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 Coconut Bay Resort —   Location: Beachfront - 10 minutes from Hewanorra International Airport All-inclusive - 254 rooms Description from resort website: Every room includes at least a partial view of the ocean from the balcony - The Resort offers a variety of dining options including a la carte dining in two specialty- themed restaurants - Snack and grilled favorites are always available at Bites, the beachside grill - 3 bars - 3 pools - including a free-form pool with beach entry, cascading waterfalls and a swim-up bar - tennis on four lighted courts, two basketball courts, walking on nature trails or power walks with fitness instructor, pool aerobics, beach and pool volleyball - full service spa  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 10  ~ St. Lucia Resort Reviews Index ~ St. Lucia Travel Forum 
Have you stayed at this resort? Share your vacation experiences with others.Don't forget to send Debbie your review or use this Quick Review Form |
| Coconut Bay Resort | Sylvia ~ Clifton, NJ |
I spent a whole week at the Coconut Bay Resort and Spa the first week of April 2008 with my 5 year old son and husband. I picked the hotel based on the great pictures of the kid’s attractions including the slides and the splash area. I did understand that I was not going to a 5 star hotel although I did pay the same amount a year ago for a week long stay in Mexico at a 5 star hotel. We travel a lot and have never been disappointed before. I guess there always has to be the first time.
On the positive, the hotel is very close to the airport so you can start your vacation as soon as you land. There are very few planes coming in and taking off so they do not really bother anyone. The resort is small and there is nothing close to it. The rooms are basic but clean. No complaints there. The final nice thing was the night entertainment. Instead of the typical shows popular at most resorts, they featured local music artists. The majority of them were really good and it was a nice way to spend the evening. It seemed that everyone gathered in the lobby bar to listen to the music. Unfortunately, that is where the good stuff ended for us.
The resort seems to be either on the verge of closing or needs a complete overhaul. There was construction going on in a few areas. None of the construction activities were mentioned on the hotel website or website that I got the package from bookit.com. I did check many other travel/review websites and none mentioned it either. The resort has seen better days and whoever owns it right now is just milking the business and not putting any money back into it. The constructions going on will not improve the state of this place. They are minor improvements such as adding a pizza station to the grill place or a store.
The pools were full of leaves and sand that was blowing constantly from the trees and the ocean. Due to the strong wing, all the fountains in the pool are generally turned on for the first 10 minutes and then turned off for the rest of the day. There were days when no one even bothered to clean the pool. The lazy river was OK but I have not seen anyone clean it at all. The slide was a lot of fun but it will need repairs very soon. The slide is for kids that can swim on their own. However, they do allow parents to slide with younger kids together. The kids club needs an overhaul. The wooden ship was being repaired when we were there. It will take months to be done. The splash park is open only twice a day for an hour and the water must be very cold as my son who loves water did not play there after the first day. The beach is usually empty as the wind seems to be blowing constantly and the ocean water is rough. They clean the beach every morning but the current brings all the dirt back again. It is worth walking along the beach to the right to find a nicer sand and beautiful water. The walk is about 15 minutes and you do need to walk for a few minutes along a road but it is well worth it. We saw some people learning to kite surf and that was the only water activity available in the area.
Finally, let’s talk about food which was simply horrendous. The only places to have decent meal were the two restaurants and Bellagio would be my first pick. The general buffet was simply terrible. It featured pathetic and mundane food selection and a consistently long line of hungry guests. There was no or very little fresh fruit available for breakfast; no condensed milk; orange juice only from concentrate; very few cheese options; few types of bread, no cold cuts; the kids section features junk food all the time. Besides poor food selection the disturbing fact was that whatever was available was generally served cold.
The buffet area is also very small and if you do not come early enough, you will find yourself standing in a line to get in. This is a waiting line to get seated!
After the first day you will learn to take as many snacks with you away from breakfast as possible because once buffet closes down there is only one other option for food – the grill area. The grill area features hamburgers, chicken sandwich, nachos, ceasar salad and a few other choices. The attendants are never in a rush so it takes a long long time to get served. They also use their hands move the food your will be eating around.
| Coconut Bay Resort | GP |
I just returned from a 10 day / 9 night stay at the Coconut Bay Resort & Spa with my wife and 2 boys, ages 8 and 5.
