Nice, but too expensive
Written: Apr 20 '05 (Updated Apr 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful place.
Cons: Too expensive
The Bottom Line: If you are on a budget, look elsewhere. If you are part of the golf and tennis crowd, with a job on Wall Street, then by all means.
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| fxcarden's Full Review: Hotel Marriott St Kitts Royal Resort Frigate Bay |
Just got back from 7 days / nights at the St. Kitts Marriott. While the property is beautiful, it is very expensive and not a good value unless you are a CEO or something like that.
This is a place where you will pay upwards of $300 US per night for an ocean view room, not to mention $8 US for a drink at the beach, and $10 - $12 for a burger. Hardly the sort of place that encourages average people to visit with their families. Then again, the fact that this is such a place is probably what helps it stay clean and beautiful. As far as the room goes, we were traveling on Marriott points, and we lucked into a suite upgrade. As a result, our room was very good and very clean, with an awesome view of the island and the beach from either side of the wraparound terrace. We had a king size bed, a TV with lots of american channels, a small fridge, and a jacuzzi tub. I would rate the room 4 out of 5.
The beach is nice, the water is crystal clear, and it wasn't rough at all like you may have read in other reviews. This is due to a new rock barrier that has been put in place to break up the surf. There is lots of sea life clinging to the rocks below the water, so it is a great and safe place to snorkel. If you are so inclined, I recommend you bring your own mask, since the hotel will charge you and arm and a leg for a rental. Also, please don't be reckless and try to climb up on the rocks. This is very dangerous, and I saw some folks slip off and come very close to a major injury.
Since there are no jetskis or boats on the beach, it helps maintain the quiet relaxed atmosphere. Since the beach is public, there will be various vendors offering aloe massages, etc, but they are not a nuisance at all, and in fact, are all very polite. I found the sand to be quite coarse and full of embedded debris (rocks, cigarette butts, etc). The hotel might want to consider a weekly dose of mechanical sweeping. Also, there weren't enough garbage cans on the beach.
The pool seemed nice, but it was packed (people don't like the beach, I guess). The one time we went in the pool, we found the water to be very warm, and it had a yucky oily film on top. Thanks, but no thanks....I'll stay at the beach.
The restaurants are OK, but again, the food is very expensive, and not a good value at all. I mean, $42 US for a 8 oz. filet mignon is a kind of you can expect. The $12 bottle of wine you might find in the states will cost you $40 there, and so on.
As far as tours, I recommend taking the island tour in St. Kitts which is $60 for 3 hours. The highlight of this tour is the fortress. If you decide to go to Nevis, you can take any of a number of ferries (one just about every hour), and spend some time at the Four Seasons, or the Nisbet resort. I do not recommend the tour around the island of Nevis, as there is nothing to see, and the roads are horrible.
One last word of caution. Depending on where you fly from/to in the US, beware of Miami connections. Our connection to Newark was tight to begin with, and the customs process (looong walk), plus the rechecking in (yes, you have to go thru security all over again) will leave you no time to spare. A much better option would be to connect thru San Juan.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fxcarden
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Reviews written: 12
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