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 Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort —  Location: Beachfront - 1.5 hours from the airport and 15 minute drive to Castries. All-inclusive - 238 rooms Description from resort website: Almond Morgan Bay has a selection of 4 gourmet restaurants serving breakfast, lunch and a la carte dinner. The four restaurants offer a choice of French 'Creole' cuisine, Caribbean/Italian fusion, a continental restaurant and seafood restaurant. There is a choice of 4 bars, all serving premium brand drinks, cocktails and soft drinks as part of the premium all-inclusive program. Spa - The Almond Morgan Bay offers guests pampering opportunities to indulge their senses in while on holiday - Kids Club - kayaks, snorkeling gear, windsurfers, and sailboats. Water skiing, banana boat rides, and reef fishing are also complimentary. On land, guests can play tennis on any of four lighted courts or enjoy three rounds of golf at St. Lucia Golf & Country Club's 18-hole course 2.5 km (1.5 miles away) for every seven nights stayed. Green fees (limited to one round per day per guest) are complimentary  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 4  ~ St. Lucia Resort Reviews Index ~ The St. Lucia Travel Forum 
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| Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort | Mrs D. |
This was our second visit to the almond morgan bay in st lucia.
Good points: upscale resort, dress up for dinner, good variety of food choices..4 restaruants to choose from a la carte
Service was good, polite and even attentive at times
We opted again for an oceantront room and paid the extra 180 dollars. To watch the sunset from your room with a glass of wine was worth every penny. The room are beautifully decorated as the resort is just over two years old and the landscape has matured nicely in the two years since we were there last.
The entertainment is varied and pretty good and there is something a little different every night.
We have seen several weddings over the last two visits and I would definetly consider having one there if I wasn’t' already married 30 wonderful years.
Bad points: if you are elderly or handicapped in any way I would reconsider this location as there are some hills to climb to get to certain parts of the resort even though there are stairs. There is a fair bit of walking if you are in the outer area's.
Some couples approached the management and had a room appointed closer by at no extra charge. This was still a quiet time of the year as it was late january and all the resort was not yet occupied. For this reason not all restaurants were open every night.
This resort is a 20 minute cab ride to castries but anywhere else you want to go is an expensive cab ride.
You are also 90 minutes from the airport but the shuttle is a minivan with two or three other couples and luggage. It is quite comfortable and a lovely ride through the rainforest to get there. I didn't mind one bit.
The worst thing: Unfortunately we discovered when we got back I had many many bed bug bites(diagnosed by a dr)
I wondered when I was there but had passed it off as misquito bites. After doing my research the were classic patterned bites
And quite common for travellers no matter how good "clean" and expensive the hotel.
With the turnover of clients and shortage of time to adequately clean/vacuum and check rooms and bedding this is not uncommon.
Having said that I was still mortified and it has taken me a long time to get over the anxiety of things crawling on me.
After trying to email the resort and noifiying my travel agent who then notified them I have not received an apology or any commensation
(which I didn't think would happen anyway) but hoped for.
Conclusion:
I would not go back there because of this event but would try another almond resort perhaps in barbados.
I would also check the mattress/and surrounding area's before settling in for the night.
St Lucia is the most beautiful Island we have visited so far followed by Barbados and St Martin.
Hope this has been informative.
| Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort | Steve ~ Midland, Ontario |
My wife and I traveled with our 3 year old son and 1.5 year old daughter Feb 4 to Feb 11, 2008.
We are from Midland, Ontario. We’ve been to Antigua (St. James Club), Jamaica (FDR Pebbles), Cuba (Beaches), Costa Rica (Villa Sol), Mexico (Barcelo), Venezuela etc. So, this is a review based upon our comparative experiences at these other places. With the exception of Antigua (close to a 5 star resort), I think it is fair to say the most places we’ve stayed at are moderate, “middle of the road” type resorts. We are kind of “Holiday Inn” type people –don’t expect the Hilton when you don’t pay Hilton prices.
