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Tuesday 3/2 - Arrival
We left our house at 5:30am PST and arrived in STT at 8:30pm. The taxi fare from the airport to the Ren/Grand Bay Palace was 22 plus 2 for bags and 2 for tip $26.00. The taxi loaded up some other people who were going to Sapphire and off we went. This is the first time we have flown into a place in the dark, so we saw no scenery along the way, but the other people have been going there for 17 years, so they gave us a tour as we rode and the time passed quickly. One thing they told us about that I wanted to see, but didn’t make it, was Tillett Gardens, which sounded very nice.
Rooms
We were on Marriott points, and check-in was smooth and efficient. We were loaded into a golf cart and driven to our room, which was a good thing, as we were dead tired, and there is no way we could have found our way in the dark. The driver pointed out the different restaurants and the way to the tennis courts, and was very cordial (as was all the Staff).
We had a poolside room, number 1412. It was dark and we couldn’t see the beach, but we could see the pool, the palms were decorated with Christmas lights; a phenomena which seems to be standard in STT!
The interior of the room was exactly as it appears in their brochure. Floral motif, patio with two chairs and a table, and a rack for drying clothes. Bathroom was clean, light fixture over the mirror had some corrosion, other than that, this was a standard hotel room – about 300 sq ft, beds, two rattan chairs and a table, large new TV with Dish network, refrigerator, coffee maker and hairdryer. No smells, no mold, no dirt I had packed candles, Plugins, and a bottle of Febrez, to get rid of all the smells I had read about. You can see the rooms here:
http://www.travelhop.com/new/hotel.asp?hotelId=203
We were served “breakfast” on the plane – yogurt, granola bar and Quaker apple nugget’s, and we had a tight connection in Miami, so we were STARVING. By this time, it was after ten, and the restaurants at the Hotel were closed, but, we went outside and we could see Fungi’s in the distance, so we made our way over there. There was a path, and it was lighted, but it was very windy and we were getting blown away. Got to Fungi’s a cute little place with tables and chairs – more Christmas lights, only to be told they had just shut down the kitchen. Great.
The bartender told us to go to the Caribbean Saloon in Red Hook; “they are open real late”. So off we went, back to the hotel got a cab – $4 each to Red Hook - $10 with tip.
Caribbean Saloon
I did not like this place one bit. We went to get a table and the bartender yelled to us, “if you want service, you have to sit up here”, that was fine, we didn’t care about that, but his tone and manner were not friendly – poor first impression. We sat at the bar, there were 3 young guys on our left, very drunk, and cursing up a storm. To our right were poker machines and what appeared to be regulars hunched over the machines. Hubby had a cheeseburger, and I had conch fritters – first time I have ever had deep-fried stovetop stuffing. The bartender was a jerk – he kept telling everyone how drunk he got the night before and showing his black eye and cut on his head from falling down. At one point, some guy came in to get a pizza and he stood by me, the bartender got his pizza, then he proceeded to show the guy a photo of 4 naked girls, I thought he was way out of line. The bartender’s name was Chris, if anyone knows him, please tell him this is not the way to impress the Tourists.
Fritters, Burger, Gin and tonic and 2 wines $30.00 + tip.
From there, we went over to Duffy’s. We got a drink at the bar (cash only) and sat out in the windy parking lot. Everyone was having a good time, and we watched them dancing inside under the strobelight. It seemed as if there were a lot of regulars there too. At12:30, we went back to the hotel – we had a cool taxi – a very nice conversion van with all the bells and whistles, the driver was playing Etta James and he drove slow, it was heaven.
Wed 3/3
A cloudy, cool, and windy day, and off we went to get our first view of the Grand Bay Palace.
The property is huge, and very well maintained, there were plenty of men doing landscape, and the walkways were all freshly washed. Our room was poolside, but I can understand how people would complain if they had to walk to the units up on the hills, they are quite a hike from the beach and restaurants. We went to Baywinds and had the buffet, - plenty of food from which to choose, hot and cold, bread, pastries, fruits, cereals, omlettes made to order, etc. The server and hostess were extremely gracious. $34.00 + tip. From there we walked down to see the beach.
Beach
Beach was fairly big, had plenty of chairs, but there was seaweed washed up along the shore and it was in the water in some places. There is a dock where the daysail boats, Coconut and Daydreamer go out, and Chris Sawyer’s Diver shop is there. Beach was ok, not great, fine for sunning and getting wet, but not good for snorkeling, we don’t snorkel. We’ve snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, done the helmet dive in Bermuda, the Atlantis sub in Hawaii, and been to various aquariums around the world. We’re kind of “fished out”.
