Starwood Lurker

Way too early for anyone to say for sure.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

Flews

I can't stand the Westin in Cayman. Smelly rooms, overpriced bad food and poor service - except for the ex-pat beverage servers on the beach who are usually on the hustle for tips. St. John is great but expensive. We used to like the Sheraton on Paradise Island, now a RIU. Probably the best stay we've had recently was at the Sheraton in San Juan. Not the greatest property or pool, but well located in old San Juan for walking and meals.

fly co to see the yanks

please note that this is not a resort...it is very much a downtown hotel. the front entrance of the hotel is on one of the busiest streets in san juan. drive on this road during rush hour at your own risk.

broadwayblue

Reviving this old thread to ask for current opinions on Starwood properties in the Caribbean. I've never been anywhere in the Caribbean before, but would like to plan my next vacation for a week there somewhere. I'll probably stay on points, and was wondering what the best values were. Thanks!

sc flier

As you can see in Post #4, I've updated my summary of properties recently. Those are the current options.

broadwayblue, if you want advice on which places are best for you, you should give more info about what you want out of your trip. Activities? Golf? When do you plan to travel? Are you going by yourself? Do you like to hang out on the beach a lot? Do you like scuba or snorkeling? Do you like to party? Do you like to go sightseeing? Shopping? Do you prefer gourmet dining? etc.

Best value: anyone that offers Cash & Points.

broadwayblue

Thanks, I didn't notice your list was updated recently...and thought there might be some new properties because the original post was almost a year and a half old. I'm not sure when I'll be travelling, but maybe this summer or fall. I'll be going with my wife. We like to spend a good bit of time on the beach just hanging out...so the quality of the beach is a priority. We just went snorkeling for the first time in Hawaii a couple weeks ago and loved it. Some sights would be nice to break up the beach activities, and we do like to explore a bit. We don't need a crazy night life...a couple of bars open until midnight would be fine. Shopping is not that important, except for picking up a few souvenirs, although we do like looking in galleries.

sc flier

broadwayblue, Sheraton Cable Beach or St Maarten might be good for you. Both are Cat4 properties, though that could change at any moment, of course.

Westin Grand Cayman is on a great beach, but costs more. No suites.

St John used to get great reviews, but I've not seen much discussion about it on FT lately. Even more expensive, IIRC.

If you are planning to go during hurricane seaon (which it sounds like you are), I would recommend that you avoid non-refundable hotel rates. Aruba is less likely to get hurricanes than anywhere else. This is the off-season, though, so it can offer some great bargains.

Whether or not you have Plat status might also impact your choice and how you book it. If you use Cash & Points, you probably can't use additional points to guarantee an upgrade in advance. If that's important to you, regular awards (and Fifth Night Free) might be a better choice.

Ajohn

OK, I've spent way too much time today reading as many threads I can on Caribbean recommendations. I think the general consensus is that there is no knock-your-socks-off Starwood property anywhere around that sea, and that overall customers are satisfied by the particular offerings, but not thrilled. I'm personally looking for the best resort for a March two-day trip, but am getting a bit despondent as my hope for an 'easy answer' becomes dimmer. I have to spend points, so I have to stay within the family. My girlfriend and her friends enjoy spending time in nice rooms, swimming in nice pools, and relaxing on nice beaches. I'm tempted to pull the trigger on the Westin Aruba since it seems to have the same mixture of pros/cons as the others, and Aruba flights are dirt cheap right now. Anyone want to dissuade me?

Adam

Flews

I agree with your assessment. Please let us know how it went in Aruba.

Cheers,

kebr

I'm looking at going to the Caribbean next spring break (end of 3/09) with my family for about a week. I want to book the airfare soon (peak saver on AA which I haven't flown in a long time, so no status). The three starwood hotels that interest me are:

The Westin Rōco Ki Beach & Golf Resort (opening 9/08)
The Westin Le Paradis St. Lucia Beach & Golf Resort (opening 12/08) and
W Vieques / Martineau Bay (opening 12/08)

I am going to use points for the stay and was wondering if anyone had a guess on the categories or heard any rumors.

I have noticed that the dates have slipped on the completion dates on these, but I would think that they would hold firm as they are going into peak season. I'm also looking for any feedback on ones to avoid due to potential slipage of completion date. It gets to be very difficult to change award tickets and would like to avoid that. Thanks for your help.

thaliajen

Cancun is on the Caribbean, right? I'm leaving soon to return to Le Meridien Cancun, an amazing hotel. It's not a huge resort so you're not swallowed up and the staff is amazing. The pools are lovely and the beach is very nice- you can't beat that water!

kebr

The Le Meridien Cancun does look nice, but I was trying to avoid Cancun over spring break with my family. I'd rather my pre-teen girls get that kind of an education. Thanks for the input.

MIKESILV

The FRONT ENTRANCE to the Sheration (Old) San Juan is on a side street

mike

Flews

Personally, I am leery about newly built hotels until they have been up and running long enough to sort out all the wrinkles. My advice would be the W in Puerto Rico is likely geared more to adults (you mention having pre-teen kids) and I find the Dominican Republic to be third world depressing.

St. Lucia is lovely. Although, you can't go wrong at the Sheraton Cable Beach in the Bahamas, if you want something newer (just reburished), with a little something for the entire family. I don't like the Westin Cayman at all - too many bad experiences. Westin St. John in USVI is pricely but lovely too.

Cheers,

thaliajen

kebr- Just an added thought in case you ever consider it again...
The Meridien Cancun doesn't allow teens w/o parents.No Spring Breakers there!

I go every spring (last year I was there for a week in March and another in April) and have never seen pre-teen or teens roaming about. In fact, it's a small property (compared to most Cancun Resorts) that caters to a European cliental and is quite classy.

Just wanted to add that as it's such a lovely place and they have family-friendly programs for the younger kids. I've never been there when I wasn't surrounded by families. It's why I choose it over the larger resorts. You feel like you get better service b/c there's a good ratio of employees to guests, and you aren't attacked by timeshare people. They have gorgeous pools, too, and I love nothing better than to sit near one and read a book while sipping a virgin margarita.

My hubby and I have been with an adoption agency for 2 years and every time I go back the employees who know me by name ask about my husband and our quest for a baby. In fact, if we ever DO find a Birthmom and adopt a baby, the 1st place I'd want to vacation would be Le Meridien Cancun!

Have fun wherever you end up- that is the important part!