We have just spent time at Crystal Cove this past President Day week. It was high season, but we had reasonable rate.
We book the trip through American Express and our unit rented was B-3.
Place was one bedroom with plenty room. This unit was on the first floor and didn't have view, but beach is right there and didn’t matter to us. This unit had a big king size bed, two Murphy beds and sofa bed. It was roomy for my husband, my daughter and me. Beach was right there from our unit and we enjoyed our stay. Two full baths and full kitchen. Coffee maker…Full size refrigerator .
Our unit was kind of old. But we are at beach or going out for activities for most of the day. It was good enough for sleep at night. When we were there, there was Lunar eclipse. That was amazing.
We often did was going to beach at night with couple drinks and sit down on the beach chairs. Beach was so beautiful and quiet.
Sapphire Beach was beautiful. Water is clean blue water. Snorkeling was awesome. My husband kept seeing Sea turtle. I saw Sting ray. Beach is bit breezy, but that kept us cool and nice all day at the beach.
Dianne, who takes care of beach chairs at the beach, is very nice, friendly and Always helpful. Crystal Cove had gated parking and Security was always present at night. So we felt safe as well.
Overall, we are definitely going back there again. Love the people there… every one so nice and friendly.

I have been visiting these late-1960s-built condo apartments for over 30 years. My parents owned one of these units (C-19) for three decades until they sold it last year. They just rented a different unit for six weeks (B-11) and I stayed there for a week. There are several facts about these units you should know before deciding whether or not you will enjoy staying in them.

The units in the four buildings (A-D), all within 50 yards of a small sandy beach shaded by seagrape trees, are condos owned by someone else. Some owners live there year-round or during the winter; some rent them out privately or through Alice in the condo office (or some other agent). They are shotgun style apartments, with the living room in the "front" facing the beach, a galley kitchen, a bathroom, closets, another bathroom, and a "master bedroom" in the "back". Condos rented as "studios" have the rear bathroom and bedroom closed off, and the renter has access to the living area (with Murphy-style pull-down beds), kitchen, bathroom, and some closets. This is usually cheaper than renting the whole unit.

Many of the owners are somewhat older persons, which means you get less late-night partying and noise. You will meet some owner-residents, and quite a few renters, depending on what season you go there. The beach is small, and a condo/hotel adjoins the property, sharing the eastern end of the beach. The beach is small but extremely pleasant, sometimes quite windy, the water is lovely, and there is a small reef 100 yards away with nice snorkeling. Sea Turtles, clown fish, living coral and other interesting marine life can be observed. Beach chairs are free to residents and renters, and they are the expensive comfortable ones. The water is sparkling turquoise and you have great views of St. Johns (a 15 minute ferry ride away) and Tortola in the distance. There is plenty of shade if you burn easily.

Crystal Cove at Sapphire Beach has always been a place for me to completely unwind. The main activities are eating, sleeping, lounging on the beach, and chatting with other tenants. There is a salt-water swimming pool and tennis courts on the complex. There is a nice tiki bar next door, and a restaurant, which had fallen on some economic troubles, appears to be about to re-open. There used to be a fantastic boutique, which closed; now there is a crummy and expensive snack shop (avoid it). There is a small supermarket and a couple of restaurants in Red Hook, a 2 minute drive. There are larger and cheaper supermarkets 10-15 minutes drive. You will want to cook most of your own meals. Many units have Weber grills available.

Understand that these condos units are all the same construction, but many have been updated, reburbished, or enhanced. My parents did very little to their over 30 years- it still had the original red tiled floor, tiny kitchen, etc. They did cut away the wall between the kitchen and living room, as did almost all the owners. However many of the condos have been made much more beautiful and comfortable, with white stone tile floors, expanded kitchen space and counters, leveling and extending the patio or balcony into the unit to create a larger living space. Ask for photos before renting.

This is not a fancy, "modern" place. This is a spot to immerse yourself in relaxation. Your biggest worry should be what type of sandwich to have for lunch, and when to start your cocktail hour. Some people run their air-conditioning all the time, missing the point of being in the tropics in the winter. It's in the 80s during the day and around 70 at night, and the breeze is nearly constant. Why have A/C when you can breathe soothing salt-sea air and hang out in a bathing suit 24 hours a day?

