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Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay #164617
06/26/2018 10:34 PM
06/26/2018 10:34 PM
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 11
California
R
RMG Offline OP
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RMG  Offline OP
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R
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Posts: 11
California
Can anyone give me an update on the Westin Dawn Beach Hotel. We used to enjoy staying there but have not seen any information on their status.

Also, what is the status of Friers and Happy Bay? Is there any vegetation on the beach. We spent quite a few enjoyable days under the shade of the big tree in the middle of the beach there.

Thank you for your responses.


Robert
SXM Sponsors
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164620
06/26/2018 10:52 PM
06/26/2018 10:52 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
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Portland, OR
Happy Bay lost a lot of vegetation. Take a look at the picture in my trip report here.

The sand at Friar's is much rockier than it used to be.


[Linked Image]
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jazzgal] #164623
06/26/2018 11:17 PM
06/26/2018 11:17 PM
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 11
California
R
RMG Offline OP
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RMG  Offline OP
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California
Thank you for the update.


Robert
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164634
06/27/2018 08:56 AM
06/27/2018 08:56 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Linda--I wondered about Friars, compared to previous years. We had not been there in YEARS and while we just ate lunch, I thought at this time, it would be pretty difficult to get into the water unless you have water shoes because of all the rocks. Of course we were only on the FBBC end. Not sure about the other end. Did you go down there?


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164643
06/27/2018 09:33 AM
06/27/2018 09:33 AM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
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I spent days at both ends. While I do have water shoes, I didn't go in the water either day. The formerly-Kali end might have been slightly less rocky.


[Linked Image]
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jazzgal] #164644
06/27/2018 10:11 AM
06/27/2018 10:11 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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OK thanks.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164648
06/27/2018 11:25 AM
06/27/2018 11:25 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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Auburn, WA
We didn't notice many more rocks than usual. We went there after they cancelled the ferry going over to Pinel because of all the seaweed around the dock in Cul D Sac. Enjoyed our time there. Just be aware they don't take credit cards and the exchange rate was rather high. Much more than the going rate.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: SXMScubaman] #164650
06/27/2018 11:38 AM
06/27/2018 11:38 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Yes, I was surprised they didn't take credit cards. I'm not sure if that was always the case or not. I didn't pay any attention to what the exchange rate was.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164655
06/27/2018 11:43 AM
06/27/2018 11:43 AM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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If I remember right they quoted 1.25. Food wasn't the best either.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164657
06/27/2018 11:45 AM
06/27/2018 11:45 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Isn't 1.25 about the official rate?


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164659
06/27/2018 12:13 PM
06/27/2018 12:13 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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No. It's been hovering around 1.16 for months.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Carol_Hill] #164660
06/27/2018 12:15 PM
06/27/2018 12:15 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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Carol. I have this on my favorites for any currency.
https://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=EUR&to=USD&amount=1

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Carol_Hill] #164661
06/27/2018 12:31 PM
06/27/2018 12:31 PM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,000
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
RI Bob C Offline
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RI Bob C  Offline
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1.16 to 1.17 lately. Hasn't been near 1.25 for some time.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: SXMScubaman] #164663
06/27/2018 01:05 PM
06/27/2018 01:05 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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OK, I really don't pay that much attention to it.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: SXMScubaman] #164681
06/27/2018 04:48 PM
06/27/2018 04:48 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
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Originally Posted by SXMScubaman
We didn't notice many more rocks than usual.


Then it's changed since you were there. I will have a picture in my third week's report that shows a significant rock/pebble accumulation. I agree that the food wasn't that great.


[Linked Image]
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jazzgal] #164687
06/27/2018 05:00 PM
06/27/2018 05:00 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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I took a picture also of the rocks, which maybe I'll get posted one of these days! duh Regarding the food, we had an order of chicken spring rolls that was da bomb! Eric had a really good chicken sandwich with goat cheese. I had a croque monsieur which I did not enjoy, as I thought the bread was very soggy. I had never had it before, so I didn't know whether they did a good job with it or not.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164696
06/27/2018 06:21 PM
06/27/2018 06:21 PM
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,864
Portland, OR
jazzgal Offline
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That's what I had, and no, they didn't.


[Linked Image]
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jazzgal] #164702
06/27/2018 07:26 PM
06/27/2018 07:26 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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OK, like I said, I'd never had one before, so I didn't know how it was supposed to come out..


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jazzgal] #164706
06/27/2018 07:46 PM
06/27/2018 07:46 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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Originally Posted by jazzgal
Originally Posted by SXMScubaman
We didn't notice many more rocks than usual.


Then it's changed since you were there. I will have a picture in my third week's report that shows a significant rock/pebble accumulation. I agree that the food wasn't that great.

Well all the times before we have always had rocks so I didn't notice any difference.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164718
06/28/2018 06:58 AM
06/28/2018 06:58 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,917
New England (home), St. Maarte...
jmbcomms Offline
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Columbia Sussex has still not announced what will happen with their Westin St. Maarten Resort. We have reported previously that the issue there, as in many other places, is insurance -- they're waiting for the money they are owed to act, and I don't expect them to formally announce anything until they have the $ to actually get going.


Jeff Berger
Visiting SXM Since 1978
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Carol_Hill] #164738
06/28/2018 11:17 AM
06/28/2018 11:17 AM
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 95
Pennsylvania
B
Beachnut82 Offline
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Pennsylvania
I also had the Crogue Monsieur sandwich there and thought it was very strange. Use to get this at the Croissantery? and it was delicious.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Beachnut82] #164740
06/28/2018 11:39 AM
06/28/2018 11:39 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Ok, I thought that certainly it couldn't have been made correctly. If so, couldn't imagine what all the hype has been about, over the years! laugh


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jmbcomms] #164762
06/28/2018 08:19 PM
06/28/2018 08:19 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,296
Colorado and Sailing the World
Maria_and_Steve Offline
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Colorado and Sailing the World
So the Westin is currently closed?

