St. Lucia Trip Report 8/21 -8/26/08
Aug 28th, 2008, 06:13 AM
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St. Lucia Trip Report 8/21 -8/26/08
My fiance and I just got back from a few days in St. Lucia (8/21/08 -8/26/08). We had a great trip!
We flew into UVF from Miami. The shuttle from the airport to the resort is about an hour and a half. It's a winding road (up and down hills the entire time). I'm from Miami (where everything is nice and flat), so on the ride to the resort I got a little light headed...but I think that's just me being a wimp
We stayed at Sandals Grande St. Lucian in a Rondoval suite. It was absolutely amazing.. By our third day, we didn't even venture out of our room. We just laid out by our pool.
Our butler, Amos, was great. We came back from dinner one night and we had lit candles all over the room and a steaming bubble bath ready. It was great. If I figure out how to load images, I'll show you!
The resort was nice. The main pool was beautiful and in the evening they had musicians playing in the tower above the pool. One night was a saxophonist, and one night was a pianist. So as we were walking toward (and from) dinner, we had an amazing atmosphere.
The water was nice, the beach was bit rocky (lots of coral). We went sailing on the sunfish and we had a blast! The beaches are public so there were vendors walking the edges of the property trying to sell Parasailing rides. They were very nice (not creepy).
The food was pretty good, but the presentation was beautiful. I think the only meal that really "wowed" me was the lasagna at Toscannini's. I know...who would have guessed?! It really was one of the best lasagnas I've ever had. I am a bit biased because I don't eat seafood. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though.
We went on a tour that we booked through the resort tour desk: Soufriere Adventure Tour. We took a catamaran down to the Pitons and Soufriere on the southwest coast of St. Lucia. The catamaran was great. The morning was a bit rainy, so I was nervous about the whole trip being a flop, but it cleared up and the day was actually beautiful. It's a long ride down to Souffrie, but the view of the island along the way is great. The island is full of hills and mountains, and EVERYTHING is green. Once you get to Soufriere, you take a shuttle up to the "drive through" volcano. The volcano is actually a crater (not a mountain top). You get out and see all the boiling and steaming sulfur pits. The smell is overwhelming, but overall, a cool experience. Not too physically demanding, but a little walking is required. Next stop the botanical gardens. They were very pretty and the waterfall is nice as well. Nothing really "wowed" me, but I think I'm biased here too as I have most of the same plants in my backyard. Next stop: lunch! By this time we were all starving. Lunch was at a local restaurant up on the hill. The food was OK, but the view was INCREDIBLE. You have an amazing view of the town and the Pitons. To me, this was the nicest part of the tour. Back on the catamaran, we stopped at a beach area and went snorkeling for about 30. This was a lot of fun. All the equipment is already on board, so you just jump in! The water was crystal and the fish were beautiful. Good times had by all.
The rest of the tour was pretty uneventful. The crew tried to stir us up with some drinking games and loud music, but we had a relatively small group (maybe 10 couples), so the games didn't really go over well.
One last point to describe; instead of driving back to the airport on our last day, we took a helicopter transfer. It wasn't cheap ($140 per person) but it was well worth it! The experience and the views were priceless. I took a million images and got to see the island like never before. I HIGHLY recommend it.
That's all for now. Sorry I wrote such a book!
We flew into UVF from Miami. The shuttle from the airport to the resort is about an hour and a half. It's a winding road (up and down hills the entire time). I'm from Miami (where everything is nice and flat), so on the ride to the resort I got a little light headed...but I think that's just me being a wimp
We stayed at Sandals Grande St. Lucian in a Rondoval suite. It was absolutely amazing.. By our third day, we didn't even venture out of our room. We just laid out by our pool.
Our butler, Amos, was great. We came back from dinner one night and we had lit candles all over the room and a steaming bubble bath ready. It was great. If I figure out how to load images, I'll show you!
The resort was nice. The main pool was beautiful and in the evening they had musicians playing in the tower above the pool. One night was a saxophonist, and one night was a pianist. So as we were walking toward (and from) dinner, we had an amazing atmosphere.
