Reviewers Rating: 
Excellent
We visited the Jalousie Hilton for a week in late February 2001. We had a wonderful time and would unreservedly recommend this resort. Our specific comments on the resort, the island, etc. are as follows:
Location. St. Lucia is gorgeous island, with lush rainforests and spectacular mountain views. In my opinion, there is no better place to experience the natural beauty of the island than the Jalousie Hilton, which is located in the valley between the Pitons. Hillside hotels (such as Anse Chastenet and Ladera) have more panoramic views, but you miss out on direct beach access (see below). The location of the Jalousie Hilton is quite isolated - other towns and resorts are only accessible by land taxi or water taxi. Note, however, that many parts of St. Lucia are quite poor and the distant location of the resort may be an advantage for visitors wanting to limit their exposure to this side of island life. The roads to the resort are horrendous and we strongly recommend taking the helicopter to and from the resort (the helicopter ride is also a lot of fun).
Facilities. The Jalousie Hilton is based around a plantation-style great house, but also features a spa, a beachside restaurant, nice pool, golf holes, tennis, etc. Basically, everything you expect from a five-star resort.
Beach. The big, big advantage of the Jalousie Hilton is the beach. Hilton imported tonnes of white sand (apparently from Guyana) to construct a wide, lovely beach that forms the centre of the resort property. Most villas are only at most a couple of minutes away from the beach. The water is clear and calm. There is marine reserve on the side of the basin with above-average snorkeling. We visited the Anse Chastenet beach, which has a narrow black sand beach and fairly rough surf, and were relieved that we had chosen the Jalousie Hilton instead. Ladera guests are permitted to use a small public portion of the Anse Chastenet beach. All in all, I would rate the Jalousie Hilton beach an "8" and the Anse Chastenet/Ladera beach a "4".
Room. Most rooms are in separate "villas" buried in the rain forest. Our villa was beautifully and tastefully decorated, and surrounded by lush manicured trees and gardens. The rooms were again equipped with every convenience. There was nothing "tired" looking about the rooms or the other facilities, in contrast to a couple of the other high-end resorts that we visited. Also, the villa did not have a "hotel" feel - rather, it was more likely a lovely and gracious home (but completely private). It was nice to have satellite TV. Note the plunge pools are a little too chilly for regular use.
Food. Our only disappointment was the quality and price of the food, not just at the Jalousie Hilton but on the island on the whole. It was simply not possible to pay less than US$14.00 for breakfast, about US$16.00 for lunch and at least US$50.00 for dinner (per person, no alcohol). That's the bare minimum. Except for the variety of delicious fresh fruit and local vegetables, the food was average at best. Sometimes the food situation was just silly - ie., US$18.00 for about 10 spoonfulls of crab bisque at The Plantation restaurant. The same was true of Dasheene at Ladera. The food at The Pier restaurant at the Jalousie Hilton was below average. Note, however, that the Palm Court bar at the Jalousie Hilton is good place to eat and has a terrific, "Casablanca"-like atmosphere.
Service. In general, service at the Jalousie Hilton was fantastic, friendly and efficient with only a couple of lapses. Things get a bit busy on the weekend. The service at the Plantation Restaurant needs work. In contrast, the staff at Anse Chastenet were unpleasant to us when we tried to rent snorkeling equipment for their marine reserve.
Guests. The resort seemed to be equally divided between families and couples. This is definitely a "kid friendly" resort. However, we did not feel the hotel was overrun with children. Guests seemed to be equally divided between North American and British, with a few Europeans. There is no pressure to participate in group activities.
In summary, the Jalousie Hilton is a wonderful world-class resort. The setting is very romantic. We may be biased, but we thought it was the nicest resort (by far) of the five-star resorts on the island.
Andrea Johnson
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