shipley1001

Please post your experience.. we are going there early Jan.

Also interested in thoughts on whether to use Suite night awards for our 5 night stay. Is Oceanfront room good enough or is Suite really worth it here? Thanks!

Medved

This property does not honour SNAs -- cannot be used. Generally, this property does not upgrade to suites. If you check this thread, I think only one OP had ever been upgraded to a suite in the lowest season. All the above also applies to the sister property at Grand Cayman.

Minneapolis

Customer service at this hotel is lacking. This isn't necessarily unique to the Westin, as there really isn't a spirit of customer service or caring in general anywhere on the island. It was a bit of a culture shock to see just how rude everybody was. The timeshare sales people are pretty ruthless and stalk you even while you're relaxing at the pool. As others have mentioned the property has seen better days and the carpet in the common areas is very filthy. Room furnishings are fine, though, so it's not not that big of a deal.

With that said, the ocean and beach are very nice, though. (A+) As a plat I was given full breakfast vouchers in the buffet restaurant (A++).

Don't go to the Westin expecting to be treated well or expecting a suite upgrade. But the vacation is what you make of it, so enjoy the pool and beach! Take a day trip to go zip lining at Loterie Farms, you won't regret that.

Note that food and dining options in the area are extremely limited and the on-site restaurants frequently close before their published closing times (so so so annoying).

EnvoyBoy

I've stayed here four times now, each time on points. Never paid. As a plat I was twice upgraded to ocean front rooms and twice to a suite.

Now...I'll try best to explain this...the length of the suite ran perpendicular to the ocean, not parallel. And the bedroom was on the waterfront. So when you're sitting in the living room of the suite, you're looking out the side of the hotel to the trees or the timeshare units. You don't get the ocean benefit for the whole suite, just for the bedroom.

So, if you want the space, book or hope for the suite. But if you want the oceanfront thing then an oceanfront room gives you as much waterview and beach view as a suite.

johnep1

Just wanted to chime in with a few things others might find helpful.

We were at this property a few years ago and are likely to return later this month. We're holding off on the reservation for now though due to the cancellation policy and might look at other properties because, other than being able to use SPG points here, there's really not much special about this hotel.

The good:
- We spent some time driving around the island checking out various beaches. Dawn Beach (in front of the hotel) is the best around
- Member of SPG (barely) meant that we didn't have to do much legwork to find a hotel. But we did need to call to book as award (ended up having tons of availability, even at peak times)
- Plat recognition was as advertised

The bad:
- Hotel is very generic; no real island vibe
- Casino is not at all hidden
- If you don't get up early to "reserve" a beach chair (a practice that I find quite rude), you might be out of luck. Our solution was to just grab a chair that someone had been nice enough to reserve for us with a towel. Worked out quite well, although this might be just as rude as their behavior. I blame this on the hotel for not having a policy regarding "saving" beach chairs for hours
- Hotel is a good drive from most things (other than the best beach on the island)

The name of the car rental place we used (which I believe was recommended many years ago on FT) is Panoramic ([email protected]). Was very easy and a 4 door automatic was just under $40/day including tax/insurance. I would use them again if possible (if still in business and if they have availability).

shipley1001

We stayed at the property in early January. As a SPG plat, we were given what was explained by the bell man as the best room in the hotel. I thought he was just saying that since the room didn�t have a SPG sign outside. But after walking in, I believed him! It was a large corner room with an �L� shaped balcony - one side facing the ocean the other facing the pool. Breathtaking views! We had a bottle of champagne waiting for us in the room when we arrived. We also received full breakfast as a SPG Plat. We should have received breakfast coupons at check-in but didn't, which created some inconvenience when we went down for breakfast the first day. Parking is free at the hotel. We used the valet service (they work on tips), we�d call ahead and our car was always there waiting for us. One thing to note about the hotel is that it is on the windward side, so during windy season (Dec-Mar), it gets very windy, to the point that I didn�t really want to sit on the beach at the hotel. Although, this didn�t bother us much as we like to get out and experience the island. We were also not bothered by people trying to sell time shares, may be because we just didn't spend a lot of time at the hotel.

