Old but clean

Didn't see bugs a lot of people with bites some rooms are long ways away food was good beach very good st Lucia is beautiful country weather was great people are very laid back bar at times were slow understaffed

SO SO Resort

The Resort grounds (pools and beach) and weather were the best part of our trip. We understand the Resort is being torn down in April so this will explain our comments. Our room was very dated and the washroom in need of repairs. The walkways and decking all over the resort were is dire need of replacement. You had to be very careful walking on the resort. The Resort made a big sell on the local "Street Party" and proceeded to charge $15.00 US per person for the 5 minute ride in and back to a 1/ [... read more]2 hour experience.(longer than we wanted to be there for) Not something I would recommend. The food was okay. What you would expect at a buffet. Nothing to brag about. The three restaurants were a little better experience. We were very surprised with the staff. We did not run into many of the staff that would actually smile or seemed to enjoy doing what they were doing. The 90 minute ride to and from the Airport is not something we enjoy doing on a vacation either Excursions through the Resort were very expensive so we arranged our own boating trip and shopping expedition Both of us were VERY bothered by the bugs and mosquitos. We are still scratching 4 days after arriving home

Great food, awesome staff.

An older hotel which is apparently being renovated this April...but the food was great, staff very friendly. Lots of walking uphill depending where your villa is located. One of the cheaper St. Lucia hotels but worth it to get a taste of the country. If you expect 5 star everything then wait til after the renos. We were overall very happy.

Better than expected!

Okay so I wasn't going to write this because it's kinda moot anyway. We did know that the hotel was under new ownership and I was worried that it would be under construction. It is not. And that is because it is going to be levelled in April. Had I known that I would have worried that the maintenance wouldn't be up to date or the staff would be upset but we had a great time, having managed our expectations and knowing that the cost is about half of the next closest resort in price in St. Lucia a [... read more]nd it is billed as a 3* or 3.5*. But I am going to write this because if you are on a budget and you can get to this destination before the end of March, I think you'll be glad you did. We flew Sunwing, on schedule both ways. We knew about the 1.5 hour drive to the resort. I should say up front that I do not generally like all inclusive resorts but we were a family of 8 traveling and thought this was our best bet. Don't be fooled by the 40 km distance or whatever on the map - this is a 90 minute drive to the airport. And it's treacherous. We were picked up timely by the bus but that ride following our 5.5 hour flight is a bit much to take. Upon arrival, our rooms were quickly assigned and all 4 of our rooms were within the same 6 room complex, which is also a first for us. We were surprised to find the fridge empty at an all inclusive. It turns out the water is fine to drink and there are no bottles of beer or cans of pop available. We were pleased to confirm that there are no restrictions on reservations at the restaurants - that's a bonus. We dined twice at the Tratoria, once at Cafe Asia (the best), twice at the Buffet and twice at the Waterside. All the food is much better than you would expect - even the buffet was good. Cafe Asia was not waterfront but the food is exceptional and it's quiet. The music at the other two restaurants is really loud and annoying - we heard the same Whitney Houston songs non stop and the waitresses sing along like it's karaoke night. And the service is generally slow - so if you don't want to sit and wait, you'll be fine at the buffet. Another unexpected bonus (although we probably read it we didn't expect it) is that the watersports are included. We were travelling with two teens who water skied (and also did archery) and we used the kayaks and rode on the banana boat. You don't get this at an all inclusive normally - at least at this price point. There is also a lap pool out by the gym which my nephew made use of. The gym - is there. You can tell this place was once something. It is no longer attended but there was once a racquet club and a nice gym and a deck and probably bar. I was able to make use of the gym a bit. It's better than nothing at all. The rooms are tired, as expected. To me there are three things you require from a room - a comfortable bed, working a/c and hot water. And all of this was absolutely fine. And the resort is quieter than others we've been to - no echoing as it's all on one floor. And there's a spot to sit out back. The pools are clean and attended and we spent all of our time there. We found that we were not harassed with a lot of picture taking or trying to sell us things - I think they are on "sustain" mode and not really selling very hard. Again, this was fortuitous timing (I believe). One thing that really annoyed me was the gas powered, really loud leaf blowing that went on. It was like shooting flies with a 22. I was in the gym watching (and listening!) as an employee spent half an hour chasing a handful of leaves around the tennis court. Surely there's a more environmentally friendly way to do this? A rake or broom perhaps? And of course the drinks are WATERED down. As expected. We had our own insulated glasses that they were happy to let us use. Two doubles = close to a drink. Create your own recipe! We did a tour with a taxi for one day and I wish we had not. It was just too much driving for what we were able to see. We were gone 8 hours - lots of traffic and lots of exhaust fumes. Stay by the pool and relax is my advice. All in all, a good value for our family. I talked to other travelers who all agreed that at this price, you're doing fine to get a clean room and very good food included. Next year (or the year after) it'll be gone.

