Zemi Beach House {AIA}
Jan 30, 2020, 8:22 am
#16
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: DAY
Programs: Rapid Rewards, Skymiles, Hilton HHonors, SPG/Marriott Rewards
Posts: 4,944
I see what is going on. I was searching 2 adults and 1 child. King Garden View doesn't come up for that number of people.
Feb 3, 2020, 10:01 am
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
Here now for 5 nights, Diamond, booked on points 95k/night, as mentioned the standard room redemption just changed from the 2 Doubles Garden View to 1 King Garden View resulting in it being much easier to find award availability.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Feb 3, 2020, 6:05 pm
#18
Join Date: Aug 2015
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 55
Here now for 5 nights, Diamond, booked on points 95k/night, as mentioned the standard room redemption just changed from the 2 Doubles Garden View to 1 King Garden View resulting in it being much easier to find award availability.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Feb 3, 2020, 7:20 pm
#19
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA 1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,055
Here now for 5 nights, Diamond, booked on points 95k/night, as mentioned the standard room redemption just changed from the 2 Doubles Garden View to 1 King Garden View resulting in it being much easier to find award availability.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Feb 4, 2020, 5:23 am
#20
Join Date: Jun 2015
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Delta GM, Marriott Platinum Premier
Posts: 161
Here now for 5 nights, Diamond, booked on points 95k/night, as mentioned the standard room redemption just changed from the 2 Doubles Garden View to 1 King Garden View resulting in it being much easier to find award availability.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Breakfast is included for everyone, full buffet at the '20 Knots' beachside restaurant. Extensive spread but nothing over the top. Fruit, cereal, pastries, toast, cheese and cold cuts, variety of bacon and sausages, scrambled eggs, and rotating hot items (french toast, potatoes, waffles, ham and cheese frittata, etc.). There is also a made to order eggs station cooking omelets or eggs any way you want them.
Diamond benefits: we were upgraded from King Garden View to King Ocean View (one category), and there was a bottle of decent Prosecco ($52 at the bar) and some fruit and macarons waiting in the room.
So far everything has been pretty fabulous, service is awesome, attentive without any hints of island time yet relaxed at the same time. Will be posting a few pics later in the week.
Feb 7, 2020, 12:28 pm
#21
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
JJeffrey Thanks for the update! I will be there next month so the information on the first stay under HH is much appreciated. Did you call to change the reservation from the 2 Queens to the King or did you book the reservation when the King rooms were showing as award rooms? I booked back when the only option was the 2 Queens but I definitely want a King bed room if available.
Feb 8, 2020, 9:15 am
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
JJeffrey Thanks for the update! I will be there next month so the information on the first stay under HH is much appreciated. Did you call to change the reservation from the 2 Queens to the King or did you book the reservation when the King rooms were showing as award rooms? I booked back when the only option was the 2 Queens but I definitely want a King bed room if available.
Feb 8, 2020, 10:36 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
Just returned back, overall a great stay, would highly recommend. A few musings:
Booking: as mentioned I booked the King Garden View for 5 nights on points, 95k night, upgraded one category to King Ocean View as a Diamond.
Transfer: we flew in/out of SXM and took the hotel arranged ferry straight from SXM airport to Anguilla, where a taxi was waiting. The hotel charges $65 per person, each way, for the ferry, in addition to $26 for the taxi from the ferry terminal to Zemi. This is in line with what you would pay booking direct with the ferries, and all of it can be charged to your room, so I'd recommend booking everything through the hotel. There is also a cheaper way to get there: taxi from SXM to Marigot (~$25), public ferry from Marigot to Anguilla ($20 per person, each way), then the same taxi to Zemi ($26). Upon departure the hotel also charged the Anguilla departure tax to our room, which saves having to deal with this at the ferry dock. In summary, using the hotel transfer you are looking at $185 per person total roundtrip transfer cost including departure tax.
Resort Layout: there are 3 main buildings of hotel rooms in addition to 2 buildings of 'residences'. The hotel buildings are located slightly up the hill from the beach/pool area. The residences buildings are the only ones located directly on the beach. From Ocean View hotel rooms, you are looking over the roofs of the restaurants and residences buildings.
