Cyril E. King/St. Thomas International Airport (STT): Caneel Bay Hotel maintains an air-conditioned reception lounge in the airport's baggage-claim area. Guests are offered drinks, checked in to their rooms, and transported to the resort's boat for the 45-minute run from St. Thomas to St. John. A fee is charged for the trip.

Rental cars and taxis are available for getting around St. John. The resort's boat makes regular trips between St. John and St. Thomas and to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. For fees, guests use this service for shopping, dining, and sightseeing excursions.

Leaving from Cruz Bay 1.5 miles from the resort, ferries run between St. John and the British Virgin Islands of Jost Van Dyke and Tortola. Ferries also connect St. Thomas to Tortola and Jost Van Dyke as well as Virgin Gorda. (Passports are required for visiting British Virgin Islands.)

All rooms feature large windows and include either a balcony or ground-floor terrace with cushioned wrought-iron patio furniture, including one or two lounge chairs, two sitting chairs, and a cocktail table. Size, construction, and decor vary, as rooms are designed to be unique. All rooms, however, are spacious and feature wood, rattan, and bamboo furniture, fabrics of muted colors, terrazzo or tile floors with straw-mat area rugs, tile vanities, and wood louvers that can be opened to tradewind breezes supplemented by ceiling fans.

Like all Rosewood Hotel & Resorts, this hotel features signature Rosewood Beds consisting of extra-thick, custom-made mattresses; 100-percent Egyptian-cotton, Italian-made sheets (including double-twisted, satin-finish, custom-stripe top sheet); and down/feather pillows. Thick towels and bath sheets provide additional comfort. In-room beach towels and umbrellas provide convenience. Each room offers either one king bed or two twin beds.

Complimentary amenities consist of a bottle of rum, a large bottle of water, a keychain flashlight, Lady Primrose toiletries, and straw slippers for guests to take home.

Beachfront rooms are in one- and two-story buildings arrayed along sandy swimming areas. Without direct beach access although not far from swimming areas, Ocean-view rooms are in one- and two-story buildings either set back from the water or spread around a rocky point. Tennis Garden rooms are in one-story buildings toward the resort's rear and provide ready access to the resort's 11 tennis courts. Premium rooms are located in one-story buildings adjacent to either Scott Beach or Caneel Beach, two of the resort's seven swimming beaches.

Caneel Beach Terrace - Breakfast and lunch. Dinner during winter high season. Sunday brunch. Monday night "grand buffet" (prime rib, grilled lobster, mahi mahi, roasted chicken, braised short ribs, pasta, pizza, salads, fruits, desserts) following complimentary cocktail party. Dress code: long pants or dress shorts and collared shirts for men.

Equator Restaurant - Located atop 18th-century stone sugar-mill ruins on hillside. Open-air, with curved front providing views of Caneel Bay and St. Thomas beyond. Stone floor, wood-shingle ceiling, and awning-covered terrace. Oil lamps. Gentle steel-band music, with tree-frog orchestra as background. Steaks and Caribbean-flavored choices include crab-saltfish cake with mango vinaigrette, lobster bisque with coconut milk, jerk-marinated swordfish. Dinner only. Dress code: long pants or dress shorts and collared shirts for men.

The Dining Room at Turtle Bay - Located in Turtle Bay Estate House. Upper and lower dining rooms under high bleached-wood ceilings, with glass-door "walls." Air-conditioned. Doors opened for fresh-air dining when appropriate. Breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner during winter high season. Dinner only during summer. Piano music. Dinner choices include crab cake, grilled swordfish, pan-roasted veal tenderloin, grilled lamb rack. Dress code: long pants, collared shirts, closed-toe shoes (no athletic shoes) for men. Jackets customary but not required in winter.

The Wine Room - Private dining room at Turtle Bay Estate House. Minimum four diners, maximum 12. Set menu of six wine courses, five food courses. Menu might include skillet-roasted prawns with goat-cheese butter sauce, baby mozzarella and roasted tomato salad, quail stuffed with Parma ham and figs, "beef and onion three ways," and dessert soufflé. Dress code: long pants, collared shirts, closed-toe shoes (no athletic shoes) for gentlemen. Jackets required in winter.

Caneel Beach Bar & Grill - Casual, open-air spot under wood-beam ceiling. Wrought-iron seating. Salads, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, light meals such as grilled game hen. Live music some nights. Lunch and dinner.

The Starlight Terrace - Rooftop terrace above main building. Drink service afternoons and evenings.

Known as a retreat for celebrities and others seeking relief from stress, the resort emphasizes the natural environment, privacy, and tranquility. A degree of gentility prevails, with men asked to wear long pants (or at least long dress shorts), collared shirts, and closed-toe shoes (no athletic shoes) after dark. Loyal guests return year after year. They're greeted by long-time staff members, some of whom go back more than half a century.

Amenity highlights: Seven beaches fringe the resort's peninsula. All provide snorkeling opportunities in the turquoise Atlantic Ocean. At least five supply calm water on any given day. This hotel lies in front of the main building and includes water sports. Hawksnest Beach catches easterly tradewinds and provides afternoon shade. Honeymoon is the most isolated and features a snorkeling reef at each end. Little Caneel supplies peace and quiet near the resort's pier. Turtle Bay offers views of marine traffic between islands. Paradise is tiny and tranquil. Scott features sea turtles. (Paradise and Scott are adults-only.) For freshwater swimming, the resort provides a good-size pool surrounded by lawns.

Insider tip: For a fee, Equator Restaurant sets a table in the sugar-mill ruins, dresses it with white linen, lights tiki torches nearby, and serves a private dinner under the stars.

Although guestrooms do not provide televisions, Caneel Beach Bar & Grill provides two televisions, and the Turtle Bay Estate House includes an activity room containing a large-screen television. Complimentary video movies are shown there nightly. Another television is located in the Turtle Bay Estate House's Teen Center. The center also includes an open-air Ping-Pong table and an air-conditioned room with a video game and an Internet-connected computer. Complimentary Internet access is also available in the main building's 24-hour business center. For children ages 3–12, Turtle Town center provides supervised activities, with half- and full-day sessions and dinner-and-a-movie evenings available.

For-fee activities include twice-weekly watercolor classes, weekly wine tastings, sunset cruises, and a snorkeling/swimming trip to an uninhabited island followed by a beach barbecue, and guided nature walks along the resort's many trails. Use of a fitness center containing cardio and weight machines as well as free weights is complimentary.