Therefore, this review is from the perspective of somebody who is used to moderate expectations:
The island: Gorgeous. Very lush, great scenery, lots to do and see. 1.5 hour ride from the airport to the resort. The ride it’s self gives you a pretty good feel for the island-banana plantations, small towns etc en route to the resort. People are generally friendly and approachable. Castries is a $12 cab ride from the resort. Typical souvenirs in town, but the straw market (bags, spices etc.) is more specific to this island. Vendors were not overly aggressive. Didn’t feel unsafe or vulnerable in town even when I wandered off the main road to find a bank. There is a Royal Bank and a Scotia Bank in town for Canadian visitors. Used the Royal ATM and it provides currency in EC.
Resort: Used to be the old Club Splash resort.
Overall, I’d say this is a solid 4 star resort.
It’s food is better than average, the class of guests is a little more “upscale” (i.e nobody getting plastered and doing dumb things), accommodations are average, pools mid-range, and staff-better than average. I’d come back, and I don’t think paying the extra money for a place like Le Sport or Sandals would be worth the extra money.
Pools: 5 pools-2 of which are family pools, 2 are adults only, and one pool near the gym is for doing laps. One of the family pools has a 2’
section, with the rest of the pool being around 4’ to 5’ in depth. None of the pools are more than around 5’ in depth. The family pools have various toys such as blow up dolphins, rings, balls etc that are free to be used. Plenty of deck chairs and lounge chairs available, but the umbrellas go pretty quick. Pools and beach are directly beside each other, and therefore you can use either the pool or the beach without having to haul your stuff from one location to the next.
One new pool with a waterslide is being constructed, and this pool is away from the beach –situated nearby the “row house” accommodations.
Beach: It is black/brown sand and the water is not the nicest. If you walk more than five feet out it gets rocky in spots. There are plenty of lounge chairs on the beach. Two guys on the beach selling private boat tours-we took Typhoon’s tour for a half day tour of some of the bays, snorkeling etc-well worth the money. A couple other vendors but none are pushy. Beach sports are the standard kayaks, wind surf boards, hobby boats etc. Also have water skiing and a banana boat. One of the advantages of this beach is that it is specific to only this resort.
Unless you pay a lot of money to be at a place like Le Sport, you’ll have to share the beach with other resorts and many sailboats (even Sandals St. Lucia shares the beach with other resorts).
Accommodations: The accommodations are all grouped into rows of adjoining one level “row house” type suites. A number of these rows of suites will be grouped together and given a community name. The single room rows are grouped in one area, and the two-room suites are located in separate areas. The two-room suites are not really any closer to the main building/pools. I have walked around the resort with my daughter in the stroller a number of times, and I would estimate that it is about a maximum of a five minute walk from any of the suites to the main buildings.
We paid for the standard single room. We were “upgraded” to a garden suite. I think it is a gimmick because all are garden suites. All are ground level with a walk out patio that overlooks the next row of suites. Rooms are basic, but clean. Water pressure isn’t the greatest, but air conditioner works well. Free, in-room safe.
TV picks up a Toronto station (CityTV), a number of American channels, as well as some British channels (Hey, they know their customers!)
Don’t bother to pay extra for a water/beach view.
There is only one row of these suites (currently being renovated), and your view will actually be the rows of kayaks and paddle boats that are parked on the beach for the night.
Daily housekeeping-they do a very good job.
Bell boys are happy to show you to your rooms, where to go etc. There are also little “mini-mini vans” and shuttles that are supposed to be available to pick you up or take you to your room if you are hauling a bunch of kids or luggage to/from the main building. It is, however, challenging to actually get through to reception to get a shuttle. Also, the receptionist seemed a little put out that we were requesting a shuttle and told us it wasn’t available. So, we didn’t try again since it wasn’t a long walk.
Towel Exchange: You are provided with two beach towels in your room and exchange them at a hut near the beach/pools. To try to get two additional towels for a family of four is a bit of a hassle, but they begrudgingly give you the additional two. It is a convoluted process in which some of the time you have to sign a receipt and in/out registration of towels –and then other staff members just give out the towels. This is a bit of an irritant as it appears the management thinks that their guests want nothing more than to come to their resort to steal their towels!!
Almond Morgan: I don’t want your towels! I promise I’ll give them back! Anyways, they can’t fit in my luggage!
Bars: Service at the bars was pretty quick.
Usually only had to wait for a couple of minutes.
Can’t comment on the quality of the drinks as I’m not a drinker.