Take me back!

The amenities were getting old, but the housekeeping and groundseeping staff never let up. Even though it was a bit older (we heard they were closing for a renovation in June) the place was very well kept and really welcoming. The beach isn't huge and pristine white, but there's snorkelling right out front and lots of options for getting around the island. Lot's of great things to see as well. Bring our appetite too, the a la cartes and the buffet were all excellent.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa

Food was wonderful, staff was pleasant, resort was clean but tired and dated. Yes it needs to be reconstructed. Is a 3.5 star. Island was breathtaking and the excursions were good and reasonably priced. Last day (late afternoon or early evening) of holiday someone broke into our room, riffled through my suitcase and found the safe key and took all our money out of our wallets in the safe. This was very upsetting and a real violation. Very upsetting to discover upon our morning of departure and o [... read more]f course nothing could be done about it as we were leaving the resort within an hour. Resort personal said that the police would be called and they would follow up with us within a couple of days. We have been home now for 5 days and no contact/update from Smugglers Cover. Also, always wear water shoes when in the ocean as a few guests during our week of stay stepped on sea urchins in the water and were laid up for their holiday as they could not walk on their feet. Absolutely no signs on the beach to warn swimmers, extreme caution to be taken when in the ocean. For the price of the holiday it was fair, but do not leave your money or sage key unattended.

Great holiday

The resort was beautiful. I love that they had walk tours and all the water sports were included. The staff were all very friendly. I would go back in a heart beat. I like the layout of the rooms all on ground level. I would of liked if they had drink of the day. I was getting tired of having the same drink over and over as I couldn't think of another kind.

Amazing resort

Food was very good. Rooms are clean and the staff are amazing. The resort is older but very well maintain. We enjoyed the beach and the pools. If you are travelling with children this is the resort for you.

Great resort

Superb staff, excellent food, clean, comfortable, snorkeling not bad further out. Beach OK but would be crowded if resort was full. They are going to renovate this year to a 5 star high rise. What a pity.

Tired but well kept

3.5* (4 adults, 1 child, 2 rooms) Early January Considering the price we paid, I found this good value for our money. St-Lucia is a beautiful island to visit and it was well worth for us to have cheaper lodging and be able to visit a new place instead of going back to one of the usual suspects (Cuba, Mexico...) The hotel is very tired, and needs a complete overhaul. Bathroom faucets were in bad shape, all mangled and threatening to bu pulled out of the wall. The patio door requires two hand to [... read more] open. Public bathroom door locks are all broken. The complete lack of pressure in the shower Mismatched chairs and tables in the buffet. I could go on and on... If these sort of things bother you, I strongly recommend you not go there. Now, the AC works and is not to noisy (much less then the wildlife!) The beds are comfortable and kind size, and they brought in a very nice double bed for our daughter to sleep in. The rooms have a nice size. The entire resort in impeccably clean. They must have the cleanest public bathroom I have seen since going to payed public bathrooms in Germany. The pools are nice, and we liked the layout with the pool near the beach where we could wash out the salt water at the end of the day. There is only a low faucet there for washing feets, a shower would be better. There was not much sand in that peticular pool, I guess they must clean it often. The beach is alright, it's on par with other beaches in St-Lucia. They do clean it up very well every morning, but there are a lot of rocks in the water. We liked the Smuggler Cove beach under the Cap maison hotel better, it's 5 minutes walk away, had clearer water and sand and huge waves. There are vendors on the beach, but we did not find them very annoying. The food at the hotel varied, but we had a few great nights at the Cove Restaurant buffet. We really loved the food at the French Night and the South American night. Lunch at the buffet was not so great, there is much less choice then for dinner. We preferred to go to the Italian place for lunch to get some Pizza or Pasta. One thing that we found lacking is that there is no always open Snack bar. They have some food out in heaters during the day, but it was not good. The week we went was very quiet. In general we had excellent service and the staff there is really nice. We left on a Sunday after a lot of new people came in on Saturday. We noticed they were completely unprepared for the number of customers for dinner on Saturday. The service was simply... absent. This is something management needs to work on. I do have a few things I really disliked: - In the rooms, there is no place to dry towels or bathing suits. Not in the bathroom, not outside. The two chairs outside and the shower pole just are not enough. - There is no concierge service. Whatever they do at reception, just does not cut it. I went with my father in law, he wanted to book the Golf and they did this reluctantly as if we were bothering them. I asked them to contact a tour operator for me and I was told to speak to the Nexus people even if it was not a tour from them. When I went to see the Nexus people they told me it was not a tour with them and would not book it... This is something the Concierge should handle. - The internet is slow and choppy... but yeah, it's the carrabean :)

