Bay Gardens Resort, St. Lucia

Bay Gardens Resort pool; credit Sue Campbell

Where to Stay in St. Lucia

by Jeanette Valentine of SoulOfAmerica

Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa
A big thank you to the owners of the Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa for hosting my stay in St. Lucia. The resort is one of three sister properties in the popular Rodney Bay neighborhood. Nearby are the Beach Garden Hotel and the Beach Garden Inn.

Sitting on a curve of Reduit Beach, the Bay Gardens Resort provides great accommodations for families.  A playground area is available, and the rooms are spacious. The manicured grounds brim with island flowers and foliage, and the open-air Hi Tide restaurant fronts the beach for dining highlighted by cool breezes and an ocean view. Unfortunately, the resort lacks elevators, but bell hops were ever present to carry baggage up and down the stairs.

The pool is lagoon-shaped (think donut) surrounding a mini island with a canvass covered Jacuzzi tub accessible by a white bridge. I enjoyed swimming “circles” rather than laps in the morning.

Though table service for breakfast was slow at the Hi Tide, the buffet offered a nice mix of Western favorites and island specialties, including salt fish and conch fritters. Dinner at the resort’s second restaurant, the more formal Trios Caribbean Fusion Restaurant, was excellent, especially the chicken stuffed with herbs and sun-dried tomatoes.

More Upscale Accommodations:

The Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa
WEBSITE: http://www.baygardensresorts.com
PHONE: 1-877-620-3200

View from Sugar Beach Resort, St. Lucia

View from Sugar Beach Resort, St. Lucia; credit Sue Campbell

Sugar Beach Viceroy Resort
Sugar Beach lay in the shadows of the Grand Pitons. A lavish and richly appointed cliff-side property, it is known for exemplary guest service in an environment of unsurpassed beauty. The brilliant white exteriors of the villas, bungalows, residences and guest rooms offer a dazzling contrast to surrounding rainforest, blue sky and surf. The Pitons could easily be considered just another impressive amenity the resort has arranged for the pleasure of its guests. Accommodations are located discretely enough amid the lush greenery for guests to feel as if they’re alone on a private island.

The resort also features the Sugar Beach Rainforest Spa, accessed by a walkway comprised of dark, cool bamboo that immediately calms the soul in anticipation of the treatments to come. Massages and wraps take place in treatment rooms occupying tree house thatched-roof huts that appear to float among the trees. It’s the ultimate pampering in the midst of wild splendor.

It’s understandable that actor Matt Damon rented the entire Sugar Beach Resort to hold a wedding vow renewal with his wife, Luciana Barrosa.

Sugar Beach
PHONE: 1-800-235-4300
WEBSITE: http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/sugarbeach

Rendezvous – The Boutique Hotel for Couples

Rendezvous Beach Suites, St. Lucia

Rendezvous Beach Suites, St. Lucia

Beach Front Suites at Rendezvous

Rendezvous manages to be unassuming and sumptuous at the same time. A casual walk around the pristine and simple grounds shows little hint of the lavishness that lay within. Sitting on seven idyllic acres on Malabar Beach, the resort caters to couples seeking one of two experiences – private luxury or luxurious privacy.

Accommodations, of course, are chic and inviting. But the resort offers touches that are unique – a secret garden river that features seven islands set up for lounging. Waiters, in appropriate attire, wade through the waters to bring refreshments.

General Manager Yhasmine Remy hosts a weekly reception for newlyweds. For all guests, there’s a nightly Bubbly Hour to sample some of the world’s best champagne. And the resort can provide an intimate dinner for two in any location of a guest’s choosing on the property.

More than 30% of Rendezvous reservations are for weddings. A new “Ever After” package offers three wedding options: 1) Island Romance, for a ceremony on Rendezvous’ nearby private island; 2) Elope, or “running away from the island,” for an event arranged elsewhere on St. Lucia and 3) Renew for a renewal vows ceremony.

Rendezvous – The Boutique Hotel for Couples
WEBSITE: http://www.theromanticholiday.com
PHONE: 1-800-544-2883 or 1-973-940-0441

Calabash Cove Resort, St. Lucia

The main pool at Calabash Cove Resort; (c) Soul Of America

Calabash Cove Resort and Spa

Consider it upscale humor that a luxury resort lay at the end of a bumpy, cringe-inducing, pot-hole strewn road. Trepidation turns to delight at first glance of Calabash Cove. An oasis laid across hills at the ocean’s edge, the five-star resort offers an ahh-evoking, open-air foyer. It’s a dream of bright light, sharp angles and open space. Framed by white pillars in the rear is the Caribbean Sea, a wide swath of which appears to be the bluest waters surrounding St. Lucia.

Cottages and suites are constructed of teak and mahogany, and their bright interior decor and floor-to-ceiling windows give airiness to already open and inviting spaces. The accommodations are surrounded by lush greenery, including gardens of native flowers and herbs, a miniature cane field, pineapple bed and banana patches.

Calabash sits on a secluded beach at Bonaire Bay, and a custom-built boardwalk invites romantic strolls in the moonlight.

Calabash Cover Resort and Spa
WEBSITE: http://www.calabashcove.com
PHONE: 1-758-456-3500

The Cliff at Cap Maison Resort, St. Lucia

The Cliff at Cap Restaurant at Cap Maison Resort

Cap Maison Luxury Resort Hotel and Spa

Though we didn’t tour the Cap Maison Luxury Resort Hotel and Spa, our group had dinner at its main restaurant, The Cliff at Cap. We dined on the outside deck, perched on a steep cliff overlooking Smuggler’s Cove Beach.

Coddled by wait staff who anticipated our every want, we enjoyed artfully presented West Indian cuisine. I had the superb Caramelized Scallop, Pumpkin & Chorizo and Candied Apple.  As delicious as the meal was, nothing compared to feeling suspended between sky and sea. The waves crashed below, and we could hear the sound of jazz wafting across the water from Pigeon Island.

Cap Maison Luxury Resort Hotel and Spa
WEBSITE: http://www.capmaison.com
PHONE: 1‐888‐765‐4985

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