Restaurants: Breakfast and supper was buffet or beach grill, and supper was nightly reservations at one of the al a carte restaurants. One of these restaurants had a nightly kid’s buffet (fries, burgers, hot dogs, pasta etc.) I would have to say that the quality/variety of the food was quite good (not “excellent”, but better than the average resort food).
Excursions: Plenty to choose from. It’s a beautiful island with lots to see!
Check-In: Slow and not well organized. Despite knowing of our arrival (around 30 of us of the larger charter came to this resort). However, excellent once you were processed –bell boys took you to your room and carried luggage (In our situation since we were pushing strollers one of the chefs and a waitress walking by insisted on carrying the remainder of the luggage with the bell boy). Fast check out at the end of the week.
Staff: Almost all were very friendly, happy, obliging and genuine. Most seemed to take a special effort in talking to the children at the resort and making people feel at home. I didn’t get the “I resent you because you are a tourist”
type feeling that you sometimes get at a resort.
Traveling with Kid’s insights:
Nursery-available. Didn’t use it, but by all appearances the nursery staff seemed to do a good job. Observed them pushing infants around in strollers, feeding them at the restaurant etc.
Kid’s Club-beside the restaurant and the beach.
They separate the kids into age groups and have age-appropriate events all day, with the exception for lunch. A daily/weekly “menu” of events is provided and you can drop your kids off for specific events or for the full day.
Note:
The staff were great, and, as opposed to some kid’s clubs I’ve seen where it’s obvious the staff members would rather be doing anything except interacting with the kids –the staff members here are energetic and seem to genuinely like their jobs. They get to know all the kids by name, etc.
Even if you don’t want to use the actual kid’s club staff/activities, you can bring your kids there to play around on the equipment. There is a two level building that looks like a medieval castle (Really…it is kind of boring because you essentially walk to the second floor, look around, and then come down again). Also have a number of Step 2 type small plastic slides and forts. Have three caged parrots that talk which are pretty entertaining. Have three separate activity rooms, depending on the age of your kids.
Apparently the resort was pretty full during our week and I’d estimate that about 30% to 40% of the overall guests were families. There seemed to be a lot of good kids with very few of the types of kids that ignore the rules, run around or play in the adult pools, cause trouble etc.
When we were there I’d estimate that the main age of the kids was from 2yrs to 10yrs old. Not really many teenagers (I think they’d be bored as most activities were geared for young kids).
We used two cheap, folding push strollers. No real problem pushing them around the resort, except of course for the beach. Most places had ramps, although a few places you had to bump up and down stairs.
Plastic shovels, pails, toys were provided by the resort and were scattered on the beach and pools
(Note: If you want to buy toys etc there are some on-site vendors but it’ll cost you! Water wings are $8.00 USD and a plastic ball or a water gun you’d buy at the dollar store is $5.00 USD)
The resort seemed to switch between Carnation or powdered milk and the “real thing”. We found it best to fill up the milk bottles at breakfast and then put them in our room fridge. No microwave in the room, and nowhere to really heat them up at night. We tended to leave room in the bottle and just pour in some hot water to provide a “luke warm” milk bottle at night. Worked fine!
No plastic cups/table wear for kids at any restaurants. It wasn’t a problem, but if your kids are the type that are clumsy, you have to keep a good eye on their plates!
Two of the TV channels are Nick and Discovery Kids.
The walls between rooms are pretty well sound proof! However, the front door/bathroom is not soundproof to the walkway outside. However, there is no issue in terms of hearing your neighbour’s conversations (or their screaming
baby) at night –as is common with many resorts (i.e. when we stayed at FDR Pebbles in Jamaica).
Kid’s club: I recommend it. Staff are
enthusiastic and seem to be quite trustworthy.
Very good at keeping the kid’s engaged and interested.
| Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort | Bob ~ Guelph Ontario |
Landed in the snow of TeeO after spending 8 days at Almond Morgan.Arrived back one hour early but the pilot spent 35 minutes driving around looking for a Tim Horton's drivethrough window. If you have been reading past reviews of Almond Morgan with some trepidation about construction going on bury those fears because that is a done deal. We were impressed.Even the flowers look like they have been there for years. My green thumb wife used up a roll of film just on floral pictures.
