I was perusing the internet last night while waiting for Survivor to begin (not every night here in Cruz Bay is a party night 🙂 ) as the tree frogs chirped away outside my window. Gosh, I love that sound… I started reading some of the St. John forums when I came across a gem.
Apparently a woman named Sarah, who lives in Brooklyn according to her Tripadvisor profile, recently visited the island. And let’s just say, she didn’t enjoy it. Sarah posted the following review on Monday:
I just spent a week visiting “America’s Paradise” and “Love City” – what a dump Cruz Bay has become! Wandering vagrants at all hours, half-finished construction projects everywhere, and the rudest locals in the entire Caribbean. A special shout-out goes to all the male cabbies who verbally insulted me, yelled at me to “get in on the other side”, and asked me if I thought they were handsome. And to top it all off, now there are these invasive squawking frogs, brought in on the landscaping at the “resort” I stayed at – they never stopped shrieking all night long – sounded more like birds than frogs. These are not coquis, and have no natural predators on the island, from what I understand from the groundskeepers.
St. John locals – tourism keeps you alive, does it not? Why are some of you so hostile to tourists? You live in one of the most beautiful places on earth – you should be in better moods, I would think.
The beauty of your beaches and underwater sea life was matched only by the rudeness and crazy behavior of most of the people I had the pleasure to interact with there. I saw a bumper sticker on a car parked by Cruz Bay – “St. John – the world’s largest open air asylum” – and now I know what that bumper sticker meant. I think the St. Croix state of emergency is spreading to your neck of the woods.
Ouch. Well that wasn’t very nice. But wait, it gets better. Sarah then posted the following review on the “resort” she mentioned – Gallows Point.
Never Again.
We wanted to enjoy this resort so much – snorkeling off shore, fantastic villa and views, but unfortunately, there are a few issues here. We smelled smoke throughout our unit for most of our stay- it was up to me the find the culprit despite complaining about it for days.
And then there are the invasive frogs that squawk all night. The manager was kind enough to give me a noise machine to drown out the noise (can you imagine staying by the beach and needing a noise machine?) – but it wasn’t enough to drown out the other poor manager who told me I didn’t belong in St. John.
I spent a small fortune to stay here- never again – for this price- I could have stayed at many other Caribbean resorts, with all the food and drink I could ever want.
Ps – for all the money I spent- I think you could afford window coverings for the ground floor units.
Now, you may be wondering why I am sharing two negative reviews with all of you. Well it’s because I want you to know what a class act Gallows Point is. I’ve always loved Gallows. It’s a beautiful resort with impeccably maintained grounds. The staff there are fantastic and its restaurant is top-notch. I think Gallows response to this unhappy poster speaks volumes about the type of resort it is, especially its customer service. Check it out:
We tried. We hope other people reading this review will not get the impression that we do not care about our guests.
We received her complaint about smoking and were unable to locate the smokers. She accused three rooms incorrectly. We apologize to the guests we disturbed with her accusations. We asked our security staff to be on the lookout for smokers, we asked our housekeeping staff to search for evidence of ashes, butts and empty packs in the trash. And when we finally found them, and yes it was with her efforts, we asked them to stop. We would like to remind guests that it is a Virgin Island Law that prohibits all smoking on public property. It is not allowed in our rooms, the balconies or patios, or anywhere on property.
About the noise issue, she was complaining about the sounds of the tree frogs, insects, night birds and other critters. Gallows Point Resort is surrounded by lush landscaping and 2/3 of St. John is a National Park with abundance of nature. We cannot eradicate the wildlife. We offered to let her leave our property early and go stay elsewhere but she declined the offer. So we did our best to help out with ear plugs and a sound machine that makes white noise to cover up the other sounds.
It was an unusual situation to have her come into the office screaming that we did nothing for her, did not give her a free dinner, or a free night stay, and then accused all of St. John of being rude.
However, I personally feel like I should apologize to her for saying she does not belong in St. John. I was out of line to make such a statement. There may be a place for her in St. John of which I am unaware.
I’m not sure about all of you, but I think that’s a pretty darn good response. Kudos Gallows, kudos.
Want to hear the lovely tree frogs? Click here to watch a quick video we made back in September.
That is so weird. I LOVE the night sounds. No, I think he was probably right. She did not belong on St. John.
This sad lady is probably unhappy wherever she is and finds negative wherever she goes. When I worked at the Westin in 2000, we had guests like this. There is a book written for people like her on how to get rooms, meals, alcohol comped by complaining!! When a solution is given to make things better, they nearly ALL refuse. The GM at the Westin used to comp these complainers. Then a new GM came and refused. I had one guest who complained constantly on all of the kids on resort. When was his stay? Easter week!!!
