My husband and I just returned from 7 days at Sand Castle on Jost Van Dyke. October 7-14, 2006. I found Sandy, the manager to be terse and not a people person.

We arrived Saturday night around 7 only to find out the hotel restaurant was not open and nothing on the island was open yet because of the season. No one told us that. Would've been nice to know. She seemd to not care either. She also dumps you out in the dark, no flashlight, you lug your own suitcases to your room and that's it.

The next day, we awoke to beautiful, private beach and water. By 11:30 it was packed with people. Boats come up and moor, then loads of people come to the Soggy Dollar bar. So all day your "private" getaway becomes a nightmare. If you like this, then great. But we had hopes of peace and quite. You have to claim your chairs early or the drunk visitors will take over.

That said, Tina was great. (ANother manager) And the other staff we're great. Mic the bartender is wonderful. But Sandy has to go.

When it was time to leave, even though I had tried to talk to her about it the day prior and I even used her computer to check my flights, she claimed I had not let her know we were leaving the next day and so we had no bill ready, no cab, nothing. Her explanation: You can't do anything last minute here. (Well, I didn't think I had.)

Considering how much you spend to be there, you'd think they'd be on top of that for y ou.

THE FOOD. Ugh. It was horrible. One night, no one could even eat their lamb it was so tough. And yet nothing else was offered to us. The fish? Salmon!! That's not native to the BVIs is it? Fishy, too. The only good meals are breakfast. And youhave to start your own coffee in the morning....

One day, they trimmed trees around our cottage. They left all the branches. I finally moved them myself, as they were in front of our door.

ANd OMG, the mosquitos and sand fleas will eat you alive. Here is a picture of my huhsband's ankle (can't show the rest). Two of the other women staying there looked as if their backs had been overtaken. Big, nasty bites covered them.

I have to say, we have been to many places in the BVIs and if you want peace, quite, killer service, spend a little more and go to PETER ISLAND. We will next year.

We have just returned from 5 days at the Sandcastle in Jost van Dyke. This truly has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! White sand, blue water, and palm trees abound. The beach is all but deserted before 11:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. Meals at the Sandcastle are great - worth the $35 fixed price. The Soggy Dollar is a great bar and many well known people appear throughout the day. The atmosphere is great - very friendly! Mosquitoes are the biggest problem that occurs and there is plenty of OFF available for use. Dress is swimsuits/shorts/shirts. You will return home tanned and relaxed. ENJOY!!

My boyfriend and I traveled to Jost Van Dyke for a week of relaxation. (Fiance now! He proposed on the beach one night!) Sandy picked us up at Great Harbour with the Sandcastle pick-up truck and took us to our new home for the week. As soon as you get out of the truck, you standing on sand. We both looked at each other and new it was instant paradise.

Thousands of palm trees, the beautiful beaches of White Bay - I'm tempted not to right a review so I can keep this little secret for myself! If you are looking for a vacation where there is little to do besides walk the beach, read a book, and hang out at the beach bar, then this is the place for you. We met so many people from all over the world at the bar. The Soggy Dollar Bar is the place to be!! It is so entertaining watching everyone jump off their boats and swim ashore holding plastic baggies up in the air full of money and cigarettes.

The sandcastle staff members are first class. Hello to Isha, Mic and Shanique! They really take time to get to know you and will do anything to make your stay what you want it to be.

The only thing you need to bring are flip-flops, which you'll hardly wear anyways, and some tanks/t-shirts. Jost Van Dyke is known as the Barefoot Island for a reason.

So raise those Painkillers, by far the best beachy drink in the world - and cheers to the ultimate paradise.

I'm a Ritz girl. I love to be pampered, must have a comfortable bed, superclean, excellent service, etc. While The SandCastle is "roughing it" a bit, it's the only place to stay in the V.I. to me unless you rent a boat for the week (in which case I highly recommend planning a few days at the Soggy Dollar Bar at The Sandcastle anyway!) As my fiance stated it, it's like summer camp with a bar.
We spent three days here and then three days on St. John at Caneel Bay, a 5-star resort for 3 times the price of The Sandcastle. I'd take The Sandcastle any day over Caneel.
So I'll tell you what it is and what it isn't and you decide if it's the place for you.

WHAT IT IS:
* No A/C but fans & the breeze make it very comfortable;
* Outside yet private showers--I didn't LOVE this for the mosquitoes but this is the ONLY downfall.
* DELIGHTFUL staff, who go out of their way to know you and cater to your needs
* FUN! People are stopping by, via boat, all day to enjoy the festivities--you will meet so many people!
* On an amazingly beautiful beach--White Bay--with plenty of room for a quiet day if that's what you prefer. (Just move down the beach 10 yards.)
* Near Foxy's--a five minute cab ride away.
* Cost-efficient--you won't spend much here but you'll never forget it.
* There's a shop two doors down on the beach if you forget anything--they have it all from groceries to liquor to drugstore stuff.

WHAT IT ISN'T:
* Dressy--flip flops (if shoes at all), tanks & shorts suffice, even at night.
* Stuffy--it's VERY laid back. Don't expect people passing pineapple on the beach during the day. But by God, they do not STOP mixing those Painkillers. And I speak from experience when I say they are the BEST of about eight islands in the VI.
* Near fancy restaurants--at least we didn't hear of any. But we didn't want them. It was SO NICE not to think about makeup, hairdryers, getting dressed up, etc.
* Expensive--We had unbelievably delicious meals but they were well priced.

WHAT TO DO:
* Lobster at Abe's
* Dinner at Gertrude's next door
* Dinner at The Sandcastle
* BBQ at Foxy's--fun & yummy!

WHAT TO BRING:
* Cortizone for bugbites (though they do provide OFF in your room)
* Bathing suit, coverup, shorts, ts & flip flops--that's it!
* Music for the beach if you want it--you can't really hear the bar music down there
* Business cards--you'll meet so many people!!
* Lots of cash for ferries & taxis! (extra if you plan to rent a boat one day--you'll need to pay Customs taxes in cash and it's not cheap.)

WHAT NOT TO BRING
* jewelry--on both St. John and here, I locked it up in our room safe and didn't wear it once
* makeup--no one wears it here and by 6 pm you'll be too drunk to apply it anyway
* hair dryer--are you kidding me? Sit outside for 10 minutes and let the breeze dry it. Ponytails and hats are in.
* your cell phone or blackberry or laptop