VIBE As the plane landed in St Lucia , the pilot said: “Welcome to paradise,” which is spot-on for anyone staying at the Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa on the mile-long Anse de Sables Beach , on the island’s south coast. The VIP experience begins as soon as you touch down with reps meeting hotel guests at the airport. Five-star, all-inclusive, and set within 85 acres, this resort really is the land of plenty with every base covered for however you like to holiday.
There’s the adults-only oasis “Harmony” with its chilled cabana day beds, palm-fringed pool bar and luxury spa. “Splash” is a fun and welcoming family-friendly setting featuring St Lucia’s biggest water park, CocoLand kids’ club and mini zip wire. Plus with eight restaurants, seven bars, cocktail parties, rooftop discos and lavish entertainment, you can indulge on every level.
STYLE The spectacular ocean views are what really set Coconut Bay apart with all 250 rooms and suites facing the Atlantic. While sounds of the sea fill the rooms, the decor is just as invigorating, with bright blues, lime greens and dazzling whites making feature walls and soft furnishings pop with colour. Upgrade to a junior suite and you’ll get a sleek king four-poster bed and sitting area with a loveseat.
Adults-only and family-friendly premium rooms include private fast check-in, personalised bar, nightly turndown and dedicated concierge services. Meanwhile “Serenity” is a self-contained couples resort within Coconut Bay. The 36 suites look out on to private plunge pools and decks where outdoor showers, coconut palms and hammocks for two offer the perfect setting to enjoy island life.
The resort is currently in the process of a complete overhaul of the rooms in a two-year project that will finish in 2025. FOOD AND DRINK The fun begins at breakfast in Coconut Walk, the hotel’s main restaurant, with made-to-order food stations including smoothies and French toast. Calabash cooks up Caribbean and Latin-infused flavours for dinner and adults-only breakfast with a sea view.
Further dinner options include the Italian restaurant Trattoria, Asian-inspired Silk, alfresco dining at Veranda and La Luna, an oceanfront dining area for private dinners. The Greathouse at Serenity is a sleek adults-only, fine-dining venue. Do order the catch of the day as each restaurant puts its own unique spin on fresh locally caught fish.
If you get peckish during the day, head for The Jerk Treehouse. The resort upgraded it from a small hut as lines for the jerk chicken, pork and fish would snake around the pool at lunchtime. Flip Flops, meanwhile, offers made-to-order pizzas and burgers during the day and at night for those who fancy a bite after enjoying a cocktail at one of the resort’s seven bars, which serve premium brand spirits, wines, beer, juices and soft drinks.
Each bar mixes its own signature cocktail. Try them all and you’ll soon discover a new favourite. SPA Treat yourself to a relaxing full-body massage in an outdoor oceanfront cabana.
Nothing says luxury like a spa treatment as you listen to nature’s most peaceful sounds. There are also saunas, steam rooms, a relaxation area, a salon and even a children’s spa menu. Therapies use a variety of local ingredients such as St Lucian cocoa, the calabash fruit from the national tree and Coconut Bay’s very own spiced coconut milk body lotion.
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The resort even has its own petting zoo. For night-time entertainment, there are two themed evenings a week with live performances and a barbecue. The Caribbean night, with its flamboyant carnival, fire breathers and stilt walkers, is extraordinarily dazzling.
Or go in October when the resort hosts a Rum and Rhythms Festival showcasing Caribbean artists, themed dinners and special spa treatments. A DAY OUT The Catamaran Sea and Land Adventure is the ideal way to take in St Lucia’s most famous sites. It includes time for snorkelling, views of volcanic spires the Pitons, a tour of the drive-in Soufriere volcano and Toraille waterfall, as well as a mud bath at Sulphur Springs.
Lunch at a local restaurant is also included and features local produce and specialities such as breadfruit, plantain and banana cake. The tour is led by a friendly guide who shares the island’s fascinating history while pointing out all the lovely little goings-on around you, the highlight being the hummingbirds who are busy pollinating plants. Book the holiday Fly from Heathrow to St Lucia with Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.
virginatlantic.com ba.com Rooms at the Coconut Bay Resort & Spa in St Lucia start at £527 a night on all-inclusive in high season, and from £203 in low season.
cbayresort.com/specials-uk More info at stlucia.org.
