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St. Lucia Hotel, Resort & Villa Reviews Reviews
Rendezvous
04/20/2005
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
My new husband and I have just returned from two wonderful weeks at the Rendezvous Resort, where we spent our honeymoon (27 Mar - 10 Apr 2005).
We arrived after a 1¼ hour drive up in an air-conditioned minibus from the main airport, which was a lot better than I was expecting after reading reviews on here! Our driver was very considerate and also pointed out lots of things along the way, so it was almost like a mini tour. When we rolled up to the Rendezvous, we were met with a cold rum punch and face towels to cool us off and then taken up to our room by Gaston, who was to become quite a pal of ours. He gave us some info on the way up to the room and by the time we got there, our suitcases were already waiting outside the door!
We were in a Luxury Oceanfront Room, which was lovely, quite spacious, with a massive bed and beautiful bathroom with a glassblock wall that allowed natural light in without anyone being able to see us on the loo or in the shower! Our bed had been decorated with flowers spelling out Congratulations, and there was a tropical flower display, fruit plate, bottle of rum and bottle of champagne with 2 glasses waiting for us. We unpacked our suitcases and cracked open the champers whilst sitting on our balcony, which overlooked the beach and the beachside wedding arch.
The food at Rendezvous is divine and I came home a full ¾ of a stone heavier than when I left! Good job I only had to fit into my wedding dress before we came here! Every night of the week is a different theme in the buffet restaurant, ranging from Sunday night carvery to Caribbean night, Italian to Far Eastern. Thursday nights are beach barbecue night, with food cooked on the beach and if you’re lucky you can get a table actually on the sand. That night there is a limbo and fire eating show, and guest limbo competition – we actually were crowned King and Queen of Limbo in our second week, winning Rendezvous t-shirts! Breakfast is a good cereal and fruit buffet, with about a dozen different types of bread, then you can order cooked items from the kitchen, like poached eggs, full English, freshly cooked waffles and pancakes (yummy!), and they have a special each day, which we often tried. Lunch was a range of hot dishes, freshly cooked paninis, salads and so on. The desserts are to die for, and are probably to blame for my extra holiday pounds!
The Trysting Place restaurant is wonderful. You can literally eat in there as often as you like, you just have to book in 2 nights before and you can book up to 3 nights at a time. The menu changes every 3 days, and the food is top notch. In the two weeks we were there, there were 4 different menus, each as delicious as the last. Quite frankly the buffet food was good enough to eat every night of your stay, but it was nice to go in the Trysting to be waited on, and to sit in an air-conditioned restaurant. The service in both restaurants was excellent, special hellos to Patrick the Trying wine waiter and Lloyd in the main restaurant, who always had a smile and a joke to share with us.
The staff is without exception outstanding. A lot of the main staff knew us by name within a few days, and they are so friendly and enthusiastic about their jobs. The entertainment staff I don’t think even really viewed what they did as work, apart from the fact they were around before we got up until well into the evening. There were always beach games to participate in to win t-shirts and bottles of rum, but there was no pressure to take part if you didn’t want to.
There is so much to do at this resort, and the beauty is it’s all included. We did the Discover Scuba morning, which was brilliant, and the teachers are very professional, but make it easy to learn and fun. We got to do a 27 foot dive in the sea, seeing lots of colourful fish and coral, and even a turtle. We also had a go at water skiing, tubing and took out a pedalo. There were lessons for all water sports in the morning and afternoon, so even beginners could enjoy everything. All the equipment was in an excellent condition, with safety being the top priority.
Also included are cycle tours into the town, so you can explore a little, but know that you’re safe, as you’re with some of the resort staff. There are also archery lessons, tennis courts and aerobics for a bit of variety from the water sports and lounging on the beach!
The place itself is stunning. The beach is gorgeous, lovely soft golden sand, and the gardens are beautiful. There are giant hammocks big enough for two dotted around the gardens that we spent many a happy hour lying in reading our books. On the beach there are plenty of loungers for everyone, and a red flag is issued each morning for you to summon a barman to take your drinks order from your lounger! This was lovely, but most people thought it was too lazy to do this and would go to the bar anyway!
