sharkbait98
Registered
Here is a trip report, sorry its so long but I wanted to cover all aspects of this trip for people who do a more rounded vacation. Not all people want to do 4 dives per day :cool2:
OCTOBER 2010
ST LUCIA TRIP REPORT
Stopover Hotel
We stayed in Toronto near the airport in a stopover hotel that Sell Off Vacations had on their website. We were allowed to book this hotel because we booked our Air Canada Vacation with them. We stayed at The Sandman Signature Hotel Toronto. This hotel was amazing. With the stop over rate we received 15 days free parking with the one nights stay. The hotel was very modern and comfortable. The staff was polite and professional. Our room was decorated with a modern theme and was very clean. The beds were amazing. I slept like a baby. We will definitely be staying there again. I have even recommended this hotel to my good friends.
Flight
We flew to St Lucia via Air Canada. The flight was on time and uneventful. In the usual Air Canada style, no food was given but was available for purchase. The flight crew was polite and was very helpful offering coffee, tea, pop, juice and water two to three times per flight.
Hotel
We stayed at The Village Inn and Spa in Rodney Bay. We decided on this hotel because we wanted something affordable. We went to St Lucia to scuba dive, not use the endless amenities that Sandals offers on resort. Our airport p/u went off without a hitch. The driver who drove us was polite and was willing to tell us allot of information about the places we were passing. He even stopped on the way so we could take pictures of the beautiful landscape. When we arrived at the hotel, check in was a breeze. The people at the front desk were aware of our arrival and had everything in order. They were so nice to us and friendly. The hotel itself is nicely decorated and clean. The food was plentiful and really good. What makes this hotel so special is the staff. ALL the staff that we met at this hotel was polite and always ready with a smile. I have been to many destinations, Caribbean and South Pacific and I can say that the staff here is truly special. One of the staff that needs special mention is Milisha. She was the bartender at the hotel and was a really nice person. Also, the manager, Lisa, was very helpful and a pleasure to deal with.
Our room was clean and comfortable. We overlooked the restaurant. I have seen trip reports about this hotel saying that there is a bar next door that plays music late and that you can hear it in the rooms. I did go over to the "Happy Day Bar" but I NEVER heard it in my room. The room was well insulated and with the air conditioner on, I never heard anything and never had trouble getting to sleep. Oh ya, the air conditioner worked great. We also had a safe in our room that was very convenient. There were lots of drawers to put your clothes in and a big closet that stowed our 4 suitcases, 2 carry-ons and all our "hanged" clothes. The TV did work, but we don't watch TV while on vacation. At one point I asked for an extra pillow and they were more than happy to oblige. We also had coffee and tea in our room with a kettle. Nice touch for the mornings I awoke early.
The hotel has a pool that was kept very clean. The staff was up really early testing and cleaning the pool to ensure that it was ready for the vacationers to enjoy. There is a beach but you have to go across the road to access it. We never went as we were diving ALOT. We did make it over to Spinakers. If you go to this hotel ask any staff how to get there (its all of a 2 minute walk) and you won't be disappointed. The sunsets there are beautiful and make for some nice pictures. Spinakers does offer 2 for 1 drinks at sunset.
The hotel offers free wi-fi. I would sit on my balcony and check my email with my morning coffee. The wi-fi never went down and surfing worked well.
Food
Breakfast was from 7:30 till 9:00. Lunch was from 12:30 till 2:00 and dinner was from 7:00 till 9:00. If you cannot make those times they do have an all day menu with snack type foods. We were all inclusive and found the menu had enough variety. They do change the menu every couple of days to keep it fresh. The portions were large and the food was very good. Everything we had was hot and tasted fresh. We had a problem making lunch because we were on the dive boat so we asked the front desk if they could box us up a lunch and they were more than happy to oblige. Our boxed lunches consisted of a meat and cheese sandwich and a box of fruit. It was perfect for between our second and third dive.
Diving
We dove with Frogs Diving (Frogs Diving - Rodney Bay, St Lucia - Your friendly PADI Certified Diving Guides and Instructors). We did three dives per day for 5 days. Tommy, who is the owner and dive master, was very accommodating. On our first dive he suggested a bottom time of 40 minutes. When I mentioned that we were looking at doing 60 minute dives, he was more that happy to accommodate us. The boat was very comfortable with lots of room. Tommy took us along the island to a variety of dive sites. In between dives he offered sandwiches, fruit and cookies along with plenty of water. Greg was the boat captain. He has a wonderful sense of humor and made our surface intervals a joy.
