The Landings Resort and Spa, Saint Lucia
We travelled with British Airways, and I couldn’t fault them. We were able to pre book bulkhead seats together, which meant we had use of the baby cot and plenty of space. The crew were fabulous, really polite and helpful, the inflight entertain kept the children occupied and the food and drinks included were just enough to keep us all satisfied for 8 hours.
Arriving in St Lucia, we took a private transfer up to the North of the island. Reviews say it’s a bumpy and lengthy ride, but that was not our experience. Top tip is to arrive on a Sunday as the roads are much quieter and makes the journey much quicker.
The Landings Resort and Spa is in Rodney Bay, located on a beautiful beach that is perfect for children to play and swim and adults to sip cocktails! The accommodation is ideal for larger families as they are large villas. We were upgraded on arrival to a three-bedroom villa, which to be quite honest felt like it offered more space than at home! It overlooked the marina to the back and the beach to the front, with a balcony you could enjoy for both views. I loved looking at the yachts and the walk around the marina when it was lit up in the evenings. It had a kitchen and washing machine which really helped with having a baby with us.
We booked an all-inclusive rate, which meant the buffet serving hot and cold breakfast was in the beachfront restaurant, and at lunch we could eat at the a la carte in either the same restaurant, or another great restaurant on the beach. The coconut shrimps were amazing!! as was all the food. The evening meal was either served in the beach front restaurant and the children could choose from a kids menu at anytime and it had plenty of choices. Or there was an amazing a la carte that we ate at for a few nights but had a different menu to choose from each time. We loved that the all-inclusive drinks were of a high standard, the cocktails were well made, and the glasses were nice. (I don't think it's just me that hates having my drinks in a plastic cup?)
All the staff were so friendly and helpful, all genuinely kind people who wanted you to have a great time and do anything they could to make sure you did. We also loved that you could order from the a la carte menu and have your food delivered to your room, this made it really relaxing for us to sometimes just chill out and stay in the villa for the evening. Non-motorised sports were also included, so we enjoyed snorkelling, kayaking and paddle boarding, albeit needing a small non-emergency rescue from the rocks. Again the water sports staff were so helpful and good fun.
The nearby capital of Castries was worth a visit and is just 20 minutes from Rodney Bay. It’s well-known markets offer various exotic fruits and hand made crafts. There are numerous places to sample the local cuisine and enjoy a drink, and if you like walking, there are several nature trails located near Castries.
I would recommend The Landing Resort for families that don’t like the big all-inclusive hotels that have slides and a crazy number of restaurants and bars. The Landings offers gorgeous accommodation with plenty of space. The food and drinks are of a high standard, and you are really taken care of.
Our visit was in August, so not the most popular time to go given it can be rainy, but I certainly wouldn’t say the odd down pour affected us. I loved lying on a sun lounger on the balcony watching the rain and reading a book whilst it was still toasty warm. As quick as the rain came, the sun came straight back out. I definitely would like to go back again.