Airport Arrival:
Air Canada plunked us down on time in St. Lucia and their local representative Spice Travel Ltd whisked us away to a van/bus already waiting.
Bus Trip: Although it is about l 1/2 hours to the hotel we found the ride almost like a mini tour. The driver stopped at one of their scenic lookouts enabling us to get some pictures of the bay below us. As in many Caribbean countries driving is rather creative. The drivers beep at invisible people and if they leave a space in front of their vehicle two vehicles from behind you will endeavour to fill that space. My wife is a virtual back seat driver. Virtual in that she starts driving. During this trip she wore out her right sandal stomping her brake leg on the bottom of the seat in front of her. If she wasn't doing that she was ducking because vehicles were coming at her from the right side. (British road rules remember) In spite of the hills and turns and bends and scares we enjoyed the scenery.
Hotel Arrival: About the only negative thing I put on our Resort Evaluation Form at the end of the trip was in regards to Information Overload. We were told this restaurant was open at this time, this one at this time, that one at this time, this one at this time unless there was a full moon etc. etc. All that info was in a packet they handed you making their presentation confusing and redundant. They also provided you with your a la carte restaurant time for that evening. For us that was 9:30. Forget it! Gimme food quick! So--then we find out if you just want buffet for the first night--no problem--forget about a la carte for arrival night and go stuff yourself whenever. Therefore instead of getting everyone edgy within five minutes of arrival---a better approach would have been to have told us about the available buffet and that anything else we needed to know was in the package provided upon arrival.
Rooms: Great! From talking to others I think they were all great. Even if you were not right at the ocean front you could see the ocean over the buildings fronting the water. (Think terracing of the buildings) We loved reading on the balcony. If you were in a higher elevation building you did not need a goat in your family tree to reach your accommodation)
Service: The sink lever jammed in our bathroom and that is not a rocket science adjustment so I tried to fix it with my Swiss Army Knife(actually an Almond Morgan Room Service tray knife) but couldn't. Called the desk and they had that fixed in a flash. All the staff you meet when walking or whatever greet you and sincerely ask you how you are enjoying your stay. All were helpful if you wanted info about anything including side trips. Food: Excellent! You can have most of your meals a la carte if you want. We usually only do a few a la cartes as we pop about the Caribbean because often you get enormous portions and by the end of the week you have to yank the sails off the catamarans and use them for your bathing suit cover ups.However-at Almond Morgan the serving sizes are perfect--and well presented---providing you with happy little taste buds. Their local beer (Piton) is good. If you like rum try their dark Bounty rum. (which is really amber in colour). I much preferred it to the white. Space doesn't permit describing all the foods but I have never eaten so much fish--simply because it was so good---and there was such a variety. When having breakfast try the home made marmelade that you get in the Palms Restaurant. Banana ketchup and hot sauce are interesting items worth a shot.
Trips: Since we went with Air Canada Vacations there seemed to be a few perks in so doing. My wife and I took advantage of the golf and really enjoyed it. It would be expensive if you were on your own as a roving tourist and just showed up at the course. As it was all we had to pay was 25 bucks each for club rental and 20 bucks each for the power cart. (US) We were not even charged for transportation to and fro.
