Coconut Bay Resort and Spa St. Lucia Review: The Perfect Mom Getaway

 

Every mom deserves her own volcano, waterfall, and luxury resort. At least for a few days. Also, making it happen shouldn’t require taking out a second mortgage. The all inclusive St. Lucia resort, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is how to do this all for Mom.

I know this because, as a mom to three boys, I recently visited this luxury resort that is also surprisingly affordable. I met my college gal pal there. She flew in from her home in Texas. She deserved this break, as much as I did, with two boys of her own. For a few days, there were no dishes, laundry, or playing referee while still juggling paying work. 

Here’s our full Coconut Bay Resort and Spa St. Lucia review and what we did on this tropical island. It’s a full guide on how to enjoy all three perks while taking a break from adulting.

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A Little About St. Lucia

St. Lucia is located in the Eastern Caribbean. It’s 21 miles south of Martinique and 26 miles north of St. Vincent. Like many of the Caribbean islands, volcanic activity created St. Lucia. The French were the first Europeans to successfully colonize St. Lucia, though the Dutch and British had previously tried. They named the island after St. Lucy of Syracuse. 

Regardless, the British tried to take it from the French, and they fought over the island for over 150 years until the British won out. Before that, in 200 AD, the Arawak Indians settled there and called it  “Louanalao,” meaning “Island of the Iguanas.” The Caribs peacefully assimilated into island life in 800 AD and renamed it “Hewanorra,” meaning “where the iguana is found.” Descendants of the Carib settlers still live in St. Lucia, and presumably, everyone gets along with the iguanas.

 

 

The Coconut Bay Resort and Spa St. Lucia Review Video!

Watch here first or after reading the complete guide.

 

Arriving In St. Lucia

Living on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii, or the Mexican Caribbean is our go-to tropical vacation. A six-hour flight for either is manageable for most families. But, when Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa invited me to bring a gal pal to experience the magic of St. Lucia, I didn’t blink at the 10-hour connecting flight from Los Angeles. After all, I would be traveling kid-free and am an expert at red-eyes. My only questions were when could we come and how long could we stay?

I landed well-rested and excited to meet my friend, Terri, who was scheduled to arrive a half hour after me from Texas. We seamlessly gathered our luggage after our squealing hellos and found our pre-arranged car service that took us to Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, about five minutes from the airport. The driver gave us coconuts with straws and little paper umbrellas as refreshing libations for the drive.

When we arrived, we received more welcome drinks. It’s important to stay hydrated.

 

 

Is It Safe To Travel To St. Lucia

As female travelers, we researched this question and found there were no advisories against traveling to St. Lucia.  In general, it is safe to travel around St. Lucia. Just use common sense, like anywhere else.

 

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Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa: The Basics

The property is divided into two inclusive resorts. The one for families is called Splash, and the other is an adults-only resort named Harmony. Set on 85 beachfront acres, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa has the island’s largest water park, Cocoland. They added this huge perk after the Jamaican owners bought it from Club Med in 2003 and converted it to Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in 2005. They immediately added sitting space to the rooms and started renovations. The resort closes every September for more updates.  

 

 

There are 250 air-conditioned rooms, five pools, a fitness center, tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts, and of course, a spa. A Kidz Klub has a colorful facility with an imaginative playground and dedicated counselors.

There is nightly entertainment and themed outdoor dinners on a lawn with a stage and the ocean. Guests can get into the spirit by dressing the part. There are also super fun group fitness classes, all of which we’ll get into more below.

 

 

Coconut Bay Rooms

All the rooms are located in two four-story buildings. The room categories are dependent on the level it’s on. The fourth floor in the Harmony section is reserved for couples with a king bed as the only sleeping option. The higher floors guarantee ocean views and balconies and come with more included services. There are also connected room options in the Splash section for larger families.

Our room, in the adults-only Harmony side of the resort, presented a gorgeous ocean view from our serene balcony on the third floor. A comfortable couch provided a place to chill or work. A mini-fridge, stocked with water, soft-drinks, and local beer offered instant refreshment. 

 

 

The rooms all have tile floors. I’m sure they’re easier to keep clean and don’t absorb germs like carpets do, but if you have sensitive feet like mine, we advise to bring slippers. Though, some room categories come with slippers and robes like ours. So, I just wore the slippers and was very cozy. 

