TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin This is why I would never do All Inclusive at Divi

Michael and I decided it was time to give pureocean a try again at Divi. I always say the food is mediocre here at Divi but I have seen some positive reviews so I thought, why not?
Well, I'll tell you why not!

I looked at a menu on line and there were several options for me. We got a reservation on Open Table for 5:30 at restaurant opening. We arrived a bit early and sat outside waiting for the restaurant to open. Promptly at 5:30 the restaurant opened and we walked inside. There were three couples awaiting tables at the time. The hostess appeared a bit confused with the Open Table reservations. She sat the couple in front of us. She came back to us and attempted to find our reservation. And failed. She seemed very confused. I said, "Ok. You can't find our reservation can you seat us anyway?" There was literally only one couple seated and one other couple waiting to be seated. She seated us, but appeared very confused.

We perused the menu which was different than what was online. I elected the chicken piccata despite it being served with cherry tomatoes, green beans and corn instead of with pasta. My husband selected the duck.

Our server was very good (although he didn't ask the temperature my husband wanted his duck). He brought rolls and our wine selections promptly. We talked a bit and I told him that we had never been a huge fan of this restaurant. He said that he would do his best to make us happy. Our food arrived fairly quickly which was nice.

My husband's duck was nicely presented with a sweet potato puree underneath and wonderfully fresh broccoli and carrots. The plate was beautiful. My plate, however, was a piece of chicken atop obviously canned green beans and corn. Why on earth would you elect to serve the piccata with corn and beans if they are canned???? Alongside my dinner came mashed potatoes. It seemed an odd pairing but at least the potatoes were good! My chicken was rather tough. The lemon sauce was decent. But this was no piccata. Michael's duck was very very tender although the fat was not very well rendered leaving a flabby layer under the skin. Michael cleaned his plate while I elected to leave the canned vegetables on mine. Now I know that this is an island and it may be difficult to get fresh vegetables. But again, chicken piccata is not usually served with green beans and corn!

As we awaited our bill, we noticed the head of food and beverage walking around the restaurant and we called him over. We hadn't seen this particular food and beverage manager for two years. Turns out he had left to go to Curacao and had come back. Now the good news is that he is the one who had made some good changes at the resort's restaurants in the past. So, perhaps, next year, the restaurants will be better. He said that pureocean was going to go to a more buffet style restaurant every night. (This is not something I would appreciate but perhaps others will). I will say that our server Andrew provided excellent and attentive service and was tipped accordingly. They do add the 15% service charge to the bill but we added more because he was very attentive.

I'm not sure we will try pureocean again if it is buffet only. That's not really my scene.

Hi there. Thanks for the report. Hoping to hear more about your trip.

I have added some returns to make the report easier to read.

I will never understand how this Divi property can be so consistently inconsistent when it comes to food and beverage. Even the bar tenders are inconsistent. The guy working the pool bar this summer was awesome, super fast, super friendly. Meanwhile, ordering a drink at Gizmos with multiple bartenders working can be an exercise in patience. Fortunately we don't stay at Divi for the food or bars, but that doesn't make it any less baffling. We haven't been to pure ocean (or whatever it was called before) in almost 10 years because the menu is incompatible with my picky children.

If pure ocean is truly going to buffet only, I think that is a clear play toward the all-inclusive crowd and maybe an attempt at addressing the slow service by essentially making it self service.

Nobody who I knows goes to SXM for a buffet.

We always made a point to go to the Lobster buffet, name escapes me, in Marigot years back. Too bad it is gone or we'd make a point to go again.

Bahston--buffets are the specialty of a/i's. ... and next you're going to say that "nobody who I know goes to SXM for an a/i"

Claude's something?

Claude's Mini Club?

Correct. Not anybody that I know. Apparently many do though.

Yes. That was it. Thanks, my some timers must had kicked in. That was a nice Buffet.

As timeshare owners, we've stayed at Divi nearly 30 times. We usually have one dinner on site and a few lunches at Gizmos, and for all those years the food has been mediocre. Have never been able to figure out why that is, on an island where great dining is so plentiful. We have encountered some people doing the AI. In one instance it was a larger extended family group with several teens and younger kids, so they found t was easier to just do AI and let them eat when and what they wanted. Other times it seems to be couples who must be accustomed to doing AI at resorts on other islands or in Mexico…places where venturing out from the resort is more challenging and intimidating than on SXM. If you book a trip to SXM without doing your research about the dining options, you might take the easy path and just pick AI. I know on our one trip to Jamaica, I was happy to be doing AI.

As to canned veggies and that perhaps because it's an island fresh is difficult to get, I've had great fresh whole green beans at several restaurants on the island so that's no excuse for Divi.

We've been going to SXM for almost 50 years and have had many meals at many places, most good with the exception of Divi when we stayed there and we're to tired upon arrival to venture out. The Pure at Divi Aruba is so much better than SXM.

We've even tried places in Concordia area of SXM that were great. We try it all, local, (Yvettes, Gutside, Rosemary's etc) gourmet, French, (all places in Grand Case, Le Cigale, Sol e Luna [gone], Sebastians [gone], Le Poison D'Or [gone] Le Bec Fin [gone ], Pinocchio's [gone] Wan Jang Dal [gone], the original Rainbow [now not the same upscale place it was ], beach bar places, even Dutch if you could find it. And the worst food was at DIVI.

Oh, yeah. Sol e Luna and Piccolo cafe were our favorites.

When I wrote the above post I realized how many of the great places have gone. I particularly remembered Sebastians's in Mary's Fancy area because it was in a beautiful house will a pillared porch. I had squid ink pasta for the first time and it was served with a pink sauce.

Rainbow, at the time was elegant , fine dining. When I heard it was again open we went without checking any info on the place, assuming it was the same. Boy, were we surprised! Terrible service, overcooked eggs (went for breakfast) dried bacon and loud music.

Piazza Pascal, GC, was good. The new owners are trying but prices are too high.

Mark's place is still good even after their move from the French side, but parking sucks.

First visit to the GC LOLOs food was good. Next visit food dried out, third visit too many flies flying about but the two in my dish had me say I'd never go back.

Had a couple of good meals at Nice restaurant in GC a few years ago but haven't returned yet so I can't say how it is.

Beach restaurant between Simpson Bay and Phillipsburg, (can't recall the name) where the road in is bad, was great but then I read other reports that were negative so haven't been back.

Loved Mario's when it was near Sandy Ground Bridge and when it moved into Porto Cupecoy . Didn't like it so much when it relocated at the Cliffs. Too small.

One of the good places in Marigot that still remains is Bistro NU. Worth trying if you can find it down an alley across from the athletic field.

I have to disagree with you on parking at Mark's. I have never had a problem parking there for dinner ever.

I was there VERY recently. Parking was at a premium - very difficult to find.

Parking was a serious premium today at Carrefour and Mark

If I recall you were there for lunch. We have always only been for dinner and always found close ample parking for Mark's.

Rosemary, you forgot to mention L'Estaminet, perhaps the best of the Grand Case restaurants that sadly is no more.

RonDon, the old Piazza Pascal, Les Oliviers, has already closed for good after 2 years.

I still miss Le Bar De La Mare in Marigot but that was a long time ago

I still miss Le Bar De La Mare in Marigot but that was a long time ago

Yes, that was the place to go back in the day! They would cook those big fresh water shrimp on the grill right out front.