It was our 2nd trip there.
The weather was excellent , even when rain is in the forcast, it only lasts for short period of time, you are pretty much guarenteed sun. Carry at least 15 sunblock for adults and 30-50 for the kids. You will burn quickly. Take solarcane just in case. For NorthAmerican travellers, you can save $$ by booking direct and arranging your own airfare. I recommend staying at least 8 nights as the travel time is long. AA, Delta, West Jet and Air Can. all fly to St. Lucia.
The resort is ( in my opinion ) as good as it gets for a young family staying in St. Lucia. The grounds are safe and kids can roam free (once the parents get acquainted with the resort ) as shallow pools, lazy river and 2 huge supervised water slides provide even the most energetic kids outdoor fun. The pool bar serves at least 20 custom (kiddy) drinks to the children, such as a "sponge bob, spiderman or power puff girl ". All colorful and freshly made to order. The kids;oved the available options. There is a kids club with a fenced waterpark. It runs on a schedule so a program is recommended to review after check in. There are theme nights, usually 2 per week with outdoor BBQ and local food offerings. The main buffet diner is simple and the food is good and safe to eat. Each day the buffet menu is changed for lunch and dinner, about every other day a poolside lunch buffet is also offered. the local grapefruit is much better than Florida grapefriut, you have to try it during the breakfast buffet. The island food is simple , fish and chicken are staples - do not expect seafood as lobster or
shellfish - its not offered. For piece of mind there is resort security and the police walk the resort daily. NO Problems here.
A nurse is on staff and a doctor is a phone call away and avail. The drug store is a $5 trip away (10 min.) and meds are avail.
The resort also offers 2 simple al a carte restaurants which must be booked by 9am the day prior at the service desk. One is Italian and the other Asian - You may order premium bottles of wine if you wish at an extra cost ( reasonable ). Red and White house wine is offered and avail. at each dinner seating. Food is of a finer fare at the restaurants. If you enjoy a small filet or lamb the italian is the one to go to. Don't be shy to order extra of anything - they will accomodate any appetite. An early family seating of 6pm is offered for young families. Casual Dress attire for restaurants and anything but swimwear for buffet.
Accomodations are above average, colorful and clean. Only the premium rooms offer a small fridge, soda and bottled water but you must request refills. No bathtubs at this resort, shower only. If the resort is full you may encounter a loss of hot water (temporary). There is a gym on site with modern equipment.
The bars are loaded and drinks are always avail. You wont go dry...
For a change of pace - try a cab and have dinner at Debbies - about a 20 min. ride from the resort. Its an open air outdoor
diner - GREAT FOOD! try the 1/2 bbq lobster - it will come with all the fixins. + more... Cab is $32 round trip , expect
$20-40 US for a meal - $15 for a great sandwich meal and $8.00 for kids meals.
The resort staff are first class - they are very polite and make you feel at home.
The beach is on the Atlantic side, and is part of a heritage reserve. Seagrass washes on the beach which is cleared by tractor daily. It is minor distraction, however if your looking for a coral green water - its not here, go to the gulf side but you will not enjoy the breeze off the ocean offered at Coconut Bay. This breeze allows you to feel cool in the hot sun.
There is an adult only pool area with a private bar near the spa. Great for a "time out"for MOM or DAD. If your looking for a Sr Couples get away - the adult only building is suitable and you will not see or hear kids on the adult side.
The island of St. Lucia is magical. The mountains are so very unique and the people as simple and enjoy nature and life. The resort is a no fuss , simple place. DO NOT EXPECT HILTON LIKE ACCOMODATIONS - You can expect a great family holiday with island simplicity and beauty. The entertainment other than theme nights is very simple,you are u
sually tired by 9pm and most retire by 10pm. However the bar , and beach grill are always open. If your up early, (sunrise) you may see land crabs or small crabs on the beach - There is a small - no charge games room for the kids to cool off in.
Also pool and ping pong tables are free and avialable to enjoy.
There are several tours offered, the volcano is a must see. The only North American Type shopping avail. is in Castries at the duty free center (not downtown). A half day trip is enough, it takes over an hour to travel 30KM through the hills and mountains, the west side of the island has more to see (Pitons etc). You may want to have lunch at the mall on cruise ship warf. Food and atmosphere is memorable and enjoyable - again simple.
