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Caribbean Travel RoundupNewsletter - Paul Graveline, Editor |
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Trip Jan 2002 This was our second visit to Brace (first since Super Clubs bought the property)Arrived at Songster airport Sunday January 6th. Super Clubs registration desk at the airport did not seem as organized as in the past. (took 20 minutes to get them to send us on to transportation van). Gone are the free drinks enrooted to Braco. Check in at Braco was much faster than on our previous visit. We had booked a junior suite on the Au Natural side and were pleasantly surprised to find the upgrade coupon from our travel agent (Jackie @ Sprayberry Travel) resulted in a full suite. The grounds and accommodations were clean and well maintained. Au Natural beach is on the opposite side of the property from where it was under FDR ownership. The huge Au Natural pool and hot tub were very well maintained. Plenty of chairs and floats by the pool and on the beach. Hot tub was a bit cool for my personal tastes but otherwise the facility was most impressive. The clubhouse on the Au Natural side was even kind enough to make my wife a pitcher of ice tea to take to the beach each day, since she was unable to consume alcohol this trip. Food in the main dining area was slightly improved from our last visit, although the presentation was not as grand as Lido Negril or Hedonism II. Service was ok Sunday night, fair to poor Tuesday and Wednesday, but improved as the week came to an end. It was apparent the facility needed more servers but when a large corporate booking arrived number of servers seemed to magically increase. Obviously they ramped things up for the larger group. Food in the Japanese Steak house was the best we had during the trip. My suggestion would be as soon as you check into Braco go immediately to the concierge desk and make your reservations for both the Japanese restaurant and the French restaurant, otherwise you may be left out. Only real unpleasant part of the stay were two instances of a bad attitude on the part of the concierge. They need to learn the meaning of the word concierge. BTW they will allow you to dine in the Japanese restaurant in jeans and sneakers in spite of what the printed material they hand out says. Also saw a handful of people entering the French restaurant without the "required" jacket. Room service was always on time but the menu is quite limited. Nanny's jerk pit was just as we remembered, great and I was surprised to find it was the only place where authentic Jamaican jerk chicken was offered. The lunch cookout at the Au Natural bar and grill was a welcome change. Food quality, presentation, and variety at this lunch was superb. During our stay we made use of the Sauna and found it clean and very well maintained. We also took advantage of their laundry service. We were pleased with their work. Entertainment seemed a step down from what we’ve enjoyed on numerous visits to Hedo II or Lido Negril. The native show didn’t measure up and the "going through the motions" house band seemed to finally get with it toward the last of the week. What was lacking was not just quality of entertainment but a lack of variety. During breakfast and sometimes during lunch and dinner the music was too "techno" and much louder than it should be. Having your eardrums assaulted with thumping disco like techno first thing in the morning was a bit unpleasant. . Several people were complaining about the volume being too loud. None of the employees seemed to care. (At least at Lido Negril and even Hedo II they played jazz or classical at breakfast. I generally like all types of music but it appeared they just crammed any CD in the player.) Lack of supervision in the dining room was apparent. Only heard Jamaican reggae (Marley, Cliff, McGregor tc) once at lunch or breakfast and that was on the day we left. Weather was unusually cool and very windy, so we spent a great deal of time by the pool rather than on the beach. Even the natives were complaining about being cold. Forget the superclubs "no rain" guarantee. If the sun breaks through even for a few seconds they record the time and even if the rest of the day is rainy and gloomy you won’t get a free day. Twice during our stay various parts of the facility were without water, but you’re in the islands so you quickly learn to adopt a "no problem" attitude. The "street festival" was most enjoyable. In spite of threatening clouds the service and array of food on Saturday night was wonderful. Entertainment after dinner seemed geared toward the large corporate party more than the entire crowd. Saturday morning we met the Air Jamaica representative and asked for specific seat assignment, which he refused. (We later found out he could easily have taken care of the assignment, but didn’t seem to care). The trip back to the airport was better than the trip when we arrived....this time we were on a real bus with air conditioning. Air Jamaica has built a "VIP" lounge on the side of a mountain across from the airport. We were take there, in what was supposed to make the trip