The water was nice, the beach was bit rocky (lots of coral). We went sailing on the sunfish and we had a blast! The beaches are public so there were vendors walking the edges of the property trying to sell Parasailing rides. They were very nice (not creepy).
The food was pretty good, but the presentation was beautiful. I think the only meal that really "wowed" me was the lasagna at Toscannini's. I know...who would have guessed?! It really was one of the best lasagnas I've ever had. I am a bit biased because I don't eat seafood. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it though.
We went on a tour that we booked through the resort tour desk: Soufriere Adventure Tour. We took a catamaran down to the Pitons and Soufriere on the southwest coast of St. Lucia. The catamaran was great. The morning was a bit rainy, so I was nervous about the whole trip being a flop, but it cleared up and the day was actually beautiful. It's a long ride down to Souffrie, but the view of the island along the way is great. The island is full of hills and mountains, and EVERYTHING is green. Once you get to Soufriere, you take a shuttle up to the "drive through" volcano. The volcano is actually a crater (not a mountain top). You get out and see all the boiling and steaming sulfur pits. The smell is overwhelming, but overall, a cool experience. Not too physically demanding, but a little walking is required. Next stop the botanical gardens. They were very pretty and the waterfall is nice as well. Nothing really "wowed" me, but I think I'm biased here too as I have most of the same plants in my backyard. Next stop: lunch! By this time we were all starving. Lunch was at a local restaurant up on the hill. The food was OK, but the view was INCREDIBLE. You have an amazing view of the town and the Pitons. To me, this was the nicest part of the tour. Back on the catamaran, we stopped at a beach area and went snorkeling for about 30. This was a lot of fun. All the equipment is already on board, so you just jump in! The water was crystal and the fish were beautiful. Good times had by all.
The rest of the tour was pretty uneventful. The crew tried to stir us up with some drinking games and loud music, but we had a relatively small group (maybe 10 couples), so the games didn't really go over well.
One last point to describe; instead of driving back to the airport on our last day, we took a helicopter transfer. It wasn't cheap ($140 per person) but it was well worth it! The experience and the views were priceless. I took a million images and got to see the island like never before. I HIGHLY recommend it.
That's all for now. Sorry I wrote such a book!
Aug 28th, 2008, 08:58 AM
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Thanks for your trip report! St. Lucia was my first destination in the Caribbean and I am still haunted by its beauty. And I agree with you about the helicopter ride--it's a great way to see the island if it's in your budget!
Aug 29th, 2008, 04:50 AM
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Thanks for the great trip report! We loved St. Lucia-it’s like a mini Hawaii! Sounds like a great hotel for a honeymoon. We stayed at Stonefield by the Pitet Piton while there and loved it. What restaurant did you eat at near the pitons? I would love to see pictures if you can post. Congrats on your engagement!
Aug 29th, 2008, 05:41 PM
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Thanks for the report, great info! Am planning a 50th birthday getaway for next March and we're scheduled to have one of the 3 BR villas at Stonefield - can't wait! Is St. Lucia the type of place where you can rent scooters to get around?
Aug 30th, 2008, 05:56 AM
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Sasiemer,
Congrats on your upcoming 50th bday! You will love Stonefield-the views of the Piton are stunning and the staff is very friendly. I don’t believe there are scooter rentals anywhere near there. The best way to get around is to make use of the free shuttle service Stonefield offers-they can drive you to Soufrierre where you can walk around and get groceries (it’s about a 5 minute drive), or they can drive you to Jalousie next door to hang out on their beautiful beach nestled between the pitons. The roads aren’t great (although I’ve heard they’ve been paved since I was there). You could go for a walk around the roads if you wanted, but they’re steep and spread out. The sunsets there are gorgeous. Be sure to do Friday night Fish Fry in Anse La Raye. My trip pictures are at the below link if that helps you. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...share&Ux=0
Congrats on your upcoming 50th bday! You will love Stonefield-the views of the Piton are stunning and the staff is very friendly. I don’t believe there are scooter rentals anywhere near there. The best way to get around is to make use of the free shuttle service Stonefield offers-they can drive you to Soufrierre where you can walk around and get groceries (it’s about a 5 minute drive), or they can drive you to Jalousie next door to hang out on their beautiful beach nestled between the pitons. The roads aren’t great (although I’ve heard they’ve been paved since I was there). You could go for a walk around the roads if you wanted, but they’re steep and spread out. The sunsets there are gorgeous. Be sure to do Friday night Fish Fry in Anse La Raye. My trip pictures are at the below link if that helps you. Enjoy!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...share&Ux=0
Sep 5th, 2008, 05:56 AM
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Sep 10th, 2008, 07:58 AM
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I'm glad you had awonderful trip.
