jakes_girl

Trying to plan a trip to St. Lucia in June. Have never been to the Caribbean. Want relaxation, sun, water sports, good food and nice, clean amenities. Looking at Sandals Grande St. Lucian and the Coco Palm. Any opinions on these two or other recommendations?

jakes_girl

Update: my beau has found Anse Chastanet Beach Hotel and Almond Morgan Bay now and has thrown them into the mix. Please help!

beachdreams3

Your choices are all pretty different, so you probably need to spend a little more time thinking about what your priorities are. Another option (one which I did when I went to St. Lucia last month) is to split time at two different resorts. A lot of people do this so they get two different types of experience.

Of the resorts you mentioned, I have only stayed at Coco Palm. I would highly recommend it for a reasonably priced, almost new, and nice boutique type hotel in the Rodney Bay/Reduit Beach area. It is not right on the beach, and it is not a full service all-inclusive AI resort like some of the others you mentioned. IMO, there is no reason to do AI in Rodney Bay. There is a decent restaurant at the hotel (a nice continental breakfast is included), and there are tons of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. Reduit Beach is less than five minutes away walking or the hotel has a shuttle.

Sandals is a couples only AI resort. It is located at the northern point of the island. Food, drinks, and actities are included, but it is a lot more expensive than Coco Palm.

Anse Chastenat is further south and is a more isolated environment. I don't know much about it, but believe it is nice. I don't think it is AI, but I believe that they have some meal plans you can purchase.

Finally, I think Almond Morgan Bay is an AI resort. I believe this is a more family-oriented resort with more children.

Hope this helps; feel free to ask if you want more information about Coco Palm.

brenandg

That sums it up well. You might want to decide if you want to stay in the quieter southern part of the island, the "livlier" northern part of the island, or as suggested, split the trip up. Ladera is another one to consider in the southern part of the island. We stayed at The Sandal's Regency twice a year apart. We saw a definite decline in the food over that year. What they were trying to pawn off as steak is still a mystery. If you decide on Sandal's, pick the lowest priced room category that is suitable for you.

I think the Almond Morgan Bay had another name not too long ago and was refurbished. I have read good things about Coco Palm and the area, and if we returned, it would be to the Rodney Bay area. But then again, Soufriere is a little quiet for us. Many people seem to prefer that end of the island.

jakes_girl

Beachdreams-thanks for the info, i was starting to worry no one would reply! I am really liking what i see/hear about Coco Palm but my beau wants utter relaxation and thinks this includes not having to plan anything, thus the AI...I'm worried about the food/not really seeing the island if we go the AI route. What are some of the reasons you liked Coco Palm so much? How easy is it to be active (with water sports, night life), if we stay at a boutique hotel instead of an AI? Thanks again for your input and I look forward to reading more of your replies!

Brenandg, I think you sold us on the north---we want quite and relaxation, but the option of nightlife and a more crowded atmosphere too, so with the south being so isolated, I'm pretty sure that's not for us. Also, you've worried me further about the food at Sandals. I just can't imagine being stuck for a week with mediocre food. Not that we're food snobs, but we're from California and on top of that I cook extensively and we do our fair share of dining out at excellent restaurants. Anyway, you mentioned the Regency going downhill in that arena, do you (or does anyone else) know about the Grande? Any input is welcome!

Thanks again

Odin

Almond Morgan Bay was previously Wyndham Morgan, it has recently been refurbished and it a nice AI hotel. But for a first experience of the Caribbean, it would not be my first choice due to the small beach with cloudy water.

Anse Chastenet is divine with good snorkeling, lovely beach and it is definitely relaxing but might be a little remote for some. The southern part of the island is very beautiful.

There are some hotels around Reduit Beach that looked good eg Royal St Lucian, AI would not be required in this area as there are so many restaurants all around.

beachdreams3

Jakes_girl,

I actually split my time between Coco Palm and an AI in the north (BodyHoliday at LeSport) so I didn't do any watersports (except the snorkeling stop off the TiKaye beach on my day trip to the southern part of the island) after I got to Coco Palm.