easier and more enjoyable. WARNING #1: AVOID THE VIP LOUNGE AND HAVE THEM TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE AIRPORT. If you do visit the VIP lounge, be very careful. The steps are very steep and slippery. It had rained and I slipped on the 5 th step and busted my knee and no one from Air Jamaica seemed to care. I guess they were afraid of a lawsuit. You still have to clear security and customs at Sangster Airport. WARNING #2. DO NOT CARRY AA BATTERIES IN YOUR LUGGAGE. A surly security guard ordered me to open my suite case after it was x-rayed. I complied and she snarled "you know what I’m looking for". When I explained I had no idea what she was looking for she repeated her "you know what I’m looking for" line and upon further questioning it became apparent she wanted my batteries. I usually carry extra AA batteries for my CD player in an empty 35 mm film canister. I handed they to her and she jumped back like I was pulling out a bomb. She replied "these are dangerous and you can’t take them on the plane". My wife protested we had brought them down on an Air Jamaica flight from Atlanta with no problem, but the security woman was insistent. So we gave her the batteries. Having been delayed by all this we raced to our plane (with boarding pass in hand) only to have to undergo a second security inspection of our luggage at the gate. On board the plane another couple told us they had gone through the same unnecessary abuse. Overall on a scale of 1-10 I’d give Braco a 5 or maybe a 6. As a couple from Canada noted: " we were expecting better entertainment and food at these prices". Braco does not measure up to Lido Negril. It’s not bad, and with a little effort and supervision it could be a lot better. Things just seemed a beat off. Sadly, we missed the special feel and taste of Jamaica we've enjoyed on many previous trips. We could have been anywhere in the Caribbean or Florida. There was nothing special that told us we were in Jamaica while we stayed at Braco. My recommendation......stay at Grand Lido Negril or Sandals Negril. The food and entertainment will be better. _______________________________________ >>From Jim Rich Warning for travelers of Air Jamaica to Montego Bay: 1.Avoid the Air Jamaica VIP Lounge- although they say they'll help you avoid the hassle of the airport you'll still have to clear customs at the airport. Air Jamaica takes you to their "lounge" located on a hillside across the street from the airport. Be very careful of the stairs as they are very steep and very slippery. If you should fall as I did, NO ONE at the Air Jamaica location cares or wants to take any responsibility. Once we got to the airport we asked for the manager's name for Air Jamaica. Their "agent" at first got forgetful but after we pressed the issue they gave us a name, they could not spell. We would have waited to see this manager but were perilously close to missing our flight. 2.Apparently Jamaica Security doesn't understand the concept of carry on luggage. Your luggage is passed on a conveyor much like any other airport then a surly security woman may demand you to open your locked bag with a comment (which in my case was) "you know what I'm looking for". If you take issue and say "excuse me"and ask for clarification they'll likely get more demanding. Turns out I was carrying four extra batteries for my cd player. Jamaica security considers AA batteries a threat (or there is a shortage of them in their country so this is how they procure them for free). The agent finally asked, "where are the batteries". I carry extra batteries in the plastic case 35 mm film comes in. When I handed them to the security agent she replied. "That's not what I want". I said "yes it is these are batteries". I removed the batteries and she said "you can't take these on the plane." My wife explained we had brought them down on the Air Jamaica flight out of Atlanta and she said "no you didn't...these aren't allowed on the plane for your protection. " We finally said "whatever" and let her keep the batteries. Then raced to the gate only to have to go through a similar security check. When we explained we had just gone through security and search these security agents at the gate questioned whether or not we had, and said it didn't matter anyway. They had to search our carry on luggage. We protested but at no time raised our voice or used profanity. The agents said "Since Sept. 11th we have to do this...it's for your protection". What's funny is that the family in front of us had two children...and much more carry on items than our one carry on suitcase and they were passed right through. We almost missed our flight. We have been to Jamaica 8 times previously. This will be our last. We'll confine our trips to countries that appreciate the money American travelers bring their way. In Mexico, The Bahamas, St. Martin, The Caymans,...never have we received such unnecessary abusive treatment. We are a middle age couple with seven adult children. Not only will we never travel to Jamaica...my children and their families (who've been to Jamaica and had planned to return) will boycott this third world country.
