St. Lucia - All Inclusive "north"

[beshears]

Reedprincess replied to me over a year ago about All Inclusive in St. Lucia, which I have never done before.  They mentioned that if I wanted Cosol Tours to pick us up, it would be better to stay at an All Inclusive in the "north" area of St. Lucia. I would appreciate it if someone would give me "names" of All Inclusive in the "north" area of St. Lucia, please.

[PORT ROYAL]

6 minutes ago, beshears said:

Reedprincess replied to me over a year ago about All Inclusive in St. Lucia, which I have never done before.  They mentioned that if I wanted Cosol Tours to pick us up, it would be better to stay at an All Inclusive in the "north" area of St. Lucia. I would appreciate it if someone would give me "names" of All Inclusive in the "north" area of St. Lucia, please.

In no doubt Reed Princess will find this thread and give her recommendations.  As usual these will based on local knowledge, unbiased facts, and best possible value for money.

just be patient 😉

Edited May 12, 2021 by PORT ROYAL

[beshears]

Thank you for your reply.  I STILL want to cruise, but I have some sons that say, All Inclusive is better, so I "thought" maybe I would check it out, and see. Hopefully I will hear from Reedprincess in the near future.

[PORT ROYAL]

10 minutes ago, beshears said:

Thank you for your reply.  I STILL want to cruise, but I have some sons that say, All Inclusive is better, so I "thought" maybe I would check it out, and see. Hopefully I will hear from Reedprincess in the near future.

Reed Princess does this unpaid kindness on many platforms, also in her own private time, out of love for her island and it’s people, to encourage guests to visit, have a great experience and return.

Can recommend their Rum.  Beautifully clean and not messed about.

[beshears]

Thank you.  I will look forward in the future from hearing from them.  Yes, anyone that is from St. Lucia island/port is what I want to hear from, as I want my children/d-i-l's to "discover" what I did there as well. 🙂

[reedprincess]

Are you looking for anything in particular from your AI - beyond it being in the north, so you can take Cosol's tour??  

One of the best large family friendly AIs, if not the best, is in the south, in Vieux Fort. 5 minutes from airport, 45 minutes from Soufriere with the Pitons, volcano, mud baths, waterfalls, hikes, snorkeling, and so forth..   Coconut Bay Resort and Spa. Excellent staff, food, top shelf booze, multiple pools, mile stretch of beach, great entertainment, solid adult only section, etc. 

Up north, Royalton is solid chain family AI. They're occasionally plagued by staffing and supply issues - but spacious modern rooms, good food, solid staff (let down by management), small cove beach, great pools, good entertainment, decent booze, etc. 

St James Morgan Bay is a solid 3* family AI. Clean, comfortable, very middle of the road. Great staff, good food, pretty beach, very much 3*.

Windjammer Landings, while not actually an AI resort, has an excellent AI add-on plan, wide selection of accommodation (you can get full fledged villas through regular hotel rooms, great cove beach, etc. 

How many people? Ages? Length of stay? Any wants/needs? There's outstanding tours available all around the island, or easily hire a driver and car for a private excursion...

www.stlucia.org/covid-19 for Travel info, requirements, forms, properties available and so forth..  check out TripAdvisor forums for more details on land based stays (sister site to Cruise Critic)...

Safe travels!

[beshears]

Reedprincess, thank you for your "informative" reply. With ALL this information you have given me, it will give me a good start on what to check out.  There will be (it is possible for things to change, but hopefully not) 8 of us adults. Two of my sons really like the All Inclusive, which I have never done, as I do love cruising, but with this pandemic and virus, we may do the AI next year.  I just wanted to make sure that we also do Cosol Tours (I do have their information and how to get a hold of them), when we arrive in St. Lucia. I believe it is Cosol Tours that mentioned that if we did the AI, that it would be better to get a place that is in the north area of St. Lucia, I guess, as it would be easier for them to pick us up.  Of course, I have NO clue where anything is in St. Lucia, but I guess if I pulled it up on the map, them maybe I would see where the "north" area was. 🙂  I am used to being "on the go," but two of my boys just want to relax, and all three of the boys love to snorkel as well. With the way things are going for cruising, the AI might be the best way to go for us.

[reedprincess]

Glad to help. 

The cruise port is up north, in Castries, the capital. 

The Pitons are southwest.

Vieux Fort, the town you'll fly into, is south/southeast. 

Rodney Bay, the main "tourist" village, so t speak, with loads of restaurants and bars, etc is north of Castries.

VF is much closer to Soufriere then the Cruise port, and points north. 

