plouick

If you had your choice - which would you choose and why? We are planning our 25th anniversary and have narrowed the choices down to these three.....any thoughts? I know each person's opinion is their own, just curious of past experiences people have had with these places.

Island Girl

Well, I can certainly vouch for Ottley's since I stayed there a couple of months ago. You will not be disappointed. I had the opportunity to visit Golden Lemon and Nisbet while I was there and they look like lovely properties. Why not split your time between Ottley's and Nisbet? That way you get to see both islands which are great. <BR>It really depends on your tastes. If you absolutely need to be on a beach then Ottley's would not be for you. They all have meal plans and are fairly isolated. Nevis is smaller and quieter than St. Kitts. Both are low-key islands with lovely scenery.

plouick

Thanks for the input - Ottley's has had great reviews here on other posts as well....we just may consider splitting our time, I hadn't thought of that - though one nice feature of a laid back vacation is not to have to repack and move....

jam-man

<BR>plouick,<BR><BR>You may want to take a look over on luxurylink.com<BR>They have a 5 day package at Ottley's up for auction. It closes tomorrow. Value is around $2,100 and current bid is around $700.

plouick

Thanks _ have never used luxury link before....any experience with it (good or bad??)?

jam-man

There have been several posts on this board about luxurylink.com. All have been favorable.<BR>From personal experience, I bid on and won a package from them about 6 weeks ago. Within 20 minutes of the auction ending, I got a call from luxurylink requesting credit card info. About 20 minutes later I received an email confirming the package I had won, as well as confirming it had been paid in full. Also included was the contact person and contact information (phone, fax, and email address)at the property.<BR>I called the following day. They knew all about the luxurylink package (not that I had been high bidder, but that their property had an item up for bid) and only wanted me to fax them the page of the email I received from luxurylink confirming payment had been received.<BR>I asked about availability for the accomodation I had won, giving 5 different dates that would work for me. All were open. I then made my air arrangements. I wanted to use frequent flyer miles but could not (I found out) due to a code-share flight connection I would have had to make. So I ended up needing to travel on a different day than I expected. A quick call to the property confirmed the new date was acceptable and the deal was done.<BR>I had a long and pleasant chat with the reservationist at the property (it never hurts to make yourself stand out a little bit from the background noise -- it gives you a little easier connection when you show up later) and we are both "Looking forward to seeing you when we arrive."<BR>So, for me, luxurylink works like a charm, and I'm already looking at deals for winter and next spring. The key is to know what the package actually retails for and set your bod limit accordingly. Then stick to your limits and don't get drawn into the excitement of bidding, discovering later that you went well past your limit and didn't get a 'deal' after all.<BR>I think you may have missed the Ottley package. I think it just closed. What I forgot to mention in my earlier post was that there was also a Nisbet package up for bid. That would have been a great double-header if you would have been able to get both.

jam-man

Actually, Ottley's is still open (for another 6 hours or so) and stands at $720 for a $2,320 value. Next bid is $740.<BR>It's the Nisbet package that already closed.

Patty

I've had good experiences with luxurylink also. Once you 'win', you contact the property directly to check dates and availability. Never had any problems.

Patty

Don't be surprised if the price gets bid up very quickly within an hour or half an hour of the auction closing time. Many people wait until the last minute to put in their bids. Know your limit and don't get caught up in the 'bidding frenzy'

mollymoo

Thank you Jam man and Patty for sharing your Luxurylink experiences. I have looked at their offerings a few times, but never actually bid on anything. It's good to know they were flexible about the dates. My main worry about trying them was bidding and then not being able to go when I wanted. You were both very informative.

jen

That was my concern as well - I didn't know if you were "stuck" with certain dates......I guess I need to look at it more closely.

jam-man

Here's a quick way to make sure you don't have a problem. Take the exact package that's offered on luxurylink (1 bedroom ocean front, all meals, transfers...whatever it is)then call the property to find availability of that package for the dates you want. Remember, luxurylink will show the period during which the package is valid, as well as any blackout dates, so make sure your dates are within that period (you would think that would be an obvious caution, but just the same, sometimes you have to remind folks of the obvious).<BR>Once you know there's availibility for your dates, you can bid in confidence.<BR>If there is a possibility of a problem getting your air arrangements, you may want to double check how many seats are still open (Delta lets you look at seating charts of the flights and you can see how many are still open. Don't know about other airlines).<BR>Those are the two biggest obstacles to making the luxurylink thing work.<BR>Of course, that's the same for deals on skyauction.com, too.

Patty

I have also contacted the resort/hotel in advance to inquire about availability. Sometimes I come right out and tell them that I'm bidding on a luxurylink auction and they have always been very open with me.

JDS

Everything at the Golden Lemon is extremely overpriced. While the grounds are very nice and the rooms are too, from the room to the food, you will spend a large fortune.<BR><BR>There is the most teeny tiny beach at the Golden Lemon with black sand. The only positive thing about this area is this is where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean waters and it is a sight to see. <BR><BR>Getting to the Golden Lemon will just about scare anyone. I remember saying to my husband " I could see a honeymooning couple freaking out on the drive here wondering what to expect." I say this because it is at the opposite side of the island and you have to go through a ton of downright poverty-stricken residential areas to get there. Some areas are disgusting. Once you get there, you will be pleasantly surprised by the resort itself, but you will need a rental car to go anywhere on the island from the Golden Lemon or spend another fortune in taxis.

Island Girl

While I agree that the Golden Lemon is in an isolated, inconvenient location, I think the "downright poverty stricken" and the disgusting adjectives are a bit overstated. yes, you go through several small "settlements" as they are called but they are not scary.

ML

I have to agree it was a little scarey.<BR>We did not stay there, it really is out of the way but we tried to find it by car one day as well as Ottley's. <BR>You do go through several what appeared to us to be the most poverty stricken in the Island. However we met 2 couples on a boat trip and one wsa staying at Golden Lemon and the other at Ottley' and they both loved their <BR>resorts and the attention they received. The plantations are the only really nice resorts in St Kitts, but unfortunatly they are a bit out of the way. We thought the pool at Ottley's was very nice. Marriott is coming soon !

anonymous

I would pick a resort in Nevis over St. Kitts. If you want a laid back atmosphere Nevis is the place. Here are my opinions based upon first impressions only....I stayed at Four Seasons Nevis and Mount Nevis Hotel, but visited Nisbet Plantation (near Mount Nevis Hotel) and Ottleys & Golden Lemon as part of island tours. Golden Lemon is in a poverty stricken neighborhood or settlement at the end of a road with a tiny black beach. I saw the spectacular site where the oceans meet. I thought it was too isolated. I also visited Ottley's Plantation which I thought from appearances was a nicer place, but no beach. I went to Nisbet to hang out at their beach, but it was choppy that day. The Nisbet Plantation look pleasant like Ottleys. The beach was light brown with folks sitting on the beach. All 3 get good reviews from travelers who have stayed at these places.