(Ed Note: The following article by Ed Adams is copyrighted and used here with his permission.)
Trip December 2001 My wife and I spent a week in early December 2001 at Solenhus, a villa on the north shore of St. John. We'd highly recommend this house for those looking for a relatively low-cost vacation where you plan your own activities -- provided you can get past some major caveats, detailed below. We have previously stayed on St. John at the large and pricey Caneel Bay resort (see http://caribtravelnews.com/c0798_05.htm#stjed for our review) and at the smaller, less expensive Gallows Point condos, located at the mouth of Cruz Bay harbor. While we'd recommend both, our goal on this trip was more seclusion at a lower cost. Solenhus sits on stilts and is partially anchored into the rock of a very steep hillside about 500 feet above Hawksnest and Dennis beaches. It is one of the very few homes inside the Virgin Islands National Park, which covers more than two-thirds of St. John. The views from the house's deck of Jost Van Dyke, Tobago Island, Lovango Cay, Congo Cay and assorted smaller uninhabited islands and outcroppings are nothing short of stunning. The deck almost never gets direct sunlight -- a big plus in our book, given the intensity of the sun on St. John -- but the house is almost always filled with light. Bring some binoculars so you can take a closer look at the passing sailboat traffic. The house, which we were told sold for in excess of $700,000 earlier in 2001, has three bedrooms and 3.5 baths. You enter a long, narrow living room/dinning room, which is faced with an equally long deck that lies beyond three sets of sliding glass (and screened) doors. There is a small study/TV room off one side of the living room, and an open kitchen off the other, each with its own set of sliding doors onto the deck. On either side of the main living area two bedrooms, each of which is accessed from the main deck. The third bedroom is in a small "guest house" a few steps away. Each bedroom has its own small private deck, and the master bathroom has a skylight. The kitchen was fully furnished with a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, microwave oven, toaster, and blender. A washer and dryer are on premises. Six large beach towels are provided, as is a large portable cooler. The deck includes a gas grill, a dinning table with four chairs, assorted deck chairs, lounge chairs and side tables. The house is about 15 minutes by car from the restaurants and shops of Cruz Bay. It's far enough away that you feel removed, but not so far that it's a major production to get to town. We felt it was the ideal location. We rented Solenhus (http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/solenhus) through Caribbean Villas & Resorts (http://www.caribbeanvilla.com), one of St. John's largest villa rental agencies. The pictures on the agency's web site accurately depict the villa's decor, which tends toward rattan and tropical prints. Renting December 8-15, just before the start of the high season, the house would normally cost $1,650 a week for two people. But unrented a month before our trip, it became available for $1,100 -- a very good deal. Why so cheap? Here come the caveats: There is no air conditioning -- but we found no need for it, given the breezes that almost constantly blow on the island's north shore. The house has no pool or Jacuzzi -- de rigeur elements of most villas on St. John. But those are minor things compared to the house's driveway. "The last 1/2-mile of the access is a dirt road that will definitely prevent tourists from accidentally discovering your villa," says the agency's web site. That's the understatement of the year. It's not a dirt road. This driveway is a pock-marked, rock-strewn horror that absolutely requires a four-wheel drive Jeep. There are drop-offs of a hundred feet and more along most of it. Even driven at a crawl, it is guaranteed to sober up the drunkest of tourists. Fully half the trip to and from town is taken up negotiating the driveway. It was so memorable that we named sections of it, such as the Pig Wallow (a gigantic puddle in the middle of the road favored by wild sows), the Moonscape (a patch so rough you'll jerk against your seat belts as you crawl along it), and the Switchback (the only paved portion of the drive -- a 100 foot section that includes a 90 