|
|
|
 |
 |
St. Lucia Hotel, Resort & Villa Reviews Reviews
Rendezvous 02/18/2004
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
February 2004-Rendezvous
We have been to St. Lucia previously, and stayed at Sandals Halycon. This time we decided to try a different resort and we feel we made a wise choice. Since we prefer adults only, smaller resorts, the Rendezvous stood out among a limited number of choices. In comparison to Sandals Halycon, Rendezvous is a bit smaller, but also a great deal less expensive.
We flew out of Chicago (which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our home) on an early morning flight on usa 3000 airlines. It was a charter flight, which wasn’t completely full, so finding roomy, comfortable seats was not a problem. The flight was about 5 1/2 hours. (Flight home was 3 1/2 hours late). For a charter airline, they did a nice job, pleasant breakfast and two movies shown. Upon arriving in St. Lucia, customs/immigration was fast and easy. We have previously arranged to take a helicopter transfer from hewannora airport to castries airport as the drive by taxi takes about an hour, where as the helicopter gets you there in 10 minutes. The Rendezvous is located in castries, just minutes from the airport. While the helicopter transfer is pricey ($100 pp) it gives you an unmatched view of the island and a exciting ride as well. Consider it a excursion which you'd probably take anyway and you can justify the price a bit easier. It is certainly worth the money spent. Since we were the only two people on the helicopter at that time, they also transported our luggage (this is normally done by taxi and your luggage arrives somewhat later than you do to your resort, so pack a change of clothes in your carryon, which you are allowed to take on the copter). From the time we landed at hewannora airport to the time we actually arrived at our resort was only about 1/2 hour! If you haven’t been to St. Lucia before, you may want to opt to take the taxi ride, as you do see alot of the country side that way.
Upon our arrival at Rendezvous the staff was surprised that we had arrived so early. The staff is very pleasant, but did appear somewhat confused at times. We had received a confirmation from them prior to our arrival (via email) that they had received our request for a second floor verandah suite and they had reserved this for us. However, upon checking in, they said there weren’t any second floor suites available. When I asked them why, since we did we receive a confirmation that we were booked in one, they hedged around the question a bit and finally said there was a family (?) That requested side-by-side verandah suites and therefore gave our room to them. While we weren’t pleased with their decision it‘s not something to dwell on and spoil your vacation; it did seem though to start a series of mis-cues by the staff. Our ground level verandah suite was very nice and we quickly changed into our beach attire and went down to beach. The verandah suites are nicely decorated and large. The bathroom is small, but the shower is marble and has three shower heads which are wonderful. The brochure mentions that there is a seat in the shower, it is actual a corner seat which is very small and is more suitable to putting toiletries on it rather than you being able to sit on it. The mahogny four poster king sized bed is comfortable with soft linens and four pillows. There is no television, which we can honestly say we didn’t miss at all. There is a cd player/radio in your room which we found a pleasant diversion from watching the tube. Bring your own cd’s, they do not provide these. There is a small refrigerator in your room as well, however, it is not stocked with any thing. There is a coffeemaker. Tea, etc. Air conditioning was adequate, and we found it odd that none of the windows were louvered and did not open, so the air conditioning needed to stay on at all times. The terrace of the verandah suites has two lounge chairs, which aren’t very comfortable (i think ours were broken as the backs would not stay up on them). There is also two chairs and a table. All of the furniture appears to be teak wood and have cushions on them. There is no where to hang your wet swim suit out on the terrace unless you put them over the railing by the door (a towel bar on the terrace would be a nice addition for this). There is a light on your terrace which the staff turns on for you each night (there is a button on the porch for you to do this as well). The staff keeps your room spotless and well stocked with towels, soaps, shampoos, etc.
The gardens are very lush, but there isn’t much in the way of blooming/flowering plants. (It could have been the time of year we were there ?). The green foiliage is so beautiful and nicely landscaped. They are constantly grooming things and keep it very clean. There are made-for-two hammocks in several locations of the gardens. The extremely large tree in the courtyard near the reception office is amazing! In the evenings, several of the more prominent features in the gardens are “up-lit” with colorful lights making for a very peaceful and romantic setting.
We were there the week of Valentine’s day. We never even thought of that when we booked our vacation. However, this made the resort full to capacity and this seemed to “un-nerve” the staff a bit. From what we’ve heard the resort is usually only 40-60% full most times. There were very few americans there, we only met 3 other couples from the states, the rest were from england. We met some very nice people and learned interesting things about their country. The majority of the staff is very pleasant and helpful, however, as anywhere, there are just some people who should consider a career change. Maybe it was the capacity issue, but the different departments didn’t seem to have any idea what another one was doing. There was confusion about times and places where things were taking place and you had to inquire several times about the same thing before they could get it correct, none the less, they were always willing to help you and make things right. The watersports were plentiful, including pedal boats, hobie cats, water skiing, kayaking, etc. There is a small vendor booth by the watersports, but they are not pushy in asking you to come buy something. A pleasant no thank you and that seemed to be sufficient. We did not encounter any other vendors while on the beach.
We did the honeymoon couples massage. It’s likely the best $48 (per couple) we’ve ever spent. It is a 50 minute massage where the therapist teaches you how the give each other a swedish massage. She performs the moves, then has you perform them, each person taking their turn. I also had the phytomer facial ($35) for 50 minutes, treat yourself ladies, you will really enjoy this! Their spa treatments are well worth the money. It would be nice if they would relocate the spa area as it is next to a home that had several barking dogs, so that disrupted the peacefulness a bit, but still very relaxing.
