vuittonsofstyle

Do we think that they will manage it any better than Oetker?

BaumeMercier

Honestly I dont think they will manage it better; Oetker has far more experience than LVMH in managing hotels (obviously).
I think the resort will see a change in clientele though and much more PR and marketing visibility..

quitecontrary

I see that I haven't contributed to this thread - my favourite Caribbean Resort is Sugar Beach in St Lucia - the location is one of the most beautiful in the world - right between the Pitons on it's own beach with snorkelling and diving right off the beach in a Marine Reserve. All the villas have plunge pools and all are served by butlers. We've been a couple of times and intend to go back next year.

xracer

This is the place that became a Viceroy, right? If so, were you there before or after the change of management? I do wonder how Viceroy is doing with it. I've heard mixed reviews about their other Caribbean resort (Anguilla).

quitecontrary

I was there both before and after Viceroy took over.. Before it was very shabby chic but had an enormous amount of charm. I loved the colonial feel of the villas and the main buildings. When Viceroy took over they upgraded all the villas and built new ones - the architecture is the same (apart from the Beach villas - the most expensive category which are more modern) but everything in the villas is white - the bathrooms are great with claw foot baths, rainfall showers in a large walk in marble shower and double vanities - there was also a second smaller bathroom in our villa. There is a dressing room which has a Nespresso machine amongst other amenities. The beds are extremely comfortable. The villas vary - we were in a Grande Luxury ocean view villa - all have plunge pools and big terraces. There are also Residences now but I haven't seen them.

The service was on the whole good - only issue we had was slow service at the Bayside restaurant at breakfast but they did say they were addressing this issue. Everyone is extremely friendly and get to know you quickly especially the drivers - because of the steep hillside location there are shuttles that take you down to the beach, restaurants or up to the gym, tennis courts or the car park.

Food is very good especially in the Great Room. There is a very cool new bar that wouldnt look out of place in South Beach Miami. There is free wifi in the villas.
The location hasn't changed
BTW - it is now a Virtuoso property.

xracer

Thanks. This good information. I normally do not care for the 'Caribbean look', but I find this place very visually appealing (both the resort and, of course, the location). It's definitely on the list of places to try...

I hope you have an enjoyable stay when you return.

Pausanias

I was at Sugar Beach - formerly Jalousie Plantation - earlier this year and just couldn't understand the appeal of the place at all. OK, the location is fairly sensational, between the Pitons, but the drawbacks are overwhelming. The beach is man-made and terrible. Every day there are day trippers piling in, many of them from cruise ships, and while they are penned into a grotty area on the right-hand side of the beach they have the legal right to wander along the beach at the front of the hotel and sit down wherever they please. It's a terrible, grotty thing to see and I just don't think the hotel is worth that kind of money if they can't offer guests a decent beach. The new pool is lovely, though but no way would I ever stay here.

quitecontrary

Interesting - where we're you staying or were you on a cruise? We've been twice - once in July and once in October and didn't experience that level of day trippers at all. There were a couple of days when dive boats from other resorts came in for an hour or so - yes they were noisy on arrival and departure but at other times there was no disruption from visitors at all. Ladera guests can also use a separate area with loungers but most of the time there was hardly any outsiders - only the old gentleman selling jelly coconuts - maybe the moral of the story is not to go in Cruise season!
Also as all of the villas have their own plunge pool one could always retreat there if a cruise ship crowd arrived - as these visitors wouldn't have more than a couple of hours to stay anyway considering how long the trip down from Castries the test of the day should be as peaceful as I experienced it.

Sam I Am

(removed, will rewrite)

5mSvGlow

Check out the Sea Grape suites at Spice Island Resort, Grenada. Ten steps from the water. Again not high lux, but absolutely wonderful.