Writing this review causes a little bit of turmoil because I want to be completely fair to the hotel and staff, but at the same time avoid misleading potential guests.
First and foremost, be clear that this is a 'no frills' hotel. We were not sure what to expect on arrival, as there were very few traveller reviews available for this property at the time of booking (this is because the hotel has recently come under new management), but I suppose I was hoping for something a bit more polished overall. As it turns out, we had almost daily issues for the week we were there, but some of this comes under the "well you get what you pay for" banner so was more to do with expectations, but some of it was due to a lack of common sense on the part of the hotel.
Location
I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that the hotel is situated on a (rather) steep hill, off the main road. It is approximately a 10 min drive from the main Rodney Bay area and is accessible by local bus. The bus will only take you to the main road so you'll still have to climb the hill. Not great if you have mobility issues, in which case you will need a taxi.
FYI bus details - 1A towards Castries, costs EC $1.50 This is by far the cheapest way to travel if you intend to visit Rodney Bay regularly. We didn't try Reduit Beach, but that is approximately a 20-30 min walk. There is no beach in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. Same bus will take you to Castries for EC $2.50.
Because it's off the main road it is very quiet at the hotel and has none of the bustle that you'd find at larger, busier hotels.
The hotel
As mentioned, doesn't score highly on accessibility if you have problems with stairs or require a lift. There are steps up to the lobby and steps again up to the rooms.
The hotel is small (37 rooms) and has one miniscule pool (seriously!) and one slightly bigger one. I didn't try either. It also has a spa and I had a facial which was ok.
For some reason all smoke alarms and fire extinguishers have been removed from the hotel... That didn't fill my heart with joy but health, fire and safety didn't really seem to feature as a priority, generally...
Rooms
Clean and a good size. Beds are very comfortable and sheets are crisp and clean... Towels too, for the most part. If you're looking for uber modern furnishings, forget it - get to love floral. All rooms have air conditioning and cable TV and a safe.
The drainage is a bit suspect throughout - we had to change rooms the first night because the bath blocked, and in the second, it was still very slow to drain, but manageable.
Staff
Very very friendly and accommodating and this is where I have a bit of a battle because their eagerness to please meant that when there were issues (and believe me we had a fair few!) you don't really want to compain too much because you realise that for the most part, they are trying their hardest to please.
Breakfast
For me, this was one of the areas where the hotel really let itself down. I don't know whether it was due to the time of year we went, or what, but there was absolutely NO variety - you ate what you were given and on five mornings out of seven, we were given eggs, toast and bacon... Great if you like that, and a lot of people will, but I don't eat bacon and don't care too much for eggs! I think the hotel could really raise their game if they simply provided a couple of additional options, such as yogurts or cereal, or a small selection of fruit. Also, service was incredibly slow. One morning we waiting nearly 40mins to get served... and we were the only diners!
Gripes
There were many issues that we encountered during the stay but for the purpose of this review it's more relevant to let you know about the fundamental concerns, rather than the small things like blown lights, things that didn't work, were not to a particular liking etc...
1) The hotel has a conference suite which they hire out externally. On the saturday night there was a birthday party, which the hotel did not inform guests about, therefore I was kept awake until 3am in the morning by extremely loud music and louder partygoers. I mentioned it to the staff and was told that guests in the past had complained too, so it's clearly a problem that the hotel are aware of, but still continue to neglect to forewarn, or seek a solution. If you're staying here, it might be worth checking if there will be an event on during your stay, and if so, get a room as far away from the noise as you can!
2) Bathroom was not cleaned all week. Although clean towels were provided daily, there was little actual cleaning of bath or toilet.
I would only recommend this hotel on the basis that you know exactly what you are buying. In hindsight, I feel that I personally would have been more suited to a beach hotel, or something closer to the main tourist area. However, I'm not going to mark the hotel down for that - that's just (as I mentioned before) because it didn't meet my expectations based on the fact it was hard to find objective reviews.
If you want luxury, convenience and variety - find another hotel. If you just want a budget base in St Lucia, which is accessible to the main tourist areas, and where you don't have high expectations around meals... then this hotel fine and will represent good value for money.
Knowing what I know, would I stay here again? Preferably not, but if choices were few, yes. Highlights - clean and comfortable and great staff. Lowlights, appalling breakfast service and selection.
Final word, if you are looking for other reviews, try searching under its previous name "Glencastle Resort".
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
