Larry

My wife and I want to go to St. Lucia this spring. Any thoughts on comparing these 2 resorts? Any comments on beaches, pools, food, crowds, kids, etc. would be much appreciated! <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Lori

Hi Larry, <BR>We are going to be in St. Lucia in April. I was deciding between these two resorts also. I think the main difference is the location. The Hyatt is in the North and Jalousie is in the South. The South is more lush and scenic and has the piton mountains. The North has more resorts, restaurants and nightlife. I hear that Jalousie is very isolated with a very bad road going to it, but is supposed to have magnificent views because it is situated between the pitons, the beach looks beautiful and the snorkeling is reputed as pretty good. With the Hyatt, you can take a cab to Rodney bay for restaurants and nightlife and since the hotel is new, the facilities will be clean and fresh. The beach is supposed to be very nice and the pool has waterfalls and bridges and sounds wonderful from the accounts I have heard. The food gets excellent reports but is supposed to be on the expensive side, but that holds true for both resorts. Both hotels have very good reputations. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. The crowds will depend on when you travel. If it is during school vacation, there will be crowds and kids at both resorts. Good luck with your decision, I'm sure you will have an excellent vacation either way!

Kay

Larry: <BR> <BR>I was in St. Lucia for my honeymoon in June. I stayed part of the time at the Hyatt and was at the Hilton visiting several times. <BR> <BR>As for beaches: both have very nice white sand beaches. The Hyatt has the best pool by far with wtaerfalls jacuzzi jets, meandering streams and it is over an acre. Food is great at both resorts, but expensive. What Lori said aobut both is true too. I did not think the road to the HIlton was that bad. If you want lots of nighlife and action the Hyatt is the best but if you want peace and supreme beauty then the Hilton is the best.

Larry

Hi Lori & Kay, <BR> <BR>Thanks so much for your responses! They were very helpful. I must admit I was a little worried about the beaches, being in St. Lucia, but it seems that both resorts have good ones. They may be artificial, but who cares! <BR> <BR>Quick follow-up question for you, Kay. We're leaning toward the Hyatt, and were wondering if there's a big difference between the "Beach View" and "Ocean View" rooms. I couldn't find a decent description of the rooms anywhere. If you could shed some light, that would be great! <BR> <BR>Thanks!

Ana

My husband and absolutely loved the Hilton. We were also worried the beaches would not be as nice. There white sand beach is one of the nicest we have seen and we have been to many islands. The villa's with plunge pools are wonderful and the views are so romantic. The staff was friendly and very attentive. The resort is nestled between the 2 Pitons and its absolutely breathtaking. I also took advantage of the spa. Our only disappointment was with one of the restaurants. The food was just okay. The Pier restaurant and the casual beach cafe were very good.

Kathy

My husband and I stayed at the Jalousie last year. We've traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, and our experience at the Hilton was the most enjoyable. We had an ocean front villa with plunge pool.(Rm.104) We visited the facility pool twice, but the private pool was so great, we stayed there most of the time. We had an outside minibar, and the privacy was wonderful. The beach was beautiful-the best in St. Lucia, although when we were there, Hurricane Lenny washed it out. I presume it's been replaced since then. I haven't seen the Hyatt. The ambiance between the two locations is polar opposites. One's quiet and remote(Jalousie) and one's in the hub of the nightlife action. We found the drive to the hotel to be beautiful. Had dinner at Ladera one night, and Anse Chastenet is close also, if you need diversion.You can also get a water taxi to go snorkling at Anse Chastenet Bay, very close by. Also, the rain forest hiking, waterfalls, volcano...plenty to do at the Hilton. Not to mention tennis, etc.

Kay

Hi Larry <BR> <BR>Teh Hyatt is on a inger of land between the mainland and Pigeon Island so on one side is the ocean view (Atlantic) and on the other side was the beach/lagoon view (rodney Bay) WE had hte ocean view which was lovely but there was the lawn and a road between us and the ocean. On the other side of the hall those rooms overlooked the lawn beach and then the Bay. I would opt for the beach/lagoon view. <BR> <BR>I am working on my web site and hope to have pictures of the Hyatt and the views on it in the next week or so. I will post my web address here when it is ready.

l

i just returned from a week at the jalousie hilton and would recommend it to anyone. it was absolutely beautiful, the rooms were comfortable and well-appointed, the beach and pool are exquisite, and the staff could not have been friendlier or more helpful. we had a villa with a plunge pool, which had amazing views of the pitons. the restaurants at the resort are fairly good; the pier has a buffet which i would not recommend, but a la carte would probably be great. they actually did have an italian buffet one night that was delicious - and i am a nyc restaurant-goer and very picky about food. it was easy to take a cab up to ladera, which is right above the hilton, for a great dinner at dasheene. sunsets are out of this world! have a "co-naturel," their special drink, yum! <BR> <BR>one thing to keep in mind is that the hilton seemed to get a much nicer breeze than the rest of the island - i think the pitons must create their own weather pattern. we went into soufriere, which was quite hot, but i was always really comfortable on the beach at the hilton. <BR> <BR>hope this helps...