Land and Sea: There is a dandy one to get an overview of the island. The first part is by bus--lots of nice stops like the volcano, botanical garden, lunch at a cocoa plantation etc. Then--second part is on a catamaran that really whips along and stops so you can swim/snorkel. You also zip into Margot Bay--where Dr. Doolittle and other movies were filmed. We found this boat trip a good way to see some of the other resorts too. In fact after the catamaran trip you disembark at Windjammer so you get a peek at it--that resort because you walk through it to grab your bus back to Almond Morgan. Drinks included on the boat. Lovely scenery. Again booking the trip through Air Canada saved us ten dollars each. (Paid 85 pp)
Brig Unicorn Sunset Cruise:
Don't hold me to this but I think this old fashioned sailing ship was the one used in the making of the mini series Roots. This two hour cruise is fun. When you step on the ship you get handed a rum punch drink which is mostly rum. Three of those and you will be chasing the parrot up the crow's nest. The only negative point about this excursion is that they use diesel to get you out into open water where they can unfurl the sails. Diesel is not my favourite essence. I think if you had some wind in the harbour it may not be a factor as that would serve to exhaust the fumes. It was not a major problem -and it was temporary but methinks you should be aware of that mute point. The crew was very entertaining. The brochure stated you could dance on the ship. After boarding my wife and I looked at each other and said, "I don't think so!" Wrong! After an hour or so the rum punch kicked in and people were dancing all over. Entertaining! We encountered a big cruise ship all lit up. What a contrast! Our ship (The Unicorn) had one light and that was over the bar. One light vs. row after row of lights. The Unicorn has cannons on the side and we tried to get the captain to let the cruise ship have it broadside but he wouldn't go for it. However, on that note when we were sailing back to harbour they asked for volunteers to fire off a couple of cannons. The guy beside us went for it and since the cannons are at deck level he had to sit and straddle the cannon in order to fire it. I think he straddled it a little too close because after he fired the thing he spent the rest of the journey talking a little funny. Free drinks except for wine on the Unicorn. They do give you a sample of wine to try---in theory you could run around the ship in advance of the serving girls and hence have it complimentary if so inclined. My wife started singing "Deep Purple Sky" because that was exactly the colour on the horizon. We have never seen that colour sunset before. Actually the purple colour came somewhat after the sunset itself.(45 bucks pp Air Canada, 55 at the desk) Worth it!
Taxi vs Bus: You will be encouraged by staff etc. to take the taxis even though busses are very cheap (Taking the bus one buck will get you to Castries from Almond Morgan and a cab will be l5--more or less) We walked from Almond Morgan to the mall (loose description) at Gablewood and decided to take a bus back. At the mall we found a bus (mini van) waiting there and we approached the driver. I think he was the model for the caricature you find on a bottle of iodine. A cabbie pulled up to us right then and there. My wife took one look at the cab and one look at the bus driver and rolled her eyes toward the cab which as all guys know is the universal female signal for "This way buddy!" I had been in a semi conversation with the bus driver but he spoke Patois and I was speaking Pattycake or whatever so the English speaking driver seemed to be the best bet---notwithstanding the fact no way the other half was climbing into that bus. BUT: We talked to lots of other tourists who used the busses and hailed them down on the road. Other than the fact the busses were often crowded they said using them was no problem. Therefore you will have to decide yourself when you get there which mode of transportation fits you best.
Watersports: Free! Some travel reviews I read before going to AM stated the water was muddy. It is not mud. The sand is very fine and if you scoop up a handful of water you will find that as it drains through your fingers you will have sand left. There are weed like things that drift in to this beach area--some people find them a nuisance. We saw some Brits firing the stuff and each other having a grand old time turning each other into human mops. Beach is just OK. Not great and not very large. There are lots of trees in the beach area and you can have your choice of sun or shade.I much prefer trees to those pamperitos, poopoolatas or whatever those thatched roof things are called.( The name currently escapes me.) Bars, washrooms and restaurants are close by.
Tennis: Unless you are ready to take the big dirt nap, play your tennis in the morning. The first time I played was at 4 in the afternoon after having had a few drinks earlier on. After 30 minutes of play I was not only attempting to hit the ball but was swatting at bugs, birds, and people crossing over the court. Keep the heat in mind! ( When I came back to our room after playing tennis my wife took one look at me and asked me where I was keeping the medical insurance information.) Chester is the tennis pro and does a super job of arranging tournaments and games--as well as providing lessons.
Summary: Would we go back? As retirees the only thing stopping us from going back is the fact there is so much more of this world we want to see. However we enjoyed St. Lucia and Almond Morgan sufficient to warrant returning there in the future. Of all our Caribbean trips so far-----this would be our first choice regarding a return visitation. Glad we went with Air Canada. Their rep at Almond Morgan is Sherma and she was prompt, helpful and efficient. Considering Almond Morgan?--Book it!
| Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort | Sue and Dave ~ UK |
Myself (Sue), my Husband (Dave) and our 5 year old Son (Marc) returned from the above Resort on 21st December 2005 after two great weeks.
Before I begin my review can I say that we are not travel agents or associated in any way with the holiday industry but just a couple with a small son looking for the most enjoyable family holiday. Despite the apalling reviews and reports (whether fact or fiction) about the conditions at this resort we decided to go anyway - with open minds.
