Thanks for the info, Krischey. I stumbled upon the address recently and have been in contact with them. The staff certainly has been friendly and communicative pre-trip. I'll post a report in a couple of weeks when I return.

Recently completed a seven-night stay at the resort on points to celebrate Mrs. Wiffle and myself's anniversary. Loved the island -- relatively undeveloped, friendly locals, loads to do -- but left with decidedly mixed feelings about the property.

Greeted with welcome drink and cold towel at check-in. Upgraded to an oceanview room on the fourth floor in the main building. Offered a suite upgrade for extra cash (can't remember the exact prices, other than an extra $129 per night for a royal ocean suite). Standard Plat amenity menu at check-in; I got a small wedge of Brie and a half bottle of wine. A bottle of champagne, small tray of fruit and card waited in the room for our anniversary, too. The only other elite perk was an hourlong midweek reception with basic wine/beer and finger food.

The resort's staffers were quite kind and sociable, but none of it seemed to add up to improved service when issues cropped up. For example, I received an email a few days in advance of our stay asking for flight information and our specific arrival time so our room would be ready upon arrival. I confirmed the information, we arrived on time and still had to wait two hours, until 5 p.m., for our room to be prepared. The hotel appeared to be only 30-40 percent full.

The room turned into an issue that colored the trip. I hoped for some peace and quiet, particularly for an anniversary trip (I communicated the occasion to a couple of managers preceding the trip, too). Unfortunately, there was nothing peaceful or quiet about the location. Starting around 11 a.m. each day, music blasted from the main pool area (perhaps aided in its journey into our room by the wind) intermittently until the evening. It was loud enough to hear clearly in our room even with the doors shut and a pillow over my head. I'll put up with a lot, but I didn't trek to the island to hear the "Cha Cha Slide" thump over and over along with a scratchy-voiced dj/mc.

The noise continued into the evening from the other side of our room whenever a band played in the lobby bar or adjacent corridor area. Our last night, for instance, each lyric and thump of the lobby bar band was clearly audible in our room until well after midnight.

I was disappointed with management's response. The gist: no one at the hotel has experienced this issue before and I could either put up with the noise or downgrade to a room without any view. No apology or follow-up. Nothing. Mrs. Wiffle didn't want to lose a view and we elected to stay in the room which, in hindsight, was a significant mistake.

The room also included a troubled bed -- person-sized divots on both sides and a four-inch rise in the middle along with a lumpy mattress cover that appeared sized for a queen, not a king. The oddest and least-comfortable mattress I've encountered in nine years of stays at Marriotts.

There were much smaller service issues -- bathroom amenities not being replenished when empty, turndown service provided one night of seven -- that I ordinarily wouldn't think twice about but, in light of the other issues, left me feeling the resort's service is, at best, erratic. Before check-out, I asked for a customer comment card to follow up on the issues, but the gentleman running the front desk said he'd never heard of such a thing and, after a flurry of activity, instead produced a blank sheet of paper. An odd and unsatisfying ending to an odd and unsatisfying stay. This was my the first vacation at a Marriott where I yearned to get home so there would be that peace and quiet.

For those visiting the island, I'd highly recommend a snorkeling tour on one of the catamarans (we booked through the Marriott's tour desk) as well as an island tour with one of the taxis. Both were worth every dollar. For some do-it-yourself snorkeling, a quick trip over to South Friar's Bay (we walked) was well worth the time. Rituals coffee shop, a short walk from the resort, was also a great breakfast stop with solid food, large portions and prices much lower than the Marriott.

Would love to return to St. Kitts, but we'll find different loding options if we do.

Thanks for the update, both good & bad.

Cheers.

Have. Not been to st kitts but interested in staying at the ts side

Is the island dry and scrubby? Or more lush with vegetation?

We very much like st John but not st Martin

Glad your special occasion was acknowledged. We visited 2 years ago, celebrating not only both of our 50th birthdays but our 25th anniversary as well. Sent a request through the virtual concierge as well as an advance email. We also have Plat status but didn't even get a 'congratulations' upon arrival, let alone anything else. Ah well....

Thanks for the report Wiffle. I will be out there in July and hopefully we don't run into the same issues. We are also going for an anniversary, hopefully they will be able to upgrade us as well and I will be sure to send emails out seeing if I can get the recognition for the occasion/status.

Sorry to hear the noise was too much. Hopefully they get some feedback on that and correct it.

Marriott St Kitts On-site Restaurant Schedule
 

If someone is currently there or was there very recently, I would appreciate knowing:

1. Which on property restaurants are closed on what days.

2. Which nights are the "special event' nights which in the past were at the Italian restaurant and at Blu.

Note, I am only looking for the above information - I am well aware of what the restaurants are both on and off property.

