Annaoj

Hi!

I posted last month about a family trip somewhere in the Caribbean. It turns out it's now only two of us going (my mom and me)and now most of the flight and time complications are removed (we'll have 5 or 6 days) so we've narrowed it down to either St. Lucia or Antigua.

One concern is not wanting to end up somewhere totally geared towards couples. With that in mind, can anyone recommend (or steer me away from) any of the higher end resorts on either of these islands? From the research I've done, I've been particularly interested in Carlisle Bay in Antigua, Body Holiday (anyone have any feedback on this place??) and Anse Chastanet on St. Lucia.

The things that matter most to us are a quiet, calm environment, really great food, and the ability to do activities like snorkeling, perhaps some hiking, yoga, and spa stuff. Would appreciate any suggestions--thanks!!

Annaoj

Or of course if anyone has any general comments about either island, I'd love to hear that too.

rickandpat

If you search my name you'll see we LOVED Anse Chastanet a few years ago. Small, intimate place, everyone was very nice and accomodating, nice beach and watersports, good snorkeling right there, great food, and I enjoyed the yoga and pilates. We went to the plantation the next beach up for a guided hike. We didn't do any spa activities, and were only there 3 days so we never visited other places on the island, but what we saw was lush and beautiful. I remember a mom and daughter there, certainly I didn't feel it was a place just for couples. Sorry I can't compare A.C. with your other choices.

ejcrowe

Though I've been to both St. Lucia and Antigua, I've never stayed at the places you're considering. I would venture a guess that Le Sport is probably the one with the greatest diversity of guests in terms of couples. They market themselves to single professionals, especially women.

Anse Chastenet is a beautiful resort and very romantic--I had lunch there one day during my stay at the Jalousie. I only saw couples there during my brief visit, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

Carlisle Bay is more expensive than the other two.

Between the two islands, Antigua is much easier for driving around, either on your own in a rental car or by hiring a taxi. St. Lucia offers the more spectacular scenery in terms of the lushness and the mountains, but the iconic Pitons will be a long drive or water taxi ride away from you at Le Sport. Antigua's beaches and water are more quintessentially Caribbean, in the sense that the sand is lighter and the water is several shades of stunning blue. St. Lucia's beaches, while gorgeous, are darker sand and as such, the water looks darker, too.

honeymooninitaly2

We were in Antigua the summer of 2005 ---Here is what I can tell you the color of the water on Dickenson's Bay is magical. There are also two great restauarants...Coconut Grove and The Beach. My parents stayed at St. James Club on the other side of Antigua----the water is dark blue...Atlantic Ocean. St. Lucia is on our list but I have heard its lush and green, darker water. I also remember researching Anse Chastanet for our honeymoon...not sure if any of this helps but either way you'll have a great time.

Annaoj

Thanks so much for this feedback. I'm starting to think that really, either island would be wonderful and what matters more at this point is what hotels aren't all booked up yet. (I think Anse Chastanet is already booked up, for instance.) Does anyone else have any recommendations for particular places to stay? Thanks again!!

Caribgal2

If you decide to go to St. Lucia between th 2 options, I would recommend LeSport. LeSport is located in the northern part of the island where there is more activity..Taxi ride away from Rodney Bay, the street party, Anse La Raye and Castries. You can go to Pigeon Island and hike to the top. It's not the Pitons but a little exercise. Nice views of Rodney Bay and Martinque in the distance.

Annaoj

Caribgal2 (or anyone else)--have you been to LeSport? I'm really curious to know what the atmosphere and especially the FOOD is like there--I've read a few good things, but then read something on this forum where the food was described as only "okay."

beachdreams3

I just got back from St. Lucia and really enjoyed my stay at LeSport. I went alone and found it very easy to meet other solo travelers. It definitely isn't an "all couples" place like a lot of the resorts on St. Lucia, which overall is a big honeymoon destination. Solo travelers at LeSport are mostly female and predominately British. I didn't personally meet any mothers and daughters traveling together, but I have heard that it is a good place to go for that. LeSport is a great place to relax and do as little or as much as you want in terms of activities and sports. The spa treatments were nice too. I'm not a big spa goer at home (in the Washington, DC area) but I didn't find the treatments I had at LeSport to be as customized as ones I would have at a spa at home. Nevertheless, they were relaxing. IMO, the food ranges from average to very good, but I think a lot depends on your tastes and preferences. I really don't like big, heavy meals for breakfast and lunch, so I didn't really try too many of the breakfast buffet options or eat lunch (also a buffet) at the main restaurant. I usually had lunch at the casual place next to the beach and had lighter meals - salads, sandwiches, etc. I thought the seated dinners in the main restaurant, Cariblue, and the reservations-only restaurant, TAO, were very good, and the service was excellent. Cariblue has a Caribbean buffet on Wednesdays, and other nights, you select three courses from a menu. There also is a casual alaternative for dinner, but I didn't try that. I don't usually go to AI resorts, but the contrast between LeSport and the only other AI place I visited (in the Dominican Republic) was significant, particularly in terms of the level of service and the quality of the dinners. LeSport had drink service at the beach and pool, which was nice too. If you have other questions, please feel free to ask.

Annaoj

Thanks so much for these suggestions. We're now leaning more towards Antigua.

We've been looking at Carlisle Bay and Blue Waters. On tripadvisor I read some really mixed things about Carlisle Bay, which I absolutely love the look on based on their website. I'm nervous now because some people said the food was really mediocre, service slow...it looks even prettier than Blue Waters to me, though. Has anyone stayed at either place? Any thoughts?