Marriott Help: Conflicting Reviews

Old May 20th, 2004, 08:15 PM
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Marriott Help: Conflicting Reviews

My wife and I are planning a week stay at the end of June but we've read conflicting reviews. Some of the consistent things I've heard: Hotel is brand new and huge and some service issues (but I think that's subjective and we're laid back about that). The main thing I'm worried about is the beach. Some say its really rough and wavy; that the beach is small and full of seaweed. Others say the water is really calm because of the breakers; that the beach is huge and pristine. How can the views be so different? The pics make the beach look huge and clean but I would like to get confirmation. That's the most important part to me. Thanks.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 02:51 AM
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I was there last summer and the beach, while not the BEST I've seen, was really enjoyable. The beach itself was wide and the mountains in the backdrop created a beautiful setting. The water was not rough because of the breaker barrier. The ocean bottom had some rocks, plant life, etc. Just bring water shoes/sandals and you'll love it. I would go back to the Marriott in a heartbeat. As part of that trip we stayed in the Four Seasons in Nevis, and while each property had its pros/cons, for the value we would return to Marriott St. Kitts over Four Seasons Nevis.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 03:26 AM
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How did you determine what marriott they were asking about?
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Old May 21st, 2004, 04:48 AM
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I suspected based on the description, and then looked to see if it was posted in the St. Kitts thread and it was.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 05:22 AM
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KimM: We are considering 4 seasons for november,did you feel 4 seasons just wasn't worth the $?
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Old May 21st, 2004, 05:37 AM
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I am glad I gave Four Seasons a try, but would not rush to return primarily because I didn't feel that the experience justified the $$$$ (for example breakfast buffet for two $60). While there is no one thing in particular that displeased me, I was just not "wowed" by the place. Service was good, the spa was great, the beach was nice, etc. I just didn't leave saying that I can't wait to return if you know what I mean. For the right price or package I would say maybe a 5 day stay would be nice.

I visited Cap Juluca in Anguilla the year before and felt that Cap truly has an edge over Four Seasons. I would return there someday without hesitation.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 06:23 AM
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I agree totally with Kim.
We stayed at FS Nevis and were underwhelmed - especially for the money...
The Marriott is HUGE and is very out of place on an island like St Kitts, and I hear they are still experiencing lots of service "issues."
Lots of much better places to stay on both St Kitts and Nevis.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 07:17 AM
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Thanks for the info, I am looking for very nice places that we haven't tried yet. xmas 03 went to Atlantis, easter 04 Dubai 2 nights Jumeirah beach,5 nights Burl al Arab they are both next door to the great Wild Wadi water park, great fun for our 8&10 year olds but long flight from newark.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 08:02 AM
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Wow, thanks for the great info everyone(sorry about not mentioning St. Kitts in the subject header). Diana, could you give me other recommendations? I'm not sure I understand how its "out of place" in St. Kitts. When we go on vacation, our priorities are 1: great beach; 2: nice, clean, semi luxurious hotel room and 3: interesting food options around the island. I thought the Marriott at St. Kitts would offer all three, but the biggest concern was the beach in this case. We've been to St. Martin, Anguilla, the bahamas and Cancun and I think we've been spoiled (especially in Anguilla, St. Martin and Cancun, in that order) of pristine powder sand, clear water with no seaweed and rocks. Kim, without aqua shoes, is the beach at the marriott difficult? I generally don't want to go to a beach where I need to wear footwear in the water.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 10:31 AM
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I agree that the Marriott does look out of place in St. Kitts, given that most of the lodging options are Inns and B&B styles. Not only is the Marriott the first high rise, but it is HUGE!!! The service was fine if your a bit forgiving. A Marriott style high rise, especially of this proportion is foreign to Kittians. Most staff I met were lovely, even it a bit laid back, and rewarded you with big lovely smiles if you gave them a chance.

