Pictured left to right outside the new store are: Paul Hardwick, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Director of Retail; Emma Bailey, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Tutti Taylor, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents; Councillor Candy Vaughan, Mayor of Eastbourne; Trevor Ridler, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents Business Development Manager; and Shirley Waters, Fred. Olsen Travel Agents..
Assistant Manager at our Felixstowe travel centre, Linda Fowler, travelled to the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia for a seven-night stay. Here are some recommendations for anyone also travelling here and her own personal highlights…
Destination: St Lucia
Operator/Host: St Lucia Tourist Board
Accommodation
(Hotel names/Ship name): Rendezvous, Ti Kaye, St Jame’s Morgan Bay
Airline: British Airways
Duration: 7 Nights
Flights
The outbound flight was on time and we were very lucky to be upgraded to World Traveller Plus. The flight itself was good and the upgrade meant that we had plenty of leg room with a foot rest. The service was great, as was the steak dinner and wine. I was also advised that business class passengers do receive the same food and wine as World Traveller Plus, so that was impressive.
The return flight was also on time and with good service and food on board.
Rendezvous
This was a couple’s hotel and a truly romantic resort. Rendezvous has two miles of beautiful white sand and there are 100 rooms, all of which were lovely and modern and ranged from premium garden-view rooms to luxury beach-front suites. We stayed in a beach-front suite which was very spacious, but this seemed to be the case with most of the rooms.
The Wedding gazebo is set on the beach but, having attended a wedding whilst we were there, it was not very private. I think I would go for a different wedding location if you wanted privacy. The hotel was all-inclusive with good water-sports, two fabulous restaurants and a very nice Champagne bar.
Ti Kaye
This hotel is set on a secluded hillside and comprises of 33 rooms and cottages, but it is in need of renovation due to its tired and rustic look. You have to like nature to stay here as we were advised by security that there were giant rats, snakes and tarantulas. We even thought we had the latter in our room but it turned out to be a very big cockroach, thank goodness. We were told to make sure the shutters were closed properly and to keep the doors shut but unfortunately this was not possible due to the huge gap at the bottom.
This was also a bed and breakfast hotel and the drinks and food were very expensive. You are stuck in the middle of nowhere so there is no choice but to eat at the hotel.
On a positive note, Ti Kaye has a good diving centre and a lovely spa, but I must admit that two nights was enough here. There was a wedding location on the beach but you had to walk down about 90 steps to get to it; not the best hotel for a wedding but maybe for a secluded honeymoon.
St James Club Morgan Bay
This hotel was very relaxed and the rooms were nice and clean, but there were a lot of issues like phones and lifts not working, and so it seems to need some updating. It has been taken over in the last year so ,hopefully, it will start getting all its problems sorted. There was a very private gazebo which would be a great venue for a wedding, as a lovely beach with good water-sports.
The rooms at the Club Morgan Bay vary from garden-view to sea-view. And there are three restaurants on the complex. Two of these require prior booking, but I do recommend this as the other one, a buffet restaurant, is quite basic and has lots of birds attacking your food and flies everywhere. It wasn’t my favourite hotel but if you’re on a tight budget then it would be fine.
We also saw the three Sandals hotels but I wasn’t particularly impressed if I’m being honest. The level of accommodation was very basic, even with the butler rooms and it was very rowdy and quite dated. The food and service also seemed very basic.
Jade Mountain
Wow. The rooms at Jade Mountain had the most spectacular views with their own pools and the food and service was top class.
Sugar Beach
Sugar Beach was a lovely hotel that offered villas and rooms and had the most amazing wedding location right at the top of the resort offering privacy and spectacular views. The rooms were all modern, the food was delicious and the service was first class; everything was just perfect. I would definitely recommend this hotel to families and to couples for weddings and honeymoons.
We took part in a variety of excursions during the trip including:
My favourite part of the trip was attending a real wedding at Rendezvous. It was so lovely to experience the real thing and we were all invited as guests.
Another highlight was having dinner at Jade Mountain on my birthday, whilst a lady played the saxophone and we drank champagne and were treated to the best food ever. I’ll never forget that one.
A final highlight was being upgraded to World Traveller Plus, as this was the first time I had experienced such comfort on a flight.
On the whole, the trip was great but, from an agent’s point of view, I think it would be good to experience more excursions instead of packing so many hotels into the itinerary with so many similar rooms to look at.
I would definitely recommend St. Lucia to travellers. This is a perfect island to get married on or to go on your honeymoon as they are specialists in this area. I have travelled to the Indian Ocean, which I loved very much, but St Lucia just had something special about it. The people are so friendly and the wedding venues were so beautiful and romantic.
Must see? Jade Mountain resort
Must do? A Segway experience
Must try? A dip in the sulphur springs
At Fred. Olsen Travel we can help you plan a trip to the Caribbean, whether it’s to St. Lucia or any of the other wonderful islands. Not only is this an excellent way to grab some winter sun during the dark, cold months; it can also be the perfect location for a breath-taking luxury holiday.