We are looking at daughters wedding being at Grande St. Lucia in Jan.2010. Do you think 28 people and the Bride and Groom would have enough privacy, and space to be together. Ages between 20-70. Any information would be great. I would like anyones ideas.
We are looking at daughters wedding being at Grande St. Lucia in Jan.2010. Do you think 28 people and the Bride and Groom would have enough privacy, and space to be together. Ages between 20-70. Any information would be great. I would like anyones ideas.
Sep 16th, 2008, 11:44 AM
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Hmm...I'm not sure
I think if the bride and groom stayed in a Rondoval suite they would have plenty of privacy, since these rooms are apart from the main block.
And if they are staying longer than the rest of the fam, there will definitely be alone time.
The resort is big, but all the restaurants are bunched together, so I can't imagine too many isolated meals. lol.
I have nothing but rave reviews for the hotel, but it's couples only, so I don't know how that would work for a wedding...
Sorry I'm not much help.
I think if the bride and groom stayed in a Rondoval suite they would have plenty of privacy, since these rooms are apart from the main block.
And if they are staying longer than the rest of the fam, there will definitely be alone time.
The resort is big, but all the restaurants are bunched together, so I can't imagine too many isolated meals. lol.
I have nothing but rave reviews for the hotel, but it's couples only, so I don't know how that would work for a wedding...
Sorry I'm not much help.
Mar 10th, 2009, 09:58 AM
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Hey! My fiance and I are going to pick St. Lucia for our honeymoon - probably staying at Sandals Grande. I have a couple questions...
1. How worried should we be about hurricanes? Will it rain the entire trip? We're going Aug 24-31.
2. Sandals Grande verus the Windjammer? What do you think?
Thanks!!! We're so excited. St. Lucia looks amazing!!!!
Christie
1. How worried should we be about hurricanes? Will it rain the entire trip? We're going Aug 24-31.
2. Sandals Grande verus the Windjammer? What do you think?
Thanks!!! We're so excited. St. Lucia looks amazing!!!!
Christie
Jun 12th, 2009, 05:59 AM
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St. Lucia IS amazing!
I haven't been to the Windjammer, so I can't comment.
Will it rain? Yes. It will probably rain some everyday, but the rain is a nice break from the sun...and it will be HOT!
Regarding hurricanes, it IS hurricane season, so I would recommend buying travel insurance and checking with your resort to see what their hurricane policy is. Usually resorts in the Caribbean have a hurricane policy
Have a great honeymoon!
I haven't been to the Windjammer, so I can't comment.
Will it rain? Yes. It will probably rain some everyday, but the rain is a nice break from the sun...and it will be HOT!
Regarding hurricanes, it IS hurricane season, so I would recommend buying travel insurance and checking with your resort to see what their hurricane policy is. Usually resorts in the Caribbean have a hurricane policy
Have a great honeymoon!
Jun 14th, 2009, 04:12 PM
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Windjammer is great. Peaceful, romantic and out of the way. Haven't stayed at Sandals but did sail by the beach which looked great. I like being out of the way but if you want to be able to walk to nitelife then Sandals would be it. We usually take a taxi to Rodney bay from the Windjammer and it's only about 10 mins or so. Staff at Windjammer are very good and personable. St. Lucia is such a friendly island that you cant go wrong where ever you go. Hurricanes: My wife and I seem to have hit several during our years traveling in the Caribbean but we've found that it's just part of the experience. Bring a good book and read out the storms.
Cheers,
Patrick
Cheers,
Patrick
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