 

Watch the full room reveal here:

 

Food At Coconut Bay Resort & Spa

After all that flying, we were hungry when we arrived at the resort. After checking in and depositing our luggage in our room, staff recommended their favorite go-to spot, the Jerk Treehouse.

With eight restaurants and seven bars, we had quite a selection from which to choose. Though some restaurants are only open for dinner and require reservations, so check the information pamphlet to know which restaurants and what they serve. Plus, some restaurants are adults-only, though I think the resort is pretty flexible with that rule.

 

 

The Coconut Walk Marketplace is a huge buffet with a few made-to-order items. Set in the middle of the lobby, it’s the easiest place to grab a quick bite. It was setting up for dinner when we arrived. 

 

 

The Jerk Treehouse was right off the beach and pool. The servers cooked chicken, sausage, pork, and fish with various island sides. We sat at a bistro table on one of the upper levels, circling the tree, and discussed how lucky we felt.

 

 

For snacks and lunches, we stopped at the casual Flip Flops, set between two large pools between the Harmony and Splash sections of the resort. Made-to-order fast food, we jockeyed in line with families waiting for pizzas, burgers, and fries. They had an incredible offering of gyro sandwiches and even veggies with hummus. I had them make the pita sandwich into a salad and the fries extra crispy. It was another exercise in balance. 

 

 

Themed Dinners & Show

Two nights per week, an elaborate show accompanies a themed outdoor dinner on the lawn between the Splash building and the ocean. Heaps of food spill over table upon rectangular table, carefully curated to reflect the cuisine of the theme. 

 

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Country & Western

The first night the resort orchestrated one of these theme nights felt a little funny because the theme was Country & Western, and we were like, what? Islanders wearing cowboy hats and boots and heehawing and line dancing? We came to get away from America, yet here it was being celebrated. But yes, they pulled it off. 

We sat at a round table of about 12 people with the same setup replicated as far as I could see throughout the lawn and a country band performing on stage. The band was surprisingly good and did a great job of getting the families really into it, line dancing and doing all the country moves, kids and adults.

 

Carnival

A few days later, the second themed night was a Caribbean-inspired Carnival with dancers who played with fire in the most hair-twisting way. Seriously, I was hoping not to be one of those statistics of resorts whose staff ends up in flames. But these performers were professionals, not staff like usually perform at resort shows. These island locals executed aerial stunts over flames, shot fire out their mouths, and twisted backward in pretzel-like formations to execute the most limber limbo under a pole of fire.

 

 

We jumped up to join the string of guests snaking their way through the tables and grass in a raucous congo line. Kids, grandparents, parents, moms without kids, we all had a great time.

 

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Things To Do At Coconut Bay Resort & Spa

The great thing about this resort is it really does provide activities for every type of vacationer. Though we didn’t take advantage as much as we could have, we saw plenty of adults in the swim-up bar enjoying the all-inclusive alcohol portion of their stay. There were adults hanging with their kids in the large Splash pool and families enjoying the Cocoland Waterpark.

 

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Fitness Activities

If I had to label our trip, I’d have to say it was a wellness-focused vacation. As moms who are always taking care of everyone else’s needs, we got to turn the spotlight on ourselves during this trip and not worry about scheduling us into our family’s activities.

 

 

Yoga

Both Terri and I love yoga in our real lives, and Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa has a gazebo where weddings are performed (limited to only one per day, unlike other resorts), and they also use it for fitness classes like the morning yoga we took with Vernon. 

Now, I’ve taken plenty of hotel yoga classes, and they are typically on the unremarkable side, but they’re good for a stretch after a 10-hour flight, so it was going to be good no matter what. I didn’t expect it to be GREAT, however, and it was definitely that. Vernon brought it to another level. Obviously, he is an athlete. Possibly a professional athlete. He ran the yoga class more like a drill sergeant than a zen master, but he had a way about him that made it funny and tolerable. I felt my body open in ways it needed. I inhaled salt air and exhaled stale air. This became a daily activity for us.

 

 

Aqua Fitness

To me, water aerobics or aqua fitness is for older people. I only decided to do it at Coconut Bay to cool off in the water and had zero expectations. Then Vernon showed up.

He had us all take foam props, which made it 50x harder to push and pull through the water with our hands. He performed pretzel-like contortions as he taught the class, lifting his leg parallel to his body and dropