Travel Report – SKB – July 25 to Aug. 4, 2005

Hotel arrangements made thru Skyauction. Airline tickets thru Travelocity. Rental car from Avis with a reservation thru the St Kitts & Nevis Forum by Discover St Kitts Nevis Beaches - http://www.islandimage.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

Day 1 - Departure went as planned. We left the 100+ degree heat of the Upper Midwest for the cooler environment of St. Kitts. Only a slight delay at SJU for “mechanical problems?” OTI assigned us a beautiful room overlooking the Fantasy Pool and the bay. Room 29 has a balcony on 2 sides and always has a great view and a bit of shade. We were greeted very warmly by the staff who remembered us from previous visits.

Day 2 – We began the day with a warm walk downtown. Lunch at Bambu’s. Tiny dried up hamburger. Off to get the rental car at Avis. The Avis agent had all our paperwork ready and the car was being washed for our use. On to Horsford’s IGA for some room snacks/drinks. We return to the hotel for some quality limin’ time around the Fantasy Pool. It took 3 times under the waterfalls to get my body cooled down. It sure does take some time on each visit to get used to the heat and humidity. Geoffrey, the bartender, took very good care of us as always. The Tuesday night Manager’s Cocktail party was a hit with most of the guests. It’s hard to beat complimentary (FREE!!!) snacks and drinks. Dinner was at Serendipity and what a pleasure that was! Our first time at this new restaurant next to OTI was splendid. We dined with a couple from Virginia that were also guests at OTI. Good service, a creative menu, and a fantastic view gave us a night to remember. My steak was quite good and our shared dessert of cheese and fruit was large enough for not only 2 but also provided snacks the next day.

Day 3 – We began the day with a trip to Kay’s Jewelers to meet Vick from the DSKNB message boards. Nice young man. We did make a purchase of some beautiful items for my wife. Good prices and service. They resized my wedding ring as a part of her purchase. Vick promised to meet up with us later. Now it’s Pool Time!!!!! Not much happening until the latter part of the day. We met Suzie and Shenae from the Washington, D.C. area. Dinner with them at Fisherman’s Wharf and off together to the Marriott Casino. It’s always nice to meet new friends and enjoy their company. This happens a lot at OTI. Saw Vick at the casino and he invited us to stop by the store the following week to meet his father. They own two additional stores on Aruba and St. Martin.

Day 4 – Sight seeing day. Visit to Romney Manor, Caribelle Batique, and all around the island. Lunch at Turtle Beach. Lots of new construction in the South Peninsula. Dinner intended for Spratnet but no parking available in a pouring rainstorm. Back to town and the Circus Grill. Surf & turf for me with pasta/shrimp for Cindy. Always a hit. Rain continued throughout the meal.

Day 5 – Windshield wipers not working well. Consulted Avis and they replaced the car on Sunday. Holiday weekend and no access to parts. Talk about service!! We’ll do this again. They even arranged for us to use a car on Nevis the following week at no extra charge. Just pay for the fuel you use. My compliments to a fine staff. Price was quoted accurately. Dinner at OTI’s Waterfalls Restaurant. A West Indies buffet followed by the Coronets Steel Band on the terrace. Unfortunately they got rained out after only a few songs. The buffet was quite good. I really like the stewed beef and yam puffs. Salads, vegetables, soup, and approximately 6 meat choices. Dessert too!!

Day 6 – Off to Frigate Bay Resort. Cheerful reception, but our room was not ready at the time we were told. The resort was a bit more dilapidated than the previous year. Ants in the room and a window that would not close completely. Got rid of the ants the next day, but they never did fix the window. Dinner at La Cuchina @ the Marriott. Great meal, excellent service. Had a couple of drinks with our old friend Anthony who works at the lobby bar. What a source of information about the island and a truly funny man. Blackjack follows.

Day 7 – Beach Day at Turtle Beach. Forgot to have lunch. Split a burger @ Frigate Bay Pool Bar. Dinner at PJ”s just before they close for the season. Pizza for me and lasagne for Cindy. Exceptional as always.

Day 8 – Shopping again. A cruise ship was in, so even though it was a holiday, many shops were open downtown. Cigars and Scotch purchased. Pool time. Dinner at Blu, the seafood restaurant at the Marriott. Great meals. More Blackjack. Made a couple of bucks.

Day 9 – Off to town to meet Vick’s father. Bought more stuff. Back to the beach. Went to Mr. X’s for pre-dinner cocktails and to meet Drew & Krista from the St. Kitts & Nevis Forum at Myeyez.net! Made plans to do Nevis the next day together. Dinner at La Cuchina again. Just can’t get enough of this place. Saw our friend Brandy from Peru. She has been working at the Marriott for 10 months but gets rotated home in October. She and Marsha from Poland made our Christmas Eve dinner a happening.

Day 10 – Off to Nevis with Drew & Krista on the 8:30 a.m. ferry. Picked up the car from Noel’s as they are hooked up with Avis on SKB. Breakfast at Unella’s. Walked the stupendous grounds at the Botanical Gardens for nearly 2 hours. Drinks at Sunshine’s and then to the small museum in the Hamilton House. Back to SKB on the 3:00 p.m. ferry. Snacks at the Ballyhoo and a sumptuous dinner at Marshall’s. What an end to a perfect trip.

Day 11 – Off to SJU & home. Airport check in took a long time. Good thing we got there nearly 3 hours early. Air conditioning in the SKB airport not working. Beastly hot in the departure lounge. Sad to leave and wishing we had more time to spend. No problems with airplanes this time.