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Maria_and_Steve] #164763
06/28/2018 09:10 PM
06/28/2018 09:10 PM
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 357
SeaStar Offline
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Yes according to their website.
"Important Notice about Hurricane Irma
The resort is closed until future notice."

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Maria_and_Steve] #164764
06/28/2018 09:33 PM
06/28/2018 09:33 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Yes, definitely closed ever since the hurricane. We didn't head over that way, but a local friend says that they are working on repairing the damage.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: Maria_and_Steve] #164772
06/29/2018 08:38 AM
06/29/2018 08:38 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,917
New England (home), St. Maarte...
jmbcomms Offline
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jmbcomms  Offline
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New England (home), St. Maarte...
100% closed; Dawn Beach had an 18 foot storm surge, sustained 185 mph winds, and gusts to 240 mph.


Jeff Berger
Visiting SXM Since 1978
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164773
06/29/2018 08:41 AM
06/29/2018 08:41 AM
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,917
New England (home), St. Maarte...
jmbcomms Offline
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I used to stay in a first floor apartment at the Great House, the big apartment building between OBBR and CBC. Water washed away my entire apartment and everything in it, waves were crashing into the second floor, and the third floor was destroyed because most of the roof was ripped off. Anyone staying on Dawn beach was lucky to escape alive. The Westin has many millions of dollars in damage and business interruption on top of that.


Jeff Berger
Visiting SXM Since 1978
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: jmbcomms] #164775
06/29/2018 09:42 AM
06/29/2018 09:42 AM
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,288
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PelicanPirate Offline
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Has anybody seen any tweets from the guy who was tweeting from the westin. At first it started like a Dan Rather in a rain slicker post from a run of the mill hurricane in Key Biscayne and they quickly go from joking to serious as they were all moved into a stairwell at the westin and he said he was atheist and needed people to pray for him.

Anybody know the twitter handle im thinking about?

He might no think so, but it would be interesting to hear more from that experience.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #164778
06/29/2018 10:01 AM
06/29/2018 10:01 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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I remember seeing it at the time, yes. You might be able to google it and find it.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: PelicanPirate] #164779
06/29/2018 10:37 AM
06/29/2018 10:37 AM
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten Offline
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Originally Posted by PelicanPirate
Has anybody seen any tweets from the guy who was tweeting from the westin. At first it started like a Dan Rather in a rain slicker post from a run of the mill hurricane in Key Biscayne and they quickly go from joking to serious as they were all moved into a stairwell at the westin and he said he was atheist and needed people to pray for him.

Anybody know the twitter handle im thinking about?

He might no think so, but it would be interesting to hear more from that experience.


I still follow him, as he is a hoot when out and about in London.

Alex Woolfall
@woolfallalex


"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest" wink
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: BeachKitten] #164781
06/29/2018 11:41 AM
06/29/2018 11:41 AM
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PelicanPirate Offline
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Thats it, thanks.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #165132
07/04/2018 08:08 PM
07/04/2018 08:08 PM
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 176
Ontario, Canada
OllieEh Offline
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OllieEh  Offline
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Here’s some pics of Happy Bay taken today for the OP. There is very little shade available. The first couple of photos are taken from above Happy Bay and the rest are right on the beach. I hope this helps.

Attached Files 6B9F9BC3-DD22-4AFE-96F5-C8165A351EDB.jpegD2F2FA67-C7CE-4FB8-A9A6-8B7204221795.jpeg84460DD5-15D4-4933-B838-1695E1F21B2F.jpegB5477613-6F1D-42D2-B947-8BEF18B3E126.jpeg255BF758-5DD1-40B8-B436-C7977D906568.jpegB53316DC-0424-4EE2-B168-B20BDAAADF48.jpeg
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: OllieEh] #165134
07/04/2018 08:46 PM
07/04/2018 08:46 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Thanks for the pictures. I think 'very little' shade translates into 'zero'. Does the place you are staying provide beach umbrellas?


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #165142
07/05/2018 05:30 AM
07/05/2018 05:30 AM
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 176
Ontario, Canada
OllieEh Offline
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OllieEh  Offline
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Ontario, Canada
Carol, I see four beach umbrellas here but we don’t use them. We relish the sun after those long Canadian winters. At quick glance all look to be in good shape.

Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: OllieEh] #165147
07/05/2018 09:04 AM
07/05/2018 09:04 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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OK, thanks. I live in Florida, so I hide from the sun! laugh Dany rents chairs and umbrellas, or just chairs, or neither?


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #165156
07/05/2018 10:41 AM
07/05/2018 10:41 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
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BillandElaine  Offline
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Dany has never had umbrellas before now. Probably people brought them to the beach if some were seen.


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: BillandElaine] #165161
07/05/2018 10:53 AM
07/05/2018 10:53 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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OK, I didn't know, I was just asking. He does rent chairs though?


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #165166
07/05/2018 12:44 PM
07/05/2018 12:44 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
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He did. Now, I can't say. The couple of time's I've passed by on a boat he was not there.


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: BillandElaine] #165169
07/05/2018 12:52 PM
07/05/2018 12:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,474
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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OK thanks.


Carol Hill
Re: Status of Westin, Friers and Happy Bay [Re: RMG] #165191
07/05/2018 07:56 PM
07/05/2018 07:56 PM
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 176
Ontario, Canada
OllieEh Offline
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Ontario, Canada
Yes Danny has plastic loungers. No pads. $5 each. I use them every visit. Danny is there every day now. Even he was shocked that they were there and intact after that damn Irma.

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