degree turn on a 45 degree down angle). That said, after a couple of days, it didn't seem so bad. But we did find that our willingness to pop into town for a quick dinner was lessened considerably by the thought of having to negotiate the driveway in the dark. Another caveat is the local wildlife. In addition to the aforementioned pigs, we encountered some cows on the driveway. A six-inch lizard wiggled his way into the house one night. And we trapped a rather hairy spider, about an inch in diameter, one day. But the most amusing wildlife were the local wild goats. Our first night -- exhausted from the long trip but still wired from the journey down the driveway -- we heard what we thought were a man's footsteps on the deck. Then, after realizing no burglar would be stupid enough to go down the driveway on foot in the dark, we though it must be donkeys. We were wrong on two scores: the main deck is cut off from the surrounding hillside, making it impossible for animals to get on it. And donkeys never came up that high on the hill -- though we did see a number wandering around closer to the beaches, in the middle of the North Shore Road. It turned out to be a herd of goats, using a set of wooden steps that lead from the house's stone walkway down underneath the deck. One night, the stairs were so slick with rain that a goat lost his footing and crashed down most of the steps, baaaaing with abandon after he slammed into the ground. The goats also liked the small carpark situated above the house, which was big enough for two very small Jeeps. It had a light that went on when it sensed motion, and we'd often see it flick on in the evenings. The goats left enough of their calling cards to make it difficult to find a clean place to step when you got into the car the next morning. On our last day, as we went up to the car with our suitcases, we saw four goat butts sticking out from underneath the driver's side of the Jeep. As we shooed them away, six more ran out from under the car. Must be a nice place to get out of the rain, if you're a goat. On balance, we found the goats more amusing that irritating. A couple of more caveats about the house: --The railing of the deck is about three feet high, which along with the deck's slickness when it rains makes the house unsuitable for families with young children. The number of stairs from the carpark down to the house (about 25 steps) makes it less than ideal for adults who have difficulty walking. --While the arrangement of the bedrooms sounds like it would afford a lot of privacy, the absolute stillness of the evenings means you'll be able to hear conversations from one room to another. --The agency's web site claims you can walk down the hill to the north shore beaches. Don't believe it for a minute. --The driveway is accessed from Centerline Road, which snakes its way along the spine of St. John's mountains. This main paved road is in very good shape, but it too is not for the faint of heart. --There is a single house just down the driveway from Solenhus. It's close enough you could toss a stone and hit it, but it is fairly well camouflaged with vegetation. We could hear soft music coming from it occasionally, but didn't find it messed too much with our sense of seclusion. --As of this writing, there is a large house being constructed about 300 feet down the hill. It's visible from Solenhus' deck, and construction sounds were audible during the day. But it does not share Solenhus' driveway, so you don't need to worry about construction vehicles bearing down on you as you make your way up the hill. So what is there to do on St. John? Visit some of the finest beaches in the world, and snorkel some of the best reefs in the Caribbean. It was about 20-25 minutes by Jeep from Solenhus to most of the north shore beaches. If you've never seen Trunk Beach, which is the jewel of the national park, we'd suggest you check it out before 9 am, when the hordes of cruise ship passengers over from St. Thomas for the day begin to invade. It has an easy snorkeling trail, protected from the roughest water by a small island, that's perfect for beginners. And the swimming is very good along one of the island's longest beaches. When Trunk gets busy, Hawksnest Beach is a good alternative. It's a bit closer to town, there are primitive bathrooms and ample parking just steps from the beach, but