1.
Bolongo Bay Beach Resort Rating: 2.5 Pearls
Family-owned and run since 1974, Bolongo is a laid-back resort with an excellent beach, great food, and a warm, helpful staff that keeps guests coming back year after year, despite the small pool and scarce features. Just avoid the "Value Rooms," which have old, sagging mattresses.
2.
Sugar Bay Resort and Spa Rating: 3.5 Pearls
A clean, modern, family-oriented resort with a full-service spa, large guest rooms (all of which have balconies), an excellent snorkeling beach, and service that rivals (even bests) the pricier Ritz-Carlton -- the Wyndham is a great pick for the price. Its all-inclusive packages can save drinkers some cash, but the on-site food is average; drive five minutes to Red Hook for better restaurants.
3.
Frenchman's Reef & Morning Star Marriott Beach Resort Rating: 4.0 Pearls
A clean, modern resort with stunning views, this 478-room Marriott is a cut above every other hotel in St. Thomas, except, maybe, the pricier Ritz-Carlton. It's sprawling, the food's overpriced, and it can, at times, become packed with conventioneers. But its excellent gym, great pools, top-notch beds, and soft-sand beach rival the island's best.