Pricing: everything on property is expensive (duh!) but not so much that you feel like you're getting totally gouged. Beers $6, sodas $3.50, glasses of wine and mixed drinks $12-18. The least expensive bottle of red is $28, a highly drinkable french blend, which we enjoyed several times.
Food Options: Zemi has 2 main restaurants, Stone (nicer) and 20 Knots (beachside, main restaurant). They also offer Sushi for lunch & dinner from the Bohio bar. Note that Stone is only open Thurs-Sun, and every Wednesday 20 Knots has a Caribbean Beach BBQ so they don't offer their normal menu.
Food Impressions: we ate dinner at 20 Knots 3 times, Stone once, and did the Caribbean Beach BBQ on Wednesday. Everything at 20 Knots was great, perfect setting and menu for an upscale but casual beachside restaurant at a nice resort. They have a great variety of items, especially more "snack" type stuff like appetizers/skewers/sandwiches/salads/pizzas. Exactly what I want sitting outside on a beach in the Caribbean. Sushi at Bohio was ok, a good snack but not the best sushi you'll ever have. Stone was very good as well although it's on the pricey side, and we enjoyed the menu and beach ambiance of 20 Knots the most. Overall we thought the food & beverage at Zemi blew the Conrad Bora Bora out of the water (our last beach week last year), as a comparison.
Caribbean Beach BBQ: every Wednesday beachside at 20 Knots, $69 per person (not including any drinks). Great buffet spread including multiple salad options, breads, shrimp cocktail, scalloped potatoes (delicious), corn, plantains, grilled mahi, jerk chicken, rack of lamb, pulled pork, and of course grilled lobsters fresh off the grill. They have live entertainment as well, dancing, all in all it was great fun. Note that if you're there on a Wed and don't want to do the BBQ, your only other dinner options on property is sushi or room service.
Local Area: Shoal Bay is gorgeous, there are a number of beach restaurants down the beach open for lunch. Gwen's is the closest, mentioned just up-thread but this was a highlight, excellent conch & fish fritters, rum punch, live music on Sundays. Definitely walk down if you're there, it was packed on Sunday. Note that only restaurant in walking distance open for dinner is 'Madeariman', we stopped in for a beer but didn't each there. So if you don't have a car that's pretty much your only option outside of the resort for dinner.
Getting Out: the hotel arranged a car rental for us for the day, booked the day before and delivered to the hotel, $50 for a compact, $65 2-door Wrangler, $85 4-door Wrangler. We drove down to Cap Juluca for lunch (wow) and stopped off at a few other beaches along the way.
Think that's all for now, happy to answer any questions while things are still fresh on my mind, pics to follow...
Booking: as mentioned I booked the King Garden View for 5 nights on points, 95k night, upgraded one category to King Ocean View as a Diamond.
Transfer: we flew in/out of SXM and took the hotel arranged ferry straight from SXM airport to Anguilla, where a taxi was waiting. The hotel charges $65 per person, each way, for the ferry, in addition to $26 for the taxi from the ferry terminal to Zemi. This is in line with what you would pay booking direct with the ferries, and all of it can be charged to your room, so I'd recommend booking everything through the hotel. There is also a cheaper way to get there: taxi from SXM to Marigot (~$25), public ferry from Marigot to Anguilla ($20 per person, each way), then the same taxi to Zemi ($26). Upon departure the hotel also charged the Anguilla departure tax to our room, which saves having to deal with this at the ferry dock. In summary, using the hotel transfer you are looking at $185 per person total roundtrip transfer cost including departure tax.
Resort Layout: there are 3 main buildings of hotel rooms in addition to 2 buildings of 'residences'. The hotel buildings are located slightly up the hill from the beach/pool area. The residences buildings are the only ones located directly on the beach. From Ocean View hotel rooms, you are looking over the roofs of the restaurants and residences buildings.
Pricing: everything on property is expensive (duh!) but not so much that you feel like you're getting totally gouged. Beers $6, sodas $3.50, glasses of wine and mixed drinks $12-18. The least expensive bottle of red is $28, a highly drinkable french blend, which we enjoyed several times.
Food Options: Zemi has 2 main restaurants, Stone (nicer) and 20 Knots (beachside, main restaurant). They also offer Sushi for lunch & dinner from the Bohio bar. Note that Stone is only open Thurs-Sun, and every Wednesday 20 Knots has a Caribbean Beach BBQ so they don't offer their normal menu.
