Just returned from WSJ and thought I’d share our perspective since many of you are wondering what’s going on there. All things considered the resort looks great! We were told there were still about 100 units not available. The resort seemed really empty. Very few people at the main pool the couple times we went. Still a lot of construction happening, but they seem to be working quickly to try to get all units open. We own in building 31 and I believe all of those villas are open. Building 32 was not open when we got there, but my husband talked to the foreman from Vistana and he said they were working feverishly to have most of those units open by Monday. Our unit had new furniture, appliances, and carpet. Just FYI for those that like to cook during your stay like we do...the kitchen is sparse. We made do, but it’s not fully stocked the way it used to be. No colander, measuring cups, baking sheets, just to name a few. I’m sure that will get better with time. Snorkels is the only place to eat at the resort. We arrived late on the first day and had dinner there and it was terrible. On our last morning we had breakfast and that was really good.
As for the rest of the island it is remarkable the recovery. The beaches were beautiful, the foliage is coming back in most places, and the shops and restaurants appear to be in full swing. We ate at High Tide for breakfast, Miss Lucy’s for lunch and The Longboard and The Sundog for dinner and they were all as great as always. The Starfish Market wasn’t very impressive with many items out of stock, but the grocery next to the Westin was fully stocked with everything we needed and a very nice selection of items. We saw quite a few donkeys which made us super happy! The road to Little Lameshur was definitely more of an adventure even more than usual, but that didn’t seem to stop people from making the trip. We were only able to see Caneel from one of the lookouts and it is so sad to see the devastation to such a beautiful resort.
I’m happy to answer any questions if I can. It was great to be back and it was really sad to leave to come home to the cold weather. I hope everyone heading there this year has a wonderful trip!
Oh and one last thing! In my opinion, it is not worth the cost of the Westin transfer. It leaves out of Red Hook now where the public ferry is located. If you don’t mind managing your own luggage it would save you a ton of money to just take a public taxi or even a private taxi to/from Red Hook and the public ferry. We are a family of 4 and the savings is substantial.
