TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Be Warned - Horrible Saba Rock Experience

I've lived here in the North Sound for 6 years and absolutely love it here.

I have never made a post like this before but do need to now to make the community aware of my recent reservation experience at Saba Rock.

Unfortunately, my experience with Saba Rock's Food and Beverage Manager Ciro Gentile was truly appalling and I am ashamed a newly reopened resort in our small community would operate and treat any guest in such a manner.

I am making this post to hopefully help anyone else making a reservation at Saba Rock avoid my experience. And to more importantly hopefully help Saba Rock change their communication policies moving forward so none of our other residents or tourists are affected similarly.

My family (a group of eight) is currently visiting me and renting a villa for a week on Virgin Gorda (for the first time since Hurricane Irma) and I was very excited to show them everything which has been rebuilt since the storm.

With this in mind, on last Thursday, March 17th, I made a 10 person dinner reservation at 7:00pm for this Tuesday, March 22nd. Ciro Gentile (again, Saba Rock's F&B Manager) emailed me back asking for a filled out CC authorization form to guarantee the booking.

No where on this booking does it state anything regarding a cancellation policy or associated fees for a cancellation (screenshots of email and CC Authorization form attached for reference.)
As I was away from my computer when I received this email from Ciro (which I was already surprised about as I had made my reservation over the phone and they had not asked for a CC) I did not fill out the form but instead emailed back asking if I could send them a picture of my card instead to secure the reservation.
I sent them a picture of my card and they confirmed the booking.

**Note - yes, I know this is obviously not safe. And silly me for trusting a business in our normally honest, understanding and accommodating Virgin Gorda community. Because I certainly got taken advantage of.

Come this week when my family is here, and on Monday, March 21st as vacations often do, my family's plans change and we instead decide to come to Saba the next day for lunch instead of for dinner.
25 hours ahead of my dinner reservation at 6:00pm on Monday, March 21st, I send Saba Rock an email to cancel my dinner reservation for Tuesday, March 22nd . I then receive email confirmation of my cancellation (screenshot attached).

Fast forward to this afternoon, Wednesday, March 23rd, and I receive an email notification from my bank of a $300 charge from Saba Rock!

Shortly after I also receive an email from Ciro Gentile - again, Saba Rock's F&B Manager - stating they have charged me $30/person for my "No show reservation" and attached their 2-hour cancellation policy, which I am seeing for the first time (screenshots attached for reference)

I immediately call Ciro directly to dispute this charge as I have confirmation of cancelling my reservation 25 hours ahead of time and he proceeds to argue with me on the phone and refuse reimbursement.

I have since had to call my bank and report this charge as fraudulent. They have refunded the amount, cancelled my card and will be sending me a new one. Which will take a month to get to me here on Virgin Gorda.

I have also attempted to call Saba Rock's General Manager Alain Prion to talk about my experience and have not received a call back.

Saba Rock has spent too much time, money and effort to create the beautiful venue they now have for guests to be treated like this. I sincerely hope the management of Saba Rock takes this review to heart and improves their policies moving forward.

Did you have lunch at Saba Rock Resort Tuesday? Regardless you cancellation confirmation email should have been enough. Bad dealing for sure.

That does seem strange. We made dinner reservations on OpenTable. No credit card was required in October last year. Certainly bad business.

Saba Rock at it's finest. It has all been downhill from here. I sure do miss Bert.

Hopefully this is just a case of someone not understanding their own cancellation policy and they will realize it and try to make it up to you.

I would suggest a 300 dollar meal credit for you to make up for this!

What a horrible experience for you! And it doesn't make sense as we had also made our reservation on Open Table without any CC needed. Our meal was terrible anyway. They really need to get their act together all ways around.

hmmm... not a good sign. We were planning on staying on a ball at Saba on our first night sailing. But based on this review may need to think of an alternative. Problem is we wil lbe staying at LVB on Friday before returning to Scrub Sat morning. Any other other options for North Sound? Planning to leave for Anegada the next day so want to stay in North Sound the first night... What is BEYC like now enough or a night stop? do they serve dinner? Is Oil Nut Bay worth a stop?