I told one guest that the tree frogs sound was an old tape we got from Disney World!
An old tape from Disney? What a hoot!
What a laugh! This gal is from Brooklyn and she complains about vagrants, rude cabbies, half-finished construction projects and noise? She should have felt right at home!
Yup!
Roger… now THAT is funny!
I am a one time resident of St. John (3 glorious years) and I return yearly to enjoy old island friends and to keep my sanity in check.
Yes, St John has changed over the years and it will continue to do so however; the true locals and stateside locals have not! The palette of characters and personalities cover the full spectrum, the gracious attitude is genuine, yes I’m sure the cabbies get abit tired of tourists and how tourists can sometimes be but they always maintain a high degree of professionalism.
I love this little pocket of everything that is so concentrated in one small place! It’s just sad that this person could not open themselves up to allow the experience in.
you say there might be a place for her on STJ..how about ROUND BAY…DESERTED AND LONELY…MAYBE A FEW SHARKS BELOW…SHE SHOULD TRY IT OUT!!!
Thanks for sharing, we stayed at Gallows on our first visit and loved it. No complaints at all, everything was well kept and the staff were friendly. We would gladly stay there again.
We love the tree frogs and all the other noises in the night. In this regard, I do not think Gallows Point is particularly noisy.
As far as cabbies or others being rude, I think you get what you give. I have never had a bad experience with any cabbie, actually I usually have a nice chat with them.
If we are all lucky, she’ll never come back!! 🙂
As a visitor from NY to St. John every year, I actually record the sound of the tree frogs so I can listen to it back home! On the island of St. John as with any Caribbean destination, you have some people that are friendly and some….not so much. I’m sure if this visitor was walking around grumpy and displeased, then that’s probably what she got in return! Love city is Paradise, Heaven on Earth and with anything else, what you put into something is exactly what you will get out of it! #treefrogsrule
It sounds like she just wanted something free. First of all, the locals are FAR from being rude and if anyone was rude to her it’s probably because she’s such a b***h! How the hell can she be so angry when she is, as she stated, in one of the most beautiful places on earth?!?! The manager at Gallows Point was 10000% correct – she does NOT belong anywhere in St. John! Please don’t ever go back because if I ever ran into you there, I’d let you have it lady. The sounds she complained of are exactly what makes St. John so amazing you unhappy, grumpy piece of trash. If you can’t afford to go somewhere, don’t. Stay home and enjoy the sounds of your pathetic life. Ugh I can’t stand people like her. Rant completed, thank you.
Raena said it, she wanted something for free.
This told me all I needed to know – “screaming that we did nothing for her, did not give her a free dinner, or a free night stay…………..”
My father had the same personality. It was his MO to find fault with a meal, the hotel room, the way the lawn service cut the lawn, etc. in order to get something for free or at a significant discount. Some people are wired that way.
I find horrible (the more bat sh!t crazy the better) are as much value as glowing reviews because they give you a very specific insight to what some people find fault with. Just as an example – She doesn’t like nature sounds? I love nature sounds so Gallows would be a place that has a feature I like.
Like others, I found it odd/interesting/ridiculous that a resident of NYC thought people were rude.
Best Management response ever! 🙂
Me and my husband have been coming to St. John for the past 16 years, last week of April and first week of May and we absolutely love the island.
All the locals are very nice and helpful. This “Lady” obviously didn’t belong on this island, should have stayed in NYC. How can you be in such a bad mood on St. John? In all these years visiting I have encountered only one rude person and guess what. She was from NYC.
See you next April,
Cheers.
A free ride was what she was looking for.
The cabbies, etc , I have had experience with, have always been very nice. She evidently did not realize she would be subjected to all the sights and sounds of a National Park. So, yes, I think she should find someplace else to vacation.
I love St John because it is “real”… Those that stay elsewhere in large/all-inclusive resorts with generic amenities could be staying anywhere and it would not matter to them… Those of us who appreciate St. John, do so because of it’s abundant nature and simple pleasures… A chance to interact with locals in their element not just as resort staff.
I find that wherever I travel in the world that tourists who treat the locals as their servants for the week get exactly as they deserve.
See you in May!
She is nuts. I wish I could buy some of those frogs and put them around our pool so we could listen to them at night with a cocktail. They are so relaxing on a warm night outside.
Clearly with the statement she made regarding “Caribbean resorts, with all the food and drink I could ever want…” she’s looking for a Disney type all inclusive, could be anywhere resort and not the real deal. The management at Gallows had it right….She probably doesn’t belong on St. John. Personally, I think she should needs to go to a proctologist and have that bug removed from her butt.
