FAM Trip St. Lucia April 23-28, 2016 (Part 2)

(52 Reviews)
100% Recommended

Lola Stoker

Mississauga, ON
Cruise Holidays | Luxury Travel Boutique

I was born in The Netherlands and moved to Canada in my early twenties.  I started my career in travel and hospitality in Ottawa and later moved to Toronto where I have lived and worked ever since.  My home is in Etobicoke, a quiet neighbourhood i...

Upon arrival at Royal St. Lucia we were handed the usual rum punch as well as nice cold towel. This resort is much smaller than Coconut Bay and provides for an intimate and relaxing atmosphere. The rooms are very large and include a large sitting area with couches. The bathrooms have a large whirlpool tub as well as a rain shower with water literally coming at you from all angles! It took some of us to put on our reading glasses to figure out all the different settings. Haha. The rooms, just like at Coconut Bay,  include a coffee maker, fresh water, a fridge, as well as a safe.The resort offers a gym, a spa, and a lovely restaurant with a view of the ocean. The have a wonderful breakfast buffet with lots of fresh fruit, breads, eggs cooked a la carte, as well as some local specialties such as salt fish, cakes, and cocoa tea. One evening we enjoyed dinner in the beach restaurant with a fresh fish and seafood BBQ. It was lovely. And on our last night, surpassing everyone’s expectations, we were treated to dinner in Chic, the resort’s high end restaurant which included champagne cocktails while waiting for our order. The meals were delicious and the presentations were like art!The resort balconies are very large and most look out over the beach and pool. The pool area has a number of covered sunbeds, and the beach offers quite a few straw umbrellas. Staff will serve you drinks as well as lunch both by the pool and on the beach. Re. the beach, none of the beaches in St. Lucia are private and this provides the opportunity to walk along and glance at some of the neighbouring resorts. The Royal is definitely the nicest. The beach is not wide however the swimming is fantastic in a large cordoned off area. The beach also provides the best sunsets as it faces the West. The area of Rodney Bay provides plenty of shopping, night life and restaurant choices, all within walking distance of the hotel. Some are even located right across the street from the hotel. There is a lovely variety of restaurants. Some very good Indian restaurants, as well as steak, seafood, local specialties, and we enjoyed a wonderful tapas meal. Some of the local specialties include mahi mahi (aka dorado), fried plantain, rice, beans, and jerk chicken. The cuisine is very tasty. The island endured at least 7 wars between the French and the English with the result that there are a lot of French names for towns and places and the official school taught language being English. Some examples of town names are Vieux Fort and Cap Estate. The local language is Patois which is a kind of Creole French. After 3 nights at the Royal St. Lucia, we ventured off to Calabash Cove. When you turn off the main road onto a road that looks like it’s leading nowhere, the 5 minute drive on a very rough, hilly, and potholed road through a residential area, takes you to paradise! The view through the lobby over the pool and the ocean was spectacular! Calabash Cove is a small, intimate, and secluded resort, perfect for couples, honeymooners, and for destination weddings. There are only 26 rooms, 9 of which are beachfront cottages. The cottages consists of a bedroom (4 poster canopy beds), a sitting area with French doors overlooking the ocean, an outdoor rain shower, veranda, and a private plunge pool. They are steps away from the beach and surrounded by amazing and lush plants, trees, and flowers. The other types of accommodation offered at Calabash Cove are Swim Up Suites and regular Hotel Suites. All are very large and overlook the ocean. They feature Jacuzzi tubs, rain showers, and one-way glass doors which allow you to look out but no one can look in, so you can leave the curtains open all day and night to enjoy the views. The resort has a fabulous spa, as well as a spectacular restaurant overlooking (yes you guessed it!), the ocean. It is open air, like most restaurants in St. Lucia, and sea shells and fresh flowers decorate the tables. Live entertainment in the form of a guitarist who sings the most romantic songs ever written accompanies dinner. For breakfast, lots of fresh fruit is serves along with all the popular favorites, and your coffee is served in a personal French press. Very nice! The staff is very friendly and personable and makes your stay an extra special one!During my last day in St. Lucia I also managed to tour 4 other resorts which included Le Sport The BodyHoliday, Rendez Vous, Sandals Grande St. Lucian, and The Landings. Sandals, The BodyHoliday, and The Landings are all located in the north end of the island, close to the Cap Estate area. Sandals is actually located just South of Pigeon Island which is actually not an actual island any longer but connected by a man-made causeway. The rooms at Sandals either have a view over the Caribbean Sea to the West, or a view to where the Atlantic starts, to the East. 

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