Just returned from 4 nights at the St. Kitts Marriott on the $125/nt including breakfast for 2 each day/buy 3 get 4th nt free deal.
I have to agree pretty much word for word with what hhoope01 said. I must've seen the same monkey man at the beach; that was my only monkey encounter on the island. We did occasionally see some small herds of goats roaming down the streets on our way to/from the airport.
We booked a garden room (no balcony). Supposedly we were given a double upgrade, initially to a resort view and eventually (before arrival) to a pool view with balcony. In all honesty, we had more of a view of the ocean than of the pool (however, neither was that close to us; our room was in the main building just off the lobby, facing the ocean).
The rooms were quite spacious and beds comfortable. The A/C was not as cool as I would have liked. Even at 67 the room never felt cold. The humidity in St Kitts is a killer and even in October temps averaged 88 in the day, only going down to 77 at night.
Food was decently priced, and drinks seemed quite fair, especially at the swim-up pool bar, which offered happy hour from 4-6p where the local Carib beer on draft went from $3 to $1.50. Can't beat it. Rum punches were $3 at happy hour and were very strong.
A pizza shack near the pool had surprisingly good pizza, though as in most island locales, the service was leisurely. We moved around the island to spots like the Shiggidy Shack (Thurs night is their big night, with live music and a fire eater. Food and drinks here were good) and The Dock (buffet style chicken, ribs, fish, rice, salad for $10 on Sunday, decent drink prices), both were located right on the water.
Locals and tourists mix freely on this island and there is quite a bit of nightlife here as compared to the Caymans or Hawaii (where there is little to none). People are very friendly and for the most part, the island feels safe. Having lost their sugar cane industry some years back, the island is desperate to increase tourism and they know that we are their future. Marriott is a major employer on the island and guests are treated well by the locals. All cab drivers are engaging and informative and would love to become your private driver for your stay; however they are not pushy and quite polite.
A large condo complex is going in and a new, exclusive golf course under construction are both eagerly awaited by the locals, as they see St Kitts as being the sleeping beauty of the Caribbean. Shopping in downtown Basseterre is decent and very much like what you find in Nassau or Georgetown GCM. Liquor prices were surprisingly good in the shops.
The Marriott casino was small but was busy on the weekends. I don't play tables much but the slots were paying nothing back. Another casino sits directly across the street but we never made it there.
We took a ferry over to Nevis. Unless you have a specific reason to go to Nevis, don't bother. The island is rather desolate, having lost their major employer (Four Seasons) to a tropical storm a few summers ago, and reconstruction is slow (they are hoping for a Feb 2010 reopening). These people have NOTHING else stimulating their economy and the island has practically no shopping or restaurants to make it worth the trip. The beaches are pretty but you can get that at St Kitts and the general feel there, to me, was of more poverty and certainly not the exclusive hideaway that I somehow thought Nevis was. Sad for the locals.
Marriott staff was good and efficient. Our final bill was correct and both the room discount and free breakfasts had been properly calculated.
All in all, a great trip. Marriott beach was just beautiful and the water was wonderful; a perfect beach if you have kids (though we saw remarkably few kids here. This is their slow season and Marriott staffers are anticipating higher crowds beginning Nov. 1). We probably would not return, simply because there are other islands out there to explore. Deals are good here so it is a worthwhile trip.
Hope that helps. Please feel free to ask more questions.