While diving we had the pleasure of seeing French angels, juvenile French angels, many different types of eels, squirrel fish, groupers, filefish, nudibranchs, bubble coral shrimps, crabs ( of all different species ), green turtles, hawksbill turtles, octopus, tangs, parrot fish, surgeon fish, coral banded shrimps, gobies, lizard fish, and of course, the best ever, spotted eagle rays.
Car Rental and Day Trip
We rented a car from the rental agency at the same hotel that Frogs Diving is located. The car (will all taxes, insurance and a waiver for the deductible) was $72 US. This included unlimited mileage. It was a four door sub compact. It was an automatic and had no problems getting up and down all the hills that St Lucia has. We drove from Rodney Bay all along the western highway down to the Pitons. It was an amazing drive. The curving roads, the scenery and the villages. Let me remind you that they drive on the left side of the road on the right side of the car. Took a bit of getting used to but my husband managed very well. We went through a number of towns that were bursting with people.
Our day trip was to go to the Volcano and to do the mud bath at the Sulphur Springs. The cost of the "tour" for both was 13 US each and this came with a guide for the volcano. The volcano was really neat to see. Its amazing that its just sitting there bubbling like that. Then we drove back to the entrance where we parked our car, went down to the springs and changed. A man goes up the stream to where the mud is and comes back with a bucket. We then proceeded to put the mud all over our bodies. I will be honest with you here, it stunk, but it sure made my skin feel awesome after. We let the mud dry and then got into the "pool" area of the spring and rinsed off. The water was HOT and I mean HOT. Took a bit of getting used to. Would I do it again? No, but I suggest doing it once. It was quite the experience.
Upon leaving the springs the locals are sitting there with their hand made wares asking you to come look. I did purchase a hand caved turtle from this old man who lived up above the volcano. I purchased it from him because he was one of the few that didn't ask me to come look at their wares.
Conclusion
If you don't want the cost of the 5 star hotels and are looking for a basic but clean and friendly hotel with great food then definitely go to The Village Inn and Spa. I would send my friends there in a heartbeat.
Diving freedom was definitely provided by Frog Divers and I would recommend them to any level of diver. They were both professional and safe.
St Lucia is falling under some hard economical times. I am afraid that this gem of an island is succumbing to the drug trade and the poor people are the ones that are carrying all the problems that come along with it. It is my opinion that if you are looking at going to St Lucia you should do it sooner rather that later. It still has its beauty and mystique but I am not sure for how much longer.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at sharkbait98@gmail.com
Sharkbait :shark2:
OCTOBER 2010
ST LUCIA TRIP REPORT
Stopover Hotel
We stayed in Toronto near the airport in a stopover hotel that Sell Off Vacations had on their website. We were allowed to book this hotel because we booked our Air Canada Vacation with them. We stayed at The Sandman Signature Hotel Toronto. This hotel was amazing. With the stop over rate we received 15 days free parking with the one nights stay. The hotel was very modern and comfortable. The staff was polite and professional. Our room was decorated with a modern theme and was very clean. The beds were amazing. I slept like a baby. We will definitely be staying there again. I have even recommended this hotel to my good friends.
Flight
We flew to St Lucia via Air Canada. The flight was on time and uneventful. In the usual Air Canada style, no food was given but was available for purchase. The flight crew was polite and was very helpful offering coffee, tea, pop, juice and water two to three times per flight.
Hotel
We stayed at The Village Inn and Spa in Rodney Bay. We decided on this hotel because we wanted something affordable. We went to St Lucia to scuba dive, not use the endless amenities that Sandals offers on resort. Our airport p/u went off without a hitch. The driver who drove us was polite and was willing to tell us allot of information about the places we were passing. He even stopped on the way so we could take pictures of the beautiful landscape. When we arrived at the hotel, check in was a breeze. The people at the front desk were aware of our arrival and had everything in order. They were so nice to us and friendly. The hotel itself is nicely decorated and clean. The food was plentiful and really good. What makes this hotel so special is the staff. ALL the staff that we met at this hotel was polite and always ready with a smile. I have been to many destinations, Caribbean and South Pacific and I can say that the staff here is truly special. One of the staff that needs special mention is Milisha. She was the bartender at the hotel and was a really nice person. Also, the manager, Lisa, was very helpful and a pleasure to deal with.
Our room was clean and comfortable. We overlooked the restaurant. I have seen trip reports about this hotel saying that there is a bar next door that plays music late and that you can hear it in the rooms. I did go over to the "Happy Day Bar" but I NEVER heard it in my room. The room was well insulated and with the air conditioner on, I never heard anything and never had trouble getting to sleep. Oh ya, the air conditioner worked great. We also had a safe in our room that was very convenient. There were lots of drawers to put your clothes in and a big closet that stowed our 4 suitcases, 2 carry-ons and all our "hanged" clothes. The TV did work, but we don't watch TV while on vacation. At one point I asked for an extra pillow and they were more than happy to oblige. We also had coffee and tea in our room with a kettle. Nice touch for the mornings I awoke early.
