My family and I just returned from vacationing at St. James (30 Oct – 6 Nov) In general our experience was far above any resort that we have stayed at and I would not have a problem returning. Don’t be fooled by their website pictures. I did notice that some photos does not completely match what we experienced. We rated the following excellent: staff and services, entertainment, food, bars & drinks, common areas and rooms, pools, grounds and up keep. Other area of interest we rated above average. The biggest disappointment of the resorts was the overall construction appearance. It looks like everything was hastily constructed and not what one would expect for a top notch resort that just recently opened. There is a lot of cosmetic damage such as the need for wall patching and painting, damaged floor tiles, walls and floors not properly constructed, cabinets in some of the restaurants required repairs. Some of the rooms on the fifth floor was still under construction. A few of the elevators where not always working which made it difficult for movement between rooms and the main floor. This caused many individuals to use the stairwells. None of the ice machines worked. Outside bar’s near or around the pools close approx 6pm and you cannot eat or drink unless going to their resturants or lobby bar’s.
Even with the above problems we all had a great time and the trip was worth every penny.
Arrival:
Recommend bringing lots of small bills for tipping because making change is a lot of hassel.
Rooms: We stayed in room 3440 facing the ocean..what a great view and very quiet. The stairwell was close by. However, one had to walk on the other side of the building to access the elevators. All rooms face the ocean indirectly or directly. Thery are very well furnished with plush beds (queen or double) The bathroom are well appointed and stocked. Each rooms refrigerator is stocked with soda/beer/and juice at not additional cost.
You can have room service everyday. There are dummy waiters near each door. No need to open the door for service.
Restaurants and Bars:
Excellent food and service. Drinks at the pool bar’s are very good. If you want top notch drinks go to the loobby bar’s or the piano bar.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Very nice pools even w/swim up bar’s The beach are nice but not a great as Cancun Grounds are well kept
There are food carts that bring chicken and or pizza on certain days
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: Lot of free activities to keep you busy. Off resorts are plentiful. There is a travel representive at each resort to assist you with booking tours. I would recommend waiting to meet with them before pre-booking tours. Kourtney (Apple Tours) was just great at helping us to book the right tours. There is a outside coffee bar that also serves limited sandwiches and desserts.
next to the coffee shop is a small casino.
Other Comments:
The weather was great except for the end of the storm "TOMAS"
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