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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Gert van Dijken, Editor |
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Dear Editor, I read Rob White's article which was, to say the least, interesting. But is he serious? He said he thought Riker's Island was near Barbados. I have to assume he was joking. Riker's Island is a prison on Long Island in New York. The other thing that interested me, just because he never mentioned it, was what hotel they stayed at - or perhaps they just slept on the beach since they seemed so interested in experiencing the island an it's people from a native's point of view. Kay Todd Group Sales Coordinator Antigua Resorts
Dates: Apr 27-May 4, 2002 Who: Me and the wife We left Boston early on 7am AA flight to SJU. Chaos as usual. American has several large flights leaving Boston in the 6-7am time frame. Everyone is there at least 1 and usually 2 or more hrs early. There are only a handful of checkin agents prior to 4.30 or 5.00am. There are 3 lines: Miami, San Juan, and domestic. Since the Miami flight is first (6.10am) they check it in first. Therefore we waited (3rd in line) for 1 hr without moving. When they did start checking in San Juan people, it went fast. Security was not bad, despite many hand searches. (American needs to put on more agents in early am, then you would not have to be there 2 or 3 hrs ahead). Our flight was on time. They served breakfast. In San Juan, connected to American Eagle to Anguilla. They were asking for "volunteers" to give up seats on several AE flights due to "new" regulations on weight limits. To get to the plane you board a bus. You need to be in gate area to hear boarding announcements. When we got on the plane the asked for "volunteers" to give up seats (for $400 plus hotel room in San Juan plus dinner voucher and guaranteed place on 9pm flight). No one volunteered so they "drafted" someone. They called the names of the last people to book flight. We were on time and arrived at 2.30pm Were met by staff from resort and directed to a cab to get to resort. They won't let you rent a car at the airport. I think so the cabbies can have work. Fixed rate cab rides with govt set rates. The Resort: We had originally booked at Malliouhana but were "bumped" in Jan since someone had rented the entire hotel for a wedding. WE rebooked at CuisinArt Resort and Spa. We were in a luxury jr suite. There are 10 buildings right on the beach. Each building is 3 stories. 3 suites on 1st and 2nd level. On 3rd level, a luxury jr suite and a 2 br suite. These have the best views and most privacy. Views of St Martin and beach. Sliders and screens so could listen to ocean at night. Breakfast served on your terrace each morning. Mini fridge stocked with water. Anything else off rooms service could be added. (we went to grocery store to get wine and beer to stock). The room was large with king size bed, large double tub, large shower big enough for 2. Terrace had awning for shad if needed. very private. Service was good. Plently of clean towels, beach towels. Turn down service. Beach and pool had attendents setting you up etc. At 3pm they served sorbet both on the beach and by the pool. The beach (Rendezvous Bay) is wonderful. Long and perfect for long walks. Water was warm and serf not rough. They had all the water accessories you could want--sailboats, kayaks, snorkle gear (all gratis). Activities: Went to Scillly Cay on Sunday (live music day). Eudoxie and Sandra Wallace were on hand to serve. Great Lobster/crayfish/chicken etc. It is a very expensive "lunch" (about $120 for 2 with drinks) but a lot of fun. The rum punch knocks you for a loop and naps are in order. Took the ferry to St Martin for a day of shopping. Ferry runs every 30 mins. $2 departure tax and $10 fare. Takes you right to Marigot. We shopped and had lunch at La Belle Epoque on the Marina. Very nice. After the quiet of Anguilla, seemed very crowded and we went back by 3pm. Took a tour of Hydroponic Garden at CuisinArt. Very interesting. Wife did 2 spa massages and enjoyed them. Other days we lazed by the pool or beach or in our suite. Read lots of books. Restaurants: Lunches: Cafe Mediterraneo at CuisinArt is wonderful. Serves fresh veggies from hydroponic garden. Also ate at Georges at Cap Juluca. Also good. Dinners: Blanchards. Exceptional food. Sevice poor (Blanchards not there). Had Mahi/mahi, wife had swordfish. The coconut/chocolat desert was wonderful. ($150 including drinks but no wine). Mangos: Great service. Wonderful food. Had counch chowder and seafood capellini. Wife had tomato/mozarella salad and grilled chicken. ($120) Overlook: Not great. They are closing soon so not all items on menu were available. Nice view and good service. Had the garlic encrusted snapper and wife chcken pasta. Santorini: At CuisinArt. Average restaurant. Had steak and wife a veggie dish. ($120) Tramonte: Wonderful service and food. I had fish soup and seafood spaghetti, wife had Tom salad and chicken dish. ($100). Straw Hat: Great location right out over water with view of St Martin. Wonderful service. I had mussels and Thai fish stew, wife had portobello mushroom salad and steak. ($100) Altamer: Outstanding. Wonderful ambiance. Livemusic. Right on water with waves and wind in palms. Very romantic. Had conch chowder and shrimp creole. wife had tomato salad and veggie pasta dish. ($130 and well worth it.) Return Trip uneventful. Early am American Eagle flight to San Juan connecting to flight to Boston. On time. Getting thru immigration/customs in San Juan easy. Summary: Anguilla is a wonderful island. The people are very friendly and helpful. The beaches are outstanding. Exceptional restaurants. We did the high end tourist places but you can also go "native" for not much $ and be happy. Places like Tastys, Uncle Ernies, etc are great also.
My sister and I went to the Atlantis Resort in late April for a few days of rest and relaxation. Although I had read trip reports that had mentioned the disappointment in service, activities, food, etc., I feel that I must tell you what our experience was like. We left from Charlotte on US Airways at 11:15am and arrived in Nassau at 1:25pm. We took a tour bus over to Paradise Island and arrived at the hotel around 2:30pm. We promptly checked in to our room with no problems at all, although I had heard that they are very adamant about a 3PM check in. Our room was in the Coral Towers and was automatically up graded from a $378.00 room to a $450.00 room. The room was very clean with 2 double beds and a balcony with table and chairs looking over the water park and a beautiful view of the ocean. The room had an in room mini bottle bar and snacks. My sister got the munchies one night and ate a Snickers candy bar and we were charged $5.95 for it. You can imagine how much a mini bottle would had run. The hotel is rated 5 stars and it lived up to that rating. The architecture and sculptures in side the resort are all first class and by well know artists. The hallways are marble and the carpeting throughout the hotel is always on the theme of the ocean creatures and shells. All lighting in the resort consist of sea creatures or shells from the sea. The resort is extremely clean and never did I see debris of any kind inside or outside the resort. With 34 acres surrounding the resort you have to do some major walking to get to certain areas. This could definitely cause problems with the handicapped or elderly. Most of the restaurants at the resort are buffet type. Breakfast runs $19.00 per person with gratuities always included with every meal you eat and every alcoholic drink. Breakfast consist of anything and everything you can imagine. You even have your own chef to fix your eggs right in front of you. Some of the best Eggs Benedict I have ever had. When you need something from your table, all you do is lift your hand and someone is at your table within a minute and always willing and able to do their job. These employees are always smiling, happy to be of service and truly concerned that you are having a wonderful vacation. Dinner is usually buffet also. Dinner runs $49.00 per person. Again, there is so much variety of foods available, even a pasta bar, pizza bar, seafood bar, salad bar and best of all the dessert bar with every type of dessert you could ask for. Service was always good at every meal. The most important thing to remember is that the food in all of the Bahamas is very expensive. Everything comes out of Miami. Almost every island I have been to in the Bahamas has mediocre food but not the Atlantis. The food was always very good to excellent. Even in grocery stores you can expect to pay $3.00 a gallon for bottled water and a gallon of milk can run as much as $7.00 Most of the shops in the resort are designer shops like Gucci, Anne Klein, Tiffany, Calvin Klein, but some are your normal shops with tee shirts, hats, handbags and souvenirs. Of course these are all duty free and there is no tax in the Bahamas. The grounds are so lovely with beautiful blooming flowers everywhere and sting rays,sharks and other large fish swimming all around the small lagoons as you stroll the walkways outside. The beach was a disappointment to me. It was very crowded and they mark off a buoyed area that you have to stay within because of the jet skis and motor boats in the area. Although the water was crystal clear and a beautiful teal blue color, there was nothing to see snorkeling except an occasional fish here and there. We did snorkel in the lagoon area and saw groups of fish, urchins, lots of sponges and colorful fish. It would be what I consider beginners snorkeling areas. Drinks everywhere in the resort usually ran $6.00 (including gratuity) and you never had to say, make it a double, the liquor was flowing and bartenders were excellent with any drink you wanted. The casino is absolutely beautiful. Fine glass sculptures hanging from the ceiling with beautiful carpeting throughout. They have about 800 slots and poker machines, 3 craps tables, 2 roulette tables, 9 blackjack tables with the minimum bet being $10 and up. 4 Caribbean poker tables, and various other tables. As long as you are betting, drinks are on the house with someone coming by every 10 minutes to take orders. The resort has huge wall aquariums throughout the hotel with hammerhead sharks, bull sharks, nurse sharks, manta rays swimming in groups, and all these animals are big, some 10 feet long. All in all, I can honestly say that the Atlantis is one of the highlights of all my vacations I have ever had. Keep in mind that it is always crowded but if you are thinking of going when kids are on vacation from school or during holidays then you are going to be waiting in line to eat meals, and probably not receiving the service you should for the prices you are paying.