We have travelled to many places like Mexico, St. Thomas, San Wan, but for a great "family" vacation - nothing has beat
our time in St. Lucia. The only comparable resort that comes to mind is Crown Paradise in Cancun - but the service in
St. Lucia is definately better. Don't forget to register you kids on line for the kids club, they will receive a simple backpack, water bottle , cap and teeshirt during their stay.
Enjoy your next trip to St. LUCIA - remember Simply Beautiful!
| Coconut Bay Resort | Canada |
I spent two weeks at the resort in February 2008. I also agree with Ultrasun, Coconut bay is a great resort, clean rooms, good food, very friendly staff and well equipped bars.
A couple of items not covered by Utrasun;
Scuba diving:
The resort will arrange for scuba diving if there are enough people interested. The dive centre is in Margot bay on the west side of the island and about 1 ¼ hrs away by cab. The cab costs $80 USD so they want at least 4 people to share the ride, it is also possible to call the dive centre (“Fair Helen Diving” ) to see if they are aware of any other divers or snorkelers in the area to share the cab with.
Fair Helen Dive Centre is a very professional organization and take safety seriously. They have two large boats for diving and snorkeling and the diving is great, lots of corals and huge variety of reef fish. Cost is about $85 for two dives and includes lunch if you book through them; the resort charges $125 including the cab fare.
Because of the long cab rides diving fills up most of the day with a 8AM pickup and normally a 4PM return.
Spa
The Spa is on site and again very clean and well run. My girl friend enjoyed it on several days when I was diving and was impressed with the level of service and time spent on each client; prices are available on the resorts web site.
I would highly recommend the resort, but be forewarned Scuba Diving is a day long excursion.
| Coconut Bay Resort | Bob |
We are just back (last week) from the coconut bay resort & spa.
The review by ultasun (April 2007) is very accurate. There have been a couple changes this year, no towel tags, just pick up one when needed and put the used ones in the bin.Since Jan 1 there has not been a departure tax.
We did do the lunch buffets, a good selection, but as with all the buffet meals, the little candles under the food trays just didn't keep the food hot, barely warm in some cases. Don't expect the food to be like home, the 1000 island dressing isn't Kraft, they like cinnamon, the pancakes or the maple syrup and even the corn on the cob had that spice.We were in Thailand this summer and the "Silk"
restaurant isn't Thai, a sort of a North American type Chinese would be the closest .
The drinks were stronger than some other places we have stayed.
The beach isn't for swimming, rough water, but there are lots of pools, a lazy river and water slides. If you want to lay on the beach and get a sun burn it can't be beat, a lovely breeze to keep you cool while you bake. Take SPS 45 and "ice" for the places you missed with sunscreen.
It is close to the airport so there isn't a long bus ride, you can hear and see the three or four planes every afternoon as people head home.
Be prepared for long lines at the airport, after all there are only a few planes each day so they have to stretch out the work to fill the day.
I would highly recommend it.
| Coconut Bay Resort | ultrasun |
Here's my info about the resort. I apologize if I get too lengthy or detailed, I wanted to share as much as possible...
1. Resort
| Coconut Bay Resort | ricko114 |
Hi ultrasun! We had a wonderfull time at the C.B.R!!! Wish we were still there.
The shuttle from the Hewanorra Airport to the C.B.R. took only 5 minutes.
Check-in only took 5 minutes( were given a glass of champagne in the process).
While the resort is very close to the airport, the noise didn't bother us a bit.
All rooms have an ocean view.We had an oceanview room ( 2nd floor) which had a balcony & 2 plastic chairs & small table.
I tried to get a 3rd or 4th floor room but these were already gone.
the ground floor rooms had a small patio with chairs & table as well.
Our room was good size, colourful decor,huge bed,coffee table, couch & wicker chair.
The tv had 50 channels.There is a safe ( no charge for this)to lock up your $$, valuables which is easy to use.
There is a kettle to boil water & they leave you packs of instant coffee,
tea,creamer & sugar.We never saw our maid but she kept our room spotless.
The bathroom,shower were very clean & we always had clean towells.Glad I charged my shaver before going( 220 voltage only)....you need an adapter.
