# St Kitts vs Hawaii?



## ownsmany (Aug 29, 2009)

I'm confirmed into Marriott St Kitts.  How does it compare to KoOlina or the other Marriott on Hawaii?  How are the beaches?

Trying to figure out if I should let that go, and change request for Hawaii.


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## WalnutBaron (Aug 30, 2009)

*No Comparison*



ownsmany said:


> I'm confirmed into Marriott St Kitts.  How does it compare to KoOlina or the other Marriott on Hawaii?  How are the beaches?
> 
> Trying to figure out if I should let that go, and change request for Hawaii.



Marriott St. Kitts is a beautiful resort.  But so is Ko'Olina and the new resort on Maui.

To me, nothing in the Caribbean can compare with the spectacular natural beauty of Hawaii.  There's a reason it is called Paradise on Earth.  It's a matter of taste, of course.  But since you asked our opinion, I would make the change if you can get it.


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## pedro47 (Aug 30, 2009)

We have cruise to St. Kitts four (4) times.  I would pick the Paradise on Earth Resort Hawaii hands down.  The major difference would be the costs to fly to the Big Island.


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## ownsmany (Aug 30, 2009)

We do love Hawaii so much.  I don't enjoy going to Aruba anymore, because I compare it to the beauty of Hawaii.

Other votes?


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## x3 skier (Aug 30, 2009)

I suppose one minor factor is if you want to experience a foreign country or stay within the USA. Some like to see other countries, some do not. I would be happy at either.

Cheers


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## ownsmany (Aug 30, 2009)

*st Kitts vs Ko Olina?*

others want to weigh in?


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## sun&fun (Aug 30, 2009)

The length of stay and time of year would be factor for me.  I would avoid the Caribbean in hurricane season and if I were traveling to Hawaii from the East coast, I would plan to stay at least 10 days.  The travel time and time zone changes on the return trip (West to East) takes some adjustment for me.  Sometimes 2-3 days!


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## pefs65 (Sep 3, 2009)

I know this debate will always be a popular one but for me Hawaii rules!:whoopie: 

I am on the east coast and when I travelled to Maui the flight was long and it took me one day to adjust but Maui was awesome and had so much to do and see and my Pearl Harbor( thanks to a plane delay) was inspiring. 

I have been to Grand Cayman and St Lucia. Of the two I loved Grand Cayman and they are both very beutiful islands and a much shorter flight for me and less expensive but for me Maui/Hawaii is king and I would always choose it over the Carribean if given the chance. 

But that's just my opinion.


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## normab (Sep 5, 2009)

*one more opinion*

We do both either carribean or Hawaii every year and fly from NJ.  Hawaii is wonderful but it's a 10-12 hour flight so we prefer to do 2 week minimums there.  The carribean is only a 4 hour flight so a one week trip is much more relaxing on the travel ends.

We own at St Kitt.  It is an ilsand that is not over -touristed yet so it's a  low-key vacation.  There is enough to do but it doesn't compare with Oahu which has Waikiki--a city on the beach!!!  I would compare the options on St Kitts for activities with Kauai, much more laid back.

We love St Kitts and usually visit it back-to-back with St Maarten which has more going on--"uber"touristy in comparison.  If you enjoy a week of rest at a beautiful resort (the resort is gorgeous) and doing watersports/boating/snorkeling etc with some sightseeing, a little gambling, and good food,  St Kitts is worth a try.

One more thing--If you usually fly either USAir, Delta or AA which fly there direct from the mainland, that will make the travels easier. In making our reservations for next year we noticed St Kitts has fewer flights now than it used to.

Good Luck!
Norma


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## ownsmany (Sep 5, 2009)

Usually fly usair from Phila.  Where are the direct flights from?  Last we look tickets were over 700 each in June.



normab said:


> We do both either carribean or Hawaii every year and fly from NJ.  Hawaii is wonderful but it's a 10-12 hour flight so we prefer to do 2 week minimums there.  The carribean is only a 4 hour flight so a one week trip is much more relaxing on the travel ends.
> 
> We own at St Kitt.  It is an ilsand that is not over -touristed yet so it's a  low-key vacation.  There is enough to do but it doesn't compare with Oahu which has Waikiki--a city on the beach!!!  I would compare the options on St Kitts for activities with Kauai, much more laid back.
> 
> ...


