Stolen Time Saint Lucia: Beautiful grounds and very relaxing!

We were most impressed about the quality of the food. It was consistently delicious for each of breakfast, lunch and dinner. We were also impressed about the friendliness of the staff. They went out of the way to look after us.

Secrets St. Lucia Resort and Spa: Great Vacation !!

We had a wonderful vacation, we were there Jan.25th to Feb. 01st 2015. It's a smaller resort which we loved and it's well maintained. We had an ocean view room, beautiful and clean. The staff was always so very nice, friendly and helpful. There is a good variety of restaurants on the resort and we had no problems reserving at the a la carte restaurants. The food was amazing, something for everyone and there is even some allergies warning on the menus (gluten, dairy, seafood). We had lots of fun, [... read more] but we also got to relax and unwind. All and all, it's a great resort, we had a wonderful time and we highly recommend St.Jame's Club Morgan's bay and St. Lucia.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Windjammer Landing: Top notch!

Exceptional resort. Food was fantastic with 5-star presentation & service. All staff friendly; excellent service. Beautiful room lacked a mirror except for bathroom. We will return and highly recommend.

Sandals Halcyon Beach: Wonderful resort

We have vacationed here 5 times and love it so much we will return again. The staff are so friendly and the vibe is relaxing and cool. We've come to know the beach vendors and love to talk to them as well as buying their crafts. The restaurants are some of the best we've experienced in all inclusives. St. Lucia is a magical island that everyone should experience.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Secrets St. Lucia Resort and Spa: Fun trip!

Pools were awesome. Restaurants were very good and the buffet always had good variety of food and different dishes every day. Rooms were clean and the views were awesome. Lots of watersports to choose from and lots to do around the resort. Beautiful grounds. Would definetely recommend to anyone.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Secrets St. Lucia Resort and Spa: Nice vacation

Positives - great food! The buffet was smaller than we were use to at most all-inclusives but the food was far better. The alacart restaurants were amazing. Great watersports which were included at no extra charge. Very friendly helpful staff. Best gym and aerobics classes I have been to on vacation. Andrew from the Bamboo restaurant was outstanding. Negatives - dated rooms and shabby lobby. Poor safes in the rooms - key locks which were broken into. This system needs to be replaced. Very hilly [... read more] which was fine for us but if you have any mobility issues this could be a problem. Also be prepared for a long drive from the airport - 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort: Unbeatable experience

Worth every penny, every effort to get there and the sadness on having to go home. The natural beauty of the resort is surely Sugar Beach's best asset, but the service of the staff was a close second. The staff are attentive, friendly and just delightful. The villas are impeccably decorated, comfortable, spacious, and provide a view that I doubt could be equalled anywhere in the Caribbean. The food is not five-star, but it's good and any deficiencies definitely don't detract from the overall exp [... read more]erience, which is a five-star feel. The sushi at the Cane Bar is the best food on the resort. The Friday night BBQ is delightful! There should be more wines to select from on the AI plan, however. It's a quiet resort - no guests visible at midnight, Cinderella-style - but it's relaxing on that account. The spa is quite creatively designed and a pleasure to visit. The treatments are ok, but the setting is lovely. The grounds are very well maintained, with a lush, plantation feel. The pool is amazing, the beach being a great place to sunbathe, but not so great for swimming. We loved the dining ambience; we could have been eating KFC and still been ecstatic because of the views. The sunset cruise is must - we were escorted by dolphins! and so is the Piton hike. Great place to spend a week and we'll definitely be back.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Rex St Lucian: outstanding resort

This hotel was rated a 3 star but I give a 5. The service was excellent. The food had lots of tasty variety. The asian restaurant decor and service made you feel special and the food dishes made you want come again another night.The view while you eating from the buffet area was superb.The rooms were so clean actually I saw our cleaning lady even wipe down our door frame and wash our balcony floor. How impressive is that! She also gave a lot of history about the island and things we would find i [... read more]nteresting to do.The beach is immaculate and beautiful.The pool area had lots of chairs with umbrellas. The entertainment at night was fun. It got people involved. We sure had a few laughs. The only complain we had was no hot water a few nights but one call and it was remedied.The location of the hotel is within walking distance to a little shopping mall which was perfect. Did we like this hotel? Absolutely. Since we have been back we have told everyone this hotel is the best bang for tour bucks.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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 :)

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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.

Smugglers Cove Resort and Spa: 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

Anse Chastanet: Fantastic honeymoon destination.

We just returned from an amazing stay at Anse Chastanet. It is hard to put into words just how beautiful and magical this resort is, even pictures don't do it justice. We stayed in 2C which was not far up the hillside, but still offered an amazing 180 degree view of the pitons, terrain, and water. The friendly staff, thoughtful details, delicious food and spectacular service all exceeded our expectations. The snorkelling right off the beach is quite varied and interesting. This resort may not be [... read more] for everyone, but if you love nature, beautiful views, exceptional service and don't mind stairs I can't imagine that you won't be beyond happy with your vacation. We were worried about the lack of air conditioning before we went, as my husband overheats easily, but the thoughtful design of the room and fans kept us more than comfortable. We like to visit new places when we travel, and so make it a general rule not to return to resorts we have already visited, but with Anse Chastanet we will make an exception. We will definitely be back.

Rex St Lucian: Great Vacation

This is a 3 star hotel with 4 star staff and food. On the minus side, food was only available during meal times ( no snacks), on the plus side, the food was great. It was plentiful, well cooked and well seasoned. For lunch I usually just had the soup and sandwich (made fresh and grilled). While there were no organized activities that one may find at a larger resort, the beach was nice to walk on, Pigeon Island was close by, and the town was a 10min walk away. All the staff were friendly and help [... read more]ful.

Secrets St. Lucia Resort and Spa: Quiet for the well behaved what a relief.

Great food. Best views of the ocean in the am quiet no obnoxious music around the pool. Very civilized. Wonderful tiny little beach and sitting under the almond trees. Bad point same music in restos all week long!