St Lucia Jalousie Hilton
Written: Mar 01 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Scenery
Cons: PRICES, Food, Activities, Beach
The Bottom Line: Should you decide to go here..have fun and save your pennies!
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| bwdenton's Full Review: St. Lucia |
St Lucia was probably one of the most unique sceneries we have seen. The Piton's are truly amazing..especially when you take the helicopter ride from the airport to the hotel...which we HIGHLY recommend.
We went in Early Jan 2003, and stayed at the Jalousie Hilton there between the Pitons for our honeymoon. It was quite a nice place, but not for folks on a tight or even average budget! Everything is extremely Overpriced! Plan to pay around $50 USD for 2 on lunch (not including alcoholic drinks and not fancy..we had hamburger and fries and chicken sandwich and fries). Dinners are nice, and they have different settings and venues during the week..but plan on $100-130 USD for 2. There are 2 restaurants for dinner..one coat and tie, which we never visited, and the main one which we went to. The beach at the Hilton is pretty white sand..which was brought in as the island has NO natural beaches..to my surprise from my research before going. The coastline is rocky with volcanic rocks and even the Hilton beach has quite a few rocks especially in the snorkeling area. The Ocean was cool, and the wind blew daily which made for getting out of the water CHILLING. The water is also VERY salty compared to the Pacific Ocean..you will have a salty cover on your skin when you get out and just air dry off.
The people at the Hilton were VERY nice and VERY accommodating..and the level of service was excellent in our opinion. The price of rooms was VERY high, but they were each individual cottages, and ours had a private plunge pool. Word to the wise: Do NOT leave food out on your porch overnight..the Hilton is built into a forest and you will get MANY creatures scavenging for food (mostly possums and cats, but more than one at a time).
We took the cab tour of the town of Castries, the volcano, and gardens. The town is VERY poor with many beggars. Cabs into town from the hotel run $50 USD (for a 10-15 minute ride) and the tour was $100 USD. Be careful of the beggars and "unwelcomed tour guides" that will approach you if you decide to walk around town with their hands out. The people can spot people from the Hilton..not sure if the cabbie told them or it was just obvious that anyone that looks out of place is from the Hilton. Many people we met at the different places (volcano, garden, and town) greeted us as "Your from the Hilton?". I think this was an instant notice to raise the prices 400%.
The food on the island was strange and disappointing for the most part. We have been to MANY places in Mexico and Europe and of course the States..but the food here was disappointing. I think it has something to do with the island being a volcano and the mineral streams and springs that smell highly of sulpher and are dark grey in color! The fruit is VERY small and tastes bitter and nothing like it does in the States or Mexico..I am referring to the Coconut, Oranges, Apples, Mango, Papaya, etc. The only one that was decent was the Banana, but again it was small in size. Even the palm trees are strange..tall but very slender. The coconuts are about 1/3 to 1/4 the size they are in Mexico! The food itself is mostly Indian (curry etc) and Caribbean (jerk spice, etc). Not alot of flavor from our opinion. Be careful of the meat..I got e-coli my last day there and was sick for two weeks afterwards! Not a bad diet plan though..went from 200lbs to 175 in that time!
Also be prepared when you leave the island..they charge $25 USD or so in CASH ONLY to buy departure tickets prior to checking in at your airline. This was a nusiance!
Lastly, it was a pretty place to view and visit..but EXTREMELY overpriced! And I don't consider myself to be a penny pincher..I own my own business and make over 150k per year. The food isn't impressive, nor are the beaches (what few man made ones there are). The island isn't commercialized, which is a good thing, but at the Hilton it is so far out all you can do is relax, relax, or relax, Don't plan on going out to dance or party. We did try the infamous "BANG" restaurant..it isn't bad but doesn't have a huge variety on the menu..is much better priced though. We took the helicopter from the airport directly to the hotel, which I must say was the hilight of the trip..awesome! It was about $350 USD round-trip for the both of us, and was worth it! We heard from many people how bad the cab ride was and many that got sick from the rough and windy road! Many of them were checking into the Helicopter ride back after taking the cab there.
Should you decide to go here..have fun and save your pennies!
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Couples
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Epinions.com ID:
bwdenton
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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