. When we explained that we had just returned to the room and wanted some down time to change for the beach. She refused to come back and cleaned the room with us in it while we were trying to change. When we asked her if we could have extra towels she said we could go to the front desk and get them over selves. The entire experience was rude and inconsiderate.
The hotel is located on decent beach front which is its only saving grace. If you are visiting St. Thomas there are much better hotels. Best Western Emerald Beach «Resort» does not provide a relaxing environment and is not centrally located.

Arriving in st thomas around 11am was super exciting with all the new things to see. After doing some research my boyfriend and I decided to walk to the hotel which literally is a 12min walk. We were offered numerous cabs costing up to $ 16 !!! Be careful with the taxi drivers who are dyeing to take advantage of tourists.
On arrival to the hotel were we thought check in would be a breeze we were shot down with «check in isn’t until 4pm». We were told me would put our suit cases in a creeping musty office but still tried to make the best of it by going to the bar for lunch and some drinks. After 3 hours of sitting in the heat in NY attire and asking if the room was ready. Why simply asked if we could get some towels to at least enjoy the pool/​beach. (Something they should have offered in the first place). Then of course 30 mins of enjoying the pool we get called that our room is ready.
We specifically asked for a third floor room in the 3^rd building but were given a 3^rd room room I’m the 1^st building I just agreed so I could be done with them and enjoy my vacation.
After trucking all of our luggage to the 3^rd floor (there are no elevators) we were called and told that there was a mix up and needed to come down with our luggage. We were told that the girl who gave us our room assigned the room to another guest also –_​_​_​–
So again needed to bring our luggage down AGAINNNN to only have to bring it the room we were supposed to get in the first place in the third building.
Thankfully we didn’t miss too much of our first day in paradise with this nonsense and were given a voucher for a complementary breakfast for our entire stay for their mix up which in was thankful for.
After that mishap we didn’t deal much with the staff as we don’t require much. Rooms are NOT very modernized but the balcony with the view of the beach def makes up for it. Also rooms were very clean and the housekeeping were always early and even mopped daily ! We NEVER had any problems with lack of towels, water pressure, wifi worked great and airplane noise was never an issue. (Being from NY it sounded just like home) But also don’t be careless with your towels and wonder why you have none !
I have to mention the restaurant in the hotel carribean fusion was the best meal I had in all of st thomas and wanted to kick myself for only going there on the last night. You can have dinner on the deck with the view of the beach and sunset in the back round. We searched all over the island for a place that wouldn’t serve mediocre food that charged an arm and a leg. It was literally under our noses the entire time !! Ugh
Emerald beach is absolutely stunning there are plenty of water activities to do (the jet ski tour which was my fav) Overall I truly did enjoy my stay but probably would never return to st thomas not because of The best western the island in General was not what I expected, the inflated costs of everything being the main reason but if I HAD to return I would def stay here again

This is a awesome place to stay, although ive never stayed at any other hotel (this was my first time going to the Virgin Islands), im sure this was the best hotel on St. Thomas. Even though it is pretty pricey, you get what you paid for — which is central air. I researched all the other hotels on the island and they mainly complain about the noisy air conditioners in the windows. It was nice and chilly in our room.
The view from our room was SO AMAZING! If you jumped off the balcony then you would def hit the sand. it was so pretty, this hotel is RIGHT on the ocean.
It does, however, get a little noisy because its literally one minute away from the airport and those planes take off soooo close to that side of the beachfront.
Anyways, the restaurant Carribean Fusion is good too– pricey as all hell tho (our bill was on AVERAGE $ 130 a night). The food was so addictive, now that im back in Virginia, all the food sucks to me lol.
It wasnt hard to get a taxi to where you want to go either, there are so many people waiting for you to jump in the cab right outside the hotel — awesome. And its def not hard to get a taxi back lol EVERY taxi that passes you while you are walking downtown asks you do you need a ride.
The wi-​fi DOES go in and out in the hotel, but what do you need to contact the outside world for? didnt bother me much.
The pool was awesome (an iguana here or there but i expected this), the beach was awesome, everything inside the hotel room was awesome! I def recommend this hotel!

This place is awesome… you’d be a fool to stay anywhere else on St. Thomas!

Internet does not work, takes forever to get hot water. TV works but remote does not. Office chair in room broken. Staff. Are friendly. Restaurant has limited menu but the food is pretty good. Expect to payee Caribbean prices. Limited activities on the beach.

Emerald Beach perfectly met my needs for my trip to St. Thomas. It may or may not work out for others, though, depending on their tastes.
If your primary activity on the island is going to the beach, this place is perfect. Their private beach is clean, spacious, and full of umbrellas, trees and lounge chairs. Canoes, kayaks, snorkeling gear, etc were available for rental, but I did not trying anything out. There is a beach bar that you can literally walk in from the beach to get drinks and bring them right back to your chair.
The views are breathtaking. Do yourself a favor if you are able to climb 2 flights of stairs and ask for a 3^rd floor room — the balcony and views are worth the climb! I had no problems with my room — it was clean when I got there and well maintained during my stay. The security of the resort (electronic safes in each room, quality of locks on doors, balcony railings, etc.) were all satisfactory as well.
The resort’s restaurant was surprisingly good. They give you a lot of food and while it’s not 5 star quality, it’s good for the price you pay (especially on this island). I ate there for lunch and dinner each once and was surely satisfied with my meals.
The complaint that I can see many having is that the hotel is removed from the rest of the city. While it is not walking distance by any means, almost everything is within a 10 – 15 minute cab ride away (and there are ALWAYS cabs out front. You’ll never have to wait for a cab). The resort’s proximity to the airport does bring a little excess noise, but from my 3 day stay I never heard a plane after 10 PM and it’s not like STT is LGA or LAX; you’ll live just fine with the occasional plane noise. If you like private beaching without having to battle a million tourists, this is one of the better places on the island for sure.

Not the best location (next to the airport) for taking in the sights on St. Thomas, but they do have the 2^nd largest beach on the island (Magen’s Bay is the biggest). Also, there are always taxi drivers waiting in front, so getting around isn’t too bad.
The rooms are clean and all have seaside balconies. The pool is clean and there are not too many kids running around. The outdoor bar is great fun with great bartenders.

What i liked:
–This hotel is the third hotel as you leave the airport, the last one before you get onto the main road so the location is pretty convenient arriving and departing st thomas.
–there’s free parking
–the front desk has binder of all menus with prices from all the restaurants on the island, which is really nice when your’e looking for ideas to eat.
–minifridge in the room, too bad there’s no microwaves but that’s ok because pizzas are great cold
–wake up to nothing but blue/​green waters and palm trees is a relaxing way to start the morning
–you can check out beach towels for free at the front desk (but if you ask too late in the morning they can run out and you might have to wait for a few hours for laundry to get done)
–the beach is beautiful and calm, not good for snorkeling, you won’t find anything, but definitely a nice place to lay out.
here are some gripe:
–there’s no elevator and even though there’s only three floors, when your’e on the third floor, dragging a 50lb luggage up to your room isn’t that convenient.
–The sheets are itchy and the pillows are hard but it is just a best western even if it’s ‘plus’ definitely not sheraton’s pillows.
–because the location of our room, we could see down into the patio of the restaurant and the dirty dishes sitting on the table hours after the restaurant closed is kind of an eye sore
–There’s usually only one person at the front desk so when you’re checking out at noon and so is half the hotel guest, it gets kinda backed up.