The grounds are spacious( 85 acres)& are very well kept.
We used the adult pool ( between the wedding chappel & spa( my wife loved the spa) as it was a little quieter.The beach was ok ( lots of seaweed)the ocean was rough as there is a constant but pleasant breeze which I expected.Most people like us used the pools.
The buffet breakfast( Coconut Walk) opens frm 7-10a.m.We , like most people would go down to the pool, place our beach towels on the lounge chairs & go to breakfast. Sad to say you do need to play the towel game.
Good variety at breakfast....pretty well anything you would want.
We never tried the buffet lunches. We ate at the beach grill....burgers,hot dogs,fries, paninis,salads.
The evening buffets were good....different theme every night.Italian,french,american,mexican,
st.lucian nites.Good variety....some food could be much warmer though.
Went to the Bellagio 2x...the food & service was very good.
Didn't go to the asian restaurant as we don't like spicy food.
You can only book one a-la-carte dinner at a time and you should book your 1st dinner as soon as you can.Your next dinner can be booked 24hrs in advance & recommend you do this shortly before 8am at the activities desk in the lobby.
The dinner sittings at the al-a-cartes are 6 & 6.30(families) & 7 ,7.30,8,8.30,9 for everyon else.
I saw very little tipping & when they did receive a tip they seemed surprised & uncomfortable.
There are lots of things for the kids to do.There are a number of excursions you can take.
We did the all day excursion($95 ) to tour the entire island,lunch was provided, shopping in an air conditioned bus ....8am to 5.30.You must see this beautiful island!!!
You must try a "dirty Banana" & have one for me !!!!
You must save $26 us to pay at the airport when you leave.
I'm sure iv'e left a lot of things out.If there are any questions you may have, please don't hestitate to ask & I'll try & answer them for you.
Am sure you'll enjoy your stay at the C.B.R.
| Coconut Bay Resort | Doug ~ Canada |
We traveled to St. Lucia the week of Mar 4-11, 2007,staying at Coconut Bay Resort and Spa.
The resort claims to be 3 years old. That is false. The resort is older and has changed hands several times according to the owner of the Rain Forest Canopy Tour Company. It was upgraded around 3 years ago he said.
Overall it is quite a nice place.
Rooms
There are two wings to the resort, four floors each, with elevators. We stayed in room 223, North Wing. The room was fine, maybe could have better pillows but nothing major. This end of the resort is closest to the kids area and entertainment area. There were lots of families with young kids there when we were, but it was still very quiet in and around our room. If I was to return, I think I would ask for the south wing just for the view. All rooms overlook the ocean to some extent, so don't bother paying extra for and deluxe oceanview.
Sun and Wind
The sun was quite hot but I am certainly not complaining. The wind blows strongly 99 percent of the time, and is a welcome relief in my opinion, although my girlfriend did not like it so much. It rained in the mornings usually for 5 minutes and always around 9 am , just as the sun was getting high enough to heat up the ground and for the clouds to pick up a lot of moisture. After that it was generally sunny, with scattered clouds throughout the day as you would expect, coming in off the ocean.
Food
We all thought the food was very good. Even my son who is 16 tried out all the different fish dishes , as well as the Jerk Pork , Jerk Chicken etc. Every night was a different theme in the buffet and they were all quite good. We ate in the Italian a la carte, which was a little disappointing for me but the others enjoyed it. We did not try the Thai restaurant. Breakfast was standard fare, but the same everyday. I don't eat eggs myself, but the scrambled ones where usually runny and cold from what I saw. They do make an omelets for you while you wait, and they were very good according to my son, and girlfriend. The outside barbecue was really good, but again the wind is always blowing which made it a little less cozy. The outside grill was always quite popular with burgers ,fries, etc.
Bars
Good drinks available , but you sometimes had a bit of a wait to get one. They definitely need more bartenders on duty at certain times,especially when a new group of vacationers arrive. Funny how they have all the flight times posted everyday, but yet do not staff for their arrival.I drink mostly beer as I noticed did alot of others. It would be great if they had a self serve tap set up, this would ease the lines for the fancy mixed drinks which take some time to blend up. There is a self serve pop and juice dispenser at the outside grill area. Take a travel mug, a big one, and get your beer in it, no problems there and you save yourself from lining up all the time.