Like you, I wanted to see more of St. Lucia and try some other restaurants, so that is the primary reason I stayed at Coco Palm for a few days instead of spending my entire trip at an AI resort. Rodney Bay was great because there are so many restaurants and bars within easy walking distance (all price ranges and types of food). I also really liked the fact that Coco Palm is very new (opened in fall 2005 I think), and therefore, everything there is in good condition. You mentioned this is your first trip to the Caribbean, and if you are used to hotels in the United States, be prepared overall for a lower level of facility and guest room maintenance in the Caribbean, partially just because of the effects of the climate on buildings. I'm not the kind of person who needs to stay at the Ritz Carlton, but on the other hand, I hate staying in older hotel rooms that are in bad condition or are not clean. For that reason, I try to pick hotels that are new or are at least four star rated (a four star in the Caribbean is like a three star in the US).

If you like to swim in the pool, Coco Palm has a nice pool area and has some swim-up rooms where you have direct pool access from your patio.

I believe that Coco Palm offers a package where they rent you beach chairs, an umbrella, and some non-motorized watersport equipment. There also are vendors in the area, but that might be a more of hassle. The resort can arrange your island tours, or most of the tour companies have offices nearby in Rodney Bay.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

brenandg

When I say the food went downhill at Sandal's, it was mainly the dinners. The breakfast and lunches were fine from our standpoint, but we are not big eaters at these meals. They have the usual buffet stuff. Egg station at breakfast, plenty of fresh salads, cheeses etc for lunch. Dinners were really just OK. The restaurants also rotate closing. This goes for all three St Lucia Sandal's. We ate dinner off site a couple of times the second time we went. I just don't like to feel like I "should" be eating just at Sandal's (or any other AI). Armando's is good at The Regency, the Beach Grill pretty terrible. While the Grande hands down has a better beach, I like the Regency property because it is lush, hilly, and spread out. A minus for others. I personally would never pay the high prices that Sandal's wants for extra ameneties i.e concierge, butler etc. We stayed in the 3rd category from the bottom, and there are a lot of them. I think they were called Luxury Oceanview or something like that. They are in the "tower" and I do believe have been newly refurbished and have flat screen TV's now. Views are incredible. It has been a while since I have read the St Lucia forums. Also, I know KVR who posts here was very disappointed with the food at The Grand.

Just wanted to mention since this is your first time to the Caribbean. St Lucia does not have the postcard perfect beaches that most who haven't traveled to the Caribbean expect. The sand is light brown and the color of the water looks darker. Anse Chastenet's beach is a grey colored sand. The island is volcanic in origin.

Wherever you decide to stay, get off your resort and check out St Lucia. A must do is a trip to Soufriere to see the Piton's. St Lucia has scenice beauty that not many Caribbean islands offer. If you are active, try the ATV tour. Lots of fun and gorgeous scenery. You ride them into a mangrove and on the beach some. I think it was about 1.5 hours. I had never ridden an ATV before and I did fine. Are we confusing you more yet?

jakes_girl

brenandg-
a little, but not in a bad way...my beau and i grabbed some fodors and frommers books on the caribbean and narrowed it down first to puerto rico and st. lucia before we started looking online. totally overwhelmed with the choices in pr we decided to concentrate on st. lucia. all the sandals info is great, and we are very active, so the other tips are nice to have too. though i wonder now if we should rethink our island choice for our first time. any definitive recommendations?

vinceygirl

I spent an overnight at CoCo Palm this past Nov. Really enjoyed my brief stay and wished I had planned another day. The rooms are both beautiful and comfortable. The staff not only appropriately accommodating but down right nice people.

I was on the Yankee Clipper WJ cruise the previous week and didn't want to rush home the same day we left the ship preferring to wind down and get ready for return to the real world. CoCo Palm was a great buffer. I wanted a massage the same day and the staff went out of their way to make it happen. The massage therapist was well educated(I'm trained in the profession so well aware of technique etc.),professional and polite with just enough friendliness to make for a trusting relaxed atmosphere. The room designated for therapy was clean, quiet, comfortable and well suited for receiving a massage. The massage was wonderful. So much so I immediately fell asleep in my room afterwards and seriously considered cancelling dinner plans rather than break the relaxed feeling.

The pool area is quite nice. There is a restaurant on the premises where we had a few drinks before dinner. Nice ambience and again reasonably priced drinks during happy hour. Unfortunately due to an early flight we required a wake up call. Prompt and right on time.

My room was impeccably clean. The bed quite comfortable and the bathroom nice as well.

Dinner was at the Charthouse. Nice place and easy walking distance from the hotel. Only complaint service was tad slow even for the islands. I ordered surf and turf which I thoroughly enjoyed but the finale, some sort of chocolate fudgy cake concoction was one of the best desserts I've ever had in a restaurant.

If you want an extremely nice place for some RnR yet not out of the way and don't want to spend an arm and a leg CoCo Palm is wonderful. Personally I don't care for AI so wouldn't even consider instead choosing to stay at the Palm.
If you like adventure tours a suggestion would be to take one of Shal's Tours. Unfortunately I did not experience firsthand(I spent a few days on St. Vincent prior to the cruise)but know many who did and all thumbs up. I have seen pictures my friends took and if I ever get back to St. Lucia will definitely make plans to schedule one.

Have fun.

KVR

brenandg is correct. We stayed at Sandals Grande in 11-05 and the food was pretty bad for an AI and for the price we paid. We ate at the Regency once for lunch and it was only slightly better. The food was abundant, but nothing really tasty. We've also been to the Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau and the property was much better. If you interested in a Sandals property, the Whitehouse in Negril, Jamaica and the Dunns River in Ocho Rios, jamaica gets really good reviews. The Sandals in Antigua just got a major face lift and should be very nice. Haven't been to those though. I also agree if you choose a Sandals property get the lowest catagory room. The higher priced rooms are really not worth it.

Of the Islands we've been to, St. Lucia is at the top of our list. It is gorgeous. Beautiful mountains, flora, fauna and waterfalls. We did the jeep tour to a waterfall and black sand beach and it was great. Also went on the land and sea tour, which is a really good overview of the Island.

What type of vacation are you looking for with regards to topography? If your wanting white sandy beaches and crystal clear water try Grand Cayman, Aruba, St. Thomas/St. John, or Bahamas. Jamaica has some really nice beaches and also the same topography of St. Lucia and is much cheaper and easier to get to. However, some people don't like Jamaica. We liked it fine though.

If interested we have pictures of various destinations at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

vinceygirl

Just had a thought, though not luxurious a trip on the Yankee Clipper would open your eyes to what I call the "real Caribbean". A trip on the Yankee Clipper(sailing ship) would meet most of your requests, sun, water sports, clean but very basic amenities. It is a wonderful way to decide which island you would want to go back and spend more time on. If you sailed once and decided on islands to revisit it would be well worth the price. Food is good and wholesome though not gourmet. You visit islands which afford you the opportunity to try restaurants as you aren't rushed like on a large cruise ship. The southeastern Caribbean is my favorite because for the most part somewhat unspoiled by tourism. If you are interested post and I'll be happy to share some links with you regarding pictures, trip reports, etc. I usually spend a few days on St. Vincent prior to the cruise then fly to homeport and spend a day or two after I sail enjoying the island of embarkation.

starfish1

Not trying to make your decision more difficult but you might also want to have a look at http://www.eastwinds.com/stlucia.php
It's a beautiful property right beside Windjammer Landing. Lots of great reviews on TA and is located near Castries. We toured the property when last there and were impressed with its casual elegance and intimate size. On a nice beach as well.