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Bolongo Bay Beach Resort

South Coast, Saint Thomas

4.3(1,237 reviews)

Family

Bolongo Bay is a genuine one-off in the US Virgin Islands. It introduced the all-inclusive plan to the territory in 1989 and is still the only all-inclusive resort on St. Thomas, though it also sells room-only rates. For US travelers who want a Caribbean all-inclusive without a passport, foreign currency or a language barrier, that alone makes it worth a look. It is small, with 65 rooms each with a balcony facing the water, and family-owned and run, and the staff culture is the thing guests keep writing about. This is not a resort where the faces change every season.

Traveler Insights

Pros

+The only all-inclusive resort on St. Thomas and the one that brought the concept to the US Virgin Islands in 1989, so you get the no-wallet Caribbean week while staying on US soil
+Weekly Snorkel Booze Hunt off the resort's own beach, where guests snorkel for hidden bottles of rum, a Bolongo tradition the resort says goes back 50 years
+Breakfast, lunch and a four-course dinner (soup or salad, appetizer, entree, dessert) every day, plus a bottle of house wine per night for all-inclusive guests
+All dining is a la carte with no buffet at all, which is why returning guests rate the food well above what they expected from a small all-inclusive
+Non-motorized water sports are free for every guest, all-inclusive or not: snorkel gear, stand-up paddleboards, Hobie Cat sailboats, single and double kayaks, swim mats and hammocks
+Small, family-owned and run, with 65 rooms; guests in 2026 single out the owners and staff by name, and the place rarely feels crowded
+Scuba is on property through St. Thomas Dive Center, a PADI 5-star IDC shop whose boats leave right from the resort dock for reefs and wrecks
+No passport needed for US citizens, US dollars, English spoken and driving directions you can follow from the airport in about 15 to 20 minutes

Cons

−The beach entry is rocky in places, and guests in May 2026 were still flagging it, so pack water shoes
−Rooms are dated and guests describe them as due for a refresh; this is an older property kept tidy rather than a recently renovated one
−Iggies Beach Bar, the resort's famous beach bar, is being rebuilt as of October 2026, so the bar scene and live music have moved to the pool area for now
−One restaurant, Iggies' Oasis, handles every meal, so a week here means a week of the same kitchen even with nightly specials
−Several top-shelf spirits are excluded from the drinks package, extra dinner entrees cost more, and bottled water is sold separately rather than included
−The Heavenly Days catamaran sails are separately ticketed and not part of the all-inclusive plan, which surprises guests who assumed they were
−No airport shuttle (the resort says it is not allowed to run one) and nothing major within walking distance, so expect shared taxi vans for arrival and for day trips

The food is the surprise. Everything is a la carte from one open-air restaurant, Iggies' Oasis, with breakfast, lunch and a four-course dinner included daily and a bottle of house wine on the table each night for all-inclusive guests. Top-shelf brands are extra, as are second entrees and bottled water. The water sports list is generous for the size: snorkel gear, paddleboards, Hobie Cats, kayaks and swim mats cost nothing, the weekly Snorkel Booze Hunt sends guests after hidden bottles of rum off the beach, and St. Thomas Dive Center runs dives straight from the dock. There is an oceanfront pool with what the resort calls its original swim-up pool bar, and live music runs many nights from 8 to 11pm. As of October 2026 the famous Iggies Beach Bar is being rebuilt, so evenings have moved poolside. The beach itself is a pretty, quiet cove with a rocky entry, and the rooms are dated rather than modern.

Bolongo Bay suits couples, friends and families who care more about warmth, water time and a low-key evening than about modern rooms or nightlife. The resort is not adults-only, but it notes that during school terms there are often no children on property at all. Rates sit at the upper end of the Caribbean small-hotel range, which is normal for St. Thomas, and the included dinners and water sports soften that. The resort's own Heavenly Days catamaran sells half-day turtle snorkel sails, harbor sunset cruises and weekend full-day sails to anyone who books, and Magens Bay, Charlotte Amalie, Red Hook and the St. John ferry are all a taxi ride away.

Common Questions

Do I need a passport to stay at Bolongo Bay?

Not if you are a US citizen. The US Virgin Islands are a US territory, so a valid government-issued photo ID is enough and the flight is booked like a domestic one. Non-US citizens need their usual travel documents. The resort points out that its own catamaran sails to Buck Island and Water Island also stay inside the territory, so no passport is needed for those either.

What is the Snorkel Booze Hunt, and is the catamaran included?

