From: Rob, rsewell@edocs.com
Date: 8/22/03 10:10:42 AM
Remote Name: 63.114.227.94
We returned from a week in St. Kitts (Marriott) this past week and I wanted to share some of my impressions and highlights/lowlights from the trip. These are just 10 (somewhat lengthy) observations in no particular order of importance.
1. Marriott is very nice overall in my opinion. It is clean, brand new, and I appreciate the architecture. Is it bigger than any resort on the island? Yes..... but it’s difficult not to build a full service resort and have any hope of making money. So I think we all need to balance reality with island "flavor". I asked at least 6 local folks what their impression of the Marriott was and they all said it was "big" and VERY important for bringing money to the island. None of the people I spoke with had a negative comment.
2. Marriott Restaurants are good, but need a bit of work. The service is still coming up to speed but overall there is much promise. Food was especially good at the Italian Restaurant. Chef "Sam" from Toronto should have his own cooking show. The guy is really great, comes around to the tables and makes sure that what you have ordered is what you really want. Calypso cafe is good for breakfast/lunch. Pool Bar/Restaurant is also great for lunch. Drinks are pretty good but service at the swim up bar can be very slow. Frozen drinks 1/2 price after 4pm!
3. Hotel Rooms are very nice. We got a 5th floor suite (Marriott Rewards Platinum member). Huge living/dining/bar area and half bath in one room. Another large room with bed, dressing area, closet, Jacuzzi tub, shower "room", toilet/bidet room. A/C was a bit stingy. At night it wouldn't drop much below 76.....could have used a few extra degrees but that is a minor complaint. View from Balcony was incredible. Pool, Ocean, South Mountains/Cliffs....beautiful. On several nights a band plays on the stage just below the main building. My wife and kids would sit out on the (large) balcony and listen to the music; this was really nice. Also they have the largest selection of cable channels I have ever seen! We didn't watch much TV but when you need to get out of the sun or the kids just need a break, it’s a great option.
4. Pool is fantastic. Very large varies in depth with a maximum of 4 feet in some areas. Very kid friendly and somewhat un-crowded the week we were there (I believe occupancy was only around 25%). The main pool is huge; the other two pools are very large. Pool Bar gets hot in the afternoon as the sun goes right at it....not sure this was designed correctly but overall its beautiful and well layed out. The whole concept of the pool bar where adults can gather, talk, drink and watch their kids at the same time is great. Mind you we weren't getting smashed, but a couple tropical drinks each afternoon was a great method of relaxation. Kids club was not really up and running yet, this was a bit of a disappointment as we had been told it was in place. I assume it will officially be done in a couple more months. There were a few activities for the kids but participation was very low and other than paid babysitting, there was no where for the kids to go with supervision while the parents got away for a bit.
5. Beach is much better than I expected. Tons of beach cabanas (although they aren't really cabanas) but they serve the purpose to give shade from the HOT HOT sun. Beach is clean and not that rough at all. In fact my 4 and 6 year old could swim right out the breakwater with me and look at all the beautiful fish. We saw eels, stingray, and other fish of every imaginable color. The Blue Fish with the Yellow tail also known as "Dory" from the movie Finding Nemo were everywhere, my kids got a real kick out of this. We saw more fish and different kids of fish at the Marriott beach than just about any other beach on the island.
6. Island Beaches are nice. We went to Turtle Bay (gotta go to the bar there....just fantastic!), Banana Bay (deserted with lots of sea shells and calm water), and South Friars....although I think the sign says "Sunset" beach?? This was a nice beach although there is some pressure to rent chairs/umbrellas etc. The beach has beautiful sand and a nice little private beach to the far right between two rock outcroppings. Beware of spiny sea urchins under the rock formations. I saw them and steered myself (and kids) clear.
7. Island Folks are very nice. Most everyone I spoke with was friendly and helpful. The Taxi drivers were nice but (as is the case in so many islands) drive like a Formula One racer....scary at times. We rented a car and drove around the entire island. Bottom line is there is quite abit of poverty on St. Kitts. This isn't very different from many other islands but none the less it is present. I am more surprised at how people view this though....some people I spoke with at the resort were so shocked that the island had a (relatively) low standard of living. I guess most folks just don't get it that we (Americans) are the exception to the rule. There are FAR more people in the world whose standard of living is similar to that of St. Kitts than that of America. This is a nice reality check.
8. Casino was really nice, brand new, clean, un-crowded (for the moment). Met some interesting folks at the blackjack table and had a few good nights of free drinks and card playing. They do have low limit tables ($5) as well as high limit tables (of course). Dealers are good, but keep an eye on them as they are prone to a couple mistakes now and again (like most dealers) as some of them are probably new to the trade.
9. People at Marriott were great. We spent most of our time at the resort with a few trips out around the island and one over to Nevis. The people at the Marriott were very nice and especially friendly. Young and old, from all over the world, it was a nice group of folks. The 4 Seasons on Nevis didn't seem to have the same friendly vibe to me. We sat next to Sally Field and her family on the beach and didn't really expect her to speak with us, but the people we passed by seemed to look at you a bit strangly. Given we were not staying there (although I don't know how they would know that for sure), they still just seemed a bit unfriendly. All of that being said, the 4 Seasons seems like a really beautiful resort with a staff that is just incredible. We got chairs/drinks/towels setup for us and I just slipped the guy a little cash when we left. We also spent some time with the owner's family at the Marriott. One of the grandkids of the owner played with my girl and ate lunch with us a couple times. I spoke with her father and he seemed like a very nice guy.
10. Overall impressions of Marriott and St. Kitts. I will return for sure. The island is beautiful, it’s a quick flight down from Philly on US Air (4 hours), although I flew out of Providence Rhode Island first, it was still no more than 6/7 hours from door to door and that's not bad for a non-direct flight. Marriott is very nice place to spend a week. I felt safe, relaxed and well taken care of by the staff. I hope you all enjoy your travels to this wonderful island.
Rob