TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

After hearing a glowing review from a friend last year, The BodyHoliday in St. Lucia had been quietly sitting on my radar. I wasn’t obsessing, but it stayed in the back of my mind. The kind of place you half-plan to visit when life gives you the right excuse. So when the opportunity finally came up, I booked it with a friend. And honestly? It exceeded every expectation. From the moment we stepped out of the taxi, the warmth was immediate. Not just friendly, but genuine. That feeling didn’t fade. The service throughout was exceptional, but not in a showy way. Just thoughtful. Natural. Like everyone actually wanted to be there, helping you enjoy your stay. One of the biggest highlights was the daily spa treatment. A completely underrated luxury until you’ve tried it. It set the tone for the whole retreat. Relaxation wasn’t something you had to plan or hope for. It just happened. Sharon and Cecilia, if you ever read this: thank you. Your massages were something else. Calming, grounding, unforgettable. We spent a lot of time down at the watersports centre too. Learning to sail with Dwight and Andre, who somehow made it all feel easy. Even when we were total beginners. And then came the tubing. Let’s just say there was a lot of screaming-laughing. The kind where your face aches afterwards. And the Bodyguards. What a team. These aren’t your average instructors. They're experts, yes, but they also know how to make each session feel approachable, even fun. From our very first morning walk with CJ and Pauline to a sweaty final class with Dino, we felt in good hands. A special nod to Cali for yoga and Edwin for tai chi. Both classes I didn’t expect to love, but did. There were plenty of others too whose names I missed, but honestly, every session left us feeling better than when we walked in. Oh, and the beach? It’s not even fair. Calm, warm waters. Soft sand. Just enough space to stretch out or stay active. No loud music, no crowds. Just balance. Food-wise, the options were spot on. Healthy when you wanted it to be. Indulgent when you didn’t. We never went hungry. Let’s put it that way. All in all, The BodyHoliday isn’t just a holiday. It’s a proper reset. For your body, yes, but also for your mind and whatever else might need softening around the edges. We’re already talking about when we can go back. Which probably says it all. Thank you for everything. Truly.

We have just come back from a fantastic holiday, this was our twentieth time that we visited this resort, it is a unique place with a unique atmosphere that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. We are frequent travellers but this one hotel we put into our calendar for a return visit. Why is it special? The staff and the management go out of their way to ensure you have a great holiday, the food is always varied and of a high standard, the spa is probably one of the best I have been to and always continues to uphold a high standard. There is a range of activities to suit all capabilities and ages. There is a water sports are very comprehensive and well run. If you are looking for a place to make friends and chill out this is certainly the place for you. We are looking forward to going back and seeing another sunset.

The most relaxing experience I’ve had in the Caribbean to date! My husband and I were huge fans of BodyHoliday. At most beach resorts, you just sit around. But there was so much to do here, we cancelled all our activities we had scheduled off-resort and just hung out! The combination of relaxing on the beach, exercising, and massages daily left us feeling so recharged. Our massages everyday were divine (we had the Sizzler Massage, Serenity Massage, and the Coconut & Spice - my personal favorite!). My favorite part was the variety of activities offered. We tried archery, sailing, tubing, Pilates, yoga, beach volleyball, Tai Chi, and wakeboarding. The reef side deck where they hosted yoga, Pilates, and Tai chi was so serene and gorgeous. You immediately felt relaxed. The quality of the classes and instructors was also great! A personal favorite was archery, since we hadn’t tried it before. The first time we went, the class was a little crowded so we only got to shoot a few arrows each, but the second day there were only 5 students including us so we got to practice more advanced techniques like cross shooting. Yoga, Pilates, and Tai chi only had a few students in the class, so you had plenty of room to spread out. It was also relatively quick and easy to access the water sports. In terms of the food, we were pretty impressed with the dinner overall. My favorite was Cariblue Windows, but we also enjoyed Tao (although it was a little more hit or miss at Tao). The lunches were a little underwhelming to be honest, except for a delicious quinoa crusted fish served at the buffet. The breakfast was pretty good, including an omelette station, but nothing to write home about. We went in May, and it was delightfully uncrowded! At another resort we went to in Aruba, you had to wake up at 7am to reserve a beach chair, but we had the opposite experience here. About 2/3 of the chairs were empty, which meant we had plenty of options for where to sit. There were great umbrellas for shade, and we enjoyed the beachside service! The staff overall were lovely. At Tao, the entire staff sang happy birthday to me (it was such a unique song too I really enjoyed it!). Often the staff was very friendly. I wanted to highlight a lovely experience I had in the gift shop on 5/28. I had asked about the East Caribbean Dollar and what countries use it, and the lovely lady at the gift shop offered to give me $5 out of her own purse as a souvenir! She was so thoughtful! I do have a major critique about the resort. First, the portal was a stressful experience. They recommend reserving your massages 2 weeks in advance, but there was only the option to schedule massages for 1 person in the portal, even though there were 2 of us in the room. They were also incredibly slow to respond to my emails, and they messed up a few key details. For example, they got the airport transfer time wrong, even though I sent them my flight details twice. It’s lucky that I asked them for our full schedule in advance otherwise I wouldn’t have known and we would have been stranded! They also kept switching around a few of our massage times without mentioning it to us. Lastly, we reserved a hobie cat sailing lesson, but when we showed up to the water sports station, they said they never check the portal and didn’t have anyone available to teach! We only had to wait a short while for our lesson, but it was annoying feeling like we had to schedule stuff in advance, and then having it be such an arduous experience. That being said, once we arrived onsite, everything went very well. Some advice - the drive to the resort (and the grand majority of other resorts in St Lucia) is 2 hours from the airport. The roads are very windy and hilly, and both my husband and I, who are usually very good in cars, boats, etc, felt a little carsick afterwards. I would recommend either bringing medication, or trying the boat or helicopter as a method of transportation if you’re prone to carsickness. By the end of the trip, we wished we had tacked on a few more nights. We highly recommend!