(Posted on TUG but got no results)

Thanks.

Lobster (BLU) was Monday Night
Italian Rest was Tuesday Night
Blu was closed on Saturday
Steak Rest was closed on Friday
We ate at BLU on Wed
We ate at Steak Rest on a Thursday
We ate at Italian on Friday
We ate at Steak Rest on Sat (Actually end up eating off site)

That is what I remember from my stay last Month. We had a TON of problems with our stay. Hotel has a new GM and is going through Major Layoffs. The island itself is losing direct flights from San Juan so it is going to be even tougher to get there soon. Only weekend flights on USAir and Delta and AA from MIAMI daily.

Thanks for the info. We will be there soon and judge for ourselves how things are. So far there is still the twice weekly nonstop on AA from JFK. If that goes away, I would likely stop going there. If willing to share, I would be interested in what the problems were. You can send me a private message if you don't want to post it publicly.

I missed the JFK flight. Maybe one from Dallas or chicago too? Hope you have a good trip. Try and get room 508 if you can.

We will be at the timeshare this trip. Last two years we were in the hotel. Stayed in the smaller outer buildings which we prefer. As a Plat. got nice upgrades each time - last year to a 1 BR suite.

I'm a Plat Premier thinking of visiting later this month. Does anyone have any recent experience on upgrades? Wondering what I'll get if I book the basic room assuming based on price and time of year that the hotel is not very busy.

I have had exceptional luck (3 for 3) with upgrades to suites at the time of check-in. I know it's a little brash, but a little monetary sign of appreciation went a very long way on my last visit (upgrade to a 2BR suite for a week).

I'm not saying it's the rule, but there are a lot of suites at that property in the low rise buildings that surround the pool area and, if it's not full, they seem to be in play.

Just completed a long weekend stay on points at this property. Mixed thoughts on the physical property itself but the staff were all excellent in my opinion. I also did not stay on property very much as I typically like to enjoy the local sights/flavors. I can echo that most thoughts in this thread are accurate. The property appeared to be only 50% full.

Room: I used points to book the lowest class room. As a PLT, I was upgraded. I was offered either a King pool/ocean front view view room in the main building on floor 2 or a king suite on level 5 facing the golf course/mountain. I opted for the second and was pleased with my choice. The room was spacious, had a separate living room and half bath and was quiet. The view was decent but like I said, I don't typically spend much time in the room during they day so it didn't matter.

Food: I did not eat once at the hotel but did select the fruit platter which was sent up with 2 bottles of water & cheese. It ended up being a good snack throughout the course of the weekend. As mentioned, there are several restaurants & groceries available within a short walk. Much cheaper.

Transportation: Easy (but expensive). Always cabs around. The cab prices are fixed & in my opinion expensive. I did notice cabbies will usually try to throw an extra dollar or two onto the price so make sure you confirm the rate before you leave. With a Hertz on site at the Marriott, I wish I had rented a car. Besides the downtown area parking would not have been a problem on the island and while you drive on the left as opposed to there are really only 2 lane roads & a few roundabouts.

http://www.fortlauderdaledaily.com/u...rience-package

"For guests who want to find out how it feels to be treated like royalty, the St. Kitts Marriott Resort is now offering a VIP Experience Package, which includes the complete YU Lounge treatment and a stay in the hotel's Royal Ocean View or Presidential suites. A YU Lounge is a cutting-edge private airport terminal that helps give guests a seamless travel experience.

Here's how it goes down: Upon landing in the eastern Caribbean, guests will be picked up from the tarmac in a Porsche Cayenne and transferred to the YU Lounge, where they'll enjoy gourmet bites and un-li-mi-ted champagne. A personal concierge will collect any luggage and take care of immigration and customs processing.
After a complimentary airport transfer to the St. Kitts Marriott, visitors can take advantage of express check-in and a bottle of sparkling wine. Daily breakfast for two and nightly turndown service are also included with the stay.

The St. Kitts resort features eight restaurants, three bars, a 15,000-square-foot Emerald Mist Spa offering island-inspired treatments, an 18-hole championship golf course and the largest Vegas-style casino in the Caribbean, so the entertainment possibilities are endless.

If this sounds like an exclusive experience reserved for the 1 percent, think again: The St. Kitts Marriott’s VIP Experience package, which requires a five-night minimum stay, starts at $418 plus tax per night for the Royal Ocean View Suite. Those staying in the Presidential Suite, however, should expect to pay upward of $1,200 per night.

St. Kitts Marriott representatives said the offer has been especially popular with honeymooners looking to get a taste of the good life.

The package can be booked online at stkittsmarriott.com or by calling 800.223.6388 and using promotional code P54."