Discouraged St. Lucia accommodation help needed
 

Wanting to go to St. Lucia but getting discouraged. Main problem: taking 23 yr old son so need a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite/condo/cottage. Most places are $800 a night for accommodations only. Not my style and think it’s crazy.

Do you know of anyplace on St. Lucia that has what we are looking for:

1. Snorkeling off the beach.
2. Bar so son can talk to others in the PM. We keep taking him to islands and staying places where the only socializing at night is with us.
3. On-site dive outfit.
4. Onsite activity center for land sightseeing would be great.
5. My nightmare is staying in a huge resort with lots of people on the beach, etc. I'm not on a tight budget but we do like laid back places to stay (don't want a big fancy resort - fancy may be OK if it is a small resort). We prefer to rent a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite/cottage/condo (not a condo in a large complex with others all around us).
6. How do I say this kindly - Do not want a real kid friendly place.
7. Looking for an area to stay where chances are good the currents won’t be wild for snorkeling off the beach. Went to Anegada - there was no snorkeling on the Caribbean side and snorkeling spots on Atlantic side had wild currents. I know there are a lot of factors and no guarantees.
8. Resort/whatever on the beach. Room on the beach would be great but not required.

Main purpose of the trip is diving, snorkeling, and nature sightseeing. Do not care about shopping or fine dining.

We are going to Disney for a convention and St. Lucia is our pre-trip. We’re interested in St. Lucia because it looks pretty easy to get to as compared to other islands. Have been to several other islands but have never been to ones in this area of the Caribbean.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Hello,

What about a private home or villa? You can get some lovely, quaint little vacation homes without the resort atmosphere. Your son might have to use a taxi from a private home, but he's 23 and probably up for an adventure, but St. Lucia isn't so remote that he would have trouble finding a reliable taxi. You could live like a local.

Best Regards,
Julia

Have you looked into Stonefield villas?
http://www.stonefieldvillas.com/index.html

I haven't stayed there myself but I think it might be where I would stay if I went to St. Lucia.

Thank you. Will check them out.

What about The Landings or Bay Gardens Resort. Both are new and on a good beach. Neither huge, but November is a quiet time so wouldn't be too busy anyhow.

LADERA...............

Ladera is super expensive and not on the beach, though the beach at Jalousie Bay does have great off the beach snorkeling.

Your real choices in St. Lucia are either Jalouie Plantation (which is expensive and doesn't have good nightlife) or a place like the Bay Gardens which doesn't have good off the beach snorkeling.

To be honest, I think the best bet would be Tortola, Virgin Gorda, or even St. John, not St. Lucia. But there are a lot of land activities there as well as great diving and snorkeling, just not directly off the beach at most of hte north-shore resorts. I don't know if Marigot is any better for snorkeling, but Stonefield Villas does sound like a good choice if you want to stay with St. Lucia.

You might also check out the north shore of the Dominican Republic. THere's a lot of great nightlife in Cabarete, as well as a lot of cheap condos and hotels.

Thanks for all the input. It was very helpful.

I've been spoiled by Roatan and Bonaire.

At this point, since I can't find that ideal accommodation and hubby is making me crazy changing what he wants in a place to stay, I think we're going to head to Grand Turk and make it a great diving trip. Maybe if we wear my son out diving he'll be too tired to do anything in the PM anyhow.

please try Habitat Terrace
a small boutique hotel where you can rent apartments with 2 rooms
quiet but close enough to Rodney Bay for your son to adventure.
a lot of what you require is not on site but the owner who lives on site will cater for your requirements
a home from home,believe!!
habitatterrace.com
Bill Crawford.UK

I guess I just keep thinking about the guys going out diving so I need a beach to snorkel and lounge on while they are gone - I'll be by myself. I've gotten pretty used to having a private (or nearly private) beach at the place we stay - quiet, not a lot of people, etc. Good grief - I'm spoiled. Guess I'm frustrated cuz I have found these great resorts on the other side of the Caribbean and the price evidently is pretty much a steal. Was hoping to find that same great place in St. Lucia or one of the other islands in that general area of the Caribbean.

If you are still thinking of St Lucia try a search for Rodney Bay. Lots of inexpensive hotels, beach, snorkeling, not sure about dive shop on site but there must be one nearby. We went about 7 years ago before St Lucia took off and really loved it. We stayed at the Rex and it was nice at the time but not sure about now.