If you are looking for lots of activities, this is not the place. If you want all the modern conveniences of home, this ain't it. If you can't shift from Type A to Total Relaxation, you might not enjoy this place. It's a "mañana" culture, and you have to go with the flow. Depending on which condo unit you rent, your surroundings may be very dated but comfortable, or modern and stylish. The main focus is the chance to wake up 50 yards (more or less) from the beach, go to sleep with the sound of the surf in your ears, and wander around in a bathing suit all the time in mid-winter. It's also pretty darn nice any time you go (fewer tourists in the off and shoulder seasons).

So think about it, investigate, talk to some owners, get photos, and go. You will probably never regret it, and the price is quite reasonable, considering the nature of the surroundings. Many people, my parents included, rented for two weeks, and then bought and stayed for several decades.

It was my 50th so I arranged 5 days at Crystal Cove based on TA's reviews with beachdestinations.com. I asked for a recently renovated Suite and we got something out of the 70's with another layer of new paint (C28). Trying to sleep with A/C working overtime was difficult and the elephants upstairs didn't help. The place was basic, like 2-2.5 stars, but then again this is the US Virgins where all the lodgings are pretty basic anyway. Walked past Sapphire Resorts next door, also on the beach, and their accommodations looked like they were up to par, despite the worse reviews here. Not the best beach on the island - arrived after a tropical storm, but the sea was too rough for snorkelling all 5 days. Both the protected Megan's Bay and Coki Point were far better. St Thomas roads are car bumper-to-car bumper with potholes. Don't hire a car - take the ever-present really-cheap taxis (trucks with seats). Restaurants are expensive with mediocre food and service. Buy your own food etc at Cost U Less up the hill (cheap booze) and cook it up in the unit. Lots of (mostly jewellery) stores in town with more scam artists than you can throw a stick at. Shop around for the best price. After a $5 water taxi ride to St John, I'd recommend St John, as preferred to St Thomas, with nicer accomodation, virtually no downtown (traffic, hustlers etc) and much better beaches, snorkelling, scuba and parasailing. I'd recommend Sapphire Resorts over Crystal Cove for overall better lodgings. For 2 people I don't think a Suite is much improved over a Studio. But anyway, that sea and sun is surely lovely and warm.

Crystal Cove consists of several two-story buildings arranged in a semicircle around a lagoon, with Sapphire Beach a short distance away. Sapphire Beach, with its views of St. John, was by far the most beautiful beach we encountered while in St. Thomas.

In terms of design, Crystal Cove is very 80s, and some buildings are showing their age. We stayed in late November, and maintenance was working hard to get the place ready for the high season. They had plenty to do.

Life can be very nice at Crystal Cove. You can get up in the morning, prepare breakfast in your well-equipped kitchen, stroll down to the beach and spend the whole day if you care to. You can eat lunch and have drinks at the Sapphire Beach Resort, located right next door and owned by the same company that owns/manages Crystal Cove.

There's interesting wildlife around. Every day, a colon of ducks that lives down in the lagoon visits the beach to scrounge food from the tourists. Some mourning doves usually stop by. Several iguanas, some quite large, shuffle through and have been known to climb the trees that ring the beach. It's fun and interestiing. There's decent swimming and snorkeling on a small reef, though choppy water while we were there limited the snorkeling.

Here's the problem. If you stay in a studio or efficiency unit, you get a large room with a pull-down bed. Except it's two twin beds, not a double or a queen. The beds are of better qualiy than a pull-out couch, but nothing like the quality of a bed. My wife suffered through backaches the whole time we were there. My bed bothered me less, but what bothered me most was that I never expected to encounter this kind of arrangement at a facility that is simply perfect as a romantic getaway.Think about it: Romantic getaway.... uncomfortable twin beds....romantic geaway...uncomfortable twin beds..... We expressed disappointment to the manager, and she said that virtually all the studio units had twin beds. Made absolutely no sense to us.

Our unit was very nicely furnished, with a TV and stereo, a phone for local calls and a wonderfully equipped kitchen. If we wanted to, we could barbecue over charcoal outside. The view from our front windows was beautiful -- the lagoon straight ahead, with the beach just beyond.

One other negative: The facility does not have wireless Internet. if you want it, you have to bring your computer to the lobby of the hotel next door. As said, it's very 80s.

In short, I'd stay there in a heartbeat if I knew I had to be in St. Thomas and could get a room with a real bed. If invited to sleep in a room with pull-down twin beds, I'd rather stay almost anywhere else. And that's m advice to you: Stay at Crystal Cove, once you're assured you'll get a real bed to sleep in.