Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa

After reading reviews and comments I expected the resort to be a little run down. However that was not the case at all for our room and for the general areas all throughout the resort. This was a pleasant surprise, quality-wise. The service at bars was very good, food was surprisingly good at the buffets and specialty restaurants. Flip-flops had high quality food and Jerk was off the chain. So many different drinks on the bar menus around the resort you could not try them all, though they are pretty sweet so you probably wouldn't want to! We did a cool rum tasting before dinner. Check that out. Resort provides a weekly list of special activities, sort of like cruise ships used to before they made us all download those stupid, horribly user-unfriendly apps. (Just give me a list of s**t!) You can only make reservation from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. We arrived at 5:30 pm. So they said we could not book anything and had to come back to the reservation desk in the morning. (If only there was technology to eliminate the need for in-person reservations.) Being low season, we were still able to get reservations at a couple restaurants, though not the Trattoria. I'm glad - I only chose that for the kids. We did Silk and Calabash. Had some good items at both, but the portions were pretty small. (order an extra app!) The pool is shallow but beautiful. Lots of chairs all around the resort. The lazy river is the worst I have seen, not because of disrepair but because the water does not flow at all. It's just a serpentine pool which is dumb. Beds and stuff were good. Had an AC issue that was fixed quickly. Balcony is good for drying stuff out. Resort not overwhelmingly large. You can walk down the beach to a secluded bar/chair area. Looked cool when we passed by. So close to the airport but like other people mentioned, you would hardly know. Flights land from the opposite direction and I think like 4-5 large flights depart daily this time of year, the last one at 3:00 pm. It's pretty cool to see them fly over. You don't even hear the smaller jets. Fitness center has really bad treadmills and it's pretty hot to run around in Saint Lucia outside. But it's vacation so whatever. We stayed here four nights and then went to Sugar Beach for three. Four nights was just right - I would have gotten sick of it after five. Rained every day, but not enough to impact us much. I highly recommend going during low season in July. It's hot out, but there is good shade in/around pools. Resort was probably at about 50% capacity but everything was still open. If they were 100%, it would be more chaotic I'm sure. Read less

We just returned from Coconut Bay last night and have so many wonderful things to share! I'll divide it into categories. Airport -- The resort is just one mile from the airport. Far enough not to realize how close you are, but close enough that everyone stops to enjoy the handful of planes that depart daily. The proximity is not a concern. It’s fun to see them zooming across the sky at takeoff, and while you are aware of them, it's not overly loud or disturbing. Coming through customs was very easy and quick. You will have to fill out a form which they will give you. When you get your luggage kindly pass by the men in pink who pose as if they are with your hotel. It's literally just 100 or so steps (and around a corner) from grabbing your bags until you'll see the Coconut Bay logoed polos at a kiosk. From there the Coconut Bay staff will arrange your shuttle to the hotel. The day before leaving confirm your departure time with the hotel and the shuttle will be arranged. Again, when you arrive to the airport for departure tell the guys in pink who will meet you a the shuttle that you are all set and don't need a hand. It's a small & super easy airport. We traveled home on the day of the global communication crisis and didn’t have a single problem at the airport or with American Airlines. Arrival: Lovely and easy - you will be offered an arrival beverage upon stepping out of the transfer vehicle. From there checking in was very easy. We had a 3rd-floor ocean-front room. I believe there are also some garden-view rooms. Hotel Rooms: Very spacious -- especially to have 2 adults and 13 & 17 year old girls with us. Top of my list is that we had more storage than I've ever seen in a resort, hotel or rental house. We had 6 drawers and 2 closets (with plenty of hangers!!!) and each closet had about 6 cubbies. We travel heavy as a family and EASILY had enough drawers and space to fully unpack every single thing we brought - including 2 teen girls and mama with many toilitries, etc. I couldn't have been happier to have a well organized room all week. Make sure you bring the adaptors for plugs. The rooms have 2 hair dyers which served us just fine. We burned up a sound machine on night one. It immediately smelled like electrical fire, so we didn’t plug in our curling wands or anything other than iphone chargers the rest of the week. The sheets were thin, but the beds and pillows were comfy. We all slept very well. The bathroom (shower especially) is a little small -- but had a lot of counter space and a shelf under the sink for items. I think most (or at least all oceanfront rooms) had a balcony with furniture and room to hang swimsuits. Again – the rooms were a great set-up for guests. There were also hooks in the bathrooms for towels or swimsuits. Our housekeeper (Queency) left a sweet and encouraging handwritten note each day which we loved. We left her a tip and a note back each day. Oh, and the minifridge stocked with beer, water, and soft drinks was AMAZING. Loved it! Cleanliness: I run a small 16-room boutique hotel here at home, so I pay special attention to cleanliness and extra touches. I’ve never seen a cleaner hotel room – but caution – I think they clean countertops with Clorox so make sure they are dry before letting clothing touch those areas. We had one hoodie get ruined – but it was a small price to pay to have such a clean room. Our room was mopped and cleaned top to bottom daily. I saw outdoor hallways being mopped more than once. Every time it rained staff came out of the woodwork to literally sweep water away so guests weren’t walking through puddles. I was uber impressed with how clean ALL areas of the resort were at all times. I even noticed that the welcome rug as you got out of transfers was impeccably clean. I noticed because the words of the resort were in white – I can’t imagine how they keep it so clean right there where rain can hit it and every guests steps right on it. There was attention to detail at every turn. Hotel Overall, Staff & Entertainment: If you are looking for a Ritz-Carlton or Omni caliber hotel, this is not for you. If you are looking for a fun, festive, very clean, tropical-looking resort that is well-kept, fancy touches, but not overly “Ritz-y” - this is your place. We just loved it!!! And with every passing day, we found more and more to appreciate about the resort. The staff was incredible. We felt so, so cared for at every turn. Of course, you got to know/recognize the bartenders and entertainment staff, and that adds a fun element also. The entertainment was so fun! Poolside trivia, pool volleyball games (we loved them!), nightly entertainment and shows all were a big part of the things we enjoyed. We met other guests during the daily pool volleyball games which just makes the vacation that much more fun as you see them all over the resort throughout the week. My 13 year old made 2 friends her age and they hung out all week! Kaylee was probably my favorite of the entertainment staff. What I loved about her is that during nightly entertainment she was in charge of the dance floor and keeping guests engaged. She has some awesome moves and it was fun to watch her when she cut loose with the other staff, but when she’d pull someone out on the dance floor she had this wonderful ability to make you feel comfortable – she would do a simple dance move that the guest could easily imitate which gave people the confidence to get out on the dance floor and enjoy themselves. We enjoyed musicians in the lobby at different times, Caribbean night with flame swallowers, dancers, stilt walkers, Tribute to the Stars Night, Country Night. Who knew country and western music is the island favorite??!!! Country Music to St. Lucia is like reggae to Jamaica they said. We loved the country music “family band.” They were incredible musicians. We missed the Carnival on Friday sadly. Our favorite thing about this resort is that they are well equipped for the number of people that were there. It was full, but we never waited for a meal, a hammock, a drink, a beach chair, a poolside chair --- it was a very easy week with the need to make zero decisions outside of which fruity cocktail you would like to drink. Everything was easily accessible and there was plenty of seating, staff, drinks, food for all. No need to get to the pool early to “save seats” and that alone was lovely. Oh, and the two waterslides were SO MUCH FUN! Tips: Tipping is appreciated. We took a heap of $5 bills to use as tips throughout our stay. It was so fun to have cash in our pocket to tip at airports, transfers, excursions, bartenders, servers, “the guys” on the beach, anyone we saw working with a smile. Food & Beverage: I can’t say enough about the food and beverage. There are plenty of bars and each bar has it’s own specialty menu. The buffet was delicious – especially breakfast. I love an omelet station and there was also a French toast station! There was also a bloody mary/mimosa bar in the mornings. I was so full from breakfast I never ate lunch, but my family loved lunches poolside. Also, that poolside grill is open until 1 a.m. for late night snacking. Be sure to make reservations at the nice restaurants immediately after check-in. Calabash, Silk & Trattatoria were INCREDIBLE. So fancy and sooooooo yummy. We ate Calabash twice, in fact! The fancy restaurants offer appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts and signature beverages in addition to beer and wine if preferred. One of my favorite beverage stations was a nice coffee station in the lobby always stocked with hot coffee. If you go hungry at this resort, that’s on you! Animal Rescue: Don’t miss the small animal rescue on property. There are goats, puppies, sheep, donkeys, ducks, chickens. You just walk in and enjoy the animals. The all are “free range” to come and go in the property as they wish. The only way we found out about it is because my husband saw donkeys in the courtyard randomly one morning so we asked questions. There is also a resort dog named Lucy and two cats at the surf shack. Beach: The beach immediately outside of the resort is not useable. Ocean and seaweed come right up to the pool decking. It took us a day to realize that there was a mile of beach to the left of the resort. There