The drinks were great…all premium brands (and some local ones if you wanted to try them) and too many lovely cocktails to try! If the cocktail you fancied wasn’t on the list, you just had to tell the bar staff what you wanted and they’d put it together for you. The strawberry daiquiris were so yummy! As for a giant cocktail for two and they’ll make whatever you like and put it in a big glass for the two of you to share. You can also have wine and sparkling wine, and we occasionally would take a glass of bubbly up to our room to have on our balcony before getting ready for dinner.
The evening entertainment was good and varied – bands playing many nights of the week for you to have a boogie to, a steel band on Beach BBQ night, staff shows (hilarious), and even a casino night on Sundays, which was really good fun. The Piano Bar literally stays open until the last couple leaves – there was a hardcore Irish couple there whilst we were staying and they regularly were up in there drinking till 6am! The pianist is quite a character and will play requests or whatever from 10pm till 2am, but just don’t ask him to sing! Even I have a better voice than him, and that’s saying something!
Wednesday nights are Managers Cocktails Party, which gives you a chance to mix with staff and guests and drink champagne by the pool and have a few canapés. Just watch out for Yarmi, as she’ll beat you to the chicken!
On our last day, as we travelled with Virgin they checked us in for our flight at the resort and then took our suitcases off to the airport, so we could relax for the last few hours at the resort and turn up just before our flight was due to board. We were given access to a courtesy room to shower and change at the resort, which was one of the Garden View rooms. I think had I been in one of these I would have been a bit disappointed, as they were pretty small, with tiny bathrooms, but they were adequate. The Veranda Suites and Seaside Lanais looked really nice though, and our room was excellent. There are only 100 rooms in total, so a maximum of 200 guests, so although the resort was apparently full when we were there, we could always find a quiet spot to be by ourselves.
Regarding the location of the resort, yes it is by the small airport, but please please please don’t let this put you off. There are a fair few planes going over, but the largest is a 25 seater, and the aircraft noise is gone within 5 seconds, literally. They were also pretty cool to watch going over, and there would be hours at a time when there would be none at all. What previous reviewers have said about there being a cemetery right next door is true, but the tombs and graves are all brilliant white, and being such beach lovers, the St Lucians should be able to have their final resting place by the sea! I wanted to have a little wander round, but never got the chance as had so much else to do!
The beach is public, as are all the beaches in St Lucia, but we never felt threatened by the locals – they were just having a good time, playing football or swimming in the sea. And they were only really there on Sundays, the rest of the time it was ours. Also there are security guards along the stretch of beach the resort borders, 24 hours a day, so you know that there won’t be any trouble.
We did a few excursions whilst we were there, including the Land and Sea tour of the island’s main attractions, which included a snorkelling stop off on the boat journey back. Also we went horse riding, and there was just myself, my husband and the leader with the three horses on a deserted beach. We even got to swim in the sea with one of the horses, and my husband, who’s never ridden before in his life, had a canter on the beach, with his reins being held by the instructor.
The St Lucians are the friendliest people, and the staff at the Rendezvous make what is a lovely resort outstanding. Hello to Gaston, Yarmi, Nimah, Lloyd, Patrick, Javan, Anna, Giselle, our maid Theresa who always had a smile, and the inimitable Deano, who you’ll often see mentioned on here. The guests were all really lovely as well, mostly us Brits, but a few Americans and Canadians, of all ages. We, at 24 and 25, were amongst the youngest, but everyone was so friendly, and being couples only, just there to enjoy each others’ company and mix with other couples when they wanted. Hi to Dani and Darren, Andy and Sally, Ken and Tina, Adam and Kris, Matt and Caroline, and many more besides!
Some people we met out there got married whilst they were there, and all the ceremonies looked lovely, and a real effort was made, decorating the arches with fresh flowers, steel bands playing, and so on. It seemed that everyone was made to feel really special on their big day and we only heard good things from those that had chosen to get married at the Rendezvous.
We had an amazing time at the Rendezvous, and wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again if we return to St Lucia. We finished it off with a helicopter ride back to the airport, and were very sad to leave. If you’re considering a couples holiday in St Lucia, go to the Rendezvous and you’ll never regret it.
Natalie and Adam Phillips
Natalie
Rendezvous
Hotel Details |
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- 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.
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