Food Impressions: we ate dinner at 20 Knots 3 times, Stone once, and did the Caribbean Beach BBQ on Wednesday. Everything at 20 Knots was great, perfect setting and menu for an upscale but casual beachside restaurant at a nice resort. They have a great variety of items, especially more "snack" type stuff like appetizers/skewers/sandwiches/salads/pizzas. Exactly what I want sitting outside on a beach in the Caribbean. Sushi at Bohio was ok, a good snack but not the best sushi you'll ever have. Stone was very good as well although it's on the pricey side, and we enjoyed the menu and beach ambiance of 20 Knots the most. Overall we thought the food & beverage at Zemi blew the Conrad Bora Bora out of the water (our last beach week last year), as a comparison.
Caribbean Beach BBQ: every Wednesday beachside at 20 Knots, $69 per person (not including any drinks). Great buffet spread including multiple salad options, breads, shrimp cocktail, scalloped potatoes (delicious), corn, plantains, grilled mahi, jerk chicken, rack of lamb, pulled pork, and of course grilled lobsters fresh off the grill. They have live entertainment as well, dancing, all in all it was great fun. Note that if you're there on a Wed and don't want to do the BBQ, your only other dinner options on property is sushi or room service.
Local Area: Shoal Bay is gorgeous, there are a number of beach restaurants down the beach open for lunch. Gwen's is the closest, mentioned just up-thread but this was a highlight, excellent conch & fish fritters, rum punch, live music on Sundays. Definitely walk down if you're there, it was packed on Sunday. Note that only restaurant in walking distance open for dinner is 'Madeariman', we stopped in for a beer but didn't each there. So if you don't have a car that's pretty much your only option outside of the resort for dinner.
Getting Out: the hotel arranged a car rental for us for the day, booked the day before and delivered to the hotel, $50 for a compact, $65 2-door Wrangler, $85 4-door Wrangler. We drove down to Cap Juluca for lunch (wow) and stopped off at a few other beaches along the way.
Think that's all for now, happy to answer any questions while things are still fresh on my mind, pics to follow...
Feb 8, 2020, 10:41 am
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
Zemi from the beach
King Ocean View
King Ocean View
Diamond amenity, welcome Prosecco
Adult/Quiet pool, never more than 2 or 3 people there
Breakfast buffet
Caribbean Beach BBQ
Feb 8, 2020, 10:45 am
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
Beach during the day
Beach pool at sunset
Lunch on the beach, squid skewers and side salad
Shoal Bay Sunset
Every night...
Sunday party at Gwen's
Super Bowl party on the beach
Feb 8, 2020, 12:10 pm
#26
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Washington, DC area
Programs: Air: Many; Hotel: HH D, HY G, IHG P, MR S, RR
Posts: 504
Thanks so much for the great review and pictures 
I have been reading the TripAdvisor forums and reviews ever since I heard that Zemi was joining Hilton, and you had a lot of details that I have not read yet. I'm going there this spring, and I had a few questions related to a couple of points below:
- For transfers, which boat company did Zemi book, and did they offer the option of booking the public ferry to Marigot as well, or only the transfer to the Dutch side?
- Regarding Gwen's, do you know what time the Sunday music and food started and ended? We are thinking of having a late lunch/early dinner there but don't want to miss the music/food?
I have been reading the TripAdvisor forums and reviews ever since I heard that Zemi was joining Hilton, and you had a lot of details that I have not read yet. I'm going there this spring, and I had a few questions related to a couple of points below:- For transfers, which boat company did Zemi book, and did they offer the option of booking the public ferry to Marigot as well, or only the transfer to the Dutch side?
- Regarding Gwen's, do you know what time the Sunday music and food started and ended? We are thinking of having a late lunch/early dinner there but don't want to miss the music/food?
Just returned back, overall a great stay, would highly recommend. A few musings:
Transfer: we flew in/out of SXM and took the hotel arranged ferry straight from SXM airport to Anguilla, where a taxi was waiting. The hotel charges $65 per person, each way, for the ferry, in addition to $26 for the taxi from the ferry terminal to Zemi. This is in line with what you would pay booking direct with the ferries, and all of it can be charged to your room, so I'd recommend booking everything through the hotel. There is also a cheaper way to get there: taxi from SXM to Marigot (~$25), public ferry from Marigot to Anguilla ($20 per person, each way), then the same taxi to Zemi ($26). Upon departure the hotel also charged the Anguilla departure tax to our room, which saves having to deal with this at the ferry dock. In summary, using the hotel transfer you are looking at $185 per person total roundtrip transfer cost including departure tax.
