Not much for lengthy trip reports so will condense this...I first must mention that all flights, to and from, on American were flawless with no delays or glitches. Can't remember the last time I flew the carrier (might have been 20 years ago for the honeymoon). In today's world, when you can travel round trip without any issues, it's a miracle IMO. Arrival at Provo airport and transit through was a breeze-our flight was the only one arriving at 2:30 PM. Exited the airport, found our Hertz rep and waited about 10 minutes for the car to be brought to us and then off to the Hertz office for paperwork. Painless. Lots of new roads, roundabouts, and construction on the island from what we were able to see. Some resorts closed for maintenance, as well as restaurants since it's low season.
Arrived at Seven Stars Resort and check in was a easy with extremely welcoming staff. Had a standard room and it was very nice. Overall rating of the resort would be "very good" with high notes being lots of attentive, friendly staff and extremely clean! Small kitchen with granite counter tops, small fridge, micro, coffeemaker, espresso machine...beautiful huge marble tiled bathroom with very large shower, soaker tub, etc. Very good complimentary continental breakfast daily. Did not "dine" at high end restaurant there but took advantage of their more casual spots. Decided to pick up some wine and beer at one of the local grocery stores as well as some snacks, etc.
Weather was spectacular with 90 degree days and light showers that came through about 3-4 PM several days while we were there. Water was just as I remembered it..white sand allows for the true turquoise colors to dominate and it's breathtaking. Warm water temps but it was still refreshing with such hot and humid air temps. Resort also has the only saltwater pool on the island and it's extremely large. Beautifully set up with plenty of lounge chairs, umbrellas, cabanas, etc. There were other folks staying there but not many because of low season...perfect!! It puzzles me, however, as to why anyone needs a saltwater pool when you are steps from the ocean...I prefer freshwater but I enjoyed floating around in the pool numerous times over the course of our stay.
Final thoughts....with the exception of a weeks trip to Sanibel Island last September, St. Bart's is the only place we have vacationed over the course of ten or so years and it's hard for me not to compare a Caribbean vacation to it. We also rent villas on SBH and the resort-style living is foreign to us, and not as relaxing. Seven Stars is a beautiful resort that I would recommend to anyone that wants a luxury, high-end place in Provo.
The one thing that I could not come to terms with was the cost of everything here. When we travel we expect to pay higher prices, especially around the Caribbean due to the need to import a majority of items, etc. Also, restaurant prices can get crazy and we're OK with that when we expect to receive a delicious meal, prepared and presented well. EVERYTHING here is crazy expensive...grocery stores, drinks, food, shops, etc. I thought we were prepared for this as we had tried to read up on the island. There are no bargains ...the resort was maybe a few dollars more on some items but for the most part everywhere we went, you paid an average of $30+ dollars for many dinners, drinks $12-$14, etc. Even the "local" fish (lobster was prevalent and it was their high-catch season there) is not offered as a special in most places. Although it was delicious, my lobster tail dinner with veggie and rice was $45. Just crazy IMO. So, I guess you could say that I suffered from sticker shock for most of our trip...and I'm not usually worried about that. I just felt kind of blindsided everywhere we turned.
I'm spoiled rotten...SBH is where I want to be if I'm headed to the Caribbean, it's as simple as that. It's familiar territory and one I never get sick of. Unless we decide to travel to Europe, I'll figure out a way to get back there for our next trip...and probably everyone from here on out.
On your lobster dinner, I'm not sure SBH would be that far off. A pound and a half lobster would be 566gr and Chez Rolande charges €6.50 per 100 gr = €37 = $49.