it gets far fewer day trippers. There were never more than 20 people on it when we were there. Reefs on either side of the beach offer snorkeling. A small beach worth checking out, particularly on calm surf days, is Jumby. There's just a three-car parking lot across North Shore Road from the beach, which is down a short set of steps. It's hidden away and almost never crowded. But for us, the real beauty of St. John are the places accessible only from a boat. Five mornings during our stay we rented a small zodiac boat from Noah's Little Arks (http://www.bookitvi.com/nla.htm), located on the beach in Cruz Bay. The boats have inflatable sides and hard bottoms, and are powered by 15 horsepower motors. They were ideal for exploring the north shore's more remote beaches and reefs. Waterlemon Cay was our snorkeling highlight, with a wide assortment of fish as well as soft and hard corals. There are mooring buoys that dinghies can tie up to adjacent to the island. (Be prepared to haul yourself into the boat -- and, at least in our cases, look like fools doing so -- since there is no ladder.) When the surf was rough, Gibney Beach was a great place to beach the boat. There was no one on the beach, and a shallow sandy bottom made it a great place to lounge about in the water. (All beaches in the USVI are public up to the first line of vegetation. Don't bother the folks in the two private homes and two small guest cottages on Gibney.) Solomon and Honeymoon beaches, which are the first north shore beaches as you leave Cruz Bay, are also good spots to moor or beach the boat. After a tough day of boating and beaching, you can return to the seclusion of Solenhus, where it's just you . . . and the lizard, and the spider, and the goats and the . . .
As we were traveling with 2 very young kids (a 2-year old and a 9-month old) we were a little apprehensive about traveling so far. We had also seen a couple of poor reviews, but after staying at Club St. Lucia I really cannot understand what all the fuss is about. We found the resort to be clean, well maintained with plenty to do. The food was varied and plentiful, as were the drinks with some branded drinks being available, too. The pools were cleaned daily, so were the rooms and the staff was fantastic from the cleaners to the customer relations staff. The Magic Action Team was superb and their twice- weekly shows were truly professional. Don't miss the manager’s cocktail party on Monday evenings as this gives you a chance to meet all of the staff. The hotel is amazingly kid-friendly, and the Baby Parrots’ Nest (the nursery for kids 3 months to 4 years) was wonderful. It's fully air conditioned and there were many different daily activities. We decided to have the kids in the nursery from 9am-12noon daily, but many people used it from 9am -5pm. There was also a babysitting service after hours. John, the tennis coach was great. He ran a clinic from 9am-10am Mon.- Fri. I couldn't even hit a ball but after 5 lessons I can now play a rough game. I can only assume that the few people who have rated this resort poorly visited it before the recent takeover, or just like to complain. There was an occasional whiff of something near the slide pool and there were a lot of small ants in one area near the quietest pool, but certainly nothing to warrant a complaint. I never saw any evidence of anyone changing hotels, and of everyone I spoke to was happy. The only difficulty is the 1 1/2 hour trip from airport to the hotel. I highly recommend taking the helicopter transfer if you can afford it. Kids under 2 go free and it's a fantastic way to see the island before heading home. We left the hotel about a half an hour after the other guests and arrived at the airport way before them; it's well worth the money. Do remember that helicopters are not permitted to fly after sunset though. I would say that if you do need to buy anything outside of what's included, it is very expensive. Make sure you take plenty of sunscreen; it's not cheap if you run out, and baby supplies are incredibly expensive. (£16 for a small packet of Pampers!) So try to take as much with you as possible. All in all we had a great holiday, and for us the staff made the holiday perfect. Do remember that it is a 3-star rating though so don't go expecting a 5-star, as I think some may have done in the past. We were very impressed.
