So I spent a happy week at this hotel after Christmas / into the new year in 2025. We were also "extended" due to the Venezuela operation which meant a bit extra time at the hotel (that they dealt with gracefully by letting me stay in my suite for an extra day, and having a 4pm late check-out, whilst I'd made a redemption booking for the best suite I could find, but probably not as good as what we had). Otherwise I had booked a rate about six months in advance for a "2 double beds, Mountain view, Royal Suite" with a semi-inclusive package. As an ambassador booking I must admit I had hoped that they'd move us to an ocean view room (approx $50/night more), but that was not to be.

Check-in: A bit chaotic as most of the flights into SKB arrive at the same time, so you end up with a rush of people all arriving at once, however staff were helpful and did have a letter that explained the inclusive package inclusions and exclusions (not that many, basically no lamb or lobster). It should be mentioned as I booked my rate ~6 months in advance they seemed to have changed the package and had no idea what I had booked (and by that time, nor did I). I was supposed to have (at least) dinner + premium drinks; however in the end I was given the full "breakfast;lunch;dinner plus standard drinks", which was simple and a fair compromise as that was more expensive overall. If this matters to you, print out the rate details when you make the booking. They had no problem with late check-out for us, or friends (Gold status?)

The room: Large, perfectly lovely for our family of two kids and two adults, with an extensive balcony and plenty of space for lounging around in. You won't find a kitchen, but there were two bathrooms, a large closet for clothes, huge bath and just generally space. The kids could happily sleep in the bedroom whilst adults used the main area. The view over the mountain is really looking over bits of the hotel and nearby hotels and houses, but was pleasant and not too loud, so you could sit on the balcony.

The pool: Has a good mixture of areas, a pool bar and was very family friendly, plus a hot-tub. Our young kids (under 5) were very happy playing here for the days we spent in the hotel. Plus there are a lot of beach and pool chairs, so you could always find space even though it was peak period.

The beach: There was some limited sargassum seaweed, but this was cleaned away overnight and didn't interfere with swimming. What you work out once you are here (and its the same for the Hilton as well) is that the beach is on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island, which means bigger and colder waves. The hotel has built a breakwater and its perfectly safe and pleasant for swimming or playing on the beach, but you are encouraged to visit other beaches on the Caribbean sea side where many of the local beach bars and restaurants sit by more sheltered, shallower and warmer waters. We would often go to the beach towards the end of the day, when the sun was less fierce, for an hour or so of sand and sea just before it got dark

Breakfast: Our rate included breakfast, our friends used Marriott elite status vouchers - we were all offered the same food so there isn't a difference between a "continental" breakfast and the "full American breakfast". However, the vouchers (and our rate) were only good for two adults and any kids under five, children of five and above were charged (this seems like a change since online it mentioned 4+). So there is a sweet spot to visit with fairly young kids. There was a waffle chef, two egg chefs and a variety of cold and warm "traditional" breakfast foods (bacon, sausage, oatmeal, pancakes, bakery items, toast etc.) along with a rotating selection of local foods (Johnny cakes, fish - fried or sauteed, plantains). The exact selection rotated every day and did set you up well. The only minor complaint I would have was service of juices/water/coffee was very slow, often coming mid-way through your meal - and there was only one type of special juice that you could get otherwise.

Restaurants: Then you get into the hotel's restaurants, of which there is some variety (steak + seafood, Italian, Asian Sushi, Bar snacks, pool snacks, pizzeria). Each offers a fairly similar kids meal (chips + nuggets/burger/more chips, or simple white/red pasta). The food overall then was filling, if slowly served (island time after all). We'd tend to sit down for dinner about 7pm, and likely started eating about 8-830pm, but they were fine with the kids leaving the table and going elsewhere till the food was ready. Basic wine/beer/cocktails were included in my package, and filled a hole, not the best in the world, but perfectly reasonable for "free", you're unlikely to get drunk as the time between ordering and a drink arriving could be 30 minutes sometimes :P. The sushi was good - if not very Japanese with lots of added sauces, though excluded from the package. The Italian was our most frequently visited restaurant, but if you loved steak you could get a lot of huge slabs of steak, included in the package, from the steak restaurant. Otherwise the pizza/burger/chips fare went down well with the kids - even if it didn't exactly set our taste buds on fire. There was also a special celebration on new years eve with fireworks, though unlike many resorts it was not mandatory to pay for these special meals, and some normal foods were available, which is helpful. It seemed more popular with locals, or perhaps those in the vacation club houses, than the hotel - probably as most of the guests had young kids who wouldn't want to be up at midnight. There was also a duty free store in the hotel where you could pick up a lot of booze if you wished, plus other shops for jewelry and the likes.

Near the hotel: Within walking distance there are a few other restaurants, including Indian, Lebanese, more Asian. As we had the package we were less tempted, but did go out for the Lebanese once - it was good quality, but prices were as high as, if not slightly higher, than the hotel - though for a better quality meal. There was also a convenience store. We rented a car from Hertz (pick-up in the hotel and drive away, once the staff turn up) to get around the island for a few days which is a good idea to get around. Otherwise there was a nearby taxi rank, but we didn't need to use it.

Minor service niggles: Sometimes the final bill would slip in a "premium" alcohol or something else excluded from the menu (that may have been right, but wasn't flagged when ordering), so if you want to spend zero dollars you would need to be attentive and explicit during ordering. Service was included, though our American friends did feel the desire to up-tip from the ~12.5% that was there. Service is apparently shared to everyone, but any extra tip went directly to your server. As it was our final "extras" bill was in the low $100s, mostly fair (primarily some extra tips), and compensated for by the hotel giving us a final lunch "included" in the package when the exclusions list made it clear you got dinner on the first day thru to breakfast on the last day. On the package side - it wasn't very clear really how far you could push it, in general it seemed anything you ordered in a restaurant, including sides, extra dishes, drinks kids meals were removed from the final bill.

So overall: It was a lovely stay, we'd happily come back (but probably won't as there are so many more Caribbean islands to explore), it's on the low end of hotels that you can see in the Caribbean from Marriott, but is priced accordingly.

Pictures in the spoiler tag below for those who are interested
Welcome letters / what the resort offers

Hotel view pictures
Food pictures