BodyHoliday St. Lucia

My wife and I recently returned from a one week stay at BodyHoliday to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. What we hoped would be a relaxing trip turned into a stressful vacation that the both of us regretted having ever taken. Most of the issues we had have been well documented in other reviews and could be put into two categories: (i) poorly maintained facilities/room; and (ii) service related issues with both the pre-arrival and onsite concierge teams. Poorly Maintained Facilities Although the resort touts itself as a five star destination, in reality it is three stars at best. The overall condition and quality of our room was poor. The furniture was cheap and worn (although the bed was very comfortable), there was paint on the floor and furniture from a clearly rushed paint job, and part of our balcony door wouldn’t close resulting in small ant like bugs entering into our room. In addition, as other reviewers have mentioned, our shower contained an obvious defect that resulted in a large amount of dirty water constantly running out of it and onto the floor of the bathroom. This required that multiple full body towels be placed next to the shower door for each shower to soak up the water. The air conditioning system was also a problem. It either blasted cold air or didn’t work at all, and the thermostat seemed to have no effect. As a result of these issues we never felt relaxed and comfortable while in our room. The lack of maintenance could also be seen throughout the resort including all the equipment used for the activities being in poor condition (e.g. tennis racquets with worn grips and strings, archery gloves with holes in them, etc.). Service Related Issues Our dealings with the concierge team, especially the pre-arrival group, were extremely frustrating and looking back should have been the first sign to just cancel the trip. Although the resort encourages its guests to book spa treatments, excursions, and some restaurant reservations in advance using its “webroom” online portal, it never works (again, something many reviewers have stated). We therefore had to e-mail the pre-arrival concierge team directly with our requested reservations, who just could not get it right. For example, it took over five emails just to book three simple spa treatments, with each confirmation we received containing multiple errors such as incorrect treatments and dates. This back-and-forth went on right up until the night before our departure which left us feeling stressed instead of relaxed. We also had issues with the onsite concierge which seemed to be more related to them being understaffed and overworked. Simply put, they forget to do what they promise requiring multiple visits or calls to them. Other service related issues worth mentioning included: (i) finding the door to our room wide open in the evening after housekeeping had gone in (it took a day and a half to get an answer as to who was in the room); (ii) one of the restaurants running out of food during their touted Sunday roast before we even got there (we ended up eating little scoops of whatever dried out vegetables they had left); and (iii) having to hold up our taxi on departure for nearly 15 minutes because they forgot to get our bags. Non-Disclosed Construction As bad as all the above is, the most egregious and unforgiving issue in my opinion was the resort knowingly placing us in a room that was just above a large block of rooms undergoing renovations. Although the renovations were minimal at first (e.g. painting), each day it got progressively worse to the point where we were walking past people in full protective gear who were doing demolition work to some rooms. The resort didn’t even take the time to clean the pathways leading to our room resulting in us having to walk through sheetrock and construction dust every day. All of our shoes needed to be washed down when we got back. Overall Bad Experience The sign of a good vacation is when you are upset you have to leave. This was not the case for my wife and I who just wanted to go home by the end of our third night. The resort promises if you give them your body for the week, they will give you back your mind. Unfortunately, instead of giving back my mind they took my sanity. The only real positive experience we had was in our dealings with all the other staff at the resort who were extremely friendly and helpful. Whether it was housekeeping, the Bodyguards, beach attendants, or most of the food staff, everyone went out of their way to make you feel welcome. It is the only reason I gave the resort three stars instead of two.

Truly magical!! The spa, the food, the service were all exceptional! The beach is lovely and the beach attendants make sure you are comfortable and every need is met. Lovely people all round!

AMAZING! This property is truly a hidden gem. I’m so happy I chose it for a last-minute solo trip to reset my mind and body. The grounds are immaculate, the rooms are very comfortable, the beach is gorgeous, and the food selection is excellent with plenty of variety. You can take advantage of the wide array of fitness and wellness activities or simply relax by the pool or beach. The staff are EXCEPTIONAL! Every interaction was pleasant and professional. Special thanks to the incredible concierge team (and for the shirt, Harvey!), Natoya at the Spa (magic hands), Deleon and Dwayne on the beach (always helpful with great vibes), Kieahson for the scuba lesson (try if you’ve never done it), and Liz (Elizabeth) at the restaurant, who was so accommodating and generous. I met many repeat guests during my stay, and now I understand why, they’ve fallen in love with BodyHoliday. My only regret is that my stay wasn’t longer, but that just gives me all the more reason to return. There are so many activities I still want to try next time. Don’t miss the Friday sunset cruise and BBQ!

Absolutely, Carol — here’s a more personal and heartfelt version of your 5-star review for The BodyHoliday in Saint Lucia: --- 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Soul-Nourishing Retreat I’ll Never Forget I didn’t just visit The BodyHoliday—I felt it. From the moment I stepped onto the property, something shifted. The warm Caribbean breeze, the gentle hush of the waves, and the genuine smiles from the staff made me feel like I’d arrived somewhere idyllic I came hoping to recharge, but I left transformed. The spa treatments were amazing and left us feeling refreshed. Plenty of activities for everyone whether you want to join in or just relax and watch. Staff were incredible which should be recognised by management. On the water sports Peterson who was a character was very patient with us and provided us with guidance using the water sports. Torell, a very talented young man who engaged with everyone during the activities, in particular in the piano bar during the evenings where he sang to an audience who were in awe of him and joined in. Personally, I feel that he should be employed as a singer in the bar to accompany Alfred the pianist during the evenings.. all of the staff in the restaurants worked hard and were welcoming and pleasant The food was fresh, flavorful, and nourishing Words cannot describe this holiday you need to experience the body holiday resort ---

This was, by far, my best vacation ever. I was looking for an all-inclusive resort where I could do some sporting activities and relax and be pampered at the same time. Because of my family situation, I could only travel in August. My travel agent recommended the BodyHoliday because of the beautiful setting and the daily massage included in the cost of the resort. Everything felt just right on this superb island: the venue itself (turquoise waters), very private beach, the food, the very friendly staff, and the activities. The only (slight) negative is the room itself, which was not exactly luxurious but very adequate. I would call this resort a 4.5 star, with 5 star with an update to the rooms. The wellness centre is 5 star; very professional staff and certified massage therapists. I had additional massage therapy (extra) and my thanks to Albertha and Georgia (reflexology). The Wellness Centre also has a clinic for facials and the like. My thanks to Samson for a great facial treatment experience. Frederika managed my massage/wellness bookings throughout the week, and she was just awesome. She made my stay ever more enjoyable. I did the hike up the Gros Piton Mountain and I don’t think I could have made it up without the encouragement of my guide Marlon. The drive there and back with another guest was one of the most enjoyable parts of the stay. I also did scuba activities: refresher, shore dive and scuba trip to Soufrière. All very enjoyable thanks to the BodyHoliday personnel. Shoutout to Captain Dee. Please note that the airport is at the other end of the island. You should expect the drive to the resort to take 1.5 to 2 hours depending on time of day. As I was coming from Ottawa (Canada) with a connecting flight to Toronto, this makes for long travel days. But the 6 days in between were a slice of heaven. Whether you are going solo or in a couple, I highly recommend this resort and the island itself for the quality of the venue, the friendliness of the staff and the islanders, and the gorgeous views anywhere on the island. As a last point, because I went in August, please note that St. Lucia is outside of hurricane alley. As I left, hurricane Erin was barreling down towards Porto Rico and beyond. St. Lucia barely got any rain. I will be back next year for sure.