jhsyang99....your first two requirements are met....lovely rooms and nice dining options in and out of the Marriott. My husband did not use his Tevas in the water, but I had water socks on most of the time, but I am a big baby when it comes to these things. You will not find the pristine beaches of Anguilla or St. Martin in front of the Marriott, but it suited me fine. It really depends on how important it is to you. It may be different now than it was a year ago, so I would be curious to hear from a recent visitor. I found the following website helpful with my decision, but it appears to be down for maintenance. http://www.geographia.com/newskittsnevis/

Good luck with your decision!
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Old May 25th, 2004, 02:32 PM
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The Marriott in St. Kitts is huge, but has really been done quite well for such a monstrosity. We were there in December 2003 and had a GREAT time. NO SERVICE ISSUES!!! We made friends with the concierge and he took care of us the whole time. The hotel restaurants were quite good, but pricey except for the one in the main structure where breakfast was served. Be brave and go into town for more local flavor. Also take a walk down the road and hit the pizza place.

The beach on the Atlantic side (the side the marriott is on)IS rough. I am a weanie about undercurrents, but I wouldn't go far out without or even with a buddy. It is nice sized and clean, however. We took long walks up and down the shoreline. There are a couple of beaches right up the road on the carribean side. One is about a 15 minute walk. Much calmer. Pretty shells. You can rent a chair and an umbrella. I would also highly recommend a day trip to turtle beach. It is on the atlantic side, but sheltered. The beach there isn't great, but the snorkeling is pretty good and there is a great restaurant that plays music on the weekends. Also the drive to Turtle Beach is fabulous. The views are simply jaw dropping gorgeous.

The other day trip I think is a must...is to get a taxi driver...ask the concierge who will take care of you...and take a trip around the island. That taxi driver will take you to all of the plantations, military sites, the batik factory...It will cost far less than doing one or two at a time. I think that trip cost less than $100 for our family of four. (Maybe even $75) Great history on St. Kitts...read up.

Pass on the rainforest trip, unless you are planning on trekking to the volcano rim. We couldn't do that with young kids, but heard it was fabulous. You have to be in great shape though.

Back to the hotel. The pools are great. Go and enjoy. We just hope that the Marriott can make a go of it (being so large) so we can return.

By the way, there may be better places to stay on St. Kitts, but FAR MORE expensive with far less American Amenities.

Enjoy.



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Old May 26th, 2004, 07:30 PM
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Thanks again everyone. Ok, the choice is narrowed down to here and Cancun. We've been to Cancun twice (the Le Meridien) and we LOVE it. The beach is fantastic! The water is rough but we can handle it. Anyone been to both? If we go to Cancun, we would stay at the JW Marriott. Any ideas? Thanks.
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Old May 27th, 2004, 03:47 AM
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jhsyang99

I have been to both St Kitts and Cancun (have stayed at Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott et al), and for what you said you like, I think you'd be better off in Cancun.

The beaches in St Kitts do not begin to compare in terms of blue water and white sand, and there are a few good dining options, but again, nothing like Anguilla (where I loooved all of the great places to eat and the beach)or Cancun.

May I recommend Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos to you? It has all you are looking for and you can be there from the east coast in time to be sitting on the beach at a great restaurant having lunch.

Look into Grace Bay Club or one of the nice condo resorts (Ocean Club, Coral Gardens, Sands).
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Old May 27th, 2004, 07:48 AM
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Thanks Diana. I had a feeling people would lean toward the beaches of Cancun. Unfortunately, I'm a bit tied down this year to Marriott (we're using points for this vacation) and out of all the Marriott locataions in the Carribean, we decided on St. Kitts or Cancun. We heard good things about Aruba but the timing didn't work.
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Old May 27th, 2004, 08:44 AM
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Well, I can tell you that the JW Marriott in Cancun is super nice, and that if I had to choose between staying at the SKB Marriott or CUN JW Marriott, I would go to Cancun even though I love St Kitts.

The JW is routinely listed as among the top 3 hotels in Cancun and deservedly so.
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