The Body Holiday was such a special place. It feels like home from home. The staff make you feel so comfortable. My mum has blood cancer and they all cared so much for my mum and checked in on her daily and all day to see she is ok. They were so kind, happy and welcoming. The resort had all the activities you can think of, something for everyone. It was such a lovely place to stay and I wish we stayed longer. We loved it and can't wait to come back again. Thank you so much Body Holiday you made our trip one to remember.

Review of Body Holday St. Lucia Pre-Arrival Body Holiday is a very service-oriented facility. We were able to book car service from the airport (about a 90-minute drive) and back weeks prior to our arrival. The operators set everything up and it went without a hitch. They are also able to answer most questions you might have. The website encourages you to register for the webroom to book spa treatments prior to arrival. This was one of the small negatives we encountered. There seem to be a lot of issues surrounding the web services. I was able to book my treatments, but we had issue with booking them for my wife. Fortunately, the pre-arrival phone folks were willing to take an email with schedule requests and book most of them for her. While you can book at the Spa directly, be aware that you may have to choose “off hours” times for treatments. Late afternoons are very popular. It is also very important to note that only Spa treatments, excursions, and a few restaurants require appointments. Activities like pool and beach volleyball are just show up… no reservation needed. Also, the resort should spend a bit more time on reviewing the content of the website. For example, the website clearly states that men are expected to wear long pants and close toed shoes to dinner. This is not enforced, and we ended up packing unnecessary clothing as a result. I would hope that this is clarified in the future. Reception When we arrived at the gate, several staff members were present to welcome us with cold cloths and a refreshment. They were all very genuine and gracious in their welcoming. Your bags will be taken from the car directly to your room by resort personnel while you check in with the concierge staff. These folks are very knowledgeable and helpful. They are available 24/7 for issues, help with reservations, directions and just about anything else you can think of. Don’t be afraid to ask. They will escort you to your room to make sure everything is satisfactory and make sure you know how everything works. I highly recommend the Welcome Tour. It’s a great way to find everything and understand how things work. Wear comfortable walking shoes…there is a lot of walking and hills! Room We booked a Grand Oceanfront Junior Suite. We were not disappointed. The room was large and functional and nicely decorated. The deck fronted to the right of the beach overlooking most of the resort, as well as the jetty. We loved the view and the sound of the water. The room includes a safe, basic toiletries (bodywash, shampoo, conditioner and lotion). The shower and toilet were individually glassed-in with a double vanity just outside. The king bed was extremely comfortable and you can pick the kind of pillow you want. Tea and cookies were provided each evening. Yonna, our housekeeper quickly picked up our room preferences and adapted to them quickly. She was very pleasant and helpful. There is a loaded refrigerator with soda, beer, a bottle of wine and a bottle of sparkling wine included. We were able to customize the mix as we don’t use all of these. In a bit of an interesting turn, you are free to use any of all of what’s in the refrigerator at no additional cost, but if you need to replace any of it, there is a charge. There is WiFi in the room. There is no TV (which is a good thing). Restaurants You can preview the menus at the various restaurants on the tablet in your room. It is important to note that all restaurants are basically open air, with the exception of Cariblue Windows. Cariblue Cariblue has an unbelievable breakfast buffet every morning. Made to order eggs, Caribbean staples, breakfast meats, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, cold cuts, the best mini chocolate croissants, pastries, fruits, and fruit juices. Gluten free and vegan options are