St. Lucia Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea Adventure

[dz63]

Am I missing something here?? - trying to compare Spencer's Land and Sea and the West Coast Delight - does anyone (Reedprincess especially)know the difference in the two?

thanks

 

LOL - you guys are funny!!! The Land & Sea tour is just that - down by land, back by sea. The West coast delight is down and back by land. Both include all the same stops - Marigot, Morne Fortune, Scenic stops, volcano, waterfall and Jalousie beach. The Land/Sea tour then returns by sea for views of the coastline from the sea, bat cave, Lady Slipper arch, etc. The West Coast returns by land over the same road you came down on.

Both are great tours. Enjoy whichever you choose!

 

Jasminelee, I agree with reedprincess' answer. Both the West Coast and Land & Sea tours offer the same sights starting from Castries all the way down to Jalousie Beach (ie: Morne Fortune, banana plantation, fishing villages, Soufriere Overlook, Torialle Waterfall, Sulphur Springs). It is the way back that is different. West Coast returns by van whereas the Land & Sea returns by boat.

 

I think it is the short boat ride from Soufriere to Jalousie Beach that confuses some people making them think these two tours are the same. All tours take the boat from Soufriere to the beach and then back again (this boat ride to the beach is not the Sea tour). What is different between the West Coast and Land & Sea tour is the fact that after the beach the West Coast Tour returns to Soufriere where you would get off the boat and board a van for your return trip to Castries. On the other hand, on the Land & Sea tour you stay on the boat and return to Castries by sea with a coastal sightseeing tour along the way (ie: Bat Cave, Anse Chastanet, seeing Anse La Raye and Canaries from the sea, cruising through Marigot Bay and the Natural Bridge). The West Coast tour does not offer this coastal sightseeing tour. Also because it is faster to return by boat, Spencer's Land & Sea tour allows you to spend more time at Jalousie Beach than the West Coast Island Delight tour does.

 

I hope our answers helps you to understand the difference between these two tours.

[jasminelee]

Jasminelee, I agree with reedprincess' answer. Both the West Coast and Land & Sea tours offer the same sights starting from Castries all the way down to Jalousie Beach (ie: Morne Fortune, banana plantation, fishing villages, Soufriere Overlook, Torialle Waterfall, Sulphur Springs). It is the way back that is different. West Coast returns by van whereas the Land & Sea returns by boat.

 

I think it is the short boat ride from Soufriere to Jalousie Beach that confuses some people making them think these two tours are the same. All tours take the boat from Soufriere to the beach and then back again (this boat ride to the beach is not the Sea tour). What is different between the West Coast and Land & Sea tour is the fact that after the beach the West Coast Tour returns to Soufriere where you would get off the boat and board a van for your return trip to Castries. On the other hand, on the Land & Sea tour you stay on the boat and return to Castries by sea with a coastal sightseeing tour along the way (ie: Bat Cave, Anse Chastanet, seeing Anse La Raye and Canaries from the sea, cruising through Marigot Bay and the Natural Bridge). The West Coast tour does not offer this coastal sightseeing tour. Also because it is faster to return by boat, Spencer's Land & Sea tour allows you to spend more time at Jalousie Beach than the West Coast Island Delight tour does.

 

I hope our answers helps you to understand the difference between these two tours.

 

 

Yes!! thanks so much-both of you!

[exercisemama]

I am thinking of taking the Jalousie Beach break Tour with Soufriere Add on. Is anyone familiar with this? There is a choice of mineral baths or mudbaths. Which one is recommended over the other? Is it worth it to even do the add on??

[Ms411]

The roads were winding, but nobody in our van got sick, but those who did feel some discomfort didn't eat or drink to be on the safe side. So I made sure I ate and drank their share! Great rum punch, BTW.

 

Here's my review I wrote for TripAdvisor which hasn't been published yet. I'll add photos later after I fix them.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions I can. This was my third tour in St Lucia and was by far the best.

 

"You can't get a feel for St Lucia unless you get out into the countryside, and Spencer Ambrose's Land and Sea tour exceeded my expectations for an informative introduction to some of the best sights on St Lucia.