St. John is a lovely little slice of paradise. I love the miniature hustle and bustle evry morning. It is like Penny Lane meets Gilligan’s Island. This lady should vacation in Detroit.
Jackie you hit the nail on the head. The resort she favorably reviewed on TripAdvisor was in fact an all inclusive resort on Jamaica!!! Gallows is the best – we always stay there because of the professional and friendly staff, great location and, of course, the tree frogs.
Gallows is a gem, a paradise, cant wait to get back. This woman would not be happy anywhere, but I do agree to some degree with her comment about the appearance of Cruz Bay, which I have seen turn a bit more unpleasant over the past 20 years. I think dump is too strong of a word, but sometimes we need to be honest. Lets face it, many tourists do not feel comfortable down near Caps place, it smells of sewer many days, and some of the people hanging out look a bit concerning. Same thing goes with the trash dumpsters on the side of the roads – those could be hidden out of view a bit better. All that beautiful scenery, then you come around a corner and see a disgusting trash dumpster out in plain view.
She was definitely looking to get something free! I love visiting this beautiful island every year and can’t wait for January when I get to visit again. The only truthful thing she had to say was about the sometimes rude service you can encounter both in the restaurants and especially by the safari drivers. I know you can have rude service anywhere in the world but I have noticed an abundance on St. John. I have also had excellent service but that is not the norm in my opinion.
Disgruntled, cranky, angry New Yorker, need I say more? Great point from the Gallows Point person who said it all “she does not belong in St John”… It’s definitely not for everyone, which for those of us who love the wildlife and beauty of the national park, the sound of frogs at night and the crazy locals, I can just say yay! I can only hope St John stays unique and different from all the other Caribbean islands.
I have been to Brooklyn , taxi horns, sirens, etc I can see how someone from that environment can be annoyed by the soothing peaceful beauty of the sights and sounds of St John. I’ve been coming to St John twice a year for the past 13 years, been to Brooklyn once. Guess which place I,m not going back to… and yes this story is typical of those that are from there.
I bet the frogs wont miss her either! They are my favorite sound in the world! See you next October, our gem of an island, Saint John !
Some people sure do get ugly!
I wish people would think long and hard before writing a HORRIBLE review.
We all know that Gallows is stunning (in fact, it’s a DREAM stay for me that will likely never happen)… and the risk to them of this bad review is much lower than the risk to someone who has a VRBO.
A bad review for a VRBO owner can be devastating I would imagine.
Lisa; I used to think so as well. But when you as a hotel or a villa owner have a good reputation on a site like TripAdvisor, the random trashing buy somebody who is obviously uncomfortable in the place they chose to vacation actually cements your good reputation. When you get too many bad reviews, you need to check yourself, but the random one does no harm.
I’m so relieved. We’ve all kept the secret hidden for so long. Finally, someone had the bravery to say what we all think, St. John is just some version of hell. Well, now everyone knows. Hopefully all those folks in Brooklyn have been warned stay away from this horrible little island. Personally I go to the island every year to make sure that it still just as bad as it’s always been. I’ve been checking now for 45 years. Still just as bad.
The Gallows response was nicely done. For entertainment value I’d like to hear the West Indian taxi driver response to her complaints.
Obviously “one of those people”. The good news is that she hopefully won’t be back to clutter up our paradise with her obnoxiousness.
I’m glad she doesn’t like it…..the more who dislike St John the better for all of us. 🙂
Begging those folks pardon, I pay a lot of bucks to HEAR the frogs! Wish I could bring a couple hundred home! Some people are clueless! See ya in August !!
Sounds like she needs to get laid!
Thank God she visited. Brooklynites got a respite from her “charming personality”.
Going back to my post (#2). At the Westin, we had a code for ‘guests’ like her. 212 Alert. We’d run for the bathroom so we didn’t have to deal. One woman threw a complete fit at 8 am to the front desk staff because the NY Times wasn’t on the desk. Mind you, not the internet news pulled off by staff, but the physical newspaper from NY!!
I saw her later, asked how she was enjoying her stay and where was she from. I knew she was a 212 Alert but let her tell me she was from NY. I replied that the New Yorkers LOVE coming as it only takes 3 hours to get to St John. (obviously not). I then got a litany of her travel, JFK, Atlanta, STT, ferry, taxi, etc. “It took nearly 10 hours”. I ever so politely asked if I could ask her something. “if it took you 10 hours to get here, why would you think the NY Times would be on our front desk by 8 am when they don’t put the paper to bed until 2 am!! Got a cackle for a response!!
