From: MT
Date: 11/26/03 11:31:39 AM
Remote Name: 66.32.208.69
My wife and I returned from St. Kitts on 11/24 and I wanted to pass along these comments to the group.
Overall, a spectacular visit and great hotel. Service was excellent and very sincere by all hotel employees we encountered. They truly seemed to go out of their way to serve and host. Additionally, we took a Rainforest tour and also trips via a rental car to Turtle Beach, Basseterre, and "around the entire island" -- people outside the resort were also very friendly.
The Marriott was outstanding. The 24hour service in Calypso and room service were very appreciated. The Italian and Steak restaurants were great. I had a terrific filet at the Steak place -- rivaling any US up scale place. Breakfast buffets were more than adequate -- especially since they were in the hotel room rate -- and also appreciated that they lasted until 11am so late risers could still eat. Only legitimate complaint here -- the Blu restaurant for breakfast and dinner near the pool, has a poorly performing A/C -- it is way too hot. They need to look into that.
The hotel bars (Pool, lobby, Cigar/Rum) were also very nice with great bartenders. The nightclub had just opened and was nice as well -- however the hotel was not full and the pace more leisurely so the nightclub was very full the two nights we visited. I can imagine with a full hotel the nightclub being a great deal of fun.
The pool areas and beach areas are suberb. The two smaller pools are great when you want less of a crowd and less activity. The main pool is excellent for lounging, enjoying a drink, meeting people, and hanging at the in-the-pool bar. A terrific place to spend the afternoon.
The beach was excellent. The 90+ huts on the beach provide a perfect place to anchor your belongings, the water was warm and calm. The breakwaters are nicely designed and keep the water calm. The walk north and south of Marriott beach also provides further options for where to take in the sun. The sand is hot so bring some tongs / sandals. There is some selling by locals on the beach but they were polite when you talked with them or declined their offer to sell you items.
Off the beach there is some nice snorkeling and coral formations. I only hope that these can take the increased activities. And to some earlier posts -- this beach does not have a seaweed problem. The patches of "dark areas" in the water off the beach are actually coral formations -- they are not seaweed. As to the shoreline, the Marriot portion is very clean, and the areas to the north and south are more than acceptable. The water itself was fantastic.
The Internet access in the room was terrific. The maid service excellent. I thougth all prices were very reasonable. That is a judgement call but from earlier posts I expected much higher prices -- I thought food, drinks, etc. where very fairly priced.
The hotel also has a 24 hour sundries shop. This was very highly valued. You can pop in for beer, wine, water, soda, munchies, whatever at any time. Prices were reasonable and access to this was very appreciated. Nice touch.
The casino was also nice. Very good service from the dealers and bosses. $5 / $10 / $25 BJ and Craps tables.
We took a rental car from the Marriott and went to Turtle Beach. A great drive to the south peninsula and a terrific little restaurant / bar with a view of Nevis. Worth the trip. Also went to Sunset Beach to watch the sunset.
Went into Basseterre. While I would not classify it as a disappointment, it was not really worth the trip. It is not like Georgetown, CI or other more "built up" ports of call.
A better trip is to take an "around the island" trip. The smaller towns are worth driving through and there are some nice sites to see -- mountain views, surgar cane fields, and visits to the Plantations and Fort are worthwhile. We visited the Rawlings Plantation on the north side and enjoyed learning about the history and the sites.
Based upon past posts in this forum, we did a Rainforest Tour with Hugh Rogers. He was an excellent host and guide, and we greatly appreciated and valued our time with him. We learned a great deal about the island and the rainforest, and would recommend this to anyone. Hugh was a gracious host, enjoyable company, and knowledgeable guide. Hugh will value your business and ensure you have an enjoyable time. You can reach him at Rogers Safaris & Tours at 465-6862.
Overall, this was an outstanding experience and we plan to return in a year or so.