The tour was conducted in French and English to accommodate all the passengers (I was the only English-speaking passenger on this tour of just 5 people), and it gave me a chance to practice my high school French with compliments from the Martinique group!

Spencer's brother was the driver/guide assisted by the very amiable, knowledgeable and caring trainee, Leandra. The driver managed to get us to all the listed attractions ahead of the crowds at every stop. I was impressed with that alone, because some attractions did get somewhat crowded and it wasn't even season!

Our first stop was a banana plantation where we had a short explanation on growing bananas. Vendors were there selling banana ketchup and other souvenirs, but they were friendly and not at all aggressive.

We stopped twice for fresh-baked bread. The first stop was for gluten-free cassava bread that came in many flavors. The hamburger bun-sized breads were mostly $3 each for flavors, and I shared a saltfish bread with others in the van. We all agreed it was DELICIOUS! Wish I could get it where I live.

The next stop was for warm, creole bread that's baked in a clay pot. Sooo good! I suggest not eating before you take Spencer's tour, because you won't fully appreciate these baked goods on a full stomach.

Before we stopped for bread, we stopped to "admire" a guy with a HUGE snake draped over his body. This stop didn't appeal to others in the van, but I took it as an opportunity to conquer some of my fear for snakes, and gently stroked the back end of the snake. I feel much better about these beautiful creatures now.

Our next stop was at Toraille Waterfall. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes so you can take a quick dip in the shallow fall pool. We passed the Diamond Falls sign/entrance, but were told it's not a swimming fall because of the high mineral content.

We had a quick stop at the lookout for the Pitons, and I bought locally made soaps (sulphur and ginger) at 2/$5 as souvenirs.

Several fishing villages are visible from the hills on the road to the boat launch to Jalousie, and we were told about the residents and the famous Friday night fish fry.

We boarded a small motor boat for the trip to Jalousie Beach, and lunch and beverages were waiting for us. BBQ chicken, pasta salad, cabbage salad, rice, stewed beans, plaintains, etc were graciously served by some young ladies, and again, we were the first group there so we got our choice of chairs (near the food!) Cosol Tours came soon after us. Raymond and Terry who operated the boat were both fun and knowledgeable.

The beach is manmade and is rocky in some areas, and because it was originally a black sand beach before they added imported white sand, the sand was very hot in some places. However, the rocky area is where you'll find more fish if you want to snorkel, but you should wear water shoes to protect your feet from rocks and hot sand.

After our beach break of maybe an hour, we got back in the boat for a coastal tour that included views of celebrity homes and a natural bridge where some young guys performed dives for tips.

The tour was interesting and fun throughout the duration, and I would definitely recommend this tour if you're in St Lucia."

[CHERRYBRANCH]

The roads were winding, but nobody in our van got sick, but those who did feel some discomfort didn't eat or drink to be on the safe side. So I made sure I ate and drank their share! Great rum punch, BTW.

 

Here's my review I wrote for TripAdvisor which hasn't been published yet. I'll add photos later after I fix them.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions I can. This was my third tour in St Lucia and was by far the best.

 

"You can't get a feel for St Lucia unless you get out into the countryside, and Spencer Ambrose's Land and Sea tour exceeded my expectations for an informative introduction to some of the best sights on St Lucia.

The tour was conducted in French and English to accommodate all the passengers (I was the only English-speaking passenger on this tour of just 5 people), and it gave me a chance to practice my high school French with compliments from the Martinique group!

Spencer's brother was the driver/guide assisted by the very amiable, knowledgeable and caring trainee, Leandra. The driver managed to get us to all the listed attractions ahead of the crowds at every stop. I was impressed with that alone, because some attractions did get somewhat crowded and it wasn't even season!

Our first stop was a banana plantation where we had a short explanation on growing bananas. Vendors were there selling banana ketchup and other souvenirs, but they were friendly and not at all aggressive.

We stopped twice for fresh-baked bread. The first stop was for gluten-free cassava bread that came in many flavors. The hamburger bun-sized breads were mostly $3 each for flavors, and I shared a saltfish bread with others in the van. We all agreed it was DELICIOUS! Wish I could get it where I live.

