St Lucia - any one been?

[BitsinTatters]

St Lucia looks beautiful

Any one been?

Looking at independent rental villas rather than a hotel

cheers

One of my fav Caribbean Islands. Went to a natural spa as well as dolphin/ whale watching. Go!

Where did you stay ?

Whales wow!!

This was a part of a cruise but will def go back and spend longer there. Prob stay in a hotel as a bit easier with baby. Enjoy!

Went for our honeymoon almost 10 years ago. It was truly truly beautiful.

We went to Le Body Sport, everything was perfect. Would recommend.

Wanna go back.........

Yes fantastic loved it

Yes, it's beautiful. We spent the first half of the holiday renting a town house near the lovely Reduit beach doing lots of different day trips and eating somewhere different each evening. Then we got a taxi to the nearby Almond Smugglers Cove and made the most of all the hotel's amenities. If you get a chance to visit Marigot Bay it's well worn as absolutely stunning.

Top tip - it is a long & windey road up through the banana plantations to the resorts at the North end of the island. About 1 & 1/2 hours in total, and the mini bus drivers make it a bit more hairy than it needs to be.

So, make sure you take travel pills or do the helicopter transfer to Castries. T'is an amazing flight over the Pitons

Definitely do the helicopter flight, simply unforgettable.

Went in 2004.
Stayed at what was the Jalousie Hilton between the Pitons. We got a local guide in Soufriere and climbed the Gros Piton. Amazing

We took DD and DS ( then 5 and 6) a few years ago and had an amazing time. Loved the helicopter transfer! Did a catamaran trip too and a day tour around the botanic gardens/springs. Lovely beaches, very friendly - we hired a car and had several people come to give us directions when they saw we looked lost! (Signs are few outside the cities and maps not that reliable). Went to a cricket match too, which was also great fun and extremely family friendly.

My father in law worked out there for a couple of years (so of course we had to visit!). We rented a cottage in Marigot Bay that time, but that has long since gone to make way for a swankier place. When we returned about 10 years later we stayed at Anse Chastenet (near the Pitons). The people are pretty friendly, although the island is not without poverty. You probably will get approached by beach vendors, but just be polite and they will leave you alone.

Driving is easy enough if you don't go too fast and don't mind a few steep winding potholed roads.

Try to stay on the west side of the island if you want to swim in the sea (the Atlantic side is rough). I'd avoid the summer months becasue it gets too humid and stormy for my liking. There are usually cheap deals to be had in late November/early December and late April/May if you aren't constrained by school hols.

Love the Island.

We have visited three time and stayed in Rodney Bay at the Royal St. Lucian the top of the Island. However, Anse Chastanet hotel was a real treat and definitely worth a look. Walk into theses from the hotel and you are in a marine nature reserve. Snorkelling was best I have seen around the world!

Always consider private taxi or flying to the North of the island from the international airport.

We stayed between Rodney Bay and Castries so easy to pop to either. Would definitely go back if looking for a Caribean holiday. Loved Antigua too though.

Its a very pretty island. We stayed in Rodney Bay a few years ago, which was nice enough, but we drove down to the other end of the island, Soufrieres, which is less touristy but so, so pretty. I'd go back.

We stayed at Sugar Beach between the Pitons. It was amazing.

We went to Marigot Bay in February, which was lovely.
We went with my inlaws, who have been to Le Body Sport a couple of times and love it and would go again.
Where we stayed was lovely, but it just felt like a luxurious hotel that could have been anywhere.
And Marigot Bay basically has no beach.

I'd go again, but I wouldn't go to Marigot Bay.

Yes, it's lovely. Have been a few times. I'd recommend hiring a car and driving around (though the roads aren't that great - a jeep is a good idea!).

I have many fond memories of eating at the Coal Pot restaurant in Castries. And the helicopter transfer from the airport is worth doing, definitely.

truly that is where I stayed.
It was called Jalousie Hilton when I went 10 years ago...

Tiny we went when it was changing over from Jalousie Plantation to Sugar Beach. We had a gorgeous villa with a plunge pool. It was about 5 years ago. Last year I researched going back, the quote was £16K (economy flights)!

You could do a villa within a hotel, so you get both the space and the spoiling! Cotton Bay Village is good for families.

Quick hi-jack, as I am also looking at St Lucia....any comments on Windjammer Landing? Like the idea of all the options for the children but it is a much bigger resort than we are usually comfortable with.

We liked the look of Cotton Bay but I was worried about the location - on the east coast. Does that mean we wouldn't be able to swim in the sea? A post above suggests this is an issue.

Any more recommendations?

We stayed here -
www.coco-resorts.com/detailSuite.php

small and locally owned, it doesn't have kids clubs or anything, but a nice pool, walkable to restaurants and the beach. We hired a car and got about the island, went to a cricket match.

That looks very nice Patricia, thanks.

Any more out there?