They are two different things. The Snorkel Booze Hunt is a weekly on-property activity where guests snorkel off the resort's beach looking for hidden bottles of rum, and it is part of the resort's own activity program. Heavenly Days is the resort's 53-foot catamaran, which is separately ticketed and open to non-guests: the half-day Swim With Turtles snorkel sail is $95, the Charlotte Amalie harbor sunset cruise is $85 and the Sunday full-day sail is $150, as listed in October 2026. None of the sails are part of the all-inclusive plan.

How rocky is the beach?

Rocky enough at the water's edge that guests in 2026 still mention it, so bring water shoes. The cove itself is calm and pretty, and the snorkeling just offshore is good once you are past the entry. The resort asks snorkelers not to touch or stand on the reef.

What is there to do in the evenings?

Evenings are low-key. There is no nightclub, casino or production show, but live music from local artists runs many nights from 8 to 11pm, with steel pan, country, guitar and rock covers, and there are daytime activities like poolside bingo and sip-and-paint on the beach. With Iggies Beach Bar being rebuilt as of October 2026, the bar and music have moved to the pool area for now. Red Hook, about a taxi ride away, is where the island's livelier nightlife is.

Which water sports are free, and what costs extra?

All non-motorized water sports are free for every guest, including room-only bookings: snorkel gear, stand-up paddleboards, Hobie Cat sailboats, single and double kayaks, swim mats, beach toys, hammocks and lounge chairs. Hobie Cat sailing is signed up through the beach staff. Scuba with St. Thomas Dive Center, the catamaran sails and parasailing from Sapphire Marina are all paid separately.

How do I get from the airport, and is there a shuttle?

There is no resort shuttle; the resort says it is not allowed to run one. Shared taxi vans wait outside Cyril E. King Airport (STT), about 7 to 8 miles and 15 to 20 minutes away, longer on heavy cruise-ship days because the route goes through Charlotte Amalie. The resort lists the fare at about $18 for one person or $14 per person for two or more, plus a small per-bag charge, cash only.

What's nearby

Charlotte Amalie
11 min drive · 4.8 mi
Skyride to Paradise Point
8 min drive · 3.4 mi
99 Steps
10 min drive · 4.3 mi
Fort Christian
10 min drive · 4.3 mi
Lindquist Beach
12 min drive · 4.8 mi
Drake's Seat
13 min drive · 5.4 mi

More things to do (22)

St. John day trip (Trunk Bay, Cruz Bay) · excursion9 min drive · 3.9 mi
Pirate Treasure Museum · museum6 min drive · 3.0 mi
Morningstar Beach · beach7 min drive · 2.7 mi
Yacht Haven Grande · marina7 min drive · 3.4 mi
American Yacht Harbor (Red Hook) · marina9 min drive · 3.6 mi
Turtle Cove and Buck Island snorkel sail · excursion9 min drive · 3.6 mi
Sunset sail · excursion9 min drive · 3.6 mi
Deep-sea fishing charter · excursion9 min drive · 3.6 mi
Day trip to the BVI (Jost Van Dyke, The Baths) · excursion9 min drive · 3.9 mi
Secret Harbor Beach · beach10 min drive · 3.9 mi
St. Thomas Synagogue · historic site11 min drive · 4.7 mi
Weibel Museum · museum11 min drive · 4.7 mi
Frenchtown · town12 min drive · 5.4 mi
Crown Bay Marina · marina14 min drive · 6.3 mi
Water Island ferry to Honeymoon Beach · excursion14 min drive · 6.3 mi
Lindbergh Bay Beach · beach20 min drive · 7.0 mi
Coki Point Beach · beach20 min drive · 5.7 mi
Brewers Bay Beach · beach20 min drive · 7.8 mi
Magens Bay Beach · beach20 min drive · 7.3 mi
Coral World Ocean Park · wildlife20 min drive · 5.8 mi
Mountain Top · viewpoint20 min drive · 6.8 mi
Hull Bay Beach · beach20 min drive · 7.8 mi

Amenities

Diving

Swim-Up Bar

Snorkeling

Water Sports Rentals

Free Wi-Fi

Nightly Entertainment

Gym

Beach

Google Reviews★ 4.3 · 1,237 reviews

David K.

a week ago

“We spent last week at this amazing resort. The all inclusive package was quite a good deal. The staff are absolutely incredible. Ask for Santana for dinner. Dave and Dave our management staff were always checking in on us. Jake and Jonathan at t...”

Luis C.

a week ago

“Bolongo bay was amazing. Had our names posted on a board welcoming us as soon as we walked into the lobby. I believe the guy’s name was Jermaine but he took us to our rooms and showed us around, very pleasant and welcoming. Food was a solid 8/10, but...”

jessica b.

a month ago

“I just spent a beautiful Christmas week here and I will be 100% be working on going back next year. It's smaller, homey and family owned. That's exactly what I wanted. I had followed them on ticktock for a couple years being envious of the ppl that g...”