Poolside At The St. Kitts Marriot And Beach Club.
The island of St. Kitts is located in the Eastern Caribbean about 1,200 miles from Miami and 1,600 miles
from New York. The island itself is only 69 square miles with a population of approximately 32,000. The economy of St. Kitts is driven by agriculture, light manufacturing and, of course, tourism. The residents are very friendly and helpful. They are quick to offer advise and recommendations as to places to visit or finding a good local restaurant or night spot…to lime!
I was booked at the beautiful St. Kitts Marriott that is very spacious with its open breeze way corridors and Caribbean-themed decor. Upon entering the hotel, you are warmly greeted and welcomed and are offered some of their local brew…Carib beer which is ice cold and really satisfying on a warm day.
My very spacious room overlooked the huge pool area that is a hallmark for this Marriott with a great view of the ocean as well. Looking out at the straw covered umbrellas and cabanas in and around the palm trees, you just knew that you were in the Caribbean enjoying the soft warm breezes coming across your face. Definitely time for another Carib or two and…to lime!
You would expect a beautiful Marriott like this to have superb restaurants..and they don’t disappoint.
I experienced great meals at the 3 places we ate, the first being Blu Seafood where the selection of a variety of fresh fish is awesome. All of their entrees are prepared with fresh ingredients that enhance the flavors of all of the entrees. Various salads are available as are numerous side dishes. A full bar that features top-shelf brands as well as a great wine selection are readily available.
Royal Grille Steakhouse is the place for scrumptious steaks and alike. If by chance you are not a meat eater, no worries. You can still enjoy the great atmosphere of the restaurant, but a variety of fish dishes are available as well. The menu features a fantastic array of awesome deserts should you have room left after your meal. Again a great bar that features just about anything you’d want and a wonderful selection of the latest wines are available as well.
If you should be looking for Italian…look no more. The meal at La Cucina was tremendous. One of the things they feature is a huge antipasto with all of your favorites. This can be ordered as your main entree should you wish. A large variety of homemade pasta and noodles are available along with other assorted dishes like my personal favorite Oso Bucco. Coupled with a vast variety of both white and red wines, this place is Rome Central.
Now as to what to do after dinner…the Royal Beach Casino is the answer. This 65,000 square foot casino offers both a variety of slots, video poker, table games and even has a small boutique sports book. U.S. dollars are the preferred currency…as the case with the whole island. While I noticed that the odds on some of the video poker games are not exactly “Vegas odds,” you can still do rather nicely should Lady Luck have accompanied you from dinner. Folks who live in Las Vegas, like myself, tend to notice things like that. Nonetheless, the casino offers good action and is more then enough to satisfy that “gambling bug” for the time being. The folks at the casino will be happy to know that I did my part in boosting their bottom line! That’s why they call it gambling.
One of the days I was there, I had the fortune to play golf at the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club with their Director of Golf, the aforementioned Sean Gradomiski, who is a wonderful PGA Professional. I’m going to continue my story on St. Kitts and the golf course in Part 2, as there is a lot to say about the golf course, its layout, the beautiful views, the pro shop and the staff…all fantastic!