The beach is long, but not wide. You can take a long walk on the beach by yourself (daytime) or go on a sunset walk sponsored by the resort two nights a week. I would not walk the beach (outside the resort area) by yourselves at night. While we did not encounter or hear of any problems, it is just generally not a wise move not to do this, regardless of what country you’re in. The waves were considerable, but did not keep you out of the water. They were quite fun and provided some good entertainment. It did rain everyday even though they considered this their dry season. It would rain for 5 minutes then sun for 45 minutes or so then rain again. This continued most of the morning, and by early afternoon it was very nice. The water was warm, the sand beneath you firm and no seaweed. There were a couple of very small rocks in the water, but these were easily visiable and not a problem. The beach does get somewhat busier on sunday afternoons as the towns people come to this beach. Please remember you are using their beach, not the other way around. They were all pleasant, kind people who also wanted to enjoy this haven. There are plenty of lounge chairs, but if you want one of the “huts” on the beach, you need to “reserve” these very early in the morning to get one. Just place your beach towel/lounge chair on/by them and this seemed to save them for you. There are also plenty of palm trees on the beach which provided plenty of shade if you preferred that. The beachfront rooms and beachfront cottages appeared nice from the outside, but you will tend to get a lot of “people traffic” going by these. They are located right on the beach. The pools are fine, but I can swim in a pool anytime. We wanted the beach atmosphere and were not disappointed in anyway with it.
The terrace restaurant (outdoor) was our favorite. The buffets were plentiful and they selection never ending whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner. They have this wonderful fish called dorado that is the best fish i’ve ever had. They prepared it several different ways, all of it excellent. They do a beach bbq in the sand one night, and each night with a different theme. We did eat in the trysting place one evening and that was very nice as well, but the open air dining just seemed more like you are on vacation. One evening I had arranged (a surprise for my husband) through the guest services department to have a table placed on the beach in the sand, lit with candle light and fine china and specially ordered lobsters. There is a “up-charge” for lobster ($30 pp) and you have 5 different types of lobster to choose from. I had chosen the grilled lobster. This is where another mis-cue came in. I had made the reservations for 8 pm and while my husband and I were having a cocktail I kept glancing at the beach and noted no table set up. I told my husband I have to use the ladies room but I actually I went to guest services to check on this, but they were closed. I then went to the reception desk and they said they didn’t know anything about this. Yet I had just been in there the day before with the paperwork from guest services for this. However, they quickly rose to the challenge and within 20 minutes our table in the sand, on the beach, was beautifully set and ready. We had our own private waiter, harry, who served us our five course meal. While the lobster was very, very good, it was not the grilled lobster we had ordered, it turned out to be the lobster thermadore.
We took an all day catamaran cruise through suntours who can book this for you right at the resort. We had placed a request for a wakeup call with the front desk for that morning as you had to be ready to go at 7:45 a.M, again another small mis-cue by the staff as they never made the wakeup call. Fortunately, we are early risers and we were awake in plenty of time. The trip included the catamaran cruise down the coast of the island, then it docked and they bused you to a waterfall that you could swim in (the water is very cold), then to a cocoa plantation for a nice buffet lunch and tour, and then to the drive through volcano. You then board the catamaran again and sail to a nice beach for some swimming and snorkeling. They take you into some beautiful bays and sail back to your starting point. All transportation is included and the cost is $90 pp. The crew of the catamaran is genuinely friendly and fun. They even let us steer the boat!
Because it was valentine’s day, the resort offered a sunset catamaran cruise to all guests at no charge on that day. It was touted to be a romantic sailing, but turned out to be more of a party cruise. This portion of staff of the Rendezvous is very high energy and did an outstanding job of getting people to dance and enjoy themselves! They had decorated the boat with red lights, red and white balloons and crepe paper. They had loads of food on board and plenty of wine, champagne and drinks. We did get to see a lovely sunset that night while aboard. Upon returning to the resort, the remaining staff had decorated the terrace restaurant in white lace, red ribbons and bows, white lights, red and white balloons, white linen and red satin table cloths and heart center pieces. It was stunning. They served a five course made to order meal that evening. When you returned to your room, they had placed flower petals on your bed, a valentine mylar balloon and chocolates on your pillow. What a nice touch!
All in all the Rendezvous was a very relaxing, beautifully maintained resort. I would not hesitate of book this resort again. The food, accomodations, and location (don’t let the airport near the end of the resort bother you, it was actually quite fun watching the planes take off, and they only do so during the daylight hours) all added to a romantic vacation. Don’t let the little things bother you, and you will enjoy your vacation so much more. I would recommend staying away from the big holiday dates as the resort was full so this may have accounted for some very minor mishaps, none of which in anyway spoiled the overall experience of this wonderful resort.
nancy
Rendezvous
Hotel Details |
Book Hotel |
Book With Air
- Located on Malabar Beach, this couples-only resort is set amidst a 7-acre tropical garden.
- All guestrooms have private terraces or patios that face the Caribbean sea.
- The Piano Bar, which features sing-alongs, stays open until the last couple is ready to leave.
- The room prices at this All-Inclusive resort include various amenities. See the room description for details.
|
 |
|