The next stop was for warm, creole bread that's baked in a clay pot. Sooo good! I suggest not eating before you take Spencer's tour, because you won't fully appreciate these baked goods on a full stomach.

Before we stopped for bread, we stopped to "admire" a guy with a HUGE snake draped over his body. This stop didn't appeal to others in the van, but I took it as an opportunity to conquer some of my fear for snakes, and gently stroked the back end of the snake. I feel much better about these beautiful creatures now.

Our next stop was at Toraille Waterfall. Wear your swimsuit under your clothes so you can take a quick dip in the shallow fall pool. We passed the Diamond Falls sign/entrance, but were told it's not a swimming fall because of the high mineral content.

We had a quick stop at the lookout for the Pitons, and I bought locally made soaps (sulphur and ginger) at 2/$5 as souvenirs.

Several fishing villages are visible from the hills on the road to the boat launch to Jalousie, and we were told about the residents and the famous Friday night fish fry.

We boarded a small motor boat for the trip to Jalousie Beach, and lunch and beverages were waiting for us. BBQ chicken, pasta salad, cabbage salad, rice, stewed beans, plaintains, etc were graciously served by some young ladies, and again, we were the first group there so we got our choice of chairs (near the food!) Cosol Tours came soon after us. Raymond and Terry who operated the boat were both fun and knowledgeable.

The beach is manmade and is rocky in some areas, and because it was originally a black sand beach before they added imported white sand, the sand was very hot in some places. However, the rocky area is where you'll find more fish if you want to snorkel, but you should wear water shoes to protect your feet from rocks and hot sand.

After our beach break of maybe an hour, we got back in the boat for a coastal tour that included views of celebrity homes and a natural bridge where some young guys performed dives for tips.

The tour was interesting and fun throughout the duration, and I would definitely recommend this tour if you're in St Lucia."

 

 

Great review....one quesiton? Did you ever have any concern at any time getting back to the ship on time? Does he have a back up plan if any issues arise? As you can tell, I have never done an excursion that was not cruise sponsored.

[Ms411]

Wasn't concerned about getting to ship on time. Spencer made sure we were at our ship with a few hours to spare. Worked out well for me, because my ship had a concert scheduled for some of our port time. He also knew where my ship docked, and was waiting for me.

[enester]

Just got back from our cruise that included Spencer's West Coast Island Delight tour version. I like to book local tours - with local operators - when I haven't visited an island before, and Spencer’s fit the bill nicely. Yeah, it may be a hair rough around the edges - but they cram allot in - and did a great job juggling lots of things, any of which can be unpredictable. The islands beautiful – and the road windy as heck - - I knew this ahead of time, so we loaded up on Bonine beforehand. No problem. The rum punch was delicious – as was the lunch. We cut short the Sulphur Springs stop so we could spend more time at the beach (which I was glad, there was enough time to smell the stink and see the bubbling mud pots). I could’ve skipped the waterfall. It’s a shadow of its former self. A land slide destroyed it – and it’s been “rebuilt”. Not as large & deep – and not particularly impressive. Our tour guide was friendly, though clearly not happy with having to drive us back to the ship (we were the only non-land & sea folks). The drive back is just that – a drive, at higher speeds. The beach & snorkel time was about 45 minutes. Would have liked for it to be longer, but we took the cheaper option. I was happy with the tour – and it was a great introduction to St Lucia.

 

enester

[Ms411]

Here are my photos from my Spencer's Land and Sea tour.

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-06df-b8ec-7bf6?lb

[Daycare Provider]

Here are my photos from my Spencer's Land and Sea tour.

 

http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/tripwow/ta-06df-b8ec-7bf6?lb

 

Thank you for sharing these photos...we are scheduled for this tour in March! Is there anything that you would like to have missed so you could have more time at the beach.

 

Angela

[Ms411]

The sulphur volcano wasn't that interesting, and I left that photo out of the slide show. Could also have skipped the church and Derek Walcott square, but those are very quick stops. They keep you moving pretty quickly, because I think they have to coordinate with the boat captain.