was still a good bit of seaweed -- it's removed daily with a tractor - but it was still there. Coconut Bay is on the Atlantic side (not Caribbean side) so you will NOT have the beautiful clear water you picture when you think of St Lucia. That gorgeous water is on the western and especially Northern side of the island. However, we did enjoy the free kayaks and snorkels. You have to walk down to the far end of the beach property to the surf shack but the kayaking was worth it. So fun and GORGEOUS with the green mountains as the backdrop. My husband snorkled there too and found reefs all in that area. It was also cool seeing the beautiful sea grass on the bottom of the ocean. Granted, that's part of the reason the water isn't crystal clear - but once we saw the view below the water we found ourselves appreciating the water a bit more. You can rent beach cabanas (adults only, I think.) They looked cool, but we wouldn't have been interested even if our girls weren't with us. We like to be in the water & sand. Our favorite was the beach bar --- it was an awesome tiki hut -- full of color, great drinks, and sandy feet. It was everything a beach bar should be. We could have sat there all afternoon, every afternoon. It was also a great place to watch a storm blow through and wait on the sunshine. Also, the beach bar has 4 hammocks over the sea. They were lovely. **Note: There are a handful of guys on the beach immediately outside the pool decking that will call to you and sell bracelets, wares and excursions. At first it made me uncomfortable – being that I had two teenage daughters with me, but then my husband began to talk to them and made connections. Two things came of this – he enjoyed getting to know them and their back story and coincidently they realized we were with him, and they quit calling to us girls. We didn’t use them for excursions, but the hotel staff told us that Captain Jack Sparrow and Jowell are “good dudes” with good tours. In the end, before we left, my husband actually went to the beach specifically to say goodbye to “his guys” as he called them. Raymond, Jowell, Captain Jack Sparrow were there names. He recommends taking a moment to make a connection off of the resort – it was one of this favorite parts. Excursions: We booked the Land and Sea excursion on our own with Edmond. He was wonderful and we enjoyed the ride through the island as much as we did the snorkeling. He was easy to talk to and quite nice. We went into the fishing village of Laborie and that was an extra treat to drive through the streets of that village. I don’t think that is part of the tour. We just did it because we were picking up two other guests there, but it’s worth asking to drive through – just to see how locals live. We then snorkeled at Sugar Beach right smack between the Pitons which was cool. The reef is grey and dull, but the fish we saw were vivid and electric colored. We even saw a yellow polka dotted eel and a parrot fish. Water shoes are not necessary, but might be helpful to sensitive feet as you walk on rocks to get into the water. He also brings a cooler of beer and rum punch – yummy. I’d definitely recommend Edmond for tours. We had considered taking a cab to Sugar Beach on our own to snorkel, but after we saw it we didn’t think it was worth going back to even though we enjoyed the experience. Our bottom fishing was booked with the hotel team and I think they were called Mystic Man. It was just the 4 of us on the boat and we caught 3 small reef fish that were pretty (squirrel fish, parrot fish, and a pretty dotted grouper.) Overall, the fishing was slow, but the view on that boat between the Pitons with the cool breeze and my family was spectacular. I could have fished all day long just enjoying the view. Weather: We went in July which is the rainy season. Expect pop up showers/storms, but they pass as quickly as they come. It was not an issue except for the very first arrival day - we were SUPER bummed to find a very stormy & rainy afternoon, but after that the storms blew in & out so quickly. Remember to take: BUG SPRAY The bugs were terrible. I was not bitten once but my older daughter literally has upwards of 50-60 bites on her. My kids bathed in the Deet bug spray we bought for $18 in the resort shop. We first got the "healthier" bug spray and it didn't provide any protection. Deep Woods Off is the way to go. Read less

Beautiful resort with endless accommodations. The buffet was high end and most of the restaurants were very good. Excellent gym for those who like to lift while on vacation. The beach was beautiful especially if you walk down the beach. Harmony side was great to escape the fun the kids are having. Only gripe I could come up with is the rooms are slightly dated. Tv hard to see from couch and the shower is small. However, had a beautiful ocean view, great cleaning staff, and a comfy bed. Shoutout to Kerry and Claude for the excellent drinks and the whole coconut bay team for truly taking care of their guest Read less

Really enjoyed my week at Coconut Bay! I went on a solo retreat as a young woman and felt very safe, encouraged, and refreshed by my time there. I really enjoyed meeting all the staff, especially Shekinah at the Veranda breakfast, and Jev the housekeeper, who would write really kind notes of encouragement in the room. My one sad point was how hard the King bed was, I hope they might be able to offer more cushioning for it. Would recommend for a happy, fun vacation time! Read less