Bay Gardens Hotel reviews
1865 TripAdvisor reviews
Michael MacIntyre - Don't believe first impressions.
outdoorgirl2016 (Romsey, United Kingdom) on Mar 09, 2024
My friend and I booked this hotel 6 months prior to our departure date ,so monitored reviews with great trepidation. We were somewhat nervous about what to expect having read the reviews. On arrival , the Monday night managers drinks party was in full swing .It felt as though we had been parachuted into an episode of Michael Macintyre's Midnight Gameshow !!! The level of noise meant we sulked , chuntered and moaned about the place determined to change hotel by the morning, but our 20 hour travel day and mega tiredness contributed to a lot of those feelings. Fast forward 24 hours and I honestly cannot comprehend the complaints about this hotel. The rooms are a very good size with a huge bed, Netflix TV, if thats your thing , and a full size fridge. Air conditioning was very effective . Lots of comments about the rooms being dated but I can't agree . Mine was painted perfectly ,with lovely dark wood furniture and huge impressive bedside lamps. We were located around the pool area which can be a little noisy early evening, hence the shock when we first arrived , but it soon became apparant that the music is switched off quite promptly at 11pm. The rooms and the public areas were spotlessly clean , no complaints there. The grounds and gardens were beautiful and well maintained , the three small pools were beautifully warm and well equipped with sunbeds and parasols. All staff were very friendly, particularly reception and the cleaning staff .We used the taxi office out front for a day with a driver and car , and Jerry was fabulous taking us to off the beaten track fishing villages and other sights including a hike which although very hot was fabulous with great views of the pitons. Considering we were on a room only basis , this suited our needs far more than the Bay Gardens Beach Resort. A couple of supermarkets within a couple of minutes walk and plenty of restaurants also. I would also recommend a trip to the Marina , again using the shuttle service.Get off at the Marina Haven , walk across the road to the Marina and then get the shuttle back . Lots of choice of restaurants but I would recommend Elena's. Extensive menu , reasonably priced and very tasty. The first week we were there , there was quite a bit of traffic noise, particulary motorcycle noise , but it always quietened down by 9pm, but the second week it was much quieter . It didnt spoil our holiday at all. Would thoroughly recommend for a room only holiday. If you want a luxury , perfect hotel that could be anywhere in the world, then this hotel is not for you, but if you want a super clean, authentic Carribbean hotel then give it a go . First impressions are not always correct . Michael Macintyre was just a blip .
we loved it - dated but comfortable & friendly
mick b on Mar 06, 2024
Loved the hotel & loved & the island. This hotel is 30 years old, don`t think its been re-furbed in all that time, but it is clean & comfortable and in a central location. Its exactly what we expected after research prior to arriving. St Lucia is a small mountainous, green island with circuitous (some unmade) roads that pass directly through the small towns & villages so unless you are prepared to pay big you cannot get away from street noise. We thought it was exceptional value with safe & air-conditioning as standard so no extra cost - unheard of in Europe. Fridge freezer, kettle in our standard room & a King size bed. "Tami" our maid always smiling changed the bedding daily & re-stocked the tea/milk/coffee as well. Read comments about the showers but you do get the hang of the controls after some practice. Free hourly shuttle to the beach (the walk takes 10mins) & drops you off at the sister hotel where the sun loungers & canoes/some water sports etc are also complimentary. There are bars, restaurants, banks with ATMs in Rodney Bay which is a 2min walk. Never ate at the hotel so can`t comment. The Friday night street party in Gros Islet is a worth a visit, 15 US dollar taxi. Note there is no admission charge for this. Try the local green no. plate taxis the locals use which stop on the road outside the hotel @ 2 EC you can get to Castries the Islands capital for a visit. Book direct for any excursions, avoid the vendors on the beach & do not pay anything up front to them! Cat. trip to the extinct volcano in Soufriere is a worth a trip with stops at Anse Chastenet and Marigot Bay to see how the other half holiday. We paid £2k for 11 nights room only inc. serviced flights & transfers for a holiday in St Lucia. This is a luxury Caribbean Island without the luxury price tag. We were more than happy with our stay here & wouldn`t hesitate to recommend it.
REALLY Not for Us!
575alm (Portsmouth, United Kingdom) on Feb 27, 2024
Totally disappointed with this place. It was the first of 4 places we are staying Saint Lucia and whilst I accept it is only 3 stars, it’s just not very pleasant. The hotel is right next to the only main road through the north of the island and to say it is noisy is an understatement. All the motorbikes are loud here and the riders like to show it. Cars, Lorry’s and screaming motorbikes until well past 0200. We hardly slept the 3 nights we stayed. It was awful. We never used the pool area because it was tiny and cramped and the pool is more like a paddling pool. We only used the restaurant for breakfast which was really poor too. Not much of a selection and cereal served in plastic pots. I kept reminding myself it is only a 3-star hotel but even that didn’t make it any better. The rooms are spacious but tired and very dated. Bed was comfortable but not really a lot else to say. Sorry, a bit of a moaning review this time but this place really impacted our holiday and we almost jumped on a flight back to the UK early!
Hit and miss
Faziwazi (Swindon, United Kingdom) on Feb 18, 2024
Just spent two weeks here to celebrate husband’s birthday and imminent retirement. Found that the blurb about it on hotel website and Tour operator was a bit overstated. An average hotel that really does need a good refurb, although has lovely gardens. Staff generally nice and a few particularly helpful although one or two indifferent and one very rude! This was also the case at the beach club. (We found this to be the normal wherever we went on the island, either lovely friendly people or indifferent) We were room only basis and had a credit card tab which was set up first morning but the first couple of days we were constantly questioned about it. Bar staff saying they didn’t have it and having to keep checking at reception to confirm. I even had a call to my room asking us to come down and pay for a couple of beers which wasn’t great customer service. I sorted it at reception and it wasn’t an issue after that. Upon check out we settled bar bill with said card and then just as our airport transfer turned up they said they’d debited someone else’s card in error so had to go through the process again. Luckily it didn’t hold up the transfer but in my opinion more training needs to be done. I would say the hotel is fine as a base if you’re off out travelling the island and want basic accommodation. I’d suggest they put hotel info folder in rooms as most hotels do. St Lucia is a beautiful island and we did a land and sea trip which was great, Pigeon Island and the Friday night street party. I wouldn’t return as preferred Barbados where everybody really is friendly and the food is better.
Loved the Inn!
Sallyab28 (Saffron Walden, United Kingdom) on Feb 16, 2024
This is a great little low cost hotel which really offered a relaxing stay and the staff are so friendly, as well as the staff in the nearby Bay Gardens Hotel where we ate and drank. It is quiet even though we were near the main road to Castries. Yes the rooms aren’t super modern but very comfortable and well equipped. We had a deluxe room with microwave and were all inclusive. Preferred the pools at the Hotel as the bar was closer! Particularly loved the lunches which had “catch of the day” which included marlin and jack fish. Great base to visit St Lucia.