Trip Jan 2002 Just returned from a wonderful 9-day stay at Sapphire Beach Hotel in St. Thomas. If you are looking for the lap of luxury, Sapphire is not for you. But, if you are looking for a relaxing, laid-back vacation with fantastic views and a fabulous beach, Sapphire is definitely the place to go. Took US Air direct from Philadelphia. Plane was pretty much on time - with all the added security, you definitely need to get to the airport early. Arrived in St. Thomas on time and got in open-air "cattle car" for trip to Sapphire. Took about ½ hour getting through Charlotte Amalie since there were 9 cruise ships in town that day. Arrived at Sapphire - immediately checked in and went to our room. Room was on the ground floor. It's actually 2 rooms, divided by sliding doors (which are actually 4 doors which you can close all 4 or leave any number open). Bathroom could use some updating - the fixtures are all old - but it was very clean. Bedroom contained a king-size bed and dresser/desk and safe in the closet (safe is free unless you lose the key). Other room contained pull-out sofa, table and 4 chairs, cable TV (with tons of channels), 2 side chairs and kitchenette, complete with refrigerator, stove, microwave, coffee pot, toaster and dishes. There was a sliding door at the end of the room that opened onto a porch with 2 lounge chairs. You walked down one step and were on a brick patio and when you walked off the patio, you were right on the beach. The water was about 50 yards from our room. Since we were all tired from the long day, decided to eat dinner at Seagrape restaurant in the hotel. Food was decent and not too overpriced. Next day took a taxi to Red Hook to the Marina Market and picked up some groceries, beer and liquor. $4.99 for bottle of Cruzan Rum! Back to the hotel for some rest and relaxation on the beach. Since we were so close to our room, we could walk up there, grab a cold drink and go right back to the beach. Since the beach was so convenient and the view of St. John so spectacular, we ended up eating most breakfasts and lunches on our patio. It really saved some money. Ate a couple of nights in Red Hook - great dinner at the Frigate Restaurant. Also, good food at Caribbean Bar & Grill and Whale of a Tale. Made the mandatory trip to Agave Terrace for drinks and dinner. Very good food with some interesting specials. Go early and enjoy the spectacular view from the bar! All in all, dinner prices weren't too high. We averaged about $70 for dinner (including drinks). Also ate at Sapphire's Steak House - where the steaks were surprisingly good. Did not venture into Charlotte Amalie at all. There were just too many cruise ships in port and the town was packed everyday Took the ferry to St. John and did our shopping there. The ferry ride to St. John is the best buy on the island - $3/person for a nice boat ride. Took a day trip to Virgin Gorda. Were going to book at the hotel on Limnos Charter (which leaves Red Hook), but walked around to the Sapphire Marina and booked instead on Breakaway Charter. The price is the same and you don't have to pay for a cab to Red Hook. Plus, the boat didn't have any set timetable. The boat holds up to 25, but we lucked out and there were only 8 of us. The Breakaway is a 56' yacht that is completely equipped. We left at 8:30 in the morning and took the 90-minute ride to Virgin Gorda to the Baths. This is well worth the trip, even though several people in our group were so tall, they had a little trouble climbing around some of the rock formations. Then off to Norman Island, where our lunch order had been called in to a schooner anchored off shore called the Willie T. After a lunch of hamburgers, we were off to the Caves for some deep water snorkeling and then to Indians from more snorkeling. Back to the hotel at about 4:30. It was a perfect day and well worth the cost. It was $115/person, plus $15/person departure fee for the British Virgin Islands. Remember to bring your passport! The captain and guide on the boat were both extremely friendly and well informed. Soft drinks, water and beer were provided all day long, along with muffins (in the morning) and snacks and rum drinks all day long. I would definitely recommend this trip! The remainder of the trip was spent doing a lot of lounging and loafing around on Sapphire's Beach. I was so relaxed I read 5 books during my stay. In several Internet posts, I had read quite a few comments about the unfriendliness of the staff at Sapphire Beach. I did not encounter anyone who wasn't pleasant and outgoing. Everyone we met at the hotel went out of their way to be nice to you. We did receive several phone calls from the time share desk at the hotel. I finally told her we were definitely not interested and she stopped calling. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and we hated to leave paradise - but we are already planning a return trip next year!
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