From there, we walked over the hill to Coki Beach, now, here was a beach! About the same size as the GB Palace, but it was absolutely stunning, crystal clear water and white sand., with trees, with a great view. It was really lovely. We went back to the hotel and sat out at the pool, because it was too cold and windy down on the beach
Pool
Pool area was very nice, water too cold (for me) to go in, big deck, lots of chairs, a Jacuzzi, drink service and a café. Very nice landscaping and decent music…at first. Then came George! George is the “entertainment director” for the hotel, what an annoying guy. I guess his job is to keep everyone upbeat and happy by playing games. All we wanted was some peace and quiet so we could read our books. But no, George proceeded to call out over his microphone and when he got no response, he walked around the pool trying to get people to join in. We couldn’t take it any longer and left. We went over to Fungi’s, the waiter looked like Will Smith and was very friendly. We shared a burger, and watched the boats (Daydreamer and Jester were docked out there), plus several others, burger plus a - couple of drinks $20 + tip, then we went and sat up on our patio, reading and watching the iguanas!
Paradise Point
Thanks to Islander, I learned that the ride up on Wed is free for Happy Hour. The cabdriver didn’t want to take us, he told the Bellman “they are closed”, but the Bellman said he thought they were open too, so the cab driver reluctantly took us; all the way telling us that we needed an alternate plan if they were closed. He seemed shocked and saddened when we got to PP and the trams were going up and down!!
Hotel to PP $16 +2 tip.
More Christmas lights and LOTS of steps, but this was great fun and a terrific view. We got there around 5pm and were glad we did as the place was filling up fast. We got a good table on the rail and had a good view of the ships and the sunset. There was a great band playing – the Danny Morris Band, they were really good, I noticed them advertised in St John too, if you get the chance to see them, do! Drinks $20 + tip We left there and went to Herve’ restaurant - $8 + 2 tip.
Herve’
STEPS! At one point we thought we had arrived to the dining room, only to have someone tell us “right this way” up another steep flight of steps! By this time, it was dark, so we couldn’t see much, but we did see the lighted Government house up on the hill. The room is very nice, small and the staff very accommodating, with Herve’ going around checking on people. We weren’t dressed up, although several other couples were, however, we did not feel out of place. To start, we had a pecan encrusted Brie with a raspberry peppercorn sauce, this was served with an assortment of breads and was delicious. I had a sunfish and Hubby had a steak, couple of salads and some drinks $102.00 + tip. Very nice, romantic, good food and service. Back to the hotel in a cab. $16 +2.
Thurs 3/4
Another cloudy, windy day, (I was starting to get worried), we were still full from the night before, so we decided to go into town for something to do. We were in no rush, and walked down to the end of the lane and caught the Safari Bus. It’s fun to ride on the buses with the locals, I have done it in many countries and find it interesting. They point out things and give you their perspective; in this case, we had a high school girl in a burgundy and pink uniform point out different things to us. We were going through a very pretty wooded area, and I told her I thought it was pretty, and she said “they call this the ghetto” – “umm – uh – ok” LOL! Interesting trip, the bell on the bus didn’t work, and when people wanted to get off, they stamped their feet hard up and down on the floor! We got off at Havensight. $2.00.
Havensight
Tons of people, and shops, shops, everywhere, I don’t shop, so we just wandered around and found Gladys Café for lunch.
Gladys Café’
I loved this place, the people were so warm and friendly, loved the décor, the bright spices and sauces by the door, the art, the way they had kept the charm of the old building while incorporating their renovations. It was nice. I had Conch chowder – delicious - and hot wings with Gladys mild sauce. Hubby had a cheeseburger Food plus two cokes - $24.00 + tip. We left and went back to the same spot where we got off the Safari bus, and caught another one. The bus was full, so we had to sit up front with the driver, my favorite driver on the whole trip. What a sweet, nice guy. We rode all the way down by the Univeristy, and then he took us to Brewer’s Beach so we could see that, a very nice beach, with no one there. We talked all the way back to the hotel, a great ride for only $4.00. I gave him $5 – and felt lucky to have had such a great trip.