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## elaine (Sep 6, 2009)

*distance vs. things to do*

have you been to any of the smaller Carib. islands?  There is not a lot to do at St Kitts.  If you are going to stay at the resort (it's beautiful) and maybe do a charter boat outing or two, then it's fine.  Maybe a few restaurants. FYi-there are 5 medical schools there (MD, vet, nursing, etc.), so there are a fair number of American students in residence.  But, it is nothing like Aruba, ST Thomas, etc.
IF you are tired of the flight to HAwaii, I might try it for a change--it's only one week--and the resort is very nice.


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## Kauai Kid (Sep 6, 2009)

I'd also investigate health care on both places.  One accident and you'll need Drs, nurses, and possibly a hospital.

If you are seriously ill Queens Hospital in Honolulu is where you will end up.  Kauai and Maui have one hospital each with some outlying clinics.  Not sure about the Big Island.  It is a long medivac flight back to the mainland from Hawaii.

If you even have health insurance will it cover your care out of the states?


Sterling


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## ownsmany (Sep 6, 2009)

just been to main islands in Carribean, St thomas, St Martin, Grenada, Punta Cunta.

Guess we will do St Kitts, and hope Hawaii will come in as well.  I do like to relax at a beautiful Marriott resort.

Right now we are in Brigatine, NJ at Celebrity resorts.  Location is great, but the rooms are quite a let down.  When you are used to Marriott quality you get really spoiled (at least I do).


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## LisaRex (Sep 6, 2009)

I've been to St. John but never St. Kitts.  I'm assuming St. Kitts is just as beautiful.  

I've been to Hawaii 3 times.  We loved it so much that we bought at the Westin sight unseen.  It has so much to do that we still haven't come close to exhausting our "To Do" list.  IMO, it's the perfect combination of natural beauty and touristy activities.   I like having restaurants and boat tours, etc.  

We traded Maui for St. John this year and took a couples trip.  I really enjoyed St. John, but it was much more low key than Maui.  Snorkeling was the main activity and I was really glad that we brought another couple along so that we could play tennis and cards, etc.  Not sure that our kids would have enjoyed it so much because they're used to having more planned activities.  

Traveling to both places is a pain, though it is much easier on the body to have only one hour time difference between my home and the Caribbean.  Maui usually works out okay because the island tends to shut down at dusk but the red eye home does kill a day on the back end of the trip.

Personally, I think everyone should visit both places just to taste something different.  Life is about discovery.


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## Talent312 (Sep 9, 2009)

We just returned from cruise stop at St. Kitts.
Nice enuff, but rather bland environment.  Covered in sugarcane fields.
From a distance, resort looked good, but not much going on elsewhere.
For my $$$, choose Hawaii, anywhere for a far more interesting stay.


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## post-it (Sep 9, 2009)

So after these posts I'm not so sure about going to Aruba.  I wanted to get into the Marriott Surf Club.  Living on the West Coast we're been to Hawaii almost every vacation and are looking forward to a change.  Doing Cancun next year and then hopfuly Aruba the next trip.


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## Talent312 (Sep 9, 2009)

post-it said:


> So after these posts I'm not so sure about going to Aruba.  I wanted to get into the Marriott Surf Club.



Aruba is a beach and water-sport paradise and well worth a stay. Quoting from Frommer's Guide:
----------------------
Well, there's the reliably near-perfect weather.... Hurricanes? There's rarely one within hundreds of miles. Aruba is far south of the tropical-storm belt.

Aruba's got beaches, some of the best in the Caribbean . . . in the world, for that matter. What you see is what you get: miles of white, sugary sand; warm, gentle surf; turquoise and aqua seas; and plenty of space.

When you tire of lolling on the beach, there's scuba diving, snorkeling, great windsurfing, and all the other watersports you expect from a sun-and-sea vacation. Contrasting sharply with the resort area's serene beaches, the north coast features craggy limestone cliffs, sand dunes, and crashing breakers.