What about Anse Chastanet, they have a dive operation and you can snorkel off the beach (see Scubamom's review http://www.scubamom.com/st-lucia/ansechastanet.htm.) You would need to have 2 rms but they likely have discounts in Nov. We haven't been to St. Lucia for yrs & my husband is a diver but didn't think the diving was very good. Other option is Virgin Gorda & rental home nr. the Baths http://www.guavaberryspringbay.com/deluxevillas.htm near great beach for snorkeling--there's also a beach bar near by. VG is easier to get to than St. Lucia.

CoCo Palm Hotel in Rodney Bay is a great boutique hotel. I stayed there 2 yrs ago and loved it. There are numerous restaurants, clubs etc in the area so your son won't get bored. www.coco-resorts.com

Anse Chastanet is a magnificent hotel, but I very much doubt that the OPs can get 2 rooms for $800 per night even in November.

And two caveats: Anse Chastanet has no AC, a problem for some people. It also has no pool.

It does have really good off-the-beach snorkeling.

Thanks all.
After looking at flights decided on going to Grand Turk for this trip - making it a hard core diving trip in "Jimmy Buffet" style.

Will keep all your info. Year after going to El Conquisator in Puerto Rico so looking at St. Lucia as a side trip. Will be a lot easier going to/from St. Lucia and PR.

FYI - Anse Chastanet actually looked like a bargain after looking at other places on St. Lucia. We could get a 2 bed 2 bath suite with diving package and 3 meals for $7,000 for 6 nights.

We are just weird. We stay in 4 & 5 star places at conventions but when we go on a side teip we like laid back places without crowds at the accommodation or beach, never having to get dressed up, etc. Have enough of that at home. The best way I can describe it is go Jimmy Buffet style.

Doug, you still there? Decided to take a quickie trip over Labor Day. Somewhere easy to get to from Pittsburg. Looking at Dominican Republic (as you suggested), Jamaica, maybe even Cozumel, Tortola, or the Atlantis. Going against all I hold dear but figure will have to stay at a busy resort. Looking at good airline and hotel packages. I'm going to post on those threads so please join me there.

I think I know the perfect place - not a mainstream resort and meets your criteria: Ti Kaye Village. http://www.tikaye.com/resort.htm

- Small resort, relaxed atmosphere
- The off-beach snorkeling was fantastic, abundant fish, clearest water I've ever seen
- On-site dive outfit. I don't dive but Anse Cochon (which is just north of Anse Chastanet) is known for diving, with some ship wrecks in the area
- They can arrange all sorts of land activities (mountain biking, visit to the botanical gardens, rainforest jeep safari)
- Beach-side bar and grill (a new addition - wasn't there when I visited)
- Full restaurant up the stairs from the beach (hotel is built on a ridge along the coast = great views, but you go down some stairs to get to the beach)
- Beautiful, empty beach (only used by hotel guests or by sea access)
- This side of the island (west coast) is protected from wild currents
- I don't think Ti Kaye allows under-16s.

Have kids the same age as your son. Have been going to Negril, Jamaica for a very long time. I think it has everything you're looking for. My kids often take off by themselves, go out to reggae clubs on the beach, etc. Great beach ( about seven miles of white sand and one of the prettiest I've seen anywhere in the Caribbean), very laid-back. Sometimes we go to dinner in our bathing suits!! Like you, we travel for business and stay at fancy places, so don't really look for that on vacation. Two places to recommend: IDLE AWHILE, very small resort on the best part of the beach, and it's less swanky neighbor, COCO LA PALM , but only if you can book the upstairs rooms. Both places I'd recommend highly, but they are extremely popular because the location and price is generally reasonable- even in season!

Forgot to add that there is excellent snorkeling. Not sure about diving, although I'm sure it can be found. Also fun fishing trips, and plenty of cool places to eat cheaply on the cliffs ( West End), where, if you're really lucky, you might see dolphins swim by right below the restaurant!

I would do Tortola or St. John. Of the 20 plus islands we have visited, they are our favorites. Caribbeanonline.com offer some good deals at Long Bay on Tortola or look at some of the affordable lodgings at Sopers Hole. On St. John cheap places to stay are hard to come by. Do your research or go to priceline.com. Try vacationrentals.com or VRBO for a villa or condo on STJ or Tortola.

However, one of our favorite trips was to St. Lucia's Jalousie Plantation. You cannot go wrong and you get what you pay for. The location is unbeatable and it is the trip of a lifetime!! I cannot recommend this place highly enough! My daughter is 18 and we took her there as a 14 year old. She still talks about that trip as one of the best times of her life. We loved it and the snorkeling was awesome!

Just to confuse you, Curacao is another amazing destination. Very European with unbelievable beaches, snorkeling, diving, etc. The restaurants on this island were amazing and the Kura Hulanda was a wonderful experience (slave museum and the evening sax player not to be missed). This island is one of the most unusual places we have ever been.