Banana Tree Grille
They were having a big party in the dining room, so we had to sit at the bar, but that was fine – we still had a good view of the ships and what little sunset there was. The thing that impressed me most about this place, was the bartender. She was a whiz, so calm and relaxed, yet preparing all kinds of drinks and never making a mistake or getting flustered, a true professional. I had the horseradish shrimp (very very good) and a caesar’s and Hubby had a chopped salad and a steak. Couple of drinks, and the food, $73. + tip. Roundtrip taxi $36.
Friday 3/5
Finally! A bright sunny day. We packed up our stuff and walked to Coki Beach, (a very short walk up a hill) got there around 10am. The “chairguy” came along and set our chairs up in the sand down by the rocks. 2 chairs $10.00. Pretty soon, along came a guy who announced himself as our server for the day! Great! This guy’s name was Web, and he could sell ice to the Eskimos! He was terrific, kept us supplied in drinks, brought us burgers and called us his “VIP’s”. He worked for “Ingrid’s Place”, a great guy! Burgers and drinks for the day $36 + tip! We left around 3, because we were heading for St. John.
Ferry to St John
Took a taxi to the ferry at Red Hook – $10., then bought RT tickets for the ferry to ST John $12.00. We were lucky and didn’t have to wait. After learning that this is the daily mode of transportation for some workers and students, I am never going to complain about traffic again, what a hellish way to have to travel. We got to STJ and told a taxi driver we wanted a tour. He said it was too late and he didn’t want to do a tour, same story from 2 others. Finally we found a guy who agreed to take us and show us some of the beaches and then take us to Asolare. I said how much – he said “$9.00 each to Trunk and then $9.00 each from Trunk to Asolare”! Fine, let’s go! Well, go we did, this was one of those open air cabs with the bench seats in the back, we were sliding all over the bench seats as he wound his way around the hills , I have to give him credit though, every now and then he would pull over and yell out our location, and wait for me to take pictures, when I said “ok”, off he would go again at break neck speed! LOL! I thought Caneel Bay was gorgeous. He turned around at Trunk Bay, and dropped us at Asolare. I gave him $40.00.
Asolare
Nice place, too bad we didn’t have a reservation! We sat in the bar, pretty impressive, a place that serves Stag’s Leap by the glass. Gorgeous view of the sunset from up there, wished we had a table out on the rail, but, they were totally full. We got a scallop salad (recommend by the bartender), and some coconut shrimp; both were very good, but the bar is small, and it was getting crowded for the next seating, and we didn’t feel comfortable having our dinner in there, so we left. Drinks and salads $73.00 plus tip. Taxi to ferry $10. Taxi from Red Hook to Hotel $10.
Smugglers – Grand Bay Palace
By the time we got back to the hotel, one of us was hungry again so we decided to try Smugglers – their gourmet steak house. Now, here is where I have a criticism for the Grand Bay. They have 3 dinner sittings, one at 6pm, one at 7:30 and one at 9pm. It was 8:30 and there was hardly anyone in the dining room, but, because we weren’t at one of the times, we had to sit at the bar. We didn’t care, but I thought that was dumb. Steaks, salads a couple of martini’s and a couple of “champagnes” – Friexnt (because their wine list was terrible) $98 + tip. Very good food, and very nice atmosphere – silly rules.
Sat 3/6
Another gorgeous day, and off we went to Coki. “Chairguy” saw us coming and set up our chairs with a wave from me, Web found us right away, and we were set. Only this day, we went to Uncle Buddie’s for lunch and ate down there. I liked this place, I asked the guy behind the counter if he was Uncle Buddie and he said “no, he’s home counting his money”, but, he had a twinkle in his eye, so who knows! Good vibes here, good music, burgers were great. $23 + tip for a couple of burgers and drinks. Back down to our spot, and people watched for the rest of the day. The water was gorgeous, we could walk right in and see the yellow and black fish swimming around, perfect day. We stayed late and came back and got ready to go to the Frigate. I don’t know what the cab driver was doing, he drove us into lot across the street (I think by Caribbean Saloon), and said he couldn’t get across the road, so we took the hint and said we would just walk across the street. That was fine but getting up that hill to the Frigate was a challenge. We passed a bar with funny slogans on the outside and it was then I realized I had left my camera at the hotel, naturally!