Travel - We used TimAir in lieu of the bus and paid $240 in cash for two round trips to Negril after making the web reservations in January. Could have used plastic at the TimAir counter in MoBay but opted not to and avoided the additional 5% credit card fee. From what I saw, nobody waited more than 30 minutes for a TimAir flight. The only bad part of the trip was the theft of a camera and digital camcorder on the return US Air flight. Frustrating because you are encouraged to not use carry-on baggage yet our checked baggage was opened and stolen from after US Air took possession of the bags at the MoBay ticket counter.Rooms: We had a Gardenview Suite, which I highly recommend. The distinction between Beachfront and Gardenview (both suites and rooms) is so minor that I don't see why they even bother to differentiate between them. The reason I would recommend a suite vice room is room size and amenities. Suites are twice as big, have an additional window on the corner side and the bathrooms are awesome. They have a Jacuzzi that easily held two plus a rain shower that you have to experience to really appreciate. Having a well stocked refrigerator in the suite was also a big plus. Bring CD's, we forgot ours and really missed them. The hair dryers were not worth using (maybe 50 cycle electricity?). As far as room location goes, there are 9 three story buildings on the property (we were on the second floor of building 9 at the south end and it was perfect). Everyone we talked to while we were there said that their room was just right. I honestly think a guest would be happy in any of the buildings.Staff: If you are new to Jamaica you have to understand that they are on "Jamaican time". This is not really a matter of time but, an attitude that can be frustrating if you don't get in sync with it. My wife and I made it a point to say hi and talk with every staff member that we interacted with and, without exception, they responded with courtesy and pride. We had outstanding service from everyone including the bartenders, waiters, front desk, maids and entertainers. All it took was a simple "Hi Mon" and "Thank You" to get treated like a welcome guest. While we were there three couples arrived and acted like the staff were paid servants. Their attitude was just reflected back and they were treated accordingly. They never did figure out why no one, guests included, wanted anything to do with them. Social: Most of the guests were in the 30-50 year old age group while we were there (there were a few in their 20's, but not many). My wife and I renewed our vows at the garden gazebo and it was a wonderful experience. The good times were way too many to list but, here are a few memories that we took away. We met a lot of other couples with similar interests and just had a plain old good time wherever we were (the pool bar is great!). If you are into diving, sailing or water sports there is more to do than you will have time for. My wife, along with maybe 50% of the gals there went topless on the beach. The beach and ocean at Couples Negril was as good as I have ever seen in the Caribbean, it has a real gradual slope that was ideal for floating and easy swimming. There are plenty of shade trees at the waters edge to lie under if you have had your fill of sun or just want to kick back and read. We are not "participators" but, couldn't help but join in at Couples. The piano bar sing along and wine tasting nights are not to be missed. The "booze cruise" on the 94 foot catamaran was a high point of the week. Do take some dress up clothes so that you can take advantage of the " reservations only" restaurant as it is well worth it. Beach Party and Friday Lobster nights stand out in my memory.
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