Pools
There is lots of room around the pools but we tended to sit around the small adult pool by the spa building most of the time. It is quiet there and there is a little break from the wind over there. Pool volleyball was a big hit for my son and his buddies that he met.This was in the main pool just outside of the lobby area. The area around the waterslide and lazy river was where most of the young families were. This pool area seemed to get a lot of sand and leaves etc. in the water, but as I said we didn't venture over there accept to have a look around.
Beach
The beach directly in front of the resort is nothing to write home about, but do yourself a favor and walk either direction away from the resort and you will find nice sandy areas both on the beach and in the water. If you walk far enough south and like jets you can sit and have them take off right over your head, as the runway ends at the road just before the beach. Quite an awesome sight, to see a 747 take off that close. If you walk even further south you can walk around the point by the two islets and get over to the beach where the kiting is.
Bugs
I myself did not receive any bites, but my girlfriend and my son did. Some mosquitoes and some others, but nothing too painful or irritating.
Overall
This is a fairly decent resort, and compared to the prices elsewhere on the island, we thought it was worth the trip. Would we go back?, I would say yes, although we tend not to travel to the same place twice, but give it a try if you want to relax , eat , and drink.
| Coconut Bay Resort | Janine ~ Canada |
Travel date March 11th - 25th 2006 to Coconut Bay Resort and Spa in Vieux Fort, St Lucia
We travelled to St Lucia with a group of 16 people (12 adults and 4 children ages 13, 8, 2 and 1) to get married! The resort was perfect for this type of trip, they were not fully booked even though it was March break so we had no trouble getting beach chairs, reservations at the a la cartes or seating anywhere at anytime for our whole group.
Restaurants
Food in the buffet restaurant was good and varied (children had options too so no trouble finding something to eat) Desserts were fabulous - lots of coconut and banana items! Service was good - especially at breakfast where our server was always ready with the coffee when we showed up!
The Bellagio (Italian a la carte restaurant) was absolutely wonderful! If they have Salmon as the catch of the day - you MUST have it! and definitely try the "Baccarat" - we ate at this restaurant 5 times during the course of our stay and it was wonderful every single time! Service was great!
Silk (asian a la carte restaurant) was alright - food was good but paled in comparison to the Bellagio. Service was good though! We ate at this restaurant 2 times during out stay.
Beach Grill was great, my son loved the "free grilled cheese" - he must have eaten at least 20 while he was there. Service was good and fairly quick considering it is just a small grill. The minute steak they serve in the evenings was delicious too!
Other stuff - there were several nights that BBQ was served by the pool - food was great, had some of the best flank steak ever and the chicken roti they served on the Caribbean theme night was the best I've ever had! Service was a little slow it seemed on these nights but I think mostly because everything was so spread out.
Bars
The drinks were always good and definitely not watered down. It is domestic bar so people expecting tonnes of choices may be disappointed BUT try something new! (Coconut Express and Dirty Bananas are YUMMY) The bar staff in the lobby bar could be a little more friendly but the pool bar bartender was great as were the disco bartenders! The resort could use a couple of wait staff going around the pool during the day since some of the pools were a bit of a distance from the bars and mini bars in the rooms would be nice but apparently that is in their plans for the future.
Pools
Absolutely fabulous! Lots to choose from - beach entry pool, adult pool, deeper pool with volleyball nets, lazy river, water slides, wading pool etc etc...if you are a "pool person" this is the resort for you!
Beach
Absolutely stunning views from the beach but since the resort lays on the south tip of the island the ocean does kick up the seaweed. The water was not a rough as I was expecting it to be and we certainly went in the ocean several times but with such wonderful pools we spent most of our time there.
Tours
We did four tours and went in to Vieux Fort on our own.
Vieux Fort - small, you can buy the usual trinkets and sit and have a Piton with the locals. You will not need lots of time so when making arrangements with the cab drivers keep this in mind. We were there only for 2 hours and that was time for shopping, bar stop, more shopping and ice cream stop.
Snorkelling Tour (booked through the hotel) Absolutely breathtaking! We are only novice snorkellers so not sure how it compares to other place but the trip was great! Snorkelled at 2 different places and were fed lunch in between aboard the boat. The crew was great and we saw some wonderful creatures down below.