We rented a soft-top Jeep from Thrifty ($85/day), which turned out to be perfect as the road conditions are less than ideal plus we also got the experience of a convertible (originally we had booked a Daihatsu Copen but when we saw it - we decided against it. It didn't any trunk space for luggage or a back-seat it also didn�t have a line-in to play your own music!). I had seen a lot of bad reviews about Thrifty and other car rental companies, so I took a bunch of pics of the Jeep and did a thorough walk-around. Lucky for us, we didn�t have any issues when we returned the rental� it was quick and easy!

A few memorable beaches we visited � Baie Rouge (a hidden gem), Mullet Bay, views from Simpson Bay. A few good restaurants - Skip Jacks � Bar & Sea Food Mkt � for fresh fish, Rancho Del Sol � for amazing margaritas � I am from Texas but I think that is the best margarita I have ever had! L�Auberge Gourmande in Grand Case (for that matter any restaurant in Grand Case�s restaurant row � is a great experience), Mario�s Bistro (hard to find though!). We paid for international roaming on Verizon, so that we can at least use Google maps. Turn-by-turn is not available but you can follow the blue dot on the map. It�s worth it if you really want to get out and about.

We took a day trip to Saint Barths on Voyager High Speed Ferry from Oyster Pond. Couldn�t have survived the choppy ride without a Scopolamine patch! You generally need a prescription for it, but may be able to get one at pharmacy there w/o a prescription. We also rented a car in Saint Barths ($100/day) to really experience the island as the port itself is very touristy � a tip - book a car ahead of time, it�s not cheaper once you arrive at the island and you will waste time trying to find a place.

We loved St. Martin and will definitely be back!

Antonio8069

This property is now classified as Cat. 5 = 16,000 SPG points/free night. Also, no upgrades (supposedly!). Reviews are mixed on both tripadvisor and spg.com, so I would appreciate reading some more recent reviews? Also, do PLATs have to pay the resort fee?

5DMarkIIguy

I was at the Westin Dawn Beach last year. Same as the previous posters, I got the L shape room with balcony wrapped around, facing both ocean and the pool. I paid the SPG50 rate, and it was much cheaper than the BAR rate.

Service was rude rude rude. The girl at the front desk was filing her nail while chatting on the phone and I was standing there waiting to be helped. My key stopped working. I was the only one, she was the only one there. I don't normally get annoyed, but her attitude reminded me of the worst kinds at the DMV.

The timeshare people were relentless.

The Dawn Beach isn't good at all. I went to other beaches on the island or took the ferry to St. Barth for real beach. I also took the ferry to Anguilla. From what I understand, the Dutch side beaches aren't as good, rockier, choppier.

I had to pay the resort fee.

I wouldn't come back, even for free. Also, I find Grand case restaurants to be overrated. Nothing was good on that island.

sandycoflyer

Can someone who has been to this hotel clarify something for me? I see from this thread that guests on points have to pay the $20 resort fee. However, I made a reservation for January and it says there is also a $50-ish service fee? So my cost for the room on points is about $70. I thought that service fees are included in free night stays. Am I only responsible for the resort fee, or the full $70?

Thanks for your help.

DCAcubsfan

A word of caution to those traveling here soon, we were just notified that the CDC has issued a travel advisory due to several cases of the Chikungunya virus in the town of Marigot (French side of the island near SXM airport). No reported cases so far in Anse Marcel.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-issu...ungunya-fears/

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013...s-in-caribbean

http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/

cactuspete

Not sure about how fast this virus can spread, but FYI the Westin is not near either Marigot or SXM.

flyer12345

Does anyone know if Westin Dawn has blackout dates
last date to book for free or paid nights is December 18, 2014?
I called and they said all sold out. I explained maybe rooms not released, they said no, all sold out?

mahasamatman

Why do you assume they're lying? Blackout dates on revenue nights don't make much sense for a hotel that's trying to make money.

Dr. HFH

SXM? This coming Christmas vacation? I would be surprised if they're not already sold out.

BeantownFlyer

Looks to me like they have not released any rooms after 12/18/14. Probably either booking returning guests first or haven't set rates - or both!

This has become an annoying trend for those of us that want to secure flights as soon as they go on sale.

You could call the hotel directly. I have had success with that route.