Frigate East
My favorite restaurant of the whole trip, thank you East Ender! We had a window table at the rear of the room, off by ourselves. Perfect view, we could see the huge moon rising over St John, it was gorgeous, and here I was without my camera! I loved this place, the décor, the easy, casual atmosphere, the salad bar, the good prices, our waitress Pat; everything was perfect! Hubby had the blue cheese steak and I had the Wahoo, both were superb. Bottle of wine, one martini, and the food $96.00 plus tip – very reasonable and very, very good. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Sunday, March 7 – Last Day
It was crowded at Coki yesterday, so we decided to stay at the Grand Bay beach today. They dragged the beach that morning and it was clean. We got a spot down towards Fungi’s and set up camp. It was hot, and I had to keep going in and out of the water to cool down. Sand in the water was not as soft as Coki, and there were some stones here and there, but it was fine. Went to lunch at Fungi’s and found out how to get up to Agave for dinner – I always need to know where my next meal is coming from!
Agave Terrace
Fungi’s told us to just come there and they would call up to Agave for someone to come get us. It wasn’t that simple. We went up the stairs to where they showed us to go, and waited and waited, and no one came along. Finally a landscaping guy (Thomas) came along and he told us he would give us a ride. By the time we got up there, it was around 6:45pm, and we were seated back by the cactus garden, which was lovely and private. They had a wonderful wine list, and we had a very pleasant server - Iris. She put candles on our table and told us parts of the resort were experiencing power outages, but that would not affect our meal. It didn’t, we shared a grapefruit salad, which I thought was delicious. I had the crablegs, and hubby had the surf and turf. I was kind of glad it was dark, so no one could see me attacking that big pile of crab legs! LOL! Everything about the meal was good, the food, the atmosphere and the service. The hostess even came to tell me when the moon was rising…I didn’t know it rises an hour and a half later each night, and was looking for it when we got there!! Total bill $107 + tip.
Our problems with Agave came when we left. Due to the power outage, it was PITCH BLACK, and we could not see where we were going, they told us “just take the steps and follow the path”, but that was tricky in the dark!! We finally got to Fungi’s and they were in total darkness, there was a bunch of people having a great time by candlelight and they didn’t seem to mind.
We made our way to the room and finished up packing for our 10am flight the next day.
Our trip was wonderful, thanks to all that helped with my planning.
Special thanks to Islander and East Ender who tirelessly answered all my questions – I appreciate all your help in making our trip special…thanks so much!
Luck to you,
Ellen
Ellen: Love your report! You did a good job of figuring out what you wanted out of your trip and living your plan! You did a great job of explaining some of the quirks of St Thomas- like about the riff-raff that seems to be drawn here. (Boy, won't I get called on that one!) I don't know if this has been discussed, but ALWAYS one should call to check and make reservations if necessary, especially Dec-May, even if it is a casual restaurant! And popular spots for sure! Also, restaurants do have strange hours and closings- many are closed on Sundays, for example. Glad you liked Frigate East- I think the place you passed with the funny slogans was The Warehouse- A Poor Man's Bar. You can order a drink there and they give you the bottle to pour your own. If you think there are a lot of Christmas lights in March- you ought to see the island decked out at Christmas! One small thing, Ellen, Gladys' is downtown- Havensight is where the cruise ships dock...Don't want someone else wandering around looking for her!! 😉 What is your feeling about taxis vs renting a car? That is always a big question on the board. Anyway, I hope you are already planning your next escape!!
I understand that Grand Bay is now all inclusive. We are booked there for April and did not opt to take the all inclusive option as we are not sure how many meals we will eat on the resort and $100 more per day each did not seem worth the switch. (It sounds like you did not take the all inclusive option either)
My question is this: Approximately how much money is it per day per person to eat at the resorts restaurants? I know it's a tough question to answer. You mention your breakfast buffet being $34 + tip, this is for two people I gather? Is there a lunch or dinner buffet as well? Do you know any prices off hand? Any info would help regarding the price of food or activities at this resort. Thanks
EE, we pretty much stayed with the overall plan, didn't make it to Mountain Top, or Magen's, but other than that, saw and did everything we wanted to see. From your previous information, I knew about the reservations for dinner, but I just hate making reservations on vacation, too much like being at home - where a reservation for some places is required 3 months out. Yes, that was the name of the place - The Warehouse - I got a laugh out of the side of their building! LOVED the Frigate, as did my Pete - his favorite place too. I didn't know where we were when we ran into Gladys' , so thanks for clearing that up!
