Blubbermouth

My other 49% & I are at the brink of booking a holifday at the THE JALOUSIE PLANTATION for early December. We've probably over-researched alternatives & are aware that no place is perfect, however although this is within our budget, its only just, and we've had great times in the maldives & Grand Cayman which we can't help comparing to. For scenery & snorkelling does anyone have a verdict on this location to help swing the balance.

virginia

st. lucia is lush and hilly. a volcanic based island, gc and maldives are coral based. sand will be darker and more coarse. much larger than gc. snorkeling is good but not great. gc is one of best. turks and caicos would be more like gc if you like that type of island. great diving/snorkeling. powder soft, oh so white sand on 12 mile long grace bay beach. great restaurants. small like gc so you can get around easily. loads of great resorts all directly on the beach.

starrsville

I stayed there twice when it was a Hilton - and it is my favorite vacation location EVER! The scenery is amazing! The snorkeling is right off the beach. Just wade in and snorkle at the base of one of the Pitons. GREAT snorkeling. The beach is small and white (imported sand) but it's my favorite beach for lazing the day away and having drinks brought to us under the little thatched huts.

St Lucia roads are curvy and pot-holed. THE way to get around the island is via the water taxis anchored at the beach. Our driver recognized us from a previous visit and we made arrangements on the first afternoon for our outings. One day, a water taxi around the Piton to the black sand beach at Anse Chastanet - and great snorkeling on the other side of the Piton. One day, a water taxi trip to Castries for shopping at the market and a stop for lunch at a waterfront restaurant at Rodney Cay. We had planned to go the driver's favorite off-shore snorkeling spot on another day - but decided to just relax on the beach instead. If you want to get out and about on the island, the hotel will arrange for a taxi driver to take you around to the sights you'd want to see. Fabulous times and adventures.

Be sure to have dinner up on the ridge at Dasheen at the Ladera resort. See the show at Bang just next door.

I love St. Lucia. for scenery and snorkeling, I don't think it can be beat!

starrsville

Sorry, Marigot Bay.

The first time I went to St. Lucia we started at the northern/ drier end and then moved down to Jalouise. The Rodney Bar area has more nightlife (northern) but we MUCH preferred the more lush southern end around the Jalousie.

The Jalousie itself we adored.

Barbara1

I've never stayed at the Jalousie but I just came back from a trip to St. Lucia. We stayed near Rodney Bay.
I can tell you that the area around the Pitons is absolutely gorgeous. and the Pitons themselves..well, I will never tire of looking at them. I live in the Caribbean and I have visited most if not all of the Caribbean islands. For beauty , nothing can beat St. Lucia.

Barbara1

BTW, if you want to take a look at my blog, I posted some pictures of the new section at Anse Chastenet, called Jade Mountain.
http://barcann.livejournal.com/12762.html

The rooms are to die for, but you can also get a look at the fabulous Pitons.

Blubbermouth

I'm definitely attracted to the scenery aspect people are talking about - being one thing I found GC lacking in & T&C doesnt look half as Pretty.

One thing bothering me about StL though being that the hotels dont appear to be on the beach when you look at google earth. Is it the case for Jalousie or what?

ejcrowe

If you can settle for merely "good" snorkeling in a setting that is nothing short of spectacular, jaw-dropping, romantic, etc, then Jalousie is the place for you. Like the previous poster, I stayed there when it was a Hilton and that was back in 2001, so I don't know how things have changed, but the real estate alone is worth going back for. I've never been to the Maldives, but I bet the Pitons are the only place in the Caribbean that can come close to them in comparison.

St. Lucia will be much different from either GC or Maldives, as I'm sure they were different from each other. The more you agonize over the decision the more you'll start second-guessing yourself. If you pick st. Lucia and enjoy it for everything it has to offer (which is legion) and go in prepared for a different style of beach and a different culture and a different pace, you'll have a marvelous time.

starrsville

The Jalousie is right on the beach. Ladera is on the ridge overlooking the same view and they use the Jalousie beach too. I've split my trip between most of the time at Jalousie and a couple of nights at Ladera. Their rooms have 3 sides - with one "wall" completely open to the absolutely incredible view of the cove between the two Pitons. Amazing! The rooms have four poster beds with mosquito netting and a private plunge pool. Check out their website. Their infinity pool was the location for a scene in Superman 2 where SM flies out of the ice cave to get a tropical flower for Lois. I know of no better incredible scenery in ANY tropical location - including Hawaii.

Blubbermouth

Ok so it looks like Jalousie is a good bet then! But you mention mossie nets - are they a problem there? Don't want to end up with Dengue fever or anything like that...

ejcrowe

Rooms at Jalousie are fully airconditioned, so no need to worry about mozzies in the room at night (unless you leave your doors or window open so that they can get inside). I would suggest taking some sort of repellent along with you though because anytime after rain and every day about dusk they do come out in the tropics. Two of the restaurants are open air, so you might want some repellant around your ankles and lower legs, even in the restaurants at night. And if you want to go hiking during the day it would also be good to have on hand.

Have you checked out the good rates available for Jalousie on www.luxurylink.com?

starrsville

mosquito nets on the beds at Ladera (on the ridge above Jalousie).

The villas at Jalousie are fully enclosed. LOVE the plunge pools on the patios.

Didn't have a problem with mosquitos at EITHER location - on either trip.