Check In - The Lobby of the Hotel is lovely - spacious and beautifully furnished. As soon as we arrived at the Hotel we were greeted by "Chester" who firstly provided us with Rum Punch, took our details and very swiftly returned with our room keys. He then summoned a "cart" and we were whisked off to our room.
Room - This was very spacious - containing a massive "King Size" bed for us and a single bed for our son. There was an iron/ironing board, safe, fridge, tv, coffee/tea maker, ample storage for clothes. We had a balcony, small but adequate with two chairs and a nice view. The bathroom contained loo, bath with shower and again was spacious. The maid service was excellent the rooms cleaned daily and to a very good standard. The tea/coffee were replenished daily also. The rooms are laid out in 3 storey blocks. Two points to note: We were in Room 146 and this block (and several others) was set on quite a steep slope so not for those with trouble walking. We found the "Entertainment/Music" very loud and we could quite clearly hear it at night when we were in our room.
Restaurants - There were three fully operational restaurants when we arrived and the kids restaurant opened whilst we were there and the Morgan Jetty (pier) restuarant/bar was opened the day we came back.
Bambou - This was open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and operated buffet style (although some dishes could be ordered). It had a very wide variety of dishes to choose from (smoked salmon for breakfast yummy!!) and we breakfasted there most days. I should add that here as with all the restaurants the staff could not be quicker, more polite, helpful and certainly not more friendly, some were even greeting us by name after a few days.
Palm - This was my favourite - a la carte Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and what lovely food (a kids menu was also available) - again staff brilliant - wine topped up before you'd even finished.
Jardin - Adults only restaurant - open for Dinner only - we left Marc in the Kids Club one evening and had one of the best steaks we had ever eaten here - definitely worth a visit (or more). Bars - There were three bars running whilst we were here - the Morgan Jetty bar opening as we left. The Sunset Lounge was the main bar, it was covered and was located very close to one of the pools and was also where the evening entertainment took place. There is a pool bar and also a swim up bar. All the bars are fabulously stocked and the staff very quick to serve - cocktails galore!!!
Pools - There were two pools when we arrived - another pool opened before we left. One of the pools was 4' deep throughout which was ideal for our Son - the other pool was of varying depth and contained the swim up bar. The pools were beautifully clean and at least two staff members were employed purely to take care of the pools (checking ph levels etc).
Beach/water sports - the beach is only a very short walk away (it is not large but more than adequate) - it is cleaned daily and is very well stocked with beds, it is sandy. Because of the abnormally high rainfall in November the seabed (and local rivers etc) have been stirred up, whilst the sea is clean it is sandy and therefore sea at the Almond is not suitable for snorkelling at the moment although obviously this will clear given time. The watersports are great - water skiing, banana boat, peddle boats, windsurfing, sailing all no charge. We loved the banana boat - the first time we were surrounded by thousand of sardines, in our hands, feet all over!!! - quite an experience!!!! The guys who run the water sports centre, again, couldn't be more helpful.
Kids Club - Brilliant!!!! - There is a babies club - 5-12's and a teens club (which opened while we were there). We used the 5-12's - Marc could go in there from 9 in the morning - if we wanted they would take him to lunch at 12.30. They were only closed for half hour at 5.00. We could take him back at 5.30pm and they would keep him up to any time until 10.00pm. They had stacks to do - they would take the kids to the beach, scavenger hunts, you name it they did it - in the evening after dinner they could watch a film if they wanted. It was very well staffed and in fact we had to persuade Marc he didn't want to go all the time - he might like to spend a bit of time with Mum and Dad!!!!!!!
Gardens - These were being planted whilst we were there - when they are more mature they are going to be beautiful - they look pretty good now!!! - there were quite a few workmen planting etc. but they were so polite and friendly and caused no disruption to us at all.
Conclusion - We are so glad we came here - it is a lovely Hotel - the staff are the friendliest we have come across anywhere - yes there is still some work going on but they are working flat out to get everything done - when it is, this is going to be one fantastic hotel and one that we would gladly come back to.
If you have any questions or would like some photos please mail me on demimonde@twos69.fsworld.co.uk Please note I shall be off-line between 29th December and 13th January but will answer all questions before or on my return.
Last updated: March 28, 2008
