St. Lucia: where to stay?
 

I'm beginning to plan a trip to St. Lucia with my boyfriend. Staying for a week (first week of December). I would like a beautiful spot (on/near a good swimming/snorkeling beach). We are very active - enjoy many water sports as well as an active night life. I've read that Le Sport, Windjammer Resort, Ladera, and Anse Cha??? are romantic, beautiful spots (villa room). Has anyone stayed at either of these resorts w/some feedback?

Susan, I just returned from Anse Chastanet..my report is in the forum titled Anse Chastanet. Ive never seen any place more romantic or beautiful. If your totally into nature and snorkeling there is no better place to stay. The snorkeling was outstanding....We stayed in a room that was basically all open air...It was beautiful. There is no night life on this resort. They do have charming local entertainment come every night but everything shuts down early. We met alot of really intresting people and would spend a lot of evenings chatting in the bar. If you go to AC, you will not come back the same...you basically have no concept of time or anything going on at home. It is a wonderful feeling and I cant wait to experiance it again. Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions. <BR>

Susan: <BR> <BR>Based on your requirements, LeSport fits best: <BR> <BR>--Decent snorkeling right off the beach. Not as good as AChastanet, however. <BR>--Lots to do if you are very active! Much more than the other resorts you mentioned. Every sport imaginable, bike rides, full-service spa. <BR>--Nightlife/bars/clubs nearby cab ride in Rodney Bay. Resorts on south part of island are isolated. <BR>--LeSport is very beautiful--the pictures on web site do not do it justice. <BR>--Rooms. LeSport renovated all the rooms over the summer and built some new ones, so I cannot comment on those since I have not seen them. <BR> <BR>The other consideration is price. Windjammer is the least expensive of the bunch, but you have to take a shuttle to the beach. Ladera is a small fortune. Your budget might rule out a few of these resorts. <BR> <BR>Another consideration is kids/families. Windjammer has a lot. <BR> <BR>St. Lucia is a great place--enjoy your trip! <BR>

Susan: If you do searches on this forum by typing in the name of the resort, you will bring up lots of threads on the resorts you mentioned. I for one would highly recommend staying in one of the resorts near Soufriere -- Ladera (where I stayed), Jalousie Hilton, or Anse Chastanet. This part of the island, with the Pitons, is much more beautiful in my opinion than is the northern part of the island near Castries where many of the larger resorts are located. I highly recommend Ladera -- it is the most romantic, gorgeous place I've ever been. The open-air rooms all have breathtaking views of both Pitons and the Caribbean. And it has easy, free access to the great beaches at Anse Chastanet (fantastic snorkeling) and Jalousie Hilton (beautiful setting) including free snorkeling equipment. check out the websites www.ladera-resort.com and www.ansechastanet.com and www.jalousie-hilton.com <BR> <BR>These resorts and the area around Soufriere do not have the best "nightlife" if it's dance clubs you're looking for. They do, however, have wonderful restaurants and there are a few places to hear reggae/calypso music. You might find places on St. Lucia with better nightlife, but you will not find better snorkeling than at AC or better views (and food!) than at Ladera. Water sports are available at AC and Jalousie Hilton. <BR> <BR>Make sure you ask travel agents to look into packages -- there are many available that include all of the resorts you are interested in.

Hi, we are also going to St. Lucia this december for our honeymoon. We are staying part of the time at Sandals st. lucia.. all food, drinks and activities included plus NO kids or singles. They have snorkeling, scuba diving, golf, windsurfing, you name it...all included.. <BR>Plus the use of 8 restaurants and bars and a disco. <BR>The 2nd part of our honeymoon we are staying at Ladera. We have done TONS of research and it seems perfect! It has open air rooms but set up in the mountains, views are beautiful! Food is supposed to be excellent. they have free shuttles every day that take you down to either the beach at Anse Chastanet which has the best snorkeling on the island, or can shuttle to Jalousie Hilton which is a huge resort w/ a nice white sand beach... Have heard great things about all, but thru all i've read Ladera sounds nicer all around. Hope this helps...good luck!

Hi, we are also going to St. Lucia this december for our honeymoon. We are staying part of the time at Sandals st. lucia.. all food, drinks and activities included plus NO kids or singles. They have snorkeling, scuba diving, golf, windsurfing, you name it...all included.. <BR>Plus the use of 8 restaurants and bars and a disco. <BR>The 2nd part of our honeymoon we are staying at Ladera. We have done TONS of research and it seems perfect! It has open air rooms but set up in the mountains, views are beautiful! Food is supposed to be excellent. they have free shuttles every day that take you down to either the beach at Anse Chastanet which has the best snorkeling on the island, or can shuttle to Jalousie Hilton which is a huge resort w/ a nice white sand beach... Have heard great things about all, but thru all i've read Ladera sounds nicer all around. Hope this helps...good luck!

I just returned yesterday from the beautiful island of St. Lucia. We stayed at the Jalouise Hilton and would highly recommend this top notch resort to anyone. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking. The white sand beach was nestled between the 2 Pitons and our villa w/plunge pool was romantic and elegantly furnished. They have good snorkeling and diving at the beach but there is little night life. Overall the food was very good and the service outstanding. We ate at both Anse Chasanet and Ladera and thought those resorts were very nice. I have been to many islands and this is one place I would definitely visit again.

I agree wholeheartedly with Lisa and Anne above, but I disagree with Tammy. Avoid Sandals at any cost! It is definitely a rip off. The beach is man made and is closed much of the time due to hazardous surf conditions. <BR> You're much better off in the incredibly romantic setting of the Pitons! In addition, the snorkeling and scuba are the absolutely fantastic! Good Luck!

The beach at Jalousie is man-made as well, if that is a concern for you.