Thanks!
J

Consider Blunder Bay-excellent, excellent food and wonderful people running it.

First I have heard of Blunder Bay - when I look it up no information on line and only pics/activity are before Irma... but interested in info if you have... thx

https://en.tripadvisor.com.hk/Resta...Town_Tortola_British_Virgin_Islands.html (ignore the location as being listed in RT-it is most definitely in N. Sound)

And here is a thread with recent contact info for Captain Tom
https://www.traveltalkonline.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/272853/new-marina-in-north-sound.html

They have a website blunderbaymarina.com but I am not sure how up to date that is ( like I am not sure everything listed on it, i.e bakery, is actually up and running but I can attest to wonderful dinner, drinks, service and folks!). Your best bet is to call Tom directly.

it didn't exist pre-Irma. It has just recently opened and is getting great reviews.

They have dockage, moorings, a restaurant, and ice available.

Whew! Always tricky when you are in the business and a thread comes along about the business you are in...Thank you for mentioning Blunder Bay and North Sound Bistro! I know we are under the trees on the radar but we are open for dinner six nights a week, and pushing hard to open soon for lunch. WE are different for sure...low key and mellow, trying to avoid the corporate vibe that is getting so common. We have a nice marina and slips alongside currently cost the same as a mooring ball. We have electricity, water, ice, and working on getting fuel. We have a great restaurant, a soon-to-be beach bar, and a swimming pool. And we have DRAFT BEER!!! Come down by us west of Leverick and meet our harbormaster Barry, you will remember that experience for sure.

Yes - and even better when it is on the positive side. Capt. Tom - will definitely try to get out to your place for a pint or two - Tentative Itinerary has us on a slip at Leverick for their Friday Beach BBQ - and Feel that I want to stay on the east side of North Sound for a night as well. Curious there is there still a shuttle still running between Leverick, Saba and BEYC, If so, no opportunity for your establishment to join in the fun? We will have a dinghy so not a big issue for us... hope to see you in Late April!

Does anyone know Michael Beans schedule at Leverick or if he is even in the BVI this year?

He plays Monday - Wednesday at 5pm.

You can throw a stone from Leverick to Blunder Bay. You aren't really on a different side of North Sound at all. If you have a dinghy you should definitely motor over if you are already set on staying at Leverick.
The water taxis run from Gun Creek, not Leverick.

Thanks, yes, I am aware. My comment on staying on the other side of north sound was related to wanting to stay on the east side on a separate night. I am not sure i want to stay one night at Blunder Bay and the other at Leverick Bay on the same trip. Tentative itinerary is:
Wed - North Sound Saba/BEYC (and after this thread leaning towards BEYC at the moment)
Thu - Anegada and then
Friday - Leverick Bay for Friday night BBQ and Jumbies party...

Gotcha- I would lean BEYC too. Food there was solid and the staff are very helpful. You can tell it is run by family vs corporation.
As an aside-if you have time, check out Oil Nut Marina. Another cool spot for sure and excellent snorkeling around the reef there too.

Yeah this would be good - I am assuming it is an easy dingy ride? never been so would love to check it out. The ladies on our trip would love it as well, I am sure - maybe not the water if dingy-ing into the wind!

Very interesting. I had a negative experience on Saba recently as well, but somewhat different. We were on a mooring ball in front of BEYC on Wed Mar 2. Decided to dinghy over to Saba for afternoon cocktails. Was greeted warmly at their dinghy dock. Decided to go to the outdoor lounge upstairs, which is spectacular. They had a sign outlining their drink specials at the top of the stairs right next to the bar. Decided to take them up on their offer and ordered two. Went to sit at one of the empty tables (they were ALL empty as it seems we were the only ones there at the time). Wait staff brought our drinks a few minutes later. That was the ONLY interaction we had with them over the next 40 minutes. No one came to inquire how our drinks were, nor to ask if we wanted more (since we finished first drinks with 12-15 minutes). We were hungry, but no one came to offer us any kind of a menu for bar snacks. It wasn't like the staff was busy. There must have been 8 staff in total (some wait staff, some bar staff). They all seemed happy be together and laughing it up : providing service thou, not so much. No one seemed the least bit interested in our business. When we finally decided to leave and I went to the bar to pay (since no one came by the table to ask us if we wanted the bill or perhaps more drinks), I was told that the staff member with access to the till wasn't available right at that moment because they were having a "staff huddle". When I said "so let me get this straight - I want to pay you and leave, but I can't because there is only one person with access to the till and she is unavailable right now"? It was then they bar staff kinda wandered off to get the key for the till. It was terrible service. I'll not go back. The service at BEYC that night for dinner was superb however!

