st thomas bolongo bay open
News

The Bolongo Bay Beach Resort in St Thomas Is Open Again

By: Alexander Britell - July 10, 2020 - 5:53 pm

There are some signature stops for those who love the Caribbean; some sought-after places that are more than just hotels. 

Since 1974, the beloved, family-run Bolongo Bay has been just that — from the iconic Iggie’s Beach Bar to the weekly “Snorkel Booze Hunt,” it’s been one of the region’s capitals of easygoing fun — and an exemplar for the authentic Caribbean hospitality experience. 

And now, following the US Virgin Islands‘ reopening of tourism last month, the resort is open again. 

The 75-room beachfront resort reopened its doors last week, with new health and safety protocols but the same fun-loving spirit. 

“If anybody can make this fun and goofy and happy, it’s Bolongo,” owner Richared Doumeng told Caribbean Journal

And a huge part of that has been the response by the staff to the new realities of travel in the COVID age, he said. 

“The staff has been unbelievable,” Doumeng told Caribbean Journal. “I realized from the get go that we had to make it as good for the people we work with as possible, and it’s working. If you make it worth it for your co-workers and you do a good job protecting them, eventually it works with the guests.”

And Bolongo’s layout is a natural fit for the kinds of socially-distanced, outdoor experience travelers are looking for right now, Doumeng said. 

st thomas bolongo bay open
The beach at Bolongo.

“I am so happy we are an open-air facility,” he said. “The hallway is open-air, we have individual air conditioner — at dinner, at the pool, we are naturally spread out — we have a 900-foot beach with 75 rooms.”

While the hotel’s facilities are still closed to non-guests, on-property guests have access to all of the Bolongo signatures, including aforementioned “Snorkel Booze Hunt,” which sees staff hide bottles of rum out in the bay for guests to snorkel and find. 

st thomas bolongo bay open
Bolongo Bay from the sea.

The relaunch of Bolongo is a significant step for the US Virgin Islands’ tourism sector, which officially reopened for travelers at the beginning of last month. 

And as the hotel reopens, Doumeng said the formula remains the same —  the reason why the resort has become such a popular spot in the USVI. 

“People care about us because we care about them, and it really does work,” he said. “We’ve gotten so much kindness back and we know it’s paid off — it really is the human part of the deal, it’s the people.”

For more, visit Bolongo Bay

Popular Posts antigua long bay

25 Perfect Caribbean Beaches to Add to Your Summer Bucket List

There’s nothing like a Caribbean beach in summer. The crowds thin out, the winds relax, and the islands start breathing in a different way. The beaches you thought you knew feel new again— stretches of sand once packed with winter […]


The 15 Best Hotels in Trinidad and Tobago, From Hidden Eco-Retreats to Luxury Towers

trinidad and tobago hotels where to stay

From Port of Spain to Tobago’s quiet coasts, these are the places to check in now No two Caribbean islands are quite like Trinidad and Tobago—and no two hotels here feel the same. This is a destination of contrast: Carnival […]


This Marriott All-Inclusive Resort Is Coming to Barbados —  And You Can Book It With Points

new brand for the caribbean

Barbados has long been a haven for adults in search of refinement — the kind of place where luxury and culture blend in quiet, confident harmony. Now, that ethos is becoming the foundation of a new resort concept that aims […]


Related Posts casa colonial

The 10 Best Caribbean Hotels You Can Book With Hilton Honors Points

There’s something deeply satisfying about unlocking a luxury Caribbean vacation using nothing but your Hilton Honors points. It’s a bit like knowing a secret — the kind of secret that smells like sea salt and sunscreen, and sounds like waves […]


A New Plan to “Reimagine” Caribbean Tourism

caribbean tourism remagining

The Caribbean has long been a mosaic of sun, sea, and culture — but now it wants to be something more. With a bold new roadmap unveiled in New York last month, the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization is charting a […]


Marriott’s Smallest Caribbean All-Inclusive Resort Is An Adults-Only Hideaway With an “Art Crawl” and Beach Ambassadors

all-inclusive caribbean marriott smallest

A quiet road breaks away from the more familiar western coast here and winds past village shops, and salt-blown sea grape trees. There are no mega-resorts. No throngs. No day trippers on quick-shore missions. Just you, the island, and a […]