[Daycare Provider]

What exactly is Derek Walcott Square...the other lady in our group really wants to drive up to the volcano:( Did Spencer give you an option of skipping anything? Where exactly did you meet him, We are on Royal Caribbeans Adventure of the Seas in March.

 

Thank You for all of the help.

 

Angela

[reedprincess]

What exactly is Derek Walcott Square...the other lady in our group really wants to drive up to the volcano:( Did Spencer give you an option of skipping anything? Where exactly did you meet him, We are on Royal Caribbeans Adventure of the Seas in March.

 

Thank You for all of the help.

 

Angela

Derek Walcott Square is a small park in the center of the city, named after one of our Nobel Laureates. Quick stop.

And yes, you do see the volcano. You drive up to it, then hop out for the guided tour around it and parts of the sulpher springs. It is as interesting as you make it - it is not a bubbling lava volcano such as Mauna Kea or the like in Hawaii, it is bubbling sulpher and mud - and can smell like rotten eggs.

Usually, he will skip something if everyone in the van chooses to do so. He meets you at the docks.

Enjoy.

[enester]

Thank you for sharing these photos...we are scheduled for this tour in March! Is there anything that you would like to have missed so you could have more time at the beach.

 

Angela

 

First choice to me would be to skip the waterfall... Then the volcano second (though it was interesting). The rest of the stops are pretty short...

 

enester

[Ms411]

It's nice to swim in the cool waterfall water, so I liked that. Water may be too cold for you, though, during the winter months.

[Vonboxermom]

I see many negative posts here on Spencer Ambrose Tours in 2012. We just returned from a Land/Sea Trip Feb 2013 and our experience was wonderful. Our van had 8 people and we loved every minute of it. It was very well organized. We would book again.

[MrSchwump]

We did the Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea tour last Thurs. the land part was great. Our driver, Big Al was very nice and we made several stops for photo ops. The volcano and waterfall were interesting.

We stopped in Soufriere and boarded the boat to the beach. At the beach instead of a buffet, we were handed styrofoam containers of food that had come over on the same boat we did. It did not look appealing so we didn't eat it.

The section of the beach with chairs is very small and was quite crowded. The snorkeling, I thought, was poor. Poor visibility, not much to see anyway. There were lots of dead crabs and fish floating around. My wife got a few jellyfish stings from some loose tentacles in the water. We didn't see any actual jellyfish.

We moved down to the resort beach and it was very nice.

Spencer chooses not to collect payment for the tour until you're at the beach. We paid but when it was time to get on the boats for the trip back, 2 or 3 people hadn't paid. We had to wait and wait for these people before we were allowed to board. All the while Spencer was arguementative and surly when questioned about why it was taking so long, shifting blame to factors other than his lack of organization

While waiting we were able to watch several people who were falling down drunk, literally. One chick was barfing over the side of her boat. One guy did a face plant in the boat and another on the dock. Maybe 160 proof rum isn't the best choice for rum punch?

So finally we got on board the last 2 boats, which were much more crowded than when we came over. Apparently some people stayed at the beach longer than they were supposed to so we had 6-8 more people than we came with, which is a lot in a 26 -28 foot boat.

Our boat guy was really nice pointing out interesting things along the way, again with plenty of photo opportunities. Then the boat broke down. We were bobbing around while the driver tried to fix the problem. We put out an SOS and another tour operator came to our rescue. They were able to take most of the occupants. I guess another boat came back for the others. After a slightly dicey boat-to-boat transfer on a rocky sea, we were on our way. We made it back to the ship a little after 4.

The land part of the tour was nice and all the personnel working for Spencer seemed very nice. Spencer seemed very poorly organized and eager to shift the blame in directions away from himself. I'm used to how things go in the islands. Things are different and work at a pace and manner that sometimes befuddles and frustrates Americans. Even factoring in these cultural differences, I really could not recommend Spencer Ambrose tours.

[jabberjaw070596]

We did the Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea tour last Thurs. the land part was great. Our driver, Big Al was very nice and we made several stops for photo ops. The volcano and waterfall were interesting.

