East Winds Saint Lucia

East Winds is all about authentic Caribbean hospitality - it isn’t forced - it is quiet and allows you time to breathe and remember it’s ok to live life at a slower pace occasionally.

Please don’t come here if you want loud, vibrant nightlife as you will be disappointed, do however expect a lovely dinner accompanied by good wine and gentle music (although our Friday night was definitely a little more lively, thanks to a fabulous DJ and other lovely guests).

The gardens are genuinely magnificent (make time for the super informative garden tour) and the generous terrace outside the deluxe cottages was worth that little extra in our opinion. My husband took the canoe out for hours (as usual). The beach is well maintained although small, and you can get to the Windjammer Landing beach across a slightly more rocky section.

As we were leaving, Sylvanus the head gardener, reminded me it’s never really goodbye, this is so true of East Winds, you really do take some of it home with you….whether that’s a new understanding of the medical power of plants, a straighter posture thanks to the extraordinary Nikita (Pilates) or simply the memory of being effortlessly well looked after.

Thanks to the whole team, we know there are many of you we never met behind the scenes who ensure we had a wonderful stay.

I am writing this review now that I have agreed compensation with the travel company. My experience of East Winds sadly did not match the majority of the reviews I read. I arrived expecting a glorious beach:the reality is a small stretch of beach bordered for much of it by a black sone wall, and I experienced rubble and earth moving works on the beach while I was there. I was told there had been a storm, and that led to stagnant water moving int he water channel, which created an unpleasant smell on the main beach. The snorkelling was limited due to poor water visibility, and be aware there’s no lifeguard. The extractor fan from the restaurant sends cooking smells straight out over the beach. The fitness track had not been maintained, and the running track for half the short distance runs between a wire fence and the cottages on a raised concrete parapet. Generally there’s a lot of cracked concrete, rusting or in work and out of use hammock poles. My cottage (nicely done) had a sunken shower, not into its own garden, but simply backed by a tangle of bushes. I could hear the people in the shower in the cottage next to me. I know a cockroach when I see one, and am not phased. I didn’t though appreciate being told that I could move it from my shower myself, and use the insect spray. I could go on, but will leave it at that. For the most part, the food is good - the dinner menu is dated in style, but well done. Lunch was rather more mass catering. Service was for the most part very good. Unavoidably as the restaurant is not enclosed, birds hop in essentially over serving utensils and the tables themselves elves ant breakfast. Evening cocktails, and the more lively entertainment was fun. I cannot describe this as a luxury hotel.

A late review but reflecting all the other well-earned reviews. We chose to return to East Winds in order to celebrate my wife's 'milestone' birthday which falls on New Years Eve. Having a Birthday then is always challenging in terms of organizing parties so instead we decided to 'disappear' to just enjoy ourselves in what we knew from our first visit is an amazing resort. It was fantastic: the hotel's environment is perfect, as everyone describes it is small and intimate with great facilities ( Joe and the beach guys assisting with my daily hobby cat sail is always a highlight ) with wonderful food and drink served in a manner SO much better than other all-inclusive resorts. For us the hotel environment is as good as it can be, but it is ALL the staff who really make the place. The smiles and laughter are clearly real. Being greeted by name each morning and being able to have real conversations with everyone makes such a difference, surrounded by what seem like genuinely happy people who clearly enjoy working at East Winds and are so happy to help us enjoy our time there in any way they can . Two examples stand out. New Years Eve was wonderful, lots of laughter with staff and guests having great fun, and the fuss that was made of my wife on her special day amidst the 'other' big party was something she so appreciated. We started off our specially laid-on birthday dinner in a private dining 'gazebo' but seeing the fun in the main dining room asked if we could move in there, with no fuss and lots of laughter we were whisked in and a new table set for us amidst the main party. Much champagne, dancing and fireworks on the beach made it a night to remember. The other example is a simpler but telling one. A housekeeper spotted that I was struggling to find something to read in the lounge bookshelf one afternoon. She took the time to come up and chat and suggested I had a look in another bookshelf located in another part of the resort. Seeing I could not quite follow her directions, she stopped what she was doing and happily 'walked me' there, with us chatting and laughing together as we walked. That was a 'little thing' but a really good example of the whole staff ethos. In so many other resorts the 'non-customer facing' staff remain in the background with 'heads down', at East Winds EVERYONE is happy to help, even if it means simply going out of their way to take the time to help a guest find a book..... Great job East Winds team and we WILL be back! Gary and Alison.