In February, we traveled to St. Lucia - our first trip to the Caribbean together. We spent our first four nights at the Royal by Rex hotel in Rodney Bay Village. When we first arrived at the hotel, we were impressed by its open air lobby with marble floors, arched ceilings and lovely floral arrangement. As we checked in, we were handed a rum punch drink so strong that it was barely drinkable - but a nice touch nonetheless.
Our room was spacious with separate sleeping and living areas and - our favorite part - a large balcony overlooking the pool, the ocean, and the mountains. As far as we could tell, every room in this hotel has an oceanfront view, so you can't go wrong. Translation: book the cheapest room. Although don't expect a free upgrade - there's no such thing on St. Lucia, even when the best rooms are vacant. The room's decor was tropical/beachy and somewhat outdated. Our favorite feature of the room was the shower with side jets - a unique feature that we've never seen before. The bathroom itself was fairly large with double sinks.
The hotel is situated right on Reduit Beach - the nicest beach on St. Lucia (according to just about anybody you ask). There's no walk at all to the beach - it's right next to the pool. While the water isn't the same turquoise blue you find in other parts of the Caribbean or Bahamas and the sand wasn't powdery white, the beach is still fantastic. The water is a pretty blue and the perfect temperature for swimming, and the beach is wide, sandy (no rocks at all), and gently slopes into the ocean. Plus, you've got amazing scenery with the hills, the lush vegetation, and views of Pigeon Island. The thatched umbrellas on the beach are great for protection from the hot sun, and the lounge chairs are comfortable. There's supposed to be beach-side service, but don't count on getting your food or beverage quickly.
The pool isn't enormous, but it's not as small as described in some reviews. It's a nicely curved lagoon with a rock waterfall in the middle and a fun swim-up bar. However, we hardly used the pool at all because the beach was so fabulous and easily accessible. The fitness center is located in the spa and is somewhat cramped with limited equipment, but the steam room, sauna and whirlpool are great.
The staff at the hotel was friendly but a little disorganized (i.e. they scheduled a manager's cocktail reception and then moved it to a different night without informing guests). The bartenders at both the pool bar and Mistral were very entertaining - and not shy about mixing up strong drinks. If you go there, keep an eye out for our buddies, Troy and Vern!
One of the best parts about the Royal by Rex is it's location. A diverse range of dining spots -- including an Indian and Chinese restaurant -- are located right across the street, and there's a convenience store around the corner that's great for picking up assorted sundries at affordable prices. Plus, the hotel is less than a five-minute walk from the heart of Rodney Bay village, where you have your choice of about a dozen restaurants, many of which are located right on the bay, as well as several bars and nightclubs. Our favorite restaurant in the area is The Edge. Overall, this was a really nice hotel in a great location, and we had trouble finding a lot of faults with it, especially when the price was much more affordable than many of the hotels in the Caribbean.
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