If you're a foodie, you may be surprised at how well you can eat in Aruba. Unlike the generally standard fare in most of the Caribbean, Aruba's culinary offerings are diverse, inventive, and often very good.

You can try your luck at one of the island's dozen casinos, take in a live Vegas-style show, or listen to some amazing live music, including Latin jazz and Caribbean sounds such as the island's own Tumba music. Bars, clubs, booze cruises, you name it -- if you're looking for a party, you'll find it.

You'll find the overwhelming majority of Arubans to be genuinely friendly and welcoming. Sure, the island's totally dependent on tourism, but nobody learns to be this nice. With little history of racial or cultural conflicts, the island has no cause for animosity. As the license plates say, it's "One Happy Island."

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/aruba/0176010001.html#ixzz0Qet91gNv


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## Dave&Linda (Sep 10, 2009)

Having been to Marriott resorts in both Maui and Kauai and to the St. Kitts Marriott about a year and a half ago I'd say go to Hawaii. The flight to Hawaii may be longer in miles travelled, but in our case the time it took to get to St. Kitts from DC as well as the return trip took about as much time as it takes to get to/from Hawaii to here. We flew from Dulles direct to St. Martin and then WINAIR to St. Kitts. Problem was that WINAIR's reservation system was all screwed up and we along with several hundred other people ended up spending more than 12 hours in the St. Martin terminal, finally getting to St. Kitts about 2:00 am. On the return trip WINAIR was fine but our UAL aircraft broke down and we had to spend the night in St. Martin. (Yeah I know, how bad was that!) Also, I was not that impressed with the Marriott there. Nice location and grounds but pool was a mess and service not all that great. In fact my brother-in-law, who owned the unit, was so displeased with the place that he dumped it shortly after returning home.


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## Smooth Air (Oct 24, 2009)

What do you mean by "the pool was a mess"?


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## AKE (Oct 25, 2009)

The Caribbean generally has more of a 'third world' mentality and appearance (so you really get away from the rat race soto speak and experience a whole different culture and way of life) whereas Hawaii is more like home with palm trees and soft breezes.  Both are good - it depends on your comfort level and what you are looking for.


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## Larry (Oct 25, 2009)

I live in NY so I certainly have an East coast bias so I need to consider travel time and cost as part of the equation. We love Hawaii and have been there twice. First trip was to Big Island and Waikiki. Great trip used FF flayer miles but travel time from NY with 4 hour layover in LA then 5 nights in Kona, then flight to Honolulu and 5 nights in Waikiki plus flight back to LA and layover waiting for red eye back to NY was a killer.

Next trip was a free trip we won to Maui and Molokai. Loved Maui and absolutely hated Molokai and couldn't wait to get back to Maui, Two nights in Molokai was just about all we could take. Definitely want to go to Kauai but certainly not looking forward to long flights and probably will combine trip with a few days back to Waikiki. After that I'm not sure if we will go back to Hawaii and if we do I can't see going more than once every 4-5 years.

We have been to Aruba, Antigua, Jamaica, St. Martin, St. Lucia, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Punta Cana and all are anywhere from 5-7 hour flights even with connections. Also been to Cancun which is not Caribbean island but beaches are on Caribbean sea and similar. Love the clear Caribbean sea and soft white beaches and although some may certainly disagree I find the beaches in the Caribbean better than Hawaii unless your a surfer dude.

Bottom line is we go to the Caribbean almost every winter and will continue going once or twice a year and want to experience some new islands that we have not been to yet. 

So I definetly would pick the Caribbean and want to go to marriott St. Kitts and will also go back to Hawaii.


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## Dave&Linda (Oct 25, 2009)

smoothair said:


> What do you mean by "the pool was a mess"?



Simply was dirty compared to most places we've been. Also, not well maintained with paper and other stuff floating around and just not comfortable. We are not hard to please, but believe me the pool was not that great and in-laws who own a bunch of Marriott TS units felt it was way below standards, and they are not "snobs".


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