Soufriere Experience (booked through travel rep for Air Canada) - this is a full day tour and you see tonnes. Arts and crafts centre, a working cocoa plantation for lunch, the Pitons, sulphur springs, a waterfall and then stop at Jalousie for a swim! It was great and definitely worth the money!
Castries Shopping Trip (booked through travel rep for Air Canada) - you are taken to a boat and then brought by boat from Soufriere to Castries for some duty free shopping. It was great and I think everyone visiting the island should see Castries and all the cruise ships. We also found some wonderful deals in the markets too! On the boat ride back, the stop in at Marigot Bay and at the foot of the Pitons so make sure to bring your camera - we got some truly awesome shots.
Martinique Splendour (booked through travel rep for Air Canada) - definitely worth the money even if it seemed pricey when we were booking! You get it all on this trip - a 90 min. boat ride from Rodney Bay to Martinique while you eat breakfast, a walking tour of Fort de France, time for shopping, a big BBQ lunch back on board, then snorkelling and swimming off the boat and the boat ride back - all the while with a fully stocked open bar. While making the crossing we saw dolphins, a whale and flying fish, the captain also took us to see a vampire bat cave were we saw them sleeping (from a safe distance still aboard the boat) It was fabulous! The only warning with this trip is that the crossing can be rough and several people were feeling a little queasy (myself included) but a dramamine or gravol will solve this!
The Wedding
Of course - this was the best part! The way the Wedding Gazebo is situated is perfect. It is somewhat private so if there are onlookers they won't wind up in the pictures. The wedding coordinators were friendly and helpful. It was very easy and completely stress free for us! We opted for a private dinner in the "wedding centre" and the meal we had was the best we had during the whole two week vacation. We had 2 servers and a bartender and the service was excellent. Definitely worth the extra money for the privacy!
Overall
This resort was perfect for the kind of vacation we wanted - something low key where the 16 of us could easily spend time together. This resort is great for people travelling in groups and for weddings or for couples looking to be alone or for families. The food is good, alcohol is plentiful and the island is absoluteky beautiful. Also a huge plus is that it is literally 5 mins from the airport!
The only suggestion remains that some of the bar staff could have been a little more pleasant.
If you are looking to spend your vacation partying - this is not the resort for you unless you bring the party with you like we did!
| Coconut Bay Resort | Sharon |
just returned from coconut bay resort &spa jan 29/feb5.2006
i have been to 17 all inclueives in 5 countries. on a 1-10, food in main resturant,4 ,pool grill 2,all deserts in all resturants 4, drinks 4,ocean,very rough...entertainment 1...activities 1...no minibar in any rooms.10 minute wait for water at any bar.resort was half full. EVERYONE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE FOOD...beautiful property...overall....3.5 stars
! NOT WORTH THE MONEY...
| Coconut Bay Resort | Karen |
I've just come back from coconut bay resort. It was a wonderful resort. It's fairly new and they are still renovating but the view and beach was wonderful. We were on the 4th floor which is an ocean view. All the rooms are ocean view. The rooms are nice. Two queen size beds and a sitting area with a bacony. They are nice and clean. Cleaning lady every day at 11:oo prompt. Everywhere is convient to the beach. I'm use to going to resorts with a lot of land. This was nice because there was not a lot of walking. The beach grill was great I'm a very picky eater so hot dogs, hamburgers, tuna sandwiches, and french fries are fine with me. The dining was good also but a lot of food that was not familiar to my taste buds. But I always found something to eat. WATCH OUT!!! There are a lot of children. But they have a nice adult pool and the eight days that we were there it was only about 4 people in the pool. There are about 4 pools at this resort and they were not crowded. They also have a water slide it was wonderful. The beach is o.k. not crowded but it does have a quite of bit of seedweed. But the staff is out every morning cleaning the seedweed. They do have entertainment in the evening but it's very limited and I have seen better. The hotel is about 10 mintues from the airport so you are able to get your vacation going when you land in st. lucia. There are a few tours. We went on a boat tour called "Joys Tours" It was nice we had lunch, went scuba diving, had a tour of the "Pitons", and toured the carribean side of st. lucia. It's a nice resort and I would mind going back. The staff was wonderful!!
Last updated: May 22, 2008
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