We stopped in Soufriere and boarded the boat to the beach. At the beach instead of a buffet, we were handed styrofoam containers of food that had come over on the same boat we did. It did not look appealing so we didn't eat it.

The section of the beach with chairs is very small and was quite crowded. The snorkeling, I thought, was poor. Poor visibility, not much to see anyway. There were lots of dead crabs and fish floating around. My wife got a few jellyfish stings from some loose tentacles in the water. We didn't see any actual jellyfish.

We moved down to the resort beach and it was very nice.

Spencer chooses not to collect payment for the tour until you're at the beach. We paid but when it was time to get on the boats for the trip back, 2 or 3 people hadn't paid. We had to wait and wait for these people before we were allowed to board. All the while Spencer was arguementative and surly when questioned about why it was taking so long, shifting blame to factors other than his lack of organization

While waiting we were able to watch several people who were falling down drunk, literally. One chick was barfing over the side of her boat. One guy did a face plant in the boat and another on the dock. Maybe 160 proof rum isn't the best choice for rum punch?

So finally we got on board the last 2 boats, which were much more crowded than when we came over. Apparently some people stayed at the beach longer than they were supposed to so we had 6-8 more people than we came with, which is a lot in a 26 -28 foot boat.

Our boat guy was really nice pointing out interesting things along the way, again with plenty of photo opportunities. Then the boat broke down. We were bobbing around while the driver tried to fix the problem. We put out an SOS and another tour operator came to our rescue. They were able to take most of the occupants. I guess another boat came back for the others. After a slightly dicey boat-to-boat transfer on a rocky sea, we were on our way. We made it back to the ship a little after 4.

The land part of the tour was nice and all the personnel working for Spencer seemed very nice. Spencer seemed very poorly organized and eager to shift the blame in directions away from himself. I'm used to how things go in the islands. Things are different and work at a pace and manner that sometimes befuddles and frustrates Americans. Even factoring in these cultural differences, I really could not recommend Spencer Ambrose tours.

We did the beach break with Spencer Ambrose last month and we made the decision due to being totally unorganized we will NEVER tour with him again!!

[CHERRYBRANCH]

We did the beach break with Spencer Ambrose last month and we made the decision due to being totally unorganized we will NEVER tour with him again!!

 

 

We have our name on the list for the land and sea tour, however I am really rethinking this.......boats breaking down in the water when we have a ship to catch is not my idea of fun.......why would he collect money after the tour? I would think it would be behoove him to collect up front so that there are no issues with anyone at the end. What else can you tell me about your tour?

[MrSchwump]

We have our name on the list for the land and sea tour, however I am really rethinking this.......boats breaking down in the water when we have a ship to catch is not my idea of fun.......why would he collect money after the tour? I would think it would be behoove him to collect up front so that there are no issues with anyone at the end. What else can you tell me about your tour?

 

I realize that many times Americans think they know the "best" way to do things and tend to second guess the way people in other counties do things. I've been on lots of tours in the islands and in Mexico and this was the most disorganized bass-ackwards enterprise I've ever seen.

You're exactly right; why not collect the $ before anyone gets on the bus? I frankly don't think he trusts his people as Spencer himself was running around the beach and dock with what had to be a couple thousand dollars in his hand. He was very abrupt with anyone approaching him with a question. When the situation started to go downhill he did not handle it well at all, becoming surly and combative. If he were my employee there would have been a counseling and coaching session.

Another problem he seems to have is, all of his tours seem to use this same beach. The land/sea, all land and all sea tours wind up here. I think some of the people who were supposed to go back by bus got on the boat to go back to Castries which is why we were over crowded. There had to be a couple hundred people on the beach and there couldn't have been more than 40-50 chairs.

You are able to move down the beach in front of the Sugar Beach resort but you can't utilize any of their chairs or facilites and they have security guards to make sure you don't. We spread out our towels down there away from all the hubbub.

My primary driver for choosing this tour was getting a good look at the Pitons. You're right at the base of Gros Piton and really can't get a good photo of it from the beach. Petit Piton is far enough away that you can get great shots of it. Frankly, you can get much better shots from the boat as you're leaving. A sail past tour would be a good alternative if you're looking for photo ops of the Pitons.

