[color:"blue"]Arrival[/color]
Typical great Jet Blue flight from JFK. We weren’t given a gate at PJIA, so were unnecessarily bussed all of about 200 feet to the entry door. Passed through Customs very quickly but then had to wait over 20 minutes for the first bags to arrive.
[color:"blue"]Car Rental[/color]
We used Empress for the first time. Transport to their office was quick and easy, though their office is several minutes away and not as convenient as most. We had rented a Sonata but it was not available, so we were given a small SUV instead. This was an upgrade (slightly larger, more luggage space, security system) but we were charged at the Sonata rate.
Would I rent from them again? Probably not, only because of their location. If others are closer and have the same low rates, I’d favor someone closer.
[color:"blue"]Divi Little Bay[/color]
This was our first stay at the Divi. Previous RCI trades had been into Flamingo and Nettle Bay.
We were assigned unit 501, a ground floor 1br unit right next to the parking lot. The location was very convenient and quiet. The pool was nearby and the beach very close in the other direction. The unit was terrific, with a huge bedroom, nice kitchen, small dining area for 4 and good sized living area with sleeper couch, TV, desk and 2 wicker chairs. The master bath was huge with separate tub and shower, and we also had a half bath. Two sliders opened to a Great Bay view, which I really didn’t like. Yes, you can see cruise ships. But I’d rather look out on open water and palm trees instead of buildings and a quarry. If you don’t want to walk a lot, much of it uphill, check out the resort map online and contact them to ask for a central location. Some of the timeshare buildings up near the fort are quite far from the core of the resort.
Our friends were above us in 512. As a studio unit, it was essentially a hotel room with a small kitchenette. It had a very small deck that looked out to nothing. The only water view was through a small window and far off to a side. Who would design a resort room with no view? Makes no sense to me.
Housekeeping was great. Unlike many timeshare units, they came in daily for fresh towels and to empty garbage cans. We got a full cleaning mid-week.
Maintenance was also terrific. We had a few minor issues with the room, which always happens, and the response was very fast in every case.
The nearby main pool was fine. Decent sized but with space for only 15-20 lounges. Happy hour at the bar was 4-6. Outside of happy hour, drinks were more expensive than I would’ve expected: beer nearly $5 and mixed drinks nearly $8. Salads and sandwiches for lunch were actually pretty good.
The beach is over in front of the hotel units. Lounges and umbrellas were always available. If none were up, the beach attendant would bring them out for you. While it was rocky at the waterline, it was sandy when you got a few feet into the water and past the drop off. I have no idea if the beach was thinned out by October’s storms but there was plenty of room.
Check-out became a bit of a mess as they mixed up the credit cards for our two rooms on check-in. Eventually, they credited the check-in holds and squared up both bills. Hopefully they did it properly, else I’ll be contesting charges when I get my Visa statement.
[color:"blue"]Dining[/color]
Chesterfield’s: This was dinner on the night we arrived, simply because we found it driving around Phillipsburg and saw that it had easy parking. Most dinners were very good.
Greenhouse Phillipsburg: Dinner was OK, nothing special, perhaps with the veggies even better prepared than the entrees. Two-for-one drinks seemed to equate to two drinks with no alcohol in either one. Service was terrific - I believe his name was Martin.
Le Escargot: Also just OK. Escargot I make at home are better than any of the options offered here. Some entrees were very good but the rack of lamb was tied to an overly thick and overpowering ginger sauce.
Le Vie En Rose: We had lunch here after stopping in Marigot for market day. Very good sandwiches and french fries (pardone, pomme frites) that were outstanding.
Mark’s Place: Everyone’s been right on this board, the ribs are very good. Even better were the scalloped potatoes. Creamy and cheesy with nutmeg, these were more potatoes dauphinoise than simple scalloped potatoes.
Pineapple Pete’s: Just OK. This was Plan B after rain kept us from going to Topper’s and the dinner show. Appetizers were pretty good, especially the conch fritters. The short ribs weren’t actually short ribs, but were fairly tasty. My wife’s mahi was very overdone, dried out and tasteless. Service was good. This was actually the most crowded restaurant we hit all week, which makes no sense.
Mario’s: Like the rest, it was fine but inconsistent. The scallops were amazing but the duck very overdone. Lumpy mashed potatoes, maybe with a little garlic in them, were not the best match to perfect, classy scallops. I will say that the beef carpaccio was awesome.
Bikini Beach: We had lunch at BB after lounging away the morning in front of the Zen Café. No one was eating there, so we moved on. Salads were very good but, I think, over priced.
Blue Bitch Café: We had lunch here when we spent a couple hours roaming around Phillipsburg. Nothing to write home about other than the beer being cold. Tasted no jerk, and pretty much no chicken, in a jerk chicken quesadilla.
Atlantic Café: Grabbed sandwiches and croissants to eat before we flew out and all were very good. Actually, we thought, better than Suciere’s in Marigot.
[color:"blue"]Security[/color]
We had no issues, though we were never out late or had to park anywhere distant to where we needed to be.
[color:"blue"]Weather[/color]
No issues. Rain came late afternoon or in the evening, so it didn’t impact anything except changing one dinner location. No issues at all with mosquitos. Our one day at Orient was very windy, so we’ll chalk it up to a free exfoliation treatment.
[color:"blue"]Departure[/color]
I’m glad PJIA is a nice new airport, because we spent nearly 5 hours there. We got there a little earlier than we needed to due to logistics and then had the flight delayed by 1.5 hours due to weather. Comfortable seats and good options for food and drinks made it tolerable. Jet Blue message board info never did match reality, though.