Sadly we had a somewhat similar experience in the upper bar. Went for happy hour and it was basically self serve with employees standing around. Decided to leave and was handed a bill for almost double what we expected. Told them the bill was wrong according to their happy hour prices. They said happy hour had ended 10 minutes ago! I pointed out we got our last drinks 30 minutes ago. With some discussion and a consult they lowered the prices.

The service wasn't really there when we were there in November just after they opened. I figured they were still working things out, sorry to hear it's been ongoing. Appreciate the heads up though - there are more good options in North Sound now.

With all this negative talk I need to add my experiences. Since Saba Rock has reopened, I have been there three times. Everything was more than great each time. Food was great, no issues with reservations. Up stair bar was super. I rate Saba Rock a solid 5 star. We will be sailing the VVI again in June and plan on returning.

We went to Saba Rock in late October. Service upstairs was terrible. We ordered drinks and an appetizer. We waitied an hour and the appetizer never came. I tried to pay for the tab and like someone stated earlier, the person who could take payment wasn't at the bar. I told them we had to go downstairs because it was time for our reservation. After being seated they finally brought the appetizer to the table. Service and food downstairs was ok. We'll probably give them another chance as the place is beautiful, but with more places opening they better improve on their service.

I am glad we were not alone in our experience. To read reviews on TA you would think the place is 5*. We all thought our food was way below average-mine bordering on inedible and we had a similiar experience at the upstairs bar. I waited a painfully long time for one drink while the bartenders seemed to be more interested in chatting each other up. More people need to write honest reviews! They need to know feedback or they won't ever care to change.

On the flip side I will just share briefly our wonderful experience at BEYC. We were on VG right after they had their silent opening. I tried calling for reservations for lunch but couldn't get through. So we decided to just take the ferry anyway. No place had been crowded so we figured we would be fine. It ended up being packed and they were turning people away for dining.

They only had two women servers on because everyone seemed to be getting COVID this past December.
So we went to the marina and asked if the shuttle could take us to Saba for lunch (this was before our dreaded dinner there). They tried and tried but the Saba ferry wasn't running and nobody would come take us over. We were starving. After much back and forth about ferries and coming back another time, the manager overheard (the marina staff couldn't have been nicer) and told us to wait a minute and she would take care of us. After about 5 minutes she came back and told us to follow her and "go along with her". She then shuttled us into the restaurant telling the servers we were VIP's. She knew the women were overhwhelmed and for the rest of the time we were eating she stepped in and took orders and helped them serve food. I was incredibly impressed by all the staff and especially her. We hadn't asked for special treatment, weren't complaining and totally understood the situation. She took it upon herself to make sure we were accommodated. In the end, this is what will separate BEYC from other places like Saba.

Sad to hear this about Saba. On the flip side, its good to hear that BEYC seems to have gotten things figured out. There were a number of bad reviews when they first reopened.

We've been to Saba several times since it reopened (upstairs bar) and had no issues with service. The drinks were pricey, yes, but the place is beautiful. (Although I do miss the charm of the old Saba).

We went to Saba for dinner in November with our daughter and son in law but decided to sit at separate tables to give the kids a bit of alone time. The food was great and so was the service til the check was presented. Our server told us that the kids ( who had by now left the dining area and were out back on a hammock) paid for our meal and said we could pay the tip. Knowing my daughter I thought it was unlikely that happened so I left my husband at the table, found the kids and asked. They were very upset because they had paid for our meal to thank us for bringing them on our trip and left a generous tip. We went back to the dining room to find the server. Before we could say a word to her the server told us how sorry she was that she had made a mistake and gotten her tables mixed up and that of course the tip had been paid. After a brief discussion with her about the unsuccessful scam we left and do not plan to return.