As I said, the land part was fine. If you've not seen the island it's a great way to do so. The sulfuric volcano was intersting. The waterfall was okay. It was a little too manufactured and overmanaged. I've been on another tour is St. Lucia where you go to an actual waterfall down a trail in the rainforest.

For $90 a person, Spencer's tour is definately not worth it. The tour company who rescued us was Papa Boat Tours. Their passengers told us they paid $50 for a boat ride to the Pitons, snorkeling at 2 spots, lunch and drinks. They were nice as could be to us "refugees", giving us all beer, water or rum punch as if we were paying guests.

[avidreader13]

I too would not recommend Spencer's Tour. I posted why in another thread but that thread has been deleted. I did post a review on trip advisor. Interesting reading on here about Spencer deferring the blame, as that is what happened when I emailed him about our situation on his tour.

[Rprbp24]

If you are smart :), you will contact Spencer, tell him exactly what you are looking for..he will customize for you. We were there in February, We did a land tour for about 2 hours via a nice air conditioned bus. We then stopped at a small resturant where they had a hot buffet ready for us. Food was very good. We then left, and drove to docks, where we boarded Spencer's boat. We then toured the island for another hour plus.If you ask to have Terry do the tour you will be in for a treat. Super nice and knowldegable guy!! On the bus and boat they had a cooler with water, soda, beer and rum punch. Alos, once you get the specifics you want and prices, go to your roll call here on CC and gather your own people insteead of just getting in with whoever happens to be there. We had a blast and met some awesome people. Would go back to Spencer in a heart beat. I believ we had 16 people and it was $100 each, included lunch.

[sippican]

I urge everyone to visit the Tripadvisor site to read recent reviews for Spencer and any other tour company you are considering using. Then use that information to make a decision you are comfortable with.

[CHERRYBRANCH]

I urge everyone to visit the Tripadvisor site to read recent reviews for Spencer and any other tour company you are considering using. Then use that information to make a decision you are comfortable with.

 

I read the recent reviews on Tripadvisor and can say that we have decided to pass on Spencer's land and sea tour , one I am a rather organized person to begin with and from what I have read, organization lacks on his tour and two, sounds like to much drama for me. It's leaves us with starting over again for something to do in St Lucia. Anyone have any knowledge of Cosol's land and sea tour? Reviews look favorable, however so did Spencer's .

[reedprincess]

I read the recent reviews on Tripadvisor and can say that we have decided to pass on Spencer's land and sea tour , one I am a rather organized person to begin with and from what I have read, organization lacks on his tour and two, sounds like to much drama for me. It's leaves us with starting over again for something to do in St Lucia. Anyone have any knowledge of Cosol's land and sea tour? Reviews look favorable, however so did Spencer's .

Cosol's tour is land only - you go down/come back via the same roads. The only "sea" portion is the short water taxi to the beach and back.

[scarby]

 

For $90 a person, Spencer's tour is definately not worth it. The tour company who rescued us was Papa Boat Tours. Their passengers told us they paid $50 for a boat ride to the Pitons, snorkeling at 2 spots, lunch and drinks. They were nice as could be to us "refugees", giving us all beer, water or rum punch as if we were paying guests.

 

I read the recent reviews on Tripadvisor and can say that we have decided to pass on Spencer's land and sea tour , one I am a rather organized person to begin with and from what I have read, organization lacks on his tour and two, sounds like to much drama for me. It's leaves us with starting over again for something to do in St Lucia. Anyone have any knowledge of Cosol's land and sea tour? Reviews look favorable, however so did Spencer's .

 

Per the recommendation given above I looked more into Papa Boat Tours(http://www.dolphindiveadventure.com/?page_id=125). TripAdvisor had great reviews for them. I have now switched from going with Spencer to going with Papa Irwin. We will be going with them on 3-31-13 so i will try to get back on here asap and post a review of the whole tour. Sounds like an amazing deal, from 10-3:30 for $50 including drinks.