The hotel has a pool that was kept very clean. The staff was up really early testing and cleaning the pool to ensure that it was ready for the vacationers to enjoy. There is a beach but you have to go across the road to access it. We never went as we were diving ALOT. We did make it over to Spinakers. If you go to this hotel ask any staff how to get there (its all of a 2 minute walk) and you won't be disappointed. The sunsets there are beautiful and make for some nice pictures. Spinakers does offer 2 for 1 drinks at sunset.
The hotel offers free wi-fi. I would sit on my balcony and check my email with my morning coffee. The wi-fi never went down and surfing worked well.
Food
Breakfast was from 7:30 till 9:00. Lunch was from 12:30 till 2:00 and dinner was from 7:00 till 9:00. If you cannot make those times they do have an all day menu with snack type foods. We were all inclusive and found the menu had enough variety. They do change the menu every couple of days to keep it fresh. The portions were large and the food was very good. Everything we had was hot and tasted fresh. We had a problem making lunch because we were on the dive boat so we asked the front desk if they could box us up a lunch and they were more than happy to oblige. Our boxed lunches consisted of a meat and cheese sandwich and a box of fruit. It was perfect for between our second and third dive.
Diving
We dove with Frogs Diving (Frogs Diving - Rodney Bay, St Lucia - Your friendly PADI Certified Diving Guides and Instructors). We did three dives per day for 5 days. Tommy, who is the owner and dive master, was very accommodating. On our first dive he suggested a bottom time of 40 minutes. When I mentioned that we were looking at doing 60 minute dives, he was more that happy to accommodate us. The boat was very comfortable with lots of room. Tommy took us along the island to a variety of dive sites. In between dives he offered sandwiches, fruit and cookies along with plenty of water. Greg was the boat captain. He has a wonderful sense of humor and made our surface intervals a joy.
While diving we had the pleasure of seeing French angels, juvenile French angels, many different types of eels, squirrel fish, groupers, filefish, nudibranchs, bubble coral shrimps, crabs ( of all different species ), green turtles, hawksbill turtles, octopus, tangs, parrot fish, surgeon fish, coral banded shrimps, gobies, lizard fish, and of course, the best ever, spotted eagle rays.
Car Rental and Day Trip
We rented a car from the rental agency at the same hotel that Frogs Diving is located. The car (will all taxes, insurance and a waiver for the deductible) was $72 US. This included unlimited mileage. It was a four door sub compact. It was an automatic and had no problems getting up and down all the hills that St Lucia has. We drove from Rodney Bay all along the western highway down to the Pitons. It was an amazing drive. The curving roads, the scenery and the villages. Let me remind you that they drive on the left side of the road on the right side of the car. Took a bit of getting used to but my husband managed very well. We went through a number of towns that were bursting with people.
Our day trip was to go to the Volcano and to do the mud bath at the Sulphur Springs. The cost of the "tour" for both was 13 US each and this came with a guide for the volcano. The volcano was really neat to see. Its amazing that its just sitting there bubbling like that. Then we drove back to the entrance where we parked our car, went down to the springs and changed. A man goes up the stream to where the mud is and comes back with a bucket. We then proceeded to put the mud all over our bodies. I will be honest with you here, it stunk, but it sure made my skin feel awesome after. We let the mud dry and then got into the "pool" area of the spring and rinsed off. The water was HOT and I mean HOT. Took a bit of getting used to. Would I do it again? No, but I suggest doing it once. It was quite the experience.
Upon leaving the springs the locals are sitting there with their hand made wares asking you to come look. I did purchase a hand caved turtle from this old man who lived up above the volcano. I purchased it from him because he was one of the few that didn't ask me to come look at their wares.
Conclusion
If you don't want the cost of the 5 star hotels and are looking for a basic but clean and friendly hotel with great food then definitely go to The Village Inn and Spa. I would send my friends there in a heartbeat.
Diving freedom was definitely provided by Frog Divers and I would recommend them to any level of diver. They were both professional and safe.
St Lucia is falling under some hard economical times. I am afraid that this gem of an island is succumbing to the drug trade and the poor people are the ones that are carrying all the problems that come along with it. It is my opinion that if you are looking at going to St Lucia you should do it sooner rather that later. It still has its beauty and mystique but I am not sure for how much longer.
If you have any questions feel free to email me at sharkbait98@gmail.com
Sharkbait :shark2:
