LJB

Howdy! I?ve read so many helpful trip reports that I thought I?d return the favor. Just got back from a week at the St. James Club, St. Lucia (formerly the Wyndham Morgan Bay). We had a very enjoyable week.

Pros: Beautiful property; very well tended, flowers everywhere. Service was wonderful; everyone helpful and good moods. Rooms are nice, marble floors, wicker furniture. There is a safe in the rooms but you must pay $9 for the lock. If you want a view of the ocean, you must specify and be willing to pay extra; there are many rooms with a view of a lawn and other buildings blocking the view to the sea. Food is very good; especially the local cuisine, which is even available at breakfast. No limit on how often you can eat at the ala carte restaurant. There are two restaurants, the third one hasn?t opened yet, is supposed to be gourmet and they say there will be an extra charge to eat there. Drinks good, no complaints. Lots of water activities, minimal loud jet skis. Two pools including an adults-only one that is really lovely with a view of the hills. The week we went (first week of Feb) there were hardly any kids, a plus for us (yeah yeah, we should go to Sandals, but they were out of our price range). The crowd was low key; honeymooners, couples with grown children and older Brits. Afternoon tea and late night snacks were available. Joy?s boat ride was a highlight; we got to see some parts of the island and got a bit of the local flavor. There were activities going on (bingo, archery) but it wasn?t obtrusive and you could ignore it all. Kitties roam the grounds. Peepers serenaded us at night. Beach was pretty.

Cons: The beach was pretty, but it was really small. It?s a little more than 500 feet wide, so the chairs are very close together. On the plus side, there are plenty of chairs all around; on the lawns, around the pools, but my idea of a beach vacation is sitting there and staring at the ocean. It?s also nice to be able to stroll the beach at night after dinner. Not possible here. They did build a long dock, which is good for a short stroll. Trees provide the shade on the beach, but it?s not consistent.

As for the island of St. Lucia; it is an amazing mix of breathtaking scenery and abject poverty. Taxis are expensive and the driving would be terrifying. The van ride from the airport to the hotel is 1.5 hours, sort of a mini island tour.

Would I go back? Probably not, but only because we want to see many other islands before we start repeating them. This is the third all-inclusive we have been to and so far it has provided the best service. I would check out the St. James Club in Antigua because of this fact.

HowardC

Thanks for the trip report. It was very timely as we leave for our first trip to St Lucia and the St James Club. We're stuck on Anguilla and Turks and Caicos and wanted to try another island. We have a deluxe ocean front so assume there will be some sort of ocean/beach view. Would you provide a few more details on Joy's boat trip. Half day or whole. Was it a sail boat or power boat. What did it cost. How were the theme buffets or did you mainly eat in the formal dining room. Thanks again for the report

LJB

I want to hear about T and C and Anguilla! Any all-inclusives to recommend?

Joys boat trip was a half day; from 8:30 to 3pm (I think there is also an option to go at 11:30 and come back later) It is a small power boat that seats 10 people tops. It was $65 US. The various tour companies offer other types of trips on catamarans, don't know the price. It's about an hour ride down to Soufrier and we did get rained on (it rains a bit nearly every day).

We ate at the ala carte restaurant only twice, mostly because the buffets looked so interesting, I wanted to try more types of food. I was interested in the local themes (not Italian or Chinese night)and was never dissapointed. The alacarte restaurant always had the same menu; I had the steak (tasty but fatty) and the tuna (good). My DH had the duck (tough) and I didn't hear good things about the veal. On the one hand you have the relaxing alacarte experience, on the other hand you have the variety of the buffet. They post the buffets for the week so you can choose.

HowardC

Thanks for the info--Saw the buffet list and some look really interesting so we'll probably do that often. Re Anguilla and Turks and Caicos--Have been to each over a dozen times. No AI's on Anguilla--There's Club Med, Allegro and Beaches on Provo but really don't recommend AI's. Too many good restaurants to get locked into an AI. Will give you lots of info when we get back. In the interim Check out the following sites--

Anguilla--
www.news.ai/daily.php3
www.anguillaguide.com
www.festival.ai--Besides pictures of last years carnival in August lots of info. Click on screen saver on the right and beaches for great pictures of Anguilla beaches.
www.frangipani.ai--where we stay

Providenciales (Provo)
wwwwherewhenhow.com the on line magazine of the Turks and Caicos
www.adamsnames.tc--Click on Turks and Caicos and links for all kinds of info and Provo web sites.
E-mail me in about a week ([email protected]) and I'll give you more info

BarbaraF

Howard C, if you are still reading here, can you give me your impressions of the St. James Club? I am trying a bit too late to plan a family vacation for Christmas break (2 teenagers) and this is one of the few nice properties seemingly available, or so says my travel agent. thanks.

HowardC

Yes I'm still here. Prefer to answer off line. You can E-mail me at [email protected]