Well then. More confirmation that BEYC will be the place that we will get a mooring ball when we get there in April. Is the issue with Saba an off season issue? I hope someone from their establishment is monitoring this forum and can take steps to address. Hate to see a wonderful stop slide especially after so much investment... Always had a great time every time we stopped at Saba.

We were there right after the holidays-so no, doesn't seem to be an off season issue. Seems to be a "resting on their laurels" issue!

To be honest..I ate there last pre Irma and was underwhelmed.On the other hand..best two course lunch on Tortola for under $10? Patricia's Beach Bar on Smuggler's Cove. $4 dollar , really delicious hotbog right off the grill and an ice cold beer ($4) all for $8. Honestly..one of the tastiest dogs I have ever had and all served with a grin and a laugh on that beach.Hard to beach that.."toes in the water, [censored] in the sand.."

These stories mostly seem recent and it's the middle of prime season, so I'd say no. The locals around Tortola are also complaining; especially about the upstairs bar issues.

Here is my post on the upstairs bar from November:

Seems to me they have 2 kitchens; one deep fryer for the bar, and the restaurant kitchen. The $28 sampler platter was "potato skins," "nachos," mozzarella sticks, onion rings and 3 tiny bowls of salsa, guac and sour cream. The skins turned out to be steak fries. The nachos were bad tortilla chips and nothing else. Onion rings hard as a rock. And VirginGordaResident's above post on the mozzarella sticks was spot on. I provided my feedback to the waiter and his response was, "Oh I'll let somebody know"...smile, then walks away. End of story.

The pool table is a cheap big-box store table, with some of the pockets split so the balls drop out. Ahh, certainly not the snooker table like Biras Creek had back in the day.

I'm sorry to hear all this. I've been looking forward to another visit after their being shutdown for so long. It sounds like it's both front-line & management issues. Are there general staffing shortages like we've been having in the US?

Probably- but imo that doesn't excuse bad food and some of the above referenced experiences. Like I mentioned before, nobody had a more skeleton crew than BEYC the day we were there and they bent over backwards to make us happy when they owed us nothing.

I'm not so much looking for an excuse as I'm looking for context. In other words, is the problem specific to Saba Rock, or is it a more general problem? Frankly, I hope it's the former, and from what I've heard, I think it is.

We ate there Monday. Party of 4 at 6:15. Reservations on OpenTable. Excellent service - even provided an app not on the new menu when asked. Everyone’s meal was great. Same experience we had last three visits. Luck of the draw?

There's a difference between poor service/lackluster food and staffing issues. All the above referenced anecdotes don't seem to have much to do with lack of staffing. Bad staffing/chef maybe, but not lack of staffing.

The whole BVIs are suffering from staffing shortages..but the good, well run places, still offer good food and service with a smile...not staff standing around chatting and laughing while guests wait. That is inexcusable and shows terrible management skills. Everyone here knows I am big fan of The Sugar Mill and its my "go to" place. There have been very full many nights I have been there and I have rarely heard any complaints because managers Andre and Rupert and owners Dennis and Mary stay on top of the situation..not "rocket surgery"!

Marche is our go-to place, and it, too, is often quite busy. Not cheap, but food is good and setting is great.

Here was our experience at Scrub about a month ago. Our young niece was visiting so we cleaned ourselves up to head there for lunch. As Ratman tied up our boat, Lizzy and I headed to the outdoor restaurant. We have eaten there umpteen times since it opened, including this year.

It had been arranged with two round tables of six, one occupied, with tables of two around the outside. Otherwise the restaurant was empty. It was the middle of lunchtime and we requested a table for three. Our favorite server wasn't working. Two women left, went to an adjacent area and brought back another table for two, which they proceeded to add to the table in the rear corner with pool noise and no view.

I asked the somewhat unfriendly woman who seemed to be in charge if we could sit by the railing for the view. Hard no. I asked if we could sit at the second round table. It's reserved (no sign indicated that).

I had heard enough and told her we would go elsewhere. So back to the boat and a lovely lunch at Marche, who were happy to get our $150!