MADPhil

It sounds as if things haven't changed. We got buffet breakfast and dinner as a large group and could order bar food for lunch. The bar was open for a while in the evening as well. The self catering is a bit limited as you only have a toaster, a microwave, and a mini-refrigerator in most units. Some also have a two burner stove top and a full sized refrigerator. If you are looking to be pampered at a luxury resort then this isn't the place at the moment, though the prices seem to be quite good for what you do get.

Kacee

This probably explains why the prices were so low when I looked the other day.

Intl359Widget

Indeed and while the price is attractive for the limited service aspect. The Resort is in a desolate location and a car is necessary if one wants to venture and explore the island so that was another logistical challenge in itself since most of the car hire companies didn't have any reasonable rates at the time.

MADPhil

I wouldn't describe the area as desolate but it is isolated. The resort and surrounding forest are quite lush. The car rental rates are never cheap but the taxis can be reasonable.

Kacee

Just reserved intermediate car from Centerline for 5 days over the 4th at total cost of $50/day. Doesn't seem bad to me.

Word seems to be out about USVI opening . . . flights and accommodations are now booking up quickly. Four days ago availability was wide open.

Intl359Widget

It was $127 per day when I was looking 2 weeks ago and I called Avis & Hertz and they told me that they didn't have a lot of cars available due to previous reservations being honored. $50 a day is somewhat reasonable though.

Kacee

Ouch.

MADPhil

I paid Hertz just under $60 per day including surcharges back in January, which is not quite high season. The supply of cars is limited so prices can soar and a complete lack of cars is not uncommon. You would think that the present is very off season and they would have plenty of cars but they do need money!

Intl359Widget

It's understandable but I was looking at paying more per day for the car versus the hotel.

makin'miles

I'll be going late this month. The hotel confirmed that the dinner restaurant, gift shop and spa are not complete, but pool, fitness and rooms are all set. Will report back.

Flight availability is pretty limited, but AA has to be happy with the loads from MIA on their existing services. Very full, and I imagine they do decent cargo business as well.

makin'miles

Spent a few days here. The property is located on one of the most stunning stretches of coastline - many locals indicated that its the prettiest part of the island, and based upon what I saw I'd agree. The beach directly in front of the pool is a bit rocky, but on the west end of the resort property the beach was sandier and better for swimming. A few of the staff members, including the entire team at the security gate, were lovely. But there were not a lot of staff visible, and it showed.

Currently, the hotel only offers housekeeping once per week, on Mondays. This isn't disclosed online or when I called in advance. Apparently its due to COVID, however prior to COVID they were only offering twice-weekly housekeeping - not the way I'd expect a Marriott-run beach resort to operate COVID-aside. In addition, while the main dining restaurant is not open, they have also decided to close the pool bar on Mondays and Tuesdays; on days its open, its only operating between 4-9pm. Again, this wasn't disclosed on their website or by phone - and it should have been, as meal options are extremely limited. They do offer a limited 'Knock and Drop' room service menu for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Breakfast was pretty meager: pre-packaged brownies and muffins, coffee, and a bowl of apples served on a table set up in the main lobby. After the first morning, we headed to a grocery store: our rooms included kitchenettes. Until this starts to operate normally, you'll definitely want a car. There are a few options a five-seven minute drive away and a lot within 30 minutes. If you're not prepared to self-cater, don't come here. (And due to COVID all dishes have been pulled from the rooms, so you need to buy plastic/paper everything as well... at check-in we were told "if you want plastic cups, that's on you.")

My room was definitely showing its age. It was mostly clean, but had some dated furniture, a very rust-covered refrigerator and just looked dark and drab. Bed, floor and bathroom all clean, but the cupboards and a few other places could have used a good scrub. Definitely ask for an upper floor unit, which has a higher vaulted ceiling. The resort has beautiful landscaping, but it seemed to be getting a bit unkept. A local business owner told us they had fired the groundskeepers, and it showed: there was a lot of dead tropical foliage laying around, as well as some trash that wasn't picked up over our entire stay (including a used face mask on the pool deck that was there for four days straight). We only saw the pool cleaned once during our stay, which wasn't frequent enough as the bottom got fairly sandy and there were quite a few dead bugs.

If you need anything (room service, pool towels etc) you need to go up to the front desk. Very strange. Gym had been renovated and looked great. The front gate crew also did a thorough COVID screening of every person coming onto the property (list of questions and temperature checks). That team is great.

The hotel has a lot of rooms - I'd guess 80+ - filled by oil workers and government contractors - so the property definitely has some stable revenue. These guests aren't around during the day, but you can see them all drive out in cars solo in the morning and back in the afternoon. They were certainly not disruptive at all, but it just appeared that the property was functioning much more as a long-term serviced accommodation than a beach resort.

Beautiful spot, just know what you're getting yourself into in advance, as I don't think the hotel has done an honest job of setting expectations, particularly regarding dining options.

Kacee

We were 1.5 miles east in a villa overlooking Cane Bay last week. I ran out and back to the Ren in the morning (very nice running on the freshly paved road). The location is indeed beautiful. The property appeared quite full based on the parking lot, but the resort itself looked rather run down and the restaurant was obviously completely shut down.

The location is really isolated, which we were fine with, having a full kitchen, but prospective guests should be aware that from the Ren it's about 7 minutes by car to the nearest beachfront bars (which are open only sporadically), a 20 minute drive over the mountain to the nearest supermarket (Plaza West), and 30+ minutes along the coast into town (Christiansted).

Given the pricing for private rentals on St. Croix (we paid $375/night for a villa with private pool and spectacular sea views), I don't see any reason at all to stay at this resort.

makin'miles

Its worth noting that the beach is public access: I believe that there is parking just before the security gate and you can walk down through guest parking and to the beach. Given the resort faces north, the sunsets might not be quite as spectacular year-round, but at this time of the year they were amazing.

MADPhil

Nice photo! It isn't like that in February. There is indeed a public path down to the beach from near the gate. In the other direction there is a trail skirting the property that connects to the Trumbull Trail to the tide pools

writetorich

Is Dec 2020 realistic?
anyone know what is going on with this property?