Who doesn’t want a free frozen margarita handed to them as soon as they walk into the door after a long plane ride? I’ll take four! St. Thomas Margaritaville (owned by Wyndham) really sets you up for success to have the best Caribbean vacation of your dreams.
Chase and I checked into Margaritaville just a few weeks ago and kicked our vacation off right with their free margaritas, an ocean view from the lobby, and friendly employees. Check, check, aaand check!
Two years ago, Chase and I stayed at Blue Beards Castle in St. Thomas, but had a sneak peek of Margaritaville and I instantly knew Margaritaville Vacation Club would be the resort for us the next time we visited St. Thomas. Fast forward two years.. and here we are at Margaritaville!
Getting to Margaritaville from St. Thomas Airport
I don’t know about you, but I know for certain that I don’t want to waste a *single minute* of my precious beach time, which is why I love that Margaritaville offers a private car service to shuttle you to and from the airport.
I’m sure it seems extreme to want a private car, but there are two important things you should know when booking your trip to the Virgin Islands:
- Uber/Lyft does not exist on the island
- All taxis are shared with other people going all over the island
The beef I have with the shared taxi service is that you are wasting a lot of time waiting for other people to be dropped off at their destination. And, if you’re on a time crunch, it still doesn’t matter.. the taxi driver is dropping guests off that are along the route that’s on the way.
Margaritaville has a partnership with Kellys Taxi service, which means their main priority is the guests of Margaritaville.
How to Setup Private Car Service:
- Call St. Thomas Margaritaville at +1.340.775.8300
- Let them know you are wanting to set up a car service reservation for your arrival to St. Thomas Airport
- Provide them with your name, airline, and the time you’ll be landing
- Margaritaville will automatically charge your hotel room (that you pay for at check out)
- $25.00 per person each way
- Get off the plane and look for your driver holding a sign with your name on it (ayy VIP status)!
That’s all the beauty of the private car service at Margaritaville. It’s vacation! We cannot waste any time!!
At the Resort
Margaritaville is lined with beautiful pastel colored buildings, vibrant tropical flowers with every turn you take, two pools (can I get a hell yeah?), and just a three minute walk to Coki Beach, which gives Margaritaville the perfect tropical vibe.
Margaritaville’s hotel lobby is seriously beautiful – bright, airy, and a beach view right on the other side of the lobby.
On the second floor of the hotel lobby is a lounge with big comfy furniture, a pool table, and fuse ball table. We all need a little…friendly.. competition.
Chances are you’ve ready some of my other hotel reviews (here and here) and if so, you KNOW customer service is the #1 thing I pay attention to and I’m proud to report that St. Thomas Margaritaville’s customer service did not disappoint. Everyone was friendly, helpful, and offered recommendations when needed. They called us a cab every time and drive people around the resort with a golf cart, since the property is pretty big.
Another perk to the resort is that they always have activities going on, like fire dancers and an exotic bird show (just to name two of the many events that occur daily).
Margaritaville’s hotel rooms are brightly colored, and pretty modern with a beach house twist. Their rooms come with almost a fully furnished kitchen (no stove), but does include a dishwasher, refrigerator, sink, utensils, plates, paper towels, and a coffee maker. Oh, and a bag of popcorn 😀
All of the rooms have a much needed balcony or patio to relax on in the mornings with your cup of coffee.
Something else that is a HUGE plus in my eyes is their rubber room wristbands. You don’t have to worry about your hotel key at all and don’t even need to carry your purse/credit cards because you can charge everything to your room through your wristband.
Location
I could not have been happier with the location of St. Thomas Margaritaville. When we visited St. Thomas two years ago, we stayed on the west side of the island and it was about a 30 minute cab ride, regardless of where we went (aka cutting into my precious vacation time)! Margaritaville was about a 10 minute cab ride to all of the places we needed rides to:
- Red Hook for a ton of restaurants (east side of island)
- Ferry docks and marinas to go to other islands
- Walking distance to a really fun beach – Coki Beach
- excellent snorkeling, strong cocktails, and fried food delivered to your $5.00 chair you rented
Keep in mind – there are no highways!
Ease of Transportation
As I mentioned earlier, St. Thomas Margaritaville is partnered with Kelly’s Taxi service, which should be music to your ears because not every cab service on the island arrives within 1-2 minutes of the request for a cab.
Cabs are typically $10 a person (+ tip), but Margaritaville has exact rates posted at their concierge desk when you walk into the lobby.
Places to Eat
We all know that one of the best parts about traveling is the FOOD! Margaritaville makes it super easy for you to eat a ton of tasty food with an on-site restaurant, a market store, and a restaurant on the shore.
- Shoreline Bar and Grille is a real crowd pleaser. We’ve gone several times and have enjoyed it every time. It’s a three minute walk along the beach from the resort (and you can see it from the back of the hotel lobby for reference). I seriously had the best fried calamari of my life… I will be thinking about it until we go back. It’s a tiny little outdoor spot with a great view on the water. Shoreline also offers $20.00 bottomless mimosas!
- The Margaritaville Store is a great option to have on the property because it offers breakfast food, lunch, coffee/lattes, ice cream, snacks, alcohol, souvenirs, and basic food items you may need to stock up on. Margaritaville Store is an excellent alternative, if you don’t want to sit at a restaurant or don’t want to go to the grocery store (aka me). Bring your wallet! You are paying for convenience with this one 😉
- Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville is great for some late night drunken french fries, but I’m going to be honest… this would never be my first choice for a restaurant. Not because the food isn’t good, but because I love to try new food and restaurants, *especially* when I’m traveling, which means I avoid chains at ALL costs. People do love their heaping mountain of nachos that feed at least (maybe even more) four people.
The great thing about Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville and The Margaritaville Store is that you can charge everything to your room with your wristband.
Farewell, Margaritaville
Sadly, all good things must come to an end as we wrapped up our five days at Margaritaville… I was ready for an alcohol cleanse by that point. Five days was plenty to visit multiple islands and beaches.. and in the coming weeks, I will be working on a Virgin Islands guide!
Let me know on Twitter what your favorite beach is in the Virgin Islands!