Lovely Vacation

Very nice room, a bit dated, but very clean with a sitting room, a bedroom and a bath. Lovely location. The grounds were clean and well kept with beautiful flowers. The workers were very friendly and were right there to help with any problems. The food was ok and we always found something to eat, especially the pizza! The entertainment was not so good, except for Friday night when there was a really good singer and a lot of dancing. The beach was a bit disappointing as I am a beach person and lo [... read more]ve the beaches in Cuba, but the 7 pools and a hot tub made up for the lack of a beautiful beach. And best of all the drink called a BBC! This only really sad thing is that this resort is going to be torn down and the lovely cottage style resort will be gone and replaced with the normal high story resorts on the island.

Amazing island

trip from airport is very long (2 hrs) but you get to see some great views of fishing villages and the rain forest. The resort was very dated but will be demolished and a new resort will be built. The food was excellent, the staff terrific, tours were outstanding especially catamaran trip to Soufriere

Very nice and clean resort

Beautiful landscaped gardens, clean and spacious rooms, free wifi available, nice and friendly staff, amazing views from the wedding gazebo, a la carte restaurant available for lunch and dinner, very good food and services provided, nice entertainment, well organized trips to see St Lucia and Martinique.

Amazing Anniversary Vacation

We came back on Saturday January 10th from our 35th anniversary vacation in St. Lucia. Smugglers Cove exceeded our expectations in every way. The staff were very friendly and went out of their way to please us. the food was delicious in all the restaurants. The beach is small and a little rocky but the view is spectacular. The pools are beautifully designed and very clean. Our room was close to everything and spotless with a very comfortable king size bed with lots of pillows. The grounds are b [... read more]eautiful and very welcoming with nice landscaping and we were so lucky that the weather was perfect for our entire stay. The sunset was captivating and majestic everyday!!!! Thank You Smuggler's Cove for our very memorable 35th ANNIVERSARY!!!!

Old resort, good location and above averageservice

The resort is old, some rooms should not be even used - no windows, small bathroom and toilet, anemic AC, etc. Overall resort shows its age. Management tries to compensate with above average service and tasty food. I would recommend this resort for someone looking for value in St Lucia (which is expensive island) and is not fussy about anything, don't expect 4 or 5 star resort facilities here. What we really liked was the Waterfront Restaurant, has beautiful view by the water for breakfast, and  [... read more]a la carte dinner. St Lucia is a nice island, worth going out of the resort and visiting.

Great value! Very relaxing!

I was a bit disappointed when we arrived at the hotel - some of the areas needed a bit of upgrading and the buffet seemed a little sparse. Within the first 24 hours, I fell in love with the place. Everything was so easy! We never needed to wait for anything. We could get from the restaurant to the beach to the pool to the bar in a few short steps...all with beautiful views of the cove. The staff was fantastic! The a la carte restaurants were easy to reserve and they served quality food. We luck [... read more]ed out with a room that was a 30-second walk from the central hub. However, even the rooms at the periphery of the hotel were no more than a 5-minute walk. The rooms are ground level in approximately 6-room blocks surrounded by nice lawns and gardens. We felt like we had a private lawn where we could watch the hummingbirds come and go...and we never saw or heard our neighbours despite a full hotel. Rumour has it that there will be a number of upgrades soon. I certainly hope they will keep the charm alive.

Most amazing trip

To begin with St Lucia is beautiful. Although the drive from the Airport is over an hour, this gives you an opportunity to see the beauty that is St Lucia. The minute you arrive at the resort every single employee you meet is working their hardest to ensure that your vacation is fabulous in every way. Every individual that I encountered was so friendly and so helpful and genuinely interested in speaking to their guests. Everything that I ate at this resort was delicious and the restaurants were  [... read more]amazing. I would come back again and again. I couldn't think of a single negative thing to say about this entire resort or the entire vacation.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa

Simply an amazing vacation. Loved the Hospitality, gourmet food and room (Premium room was spacious, well lit, comfortable bed, we didn't need to have brand new furniture and tiling to be happy with it; furniture was just fine). Yoga, archery, watersports, tennis and fitness room were available for free. Drinks and weather were great. Highly recommended!

Great Resort

The rooms are somewhat dated and worn, but they are keep clean. The staff is absolutely fantastic. They are ready to help with anything that you need. The food was very good at both the buffet and specialty restaurants. There was always something different.

Awesome resort

Hotel staff very friendly and helpful. Food was amazing ! Bungalows were sufficient however we were at the very back of resort... far walk to back/forth up hill!!!! Beautiful small resort provided an intimate setting for those seeking same:) overall an enjoyable vacation . No major complaints!!