From: Stan, thain3@bellsouth.net
Date: 6/8/03 6:38:22 PM
Remote Name: 65.81.148.135
I will attempt to post a full report of our recent trip to SK and N. Perhaps if I break it down into a few different postings, readers can find matters of interest easier. Hopefully it will be of some help to others planning trips in the future. I will be glad to reply to questions that you may have. We rented a Tico from G & L Car Rental which is the only rental located at the airport. The car was not the greatest, but quite adequate and a much better price than Avis. $162 total bill for one week. They can issue you the drivers liscence...$25 US. We stayed at the Marriott and were most pleased with our experience there. Our room was Garden View...room 221. We had a good view of the North pool and partial ocean view. We mostly used the north pool and frequently were the only three there. The beach was better than I expected. They have put in rock reefs to break the waves and swimming there is not a problem if you stay behind the rocks. There is pretty good snorkeling along the rock reefs with a few small areas of coral just off the beach. We saw many fish, crabs, lobster, sea cucumbers etc. If you walk to the left on the beach to the point where a couple of fishing boats are beached and swim out maybe 50 yards there is good snorkeling there with all kinds of coral and sea life. The employees at the Marriott were awesome. To name a few Arbon and Ashmo were extremely friendly and helpful bellmen. Ashmo would do well as a standup comedian! Cindy and Ruthlyn in the gift shop were great. Many many others that I don't remember their names were friendly and helpful and seemed to genuinely care that we enjoy our stay. The Bohemia Grill at the pool has awesome, huge steamed shrimp. In fact all their food was quite good. The Calypso has a huge breakfast buffet but is very Americanized. Dinner there was adequate but not overly impressive. The gardens are very impressive and I strongly suggest an early morning or late evening stroll around the grounds. It was a pleasure to meet Monica in the casino and she is willing to help with recommendations etc.
I tried to book a full island tour at the activities desk and was informed that you had to have at least four people and the cost would be $140. However, since we only had three they said they could hook me up with one of their drivers and they he would only charge $60! It was a worthwhile tour including Basseterre, Romney Manor, Carribelle Batik, Brimstone Hill, Dieppe Bay, Black Rocks etc. Most days there was some form of live music. Steel bands etc. I will follow this up with other postings covering restaurants, tours, Nevis etc.