Outstanding all around. Service was great, grounds were beautiful. Resort is very spread out so it never feels crowded. The overwater bungalows are a little close to one another though.
Check in: Once we walked out of the terminal, there was already someone from St. Regis waiting for us with a fresh flower lei. We were swiftly escorted toward our boat shuttle while the boat driver attended to our bags. We had a smaller shuttle boat as opposed to the nice big yacht but since it was just the 2 of us, it was completely adequate. We were able to stand at the back of the boat and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
As soon as we stepped off the boat, we were greeted warmly by our butler, Matthew, with refreshing fragrant cool towels and a citrus drink. We were then escorted to the main lobby seating area where Matthew collected our credit card to complete the check in process. Before going to our room, Matthew gave us a tour of the resort then proceeded to our bungalow. Our bags were waiting for us in the room by the time we arrived as well as a nice cold bottle of welcoming champagne.
Overwater Bungalow/ 1 bedroom villa (mountain view): Breathtaking just like the Couples Retreat movie (if you haven’t seen it, you’ll have plenty of chances, they have a dedicated channel that plays the movie 24/7) with the glass floor to see the fish underneath the bungalow. Huge bedroom, living area, deck with 2 sun loungers, an outside eating deck, an outside shower on the lower deck to rinse off after you plunge into the water. The scenery was outstanding, we would enjoy our drinks, wine while watching the sunset. The bathroom is extremely spacious as well – rainwater shower with a large Jacuzzi tub for 2.
Dining: There are 3 restaurants on the resort:
1) Main restaurant: Te Pahu
Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, swim up bar and room service menu. It’s pretty much opened all day. Like many others said, the menu is pretty limited but good. Breakfast was great with a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, we also enjoyed our eggs benedict or omelet which was made to order while taking in the beach view. Fish sandwich, ceaser salad were great for lunch as well.
2) Japanese restaurant: Sushi Take
Extremely expensive for what it is, nothing spectacular. I’ve posted pictures of their menu so you can be the judge. A bottle of sake is the size of a soy sauce bottle in the US so felt a little cheated for the price paid.
3) Lagoon by Jean-Georges
Our favorite restaurant by far. We sat outside for the 8pm seating (there is a 6pm for the sunset and 8pm seating for outdoors) so it was already dark. The deck was lit so you can see the fish swimming around the lights. There are small candles to keep the area lit, it was a little dark but we didn’t mind dining under the stars. The dishes we ordered were delicious. Jean-Georges definitely did not disappoint. This meal was a little more expensive than Sushi Take but worth it. Must try this restaurant at least once. They also have a bar area indoors and outdoors where you can order appetizers which were also delicious.
Boat Shuttles:
Boat shuttles are complimentary. There are a few shuttles to the main dock on the main island where you can take a cab to wherever you’d like to go. There are daily shuttles to Viatape which is the main town on the main island. I definitely recommend taking the day shuttle in to stock up on snacks, water, juices, wine etc. This will save you $$ than ordering at the hotel. There is a shuttle to the main island at around 6pm for dinner. When you ask the concierge to make the dinner reservation for you, the restaurant will send a shuttle bus to pick you up at the main dock. Restaurants must know the shuttle schedule since they all tend to bring you back to the dock in time for the shuttle pickup to bring you back to the St. Regis.
Free Amenities:
Gym, kayak, stand up paddle board (that was fun but much harder than it looks!), double paddle boat, lagoonarium with tons of fish where you can snorkel, snorkel gear. There is also complimentary internet access in the business center. There are 3 PCs there and 1 printer. There is also a pool table there. WIFI costs additional.
Tips:
1) To save some $$, take the shuttle to Viatape and stock up on drinks and snacks.
2) Bring a pool lounger, it was great to lounge on it and watch the sun set outside our bungalow.
3) Grab a few pieces of bread from breakfast and feed the fish from your deck. We stayed in an overwater bungalow with a mountain view and we had tons of fish that came in the morning for us to feed. We would then see a sting ray from time to time (once, we saw a group of 11 eagle spotted rays, it was amazing!)
4) Almost all bar areas on the resort will give you a free snack when you order a drink - don’t snack too much since on several occasions we got full from the snacks and skipped on dinner.
5) Make use of your butler. We saw couples asking their butler to shuttle them around AND asking them to take photos – easier than asking someone else to take it for you…
You will not be disappointed, the resort and scenery are as fabulous as you’d imagine! Hope this helps.