I have been visiting the islands for a while now and I truly love St. John and (St. Thomas). If I weren’t already in love with the islands, this article and the comments that follow would serve as a huge deterrent. Neither the author of this article nor any of the commentators dealt directly with the situation, yet here all of you are using the internet to badmouth a person you’ve never met, without really knowing the facts. I have to say, this really paints a negative picture of what St. John locals are really like. If anything, you have all leant a great deal of credibility to the Brooklyn reviewer’s assertion that St. John locals are unfriendly. I think that’s a great shame.
Perhaps the Gallows Point Resort is a class act, but this article is anything but.
It is a sad state of affairs when someone can get annoyed over nature being too loud! She obviously didn’t have much else to do than sniff out the smokers and rage at the frogs. I feel for this woman as I don’t think that there is much in this world that could make her happy. My first ever trip to St John is coming up in 13 days and I can not wait. We have done everything from tent camping (without electric) to deluxe stays at Disney World and my favorite, most relaxing memories are of the ones around the fire with nothing but friends, family and the soundtrack of nature.
As for her being from Brooklyn, I am born and bred in New Jersey but I am hardly Snooki 🙂
While sad, that review made me laugh. Every complaint listed is actually what i like about STJ. The vagrants are entertaining to watch, the cabbies are…well…cabbies, what do you expect? The locals are in fact not rude if you observe local courtesy (good morning, good afternoon, good evening) before delving straight into whatever it is that you want. Get over it. The biggest laugh was the tree frogs. My wife and I actually ordered a CD called Caribbean Dream, which is nothing but an hour long recording of VI tree frogs, which we frequently listen to while we go to sleep because it is relaxing and reminiscent of being there. As I sit here listening to reggae, looking out over a bay in Florida, I still cant help it prefer to be in St John hearing those “annoying” tree frogs. If all those things are what keep away whiny, impatient, griping people, than keep it up… more St John for the rest of us…:)
She just posted to Youtube
Frog outside Gallows Point Villa, St. John USVI – November 12, 2015 2:52 am
“Published on Nov 19, 2015 Can anyone help identify the species of frog this is? Excuse the poor sound quality, but this little guy croaked/chirped from dusk until dawn every night – and I’d like everyone to hear the chirp, that never let up, and see if you could sleep to this manic racket.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8moBVE5HOHw
Probably some entitled Brooklyn hipster used to getting her way-I see them every day up here. My wife and I have been staying at Gallows/St John for 10 years, and TS above nailed it. In our opinion there is no better spot in the Caribbean for people, water, beaches, food and music than St John.
Thankfully, most people who visit St John are happy people who love the adventure of learning a new place. Sadly, the loudest ones are most often the ones who should stay home where they are most comfortable. I especially appreciate the tact with which our friends at Gallows Point made that fact clear to anyone who will listen. Kudos.
The majority of the responses here and on TripAdvisor have all helped to prove my original point so well, thank you. Looks like my review really touched a nerve in the community – the truth will do that. I’m flattered you re-published my reviews and only helped to spread the word further – travelers deserve to know what type of experience STJ is offering for their hard-earned tourism dollars. That was the point all along – to alert people out there to the truth regarding the poor value and customer service offered by St. John.
I’m also not sure what a class act the Gallows is. I left out the laundry list of items that were wrong with my villa in my TA review, but did supply them to “management” there. And if my review of the Gallows was so far off, why does it continue to receive helpful votes on TA? Another poor guest there the same time I was had to put her rollaway bed in the shower to escape the frog noises – how silly we were, we didn’t realize that white noise machines were required equipment on STJ in order to get any rest on vacation. Here’s a link to the real frog – and he doesn’t sound at all like your peaceful coqui recording – https://youtu.be/8moBVE5HOHw
St. John has some of the best off-shore snorkeling and beaches, and there was no seaweed there, that’s one of the reasons I picked it for my recently hard-earned and very much looked forward to vacation. If St. John can manage to alienate a person who loves the beaches and snorkeling, and can actually afford it – what does the future hold for your tourism industry as you continue to increase prices and taxes? And I am still shocked by the treatment I received there, and continue to receive in online forums. Another thing I learned from this whole experience – be very wary of glowing TA reviews – most are probably written by owners and others with financial interests in the resort.
I’m so glad I could provide the content for one of your most commented-on articles of the past month, or year. Best get back to promoting businesses of your friends, and re-publishing other reviewers content as your own as the “News” of St. John.
How on earth did she ever find the people of St John rude?
Just look at the responses here.
I disagree with just about all of her post but I think she got the rude thing right.
That’s OK though, I find delight with every tourist that leaves St John unhappy and will not return. Perhaps enough will pass the word about the St John “vibe” and crowds will thin, I will not have to share the beach with the crowds of late. The best part of that would be that many of the New England transplants will loose their arses in the too many villas that they have built and have to go home and take their rudeness with them.
Carry on and stay rude.