available as well. A French press of coffee is available, as well as individually made coffee and tea drinks. Chef Popo and the other chefs were prompt and very accommodating in all of our interactions. Lunch at Cariblue is also a buffet that varies each day (Caribbean, Italian, International, etc.). Food is well prepared and there is a great variety. They make their own ice cream and sorbet which is available daily as well. Dinner here varies. Some nights it is ala carte and others it is a buffet. Regardless of the setup, the food is very good. Plantation Grill This restaurant serves a tea everyday from 4:00 to 6:00. There is also an ice cream wagon available at this time too. Lunch consists of soups, pizzas, sandwiches. The menu can be found on the chalkboards outside the grill. Dinner is ala carte some nights and others a buffet is provided. Again, the food is very good. Tao Tao is the premier restaurant on the facility. Reservations are needed. The food is excellent and beautifully prepared. This is a must do at least once. Most dishes are included, but some may have an extra cost. Cariblue Windows We did not have dinner here. It is a wine pairing menu and there is an extra cost. Reservations are needed and there are not very many tables in the restaurant. Wellness Café Smoothies, healthy foods, and a casual ambience. The early continental breakfast is served here. Activities There are many activities available. Pool and beach volleyball, tubing, water skiing, snorkeling, fitness activities, you name it. You can participate in as many or as few as you wish. Beach The beach is not terribly large, but it is very pretty. There are plenty of chairs and NO NEED to reserve them (at least in the April/May window. Simply go to the towel stand and a “Lifeguard” will accompany you to your chairs and put towels on them for you. If you are hungry or thirsty, there are flags near the seats. Simply raise it and someone will take your order. Same procedure and situation at the pools. There are beach volleyball games daily. Pools There are 2 main pools. The “quiet pool” for readers and sun tanners also has a hot tub. The Infinity Pool is much livelier and hosts pool volleyball and AquaFit classes. There is an additional pool up at the Spa that can be used by anyone as well. Darren, Dino, and Paulyn were awesome group leaders and fun to be with. Spa The Spa is awesome. It is also located at the top of a steep hill. There are 2 sets of steps up, but if this proves too much the concierge can arrange for a complimentary cab to take you there. Simon (one of the drivers) is a very nice, polite man and fun to be with and all the drivers were courteous. You get one free treatment from a menu each day. The massages were excellent. Frederica, Shalia, Tessa, Kiane, and crew help make your day even better than you thought it would be. Staff This resort has an outstanding staff in every area of the resort from maintenance to upper management! They are so very welcoming and helpful, even working hard to remember your name. Special thanks to: Katrina, Septima, Paulyn, Shai, Jai, Jude, Jelani, Elizabeth, Felicia and Dexter all went out of their way to make us comfortable and feel like family. Excursions We took 2 excursions (extra charge), the Snorkeling Trip to the Pitons and the Whale and Dolphin tour. The Snorkeling tour, led by the excellent Melissa was excellent as we got to investigate 2 separate reefs. Unfortunately, the whales and dolphins were “out of town” and we didn’t see any, but we had a great boat ride with the friendly staff. We did see many flying fish that day (one of my favorites). Kudos also so Captain Smalls and first mate Runny on both trips. Tipping Tipping individually is not encouraged. Instead, there is a tip box at the concierge office where you can put in what you think would be an acceptable tip, or alternatively you can have a tip added to your bill. The resort then takes those tips and distributes to all employees except upper management ensuring that even areas that are not typically tipped (maintenance for example) are encouraged to good service and have an equal share in the results. To sum it up, Body Holiday is amazing. We heard stories from staff of folks who have returned 15, 30, even more than 60 times and it is easy to see why. We highly recommend this resort.