Stonefield Estates reviews?
 

Has anyone been to Stonefield Estates in St. Lucia? They have an incredible looking honeymoon package-on the high end of our budget. We are trying to stay under $4k total (air/food/accomodations)and have yet to see any posts or reviews for this resort. Looking at Oct 07 and are hunting for a warm, low-key, lush place, while avoiding the 'forces of nature.' Any thoughts from the well-traveled on this or alternate locations??

There are lots of reviews over on TripAdvisor for you to checke out. You can also search here for comments on Stonefield Estates, but they'll be at least a couple of years old. I was looking at that place about 2 years ago for a trip with my spouse and grandchild, and I recall that some folks loved it and others thought that their website misrepresented the comforts and levels of luxury available.

By avoiding "forces of nature" do you mean bugs & other fauna, or do you mean huricanes?

Where are you flying from? From most places in the US or Canada you could plan a nice honeymoon in the Caribbean in OCtober, which is a time of year you can negotiate really good deals. Just be aware that many islands will have various resorts and restaurants shut down for renovations and hurricane season for that month.

Thanks for your reply! We would be flying from the East Coast, either Boston, Hartford (ideally), or NYC.

We took at look at the tripadvisor today and it showed us what we are looking for. That is just the type of place we want, with a honeymoon package (minimal planning required) though we are still searching for comparable places that may be a little less expensive, and maybe faster to get to.

By forces of nature I just meant hurricanes. With the islandy feel we are looking for, we aren't afraid of the bugs. If anyone has other suggestions we more than welcome them! Thanks!

Can you tell us a little bit more about your ideal honeymoon? Since you've focused on Stonefield so far, I'm guessing that you want a place that is lush, beautiful, not crowded or overdeveloped, with good views and that provides a bit of space. Being directly on the beach isn't that important. Is that right?

Starting on the island of St. Lucia, you could also take a look at Ti Kaye Village, which is a bit more resort-y, but it gets such wonderful reviews and it's small enough not to feel over-run. The individual cottages are set up on a hillside (not as high as Stonefield) and have pretty but not breathtaking views.
www.tikaye.com

You could go a bit further south to the island of Grenada. Like St. Lucia, it's volcanic in origin and very lush, but a bit more quintessentially Caribbean in its beaches. You could take a look at www.lasagesse.com for a small inn that is out of the way--about a 20-30 minute drive into town and activities. there is some hiking on site and the gorgeous beach is just yards away from the rooms. I don't think they offer any packages, but their rack rate is very low and this summer when I visited for the day the owner was running a stay for X number of nights and get the X+1 night free.

No matter where you choose, you should definitely take out trip insurance in case of hurricanes for that time of year.

Let us know a little bit about what draws you to Stonefield and we can make even more suggestions for you.

I have to say that Stonefield looks like it fits the bill because our ideal honeymoon is away from the commercialized touristy areas, is warm, lush, and tropical. We want to be near a beach but don't NEED to be on top of one (the plunge pool satisfies the immediate need for water) and Stonefield has a great package including excursions so we wouldn't have to 'work at' finding things to do once we are there. The private villa with plunge pool was our immediate draw--that is definitely included in our ideal honeymoon. Stonefield also has complimentary water taxi service to the beach and town, again-not having to 'work at' getting around.

We actually started looking into Grenada right before your post! I haven't seen much on its weather and location relative to the hurricane belt. All I see are posts about the disaster Ivan caused. Does Grenada have the SAME chance as getting hit as St. Lucia or is it more prone? We noticed the airfare is way cheaper and quicker to get to in October than St. Lucia--making it an exciting observation but also a wary one if its more apt for volatile weather.

Couple other notes on ideal honeymoon stats: again, would love the private villa, local flare in tasty food (see no point in eating Americanized food on islands)is a must, like local fish, fruit, veggies. We know its impossible to avoid bugs completely, but also know the trade winds help that a bunch. Similar winds in Grenada? We really would like to explore options there if there is similar or less of a chance of hurricanes and if temperatures are similar to St. Lucia.

Any and all suggestions welcome!

One more note, water activities and a couple exploration trips of the island are all we are looking for in movement away from the villa. Snorkeling is a must. Thanks.

I believe that loosely in terms of statistics, the farther south the island is, the less likely it is to be hit. Grenada is farther south than st. Lucia, but it still got hit two years in a row, with the first one being a real whopper.

I would say that other than Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao (which are separated a good bit from the rest of the Caribbean), most other islands have about the same likelihood of being hit. In other words, I wouldn't choose one island over another just for hurricane reasons.

Grenada seems a little more expensive and includes more hassle in getting there, based on my limited experience of comparing travel costs and times. But as far as the type of island you're looking for, either one would be fantastic and suit you perfectly. Grenada's tourist infrastructure is largely recovered from that horrible hurricane--you'll still see evidence around the island of ongoing recovery, however.

If a nice villa with a pool appeals to you, take a look at www.spiceislevillas.com and then click on Turtleback Pavilion. It's where I stayed a couple of months ago on Grenada. I think the price is excellent for the value received. It's in a more residential area but within walking distance of a nice, small beach and a few restaurants. You'd have to drive or take a taxi or bus to get around to other parts of the island.

based on my limited experience of one visit to each island, Grenada had better roads and was much easier for driving around on our own. It also has great modern supermarkets for stocking up on groceries to cook in the villa. However, it is undeniable that the location on St. Lucia there between the Pitons is *extremely* romantic. ;)

Erin -

Stonefield is fabulous. I have stayed there. The cottages are rustic chic with drop dead gorgeous views. The restaurant on site is very good. I highly encourage you to go for at least one dinner to La Haut Plantation which is about 10 minute or less drive from there. Their food is outstanding and reasonable in cost.

The shuttle is by van, not water, to town and the beach. You can walk to town from Stonefield but there are no sidewalks. You can also walk down a very steep hill to a local's beach. There is a restaurant on the beach there, too. Otherwise they shuttle you to the Jalousie beach which is nice, clean and has imported white sand and snorkeling, too.

I think you will really enjoy your honeymoon and St. Lucia is not in the usual hurricane areas so not likely to get hit by one.

My girlfriend and her husband went recently and did the 7 night adventure package. They loved it as much as we did and they have now sent some of their friends there.