St Lucia with toddler (our honeymoon!) - accommodation?

[leannac]

Hi there
Heading to st Lucia end oct with hubby & 18 month old daughter. Have never really been resort people, preferring boutique hotels but things have had to change as primary importance now is that dd enjoys herself!
Desperate to stay in jalousie plantation as looks fabulous but way above our budget so couldn't manage for more than 3/4 nights. Going for 3 wks & would like to split time between 2/3 hotels/self catering.

Does anyone have any suggestions? We'd ideally like somewhere with separate area in bedroom where we could tuck dd away in her cot. We can't afford & wouldn't want her in a separate room but nobody amongst the 3 of us sleeps well when we are all in a room together! Also would be nice to stay somewhere we could enjoy our dinner without resorting to creeping around in the dark after 8/9 to try not to wake dd up!

I went on a twin centre holiday to St. Lucia with my DC. We spent the first half of the holiday in a town
house near Reduit beach and went on excursions and ate at different restaurants each evening. For the second half of the holiday we stayed at Almond Smugglers Cove Hotel in a suite. The hotel is very family friendly and our suite had 2 separate sleeping areas.

Smugglers cove looks v family friendly so I'll give them a try - thanks

Can I ask, did you hire a car whilst there? All the people I've known to visit st Lucia went without kids so lazed about in their resorts most of the time but I think we may need to get out & about with our toddler?

I've stayed at Jalousie a couple of times Whilst its an amazing hotel, I don't think it's all that toddler friendly as most rooms have plunge pools and are arranged in cottages up the side of a steep hill.

Everyone I know who's gone to St Lucia with kids has recommended the Almond resorts (although I believe they have recently been sold to another group).

Have only heard good things about smugglers cove. Very family friendly by all accounts.

We didn't hire a car but chose our town house accommodation because it was a 10 minute walk to the beach and town. On our first day we found a tour company in the town and booked trips into the rainforest, volcano, plantation, Marigot Bay and Pitons. We ate at different reastaurants each evening and shopped in the local supermarket and shopping mall.Then for the second half of the holiday we chilled and used all the hotel facilities etc apart from a local trip to Pigeon Island.
If you choose a family friendly hotel you won't have to go out much unless you want to. The almond chain also have hotels in Barbados. Plus check out hotels actually on Reduit Beach as there is a nice buzz. I think one is called Morgan something or other.

Coconut Bay is really nice, although the rooms don't have separate sleeping areas for children, you would need to hire two, interconnecting rooms which would be expensive.
Have you looked at Cotton Bay?
I would recommend hiring a car and getting out and about, Pigeon Island is nice to visit with little ones, there are nice beaches there and a good little restaurant with a fabulous view.

Coconut Bay looks good and has some pretty impressive water slides!

Couple of words of caution... it's very close to Hewanorra airport, which on one hand is great as its a nice short transfer rather than at least 1 1/2 hours up to Reduit beach and Rodney Bay but on the other had, other than the usual aircraft noise, it is also the BA crew hotel (or was) so may get a bit full on at times!

We stayed there regularly (we used to live in St Lucia) and never had any problem with the BA crew, in fact, some of the women crew used to get quite clucky around our dd's, I think they were missing their own children! Yes they might have a few drinks and get a little rowdy but it was never so much that it worried us or our girls.
Noise from the airport also not a problem. However, I would say they biggest problem with Coconut Bay is that it doesn't have a great beach - which is a shame when you are coming to the Caribbean - so certainly worth splitting it with a stay "up north" if you are going there.
Bay Gardens on Reduit Beach is nice too, it has interconnecting rooms joined by a living area and is in easy walking distance of lots of the restaurants, as well as being right on the beach.

Airport noise didn't bother us in the slightest at coconut bay
And the slides aren't as great as they look
We got a bit bored if the resort, beach a bit wild.
Staff were lovely, food not great
We also stayed on reduit beach, I'm sure it was Bay Gardens, lovely pool and right on the beach. Just down from very popular restaurant, which I can't remember the name of!
We didn't have a car, we hired a driver for the day
Reduit beach is better if you Want restaurants and shops