Local Area: Shoal Bay is gorgeous, there are a number of beach restaurants down the beach open for lunch. Gwen's is the closest, mentioned just up-thread but this was a highlight, excellent conch & fish fritters, rum punch, live music on Sundays. Definitely walk down if you're there, it was packed on Sunday. Note that only restaurant in walking distance open for dinner is 'Madeariman', we stopped in for a beer but didn't each there. So if you don't have a car that's pretty much your only option outside of the resort for dinner.
.
Transfer: we flew in/out of SXM and took the hotel arranged ferry straight from SXM airport to Anguilla, where a taxi was waiting. The hotel charges $65 per person, each way, for the ferry, in addition to $26 for the taxi from the ferry terminal to Zemi. This is in line with what you would pay booking direct with the ferries, and all of it can be charged to your room, so I'd recommend booking everything through the hotel. There is also a cheaper way to get there: taxi from SXM to Marigot (~$25), public ferry from Marigot to Anguilla ($20 per person, each way), then the same taxi to Zemi ($26). Upon departure the hotel also charged the Anguilla departure tax to our room, which saves having to deal with this at the ferry dock. In summary, using the hotel transfer you are looking at $185 per person total roundtrip transfer cost including departure tax.
Local Area: Shoal Bay is gorgeous, there are a number of beach restaurants down the beach open for lunch. Gwen's is the closest, mentioned just up-thread but this was a highlight, excellent conch & fish fritters, rum punch, live music on Sundays. Definitely walk down if you're there, it was packed on Sunday. Note that only restaurant in walking distance open for dinner is 'Madeariman', we stopped in for a beer but didn't each there. So if you don't have a car that's pretty much your only option outside of the resort for dinner.
.
Feb 10, 2020, 6:51 am
#28
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
Feb 10, 2020, 8:52 am
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: RDU <|> MMX
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, SK EBS
Posts: 12,466
- For transfers, which boat company did Zemi book, and did they offer the option of booking the public ferry to Marigot as well, or only the transfer to the Dutch side?
- Regarding Gwen's, do you know what time the Sunday music and food started and ended? We are thinking of having a late lunch/early dinner there but don't want to miss the music/food?
- Regarding Gwen's, do you know what time the Sunday music and food started and ended? We are thinking of having a late lunch/early dinner there but don't want to miss the music/food?
As to Gwen's, it was lively all Sunday afternoon, and like most places like that down there they weren't on a set schedule. We were there between 2:30p-5p and the music was in full swing. We went back a few days later for a snack, I asked what time they closed, bartender said typically around 5:30-6p depending on the crowd.
Yea, sand is as soft/white/clean as you'll find anywhere in the world. No rocks. Same with the water, pristine.
Feb 10, 2020, 11:43 am
#30
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Washington, DC area
Programs: Air: Many; Hotel: HH D, HY G, IHG P, MR S, RR
Posts: 504
The hotel used FunTime ferries. They did not offer the public ferry, although when I called I specifically asked for the direct ferry service from SXM. I assume you'd be on your own to book the taxi/public ferry/taxi if you wanted to go that route, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
As to Gwen's, it was lively all Sunday afternoon, and like most places like that down there they weren't on a set schedule. We were there between 2:30p-5p and the music was in full swing. We went back a few days later for a snack, I asked what time they closed, bartender said typically around 5:30-6p depending on the crowd.
As to Gwen's, it was lively all Sunday afternoon, and like most places like that down there they weren't on a set schedule. We were there between 2:30p-5p and the music was in full swing. We went back a few days later for a snack, I asked what time they closed, bartender said typically around 5:30-6p depending on the crowd.
Regarding Gwen's, I went there once for Sunday Funday on a previous trip (I didn't want to eat because I had stopped at Johnnos for lunch first), and there weren't many people there mid-afternoon. So, I was thinking about going later this time. We might stop at Elodia's too.
Last edited by needtoescape; Feb 10, 2020 at 11:49 am Reason: Add info