When Cosol is talking 'up north" they're meaning anywhere from the cruise port north, as that's where they're based.  Taking their your from the south is counterproductive as you're already where the tour ends up. There's other absolutely outstanding operators in the south that can provide an excellent your heading north, to show off the few sights up there, if passing through the banana plantation, the view point in Castries and view stop of Marigot Bay is a must do... Staying in the south saves a load of time in a vehicle traveling to the sights - which can translate to a fee more activities in the day versus a day from the north.  

Soufriere is home to Pitons, Volcano and mud baths, waterfalls, plantation tours, mineral baths, hikes, snorkeling, diving, fishing, beach parks, zip line, botanical gardens and so forth. And around the rest of the south adds horseback riding, ATV, more zip line courses, more waterfalls, boat trips and so forth.. the north doesn't have anywhere near as much of the activities and sights that make St Lucia what it is - but does have zip line, beach, Segway, horseback riding, Pigeon Island..  

Is there a particular reason you absolutely must do Cosol's tour specifically?  I mean, his company does a fantastic tour, no doubt about that at all - I just can't picture planning my entire stay simply based in where you could start that tour versus where may be actually more suitable for the entire trip, particularly as there's excellent operators all around the island, who can provide a very similar, or even more comprehensive tour.. not disparaging Cosol at all, his company's tour is excellent...

 

Windjammer Landings may be a solid fit, given your group size you could do a villa and have some self catering options, plus there is a solid add-on AI. Food and drink, with eating out and such, can be fairly expensive (and expect next year will be worse given the trickle down effects of the pandemic on supplies, availability, demand, etc), figure - easily - $30-75usd or more per person for dinners, and higher if there's a couple drinks, $15-25 for lunch, $10-25 for breakfast.. beers run $2-4usd in most bars, hotel bars and higher end places, $4-8, mixed drinks average around $3-8, etc.  self catering can obviously bring this down, but adds to the work load of a vacation! Lol.  

With big appetites or decent drinkers, AI can make a bit of economical sense - although, if you're going to be out and about most days, the going AI is counterproductive.. 

Coconut Bay would be a great fit, but it is down south, making Cosol's tour counterproductive...but, you're much closer to the Pitons, volcano and mud baths, Jalousie Beach, Anse Chastanet beach, plantations, hikes, snorkeling and diving, and so forth....

Good luck with the research.

Safe travels

 

 

[beshears]

Oh thank you, thank you for taking your "extra time" out to give me MORE info in regard to All Inclusive, and whether we should find a place "north," or not.  I DO understand where your coming from. I have never used another tour guide in St. Lucia, and I am MORE than happy with what we seen and paid for with Cosol, the two times we used them.  Now as for another tour guide for St. Lucia, I have checked more than one time on Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic when other (I cannot remember the names now) touring company names had been mentioned. When reading the different responses, Cosol seemed to be the top. I do see where your coming from if we were going to do an AI, as we would be better of "closer" to what we wanted to see (touring) using an AL that was NOT in the north area of St. Lucia. Do you have any recommendations of touring companies other than Cosol?

[PORT ROYAL]

A little piece of information.

If taking a Catamaran trip to the Pitons and wish to take the best set of photos.

On boarding don’t head for the front canvas, or placing one’s back against the wheelhouse, as most punters do, spreading a towel to bag a bigger space.

Head for the stern and take the very comfortable seating there.  
Reasons?  

When approaching the Pitons the Catamaran’s punters will migrate like Lemmings to the very front, stand up, pointed elbows etc., with all those left behind pointing their cameras at the Pitons trying to remove the inclusion of people’s backsides.  Not a good set of photos.

But those at the stern just have to be patient, because the Catamaran steers a wide arc and turns, so those at stern will get the same camera time, but a better unobstructed set of shots.

Also being at the stern, this is where the food and drinks are served, everything close to hand.

On the “full sail” return trip,  a polite ask to the Skipper may allow each of your group to take a small turn at the helm, another souvenir photo opportunity.

Enjoy St Lucia….

[beshears]

Thank you for this info too.

[PORT ROYAL]

Okay, as you taking tours to experience a most beautiful island and people, one has to ask how brave are some of your party.  Because when on tour you may wish to ask your if there’s a possibility of taking a “Bush Rum” tasting session (small).

This is basically Moonshine infused with the ‘Erbs and Tree Bark of the Island’s Bush.  
The Makers keep their infusion blends secret, claiming it can cure all ailments.  
Be warned, some of the ‘Erbs and Barks infused could have effects such as, mouth and lips going numb; eyes feeling they are trying to visit your ears; what happened to yesterday; opening one’s eyes thinking why am I the back of police Van etc..

Legal?    Don’t think so….. But you’re on the Island… So while you’re there?

 

[beshears]

Thank you for this "informative" tip "ahead" of time on "Bush Rum". My 3 sons "might ??" want to check it out, but I will let them know what you said.