Blackbeard's Castle
P.O. Box 6041
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
800-344-5771
340-776-1234, Fax 340-776-4321

High above Charlotte Amalie perched on Government Hill, Blackbeard's Castle has stood as a symbol of St. Thomas since 1679. Built to protect Fort Christian, the structure was said to have been used from 1716 to 1718 by the pirate Blackbeard, famed for his long, black beard braided and strung with colored ribbons.

Whether Blackbeard ever eyed the harbor from this tower is uncertain, but one thing is well-known: the site is now a romantic hotel. The small property, which formerly was used as a plantation and as a private residence, now has 24 quiet rooms.

Elysian Beach Resort
6800 Estate Nazareth
St. Thomas
800-524-6599
340-775-1000, Fax 340-776-0910

Everything about Elysian spells comfort and casual elegance. The two-story suites, where you'll ascend a spiral staircase to a king-sized sleigh bed. The private balconies with a view of pools and palms giving way to a turquoise sea. The open-air dining areas where the two of you can enjoy Caribbean specialties over a glass of wine or a tropical drink.

Elysian has a wedding consultant on-site to help plan a ceremony for just the two of you or for both your families to enjoy. For wedding information, call the consultant at 800-753-2554.

Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort
P.O. Box 7100
340-776-8500, Fax 340-715-6191
Reservations: 800-524-2000

Each with a bright West Indian decor, the 408 guest rooms include air-conditioning, remote-controlled color cable television with pay-per-view movies, voice mail, data lines, hair dryer, coffee/tea maker, iron and ironing board, clock radio, in-room safe, and ice maker. Each room includes a mini refrigerator that guests can stock from the on-site deli and grocery located at lobby level. Accessible rooms for the physically challenged are available.

A recent addition to the property are 21 two-story suites. These "Top of the Reef" rooms on the hotel's top floor, where access will soon be limited by key card. Here 17 Royal Suites each offer two-story luxury with a loft bedroom and oversized bathroom reached by spiral staircase. Rooms include a Jacuzzi tub for two, private balcony, and cathedral ceilings. Four Grand Suites provide additional space and amenities. Each of these Top of the Reef suites can be connected with a deluxe room, a popular option for families.

For those looking for upgraded rooms on the ground floor, eight new Lanai Suites overlook the pool and ocean from the lower level of the Sunset Wing.

A renovated pool complex highlighted by waterfalls and a swim-up bar now greets guests. Tennis players can take advantage of two lighted seaside courts; a program managed by Peter Burwash International includes professional tennis lessons and clinics. A new watersports center can arrange scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, sunset cruises, boat rentals, sports fishing, and parasailing. Additional sports such as windsurfing, kayaking, and jet skiing can be enjoyed at adjacent Morning Star Beach, accessible by shuttle or via a new beach elevator and seaside walkways.

Fitness conscious guests can maintain a regimen at the health and fitness center, which includes aerobic stations and strength training facilities. Three treatment rooms, two saunas, and a coed steam room will soon offer spa treatments including aromatherapy, herbal wraps, and massage. Nearby, a full-service salon offers hair styling, manicures, and facial treatments.

The hotel tour desk can arrange for sightseeing trips around the island and to St. John. Shoppers can avoid road traffic into Charlotte Amalie aboard a water ferry which runs throughout the day and deposits guests in the heart of the shopping district.

Five restaurants at Frenchman's Reef and adjoining Morning Star offer a variety of concepts for diners. Windows on the Harbour, an indoor restaurant featuring steaks and a Sunday brunch, is the premier restaurant with a spectacular day and night view of Charlotte Amalie. Al fresco dining is available at Sunset Grille and Bar with American and Caribbean fare. The Captain's Cafe offers a light dining menu served in a pub atmosphere. Presto, the hotel marketplace, will soon feature cooked-to-order pizzas.

Guests at Frenchman's Reef can walk or take a shuttle to adjoining Morning Star for breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Caesar's Ristorante, an Italian style trattoria on the beach. Tavern on the Beach will soon reopen with a Casablanca theme including a classic American bar, a piano player, and twice daily showings of the popular movie.

Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Club and Resort
6500 Estate Smith Bay
340-777-7100, Fax 340-777-7200
Reservations 800-wyndham

This 300-room resort is a real rarity in the US Virgin Islands: an all-inclusive property. The all-inclusive package includes all meals and drinks, an ice cream bar, day and night tennis, all non-motorized watersports, use of snorkel equipment, use of fitness center and Jacuzzi, daily activity programs, nightly entertainment, and beach volleyball.

Perched high atop by seaside hill, the resort offers spectacular views of St. John and the British Virgin Islands. Much of the activity centers around the spectacular pool area. Here three interconnecting pools are alive with the sounds of laughter as well as the roar of a man-made waterfall. Visitors reach the pool area across a suspended bridge (look in the hibiscus for a resident iguana on the way down!) and a casual dining area lies just steps away. Beyond the pool area, the beach offers plenty of watersports and has some good snorkeling just yards from the shore, a site where we spotted about 40 small squid one afternoon.

Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas
6900 Great Bay
St. Thomas
Reservations: 800-330--8272
340-775-3333, Fax 340-775-4444

Formerly the Grand Palazzo,this is one of the most elegant hotels in the Caribbean, an ultra-luxurious resort designed to make its visitors feel like royalty. From the moment you enter the marble entry of this resort styled to replicate a Venetian palace, you'll know that this is a step above even the luxurious resorts for which the island is known. Maintaining a one-to-one guest to staff ratio, the resort is for those vacationers who are ready for privacy and pampering.

The hotel's hibiscus-colored roofs dot the shoreline of Great Bay. Here, amid stark white buildings punctuated with bougainvillea and other tropical splendors, await some of the island's most luxurious guest rooms. Marble baths, seersucker robes, and French doors leading out to private balconies greet guests. Away from their rooms, visitors continue to enjoy the finest in amenities, including sailing, snorkeling, and a private yacht.

Dining is an equally elegant affair at the Ritz. In the hotel's Dining Room restaurant, the continental restaurant filled with towering palm trees overlooking Great Bay, long trousers and collared shirts are requested in the evenings.

Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina
P.O. Box 6577, St. Thomas
800-524-2090
340-775-6100, Fax 340-775-2403
$$$
Sapphire Beach Resort and Marina is perched on one of the island's most beautiful stretches of sand and offers excellent snorkeling in calm, shallow waters just offshore. Located about half an hour from the airport, this resort includes beachfront and yacht harbor view suites and villas, each with fully equipped kitchens, television, and daily maid service.

A special package is available for lovers including a sunset sail for two, champagne, airport transfers, T-shirts, and more. Weddings are popular at Sapphire. During our stay, we watched a beautiful beach wedding, with the bride and groom in traditional dress against the backdrop of the sea whose color could genuinely be described as sapphire.