Taxi's - what can I say? They were our lifesavers, as there is absolutely NO WAY we could have driven on those roads, and found our way anywhere, plus, we drink, and the roads are dark, with cliffs on the sides. So, it was nice to have the taxi's take us around on our excursions. However, they are VERY expensive, and are manned by a bunch of KOOKS! One guy was a religious bible banger, had the bible open on his dash, radio on bible talkers, and tried to witness us. Another guy's van smelled like weed, another guy told us all about your crooked politicians, and how the police chief stole all the money he was in charge of, and so on. We had a couple of good guys, the guy in the nice gray conversion van, and the safari driver, were both nice guys.
Compared to Mexico, - Ixtapa, Huatulco, where the taxi's are 3.00 to go anywhere, the taxi's are expensive, but what can you do? We won't drink and drive.
Thanks again for all your help!
Ellen
My question is this: Approximately how much money is it per day per person to eat at the resorts restaurants? I know it's a tough question to answer. You mention your breakfast buffet being $34 + tip, this is for two people I gather? Is there a lunch or dinner buffet as well? Do you know any prices off hand? Any info would help regarding the price of food or activities at this resort. Thanks
Maddy, we were on Marriott points, we booked our trip back in November when they were still a Marriott, so I don't know anything about the all inclusive plan, I wasn't interested in it, and didn't find out about it.
As far as the prices of food, we ate one breakfast buffet at the hotel, that was 17.00 each, and we had lunch one day at the pool cafe - a wrap and a burger - they were around 9.00 each. Fungi's is right close by, but I don't think they are much cheaper, seems the burgers there were around 9.00 also. We ate dinner one night at the hotel and I think those entree's were around $30.00 each - sorry to be so obtuse, but we don't look at prices when we are on vacation.
The resort has day trips to STJ and the Chris Sawyer diver boat goes out several times a day. They also have kayaks and windsurfers you can use for free, along with jet ski's that must be expensive, as no one was using them
Are there other options on the resort for breakfast other than the buffet???
Hello Ellen,
Your trip report was EXCELLENT!!! I really got a laugh out of your description of the St. John tour and sliding around. You sound like you planned well and had just a wonderful time - I was glad to hear it!! Glad the answers and suggestions you received here helped you to have a more enjoyable time. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us!!
--Islander
I would like to know if you can choose the all-inclusive or opt out if you wanted to --is it mandatory? I stayed there a few times as the Renaissance, and understand the new owners were to upgrade the rooms and the spa. Anything seem like that to you? When I stayed there, the rooms were decent and if anything was needed, it was taken care of.
Thanks!
What a great report...
I read them all and try to find the best way to enjoy the islands....
We always do Villa trips and save money by eating out at lunch for about half as much as dinner...
The local chamber of commerce doesn't want to hear this, but meal prices are far too high. The high price of shipping food is no longer a "cop-out". We found that that produce shipped from Florida and California is only about 15% higher than areas in the states. (with occasional exceptions)...
This is all about making money from the tourist...While this is good and defensible from a local point of view it also destroys tourists faith in the the local credibility.
It is time to bring truth back to tourism.....
The only other option at GBP for breakfast, is a very small coffee bar in the main lobby of the hotel. We went there a couple of times (juice, coffee, croissants, danish) that type of thing. You can eat outside on the patio of inside looking out. The food was not bad, however, the woman who attends this place is a real miserable bitch. It was an effort to get her to say anything except the price, never smiled, and one morning we waited about 5 minutes for her to cross the lobby from the front desk where she was chatting with a couple of her friends. This place has a lot of problems, due to the removal of local workers and replacing them from GBP resorts in Mexico. We were there a week ago, and I thought the place was little more than three stars. The one thing I agree with the original poster was Jorge, George, the activities director. He just dosent get it. We constantly hounded him about the loud music in the AM time period, when most of the folks around the pool just wanted to scan a book and relax. We finally got him to take a vote and we won (most of the people at the pool were over 50 years of age). So his answer was one hr of music one hr of quiet. He has to go.
Stan: I am sure that the Chamber of Commerce would agree with you that prices are too high! We have to pay them also! Yes, I think that the hotel restaurant prices are higher than elsewhere- drinks at the Ritz are $9.50!!!- but even if you go to local places like in Red Hook, the prices are probably higher than what you pay back home.
Maddy: There are options in Red Hook like the Grateful Deli and Burrito Bay for breakfast. Molly Molone's has great (and huge) breakfasts.
Islander, that was a wild ride!! We looked like marbles rolling around on those seats! LOL! We had a terrific time, thanks to your help, and patience in answering all my questions. I planned the trip for a year, and it turned out fabulous! Thank you!
Ellen
