We are honeymooning in early July this year and thinking of staying at St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino. This is our first Caribbean vacation, could you give me some insight into the Resort and the Island itself? Thanks in advance.

Personally, I would not suggest that resort to anyone.

It is simply enormous and overwhelms the natural beauty of the island.

I have seen quite a few homes on the market that people owned that used to overlook the beautiful ocean and views over to Nevis and now look out upon the sprawling and (I think ugly) Vegas style resort.

What kinds of activities and things to see do you like? (Or are you planning to just stay at the resort with your sweetie?)

Much more romantic places elsewhere...

The resort is beautiful. We were there last August and the place was not crowded since the summer is the off season in the Carib. The island is quiet. Some great restaurants but not much other night life. The Marriott has some sort of nightclub which may be the only one of the island, but again, didn't seem to be overly crowded. I would ask for a room near the beach as it will be quieter for you. There are rooms in the main building that are closer to the gym, spa, casino, etc. but for a honeymoon I'd opt for the solitude and the longer walk. We used the spa and it was terrific.

The Marriott gets a bad rap for being a Marriott. It is a beautiful hotel, the rooms, even the cheapest ones, the some of the most attractive and comfortable anywhere. The pool is great. There is lots to do at the hotel. The island is very low key and gentle -- gorgeous scenery. Definitely get out, rent a car and tour around the island. Do a day trip to Nevis. Enjoy!

I read all of the reviews on this site before a recent trip to the St. Kitts Marriott and, really, there's some truth in almost all of them. We used Marriott points and stayed for free-- otherwise I am not sure we would have gone after reading what we saw.

Here are my post-trip thoughts on some of the things I read:

"Huge resort without alot of character" -- Definitely true, but it is relatively new, which is a plus. The rooms are just what you would expect at a Marriott. Not the best in the world, but not bad either and cleaner than most Caribbean hotels.

We were upgraded to an ocean view room, which was a very nice gesture, but thin walls and Marriott decor sometimes made me think I was on a standard business trip.

"Spotty service" -- Also true. There weren't alot of smiling faces on the staff. The managers were very nice, however, and seemed very aware of the need to please. Maybe they were trying to make up for the general staff.

It's not entirely a knock against the Marriott, though, as the people of St. Kitts did not seem to be all that friendly either. I know that this statement will get negative feedback on this site, but we went all over the island and just got that vibe. One might say it's our own personalities at fault, but we went to other islands on this trip and did not get the same feeling whatsoever.

"Rough sea" -- The beach is indeed on the Atlantic, so the water is choppy in front of the Marriott. It's not a white sand paradise, but the beach is large and there are plenty of chairs and space for everyone. We toured the whole island and didn't see any other hotels with better beaches, but that's because we didn't see that many great beaches period. I wouldn't go to St. Kitts if you are looking for a perfect white sand beach vacation.

"Good for families" -- I would agree with that, minus the costs associated with St. Kitts in general. My wife and I do not have kids, but I felt like the Marriott was a very safe environment and, since it is indeed HUGE, it'd be a good place to run around if you were a kid. The activity board was always full of stuff.

"Expensive food" -- It's a Caribbean resort, so yes. However, all of the restaurants on St. Kitts are expensive. They do have several options, though, and we appreciated the on site market (with yogurt, milk, wine, etc.) and a takeaway breakfast counter, which allowed us to manage our expenses during the day and then eat out at night.

Personally, I wouldn't stay here again, but not really because of the hotel. It's just that St. Kitts in general didn't blow us away and there are so many other islands to choose from. Others will certainly feel differently, but as every posting on this site, mine is just one person's opinion.

We stayed there last year and were very happy with the Marriott. However, beware...MANY rooms do not have balconies. I found this really stupid..since this is a brand new hotel. We had to really argue with the front desk to get a balcony. Some of the people in our group didn't care either way, but I think if you are staring at the beach from your room it shouldn't be through a window!

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

Just returned from St. Kitts. (I have family living in St. Kitts)

The Marriott is a beautiful resort with all the ammenities you would need.

I personally prefer the small hotels such as Timothy Beach Resort.

St. Kitts is a beautiful laid back island. A web site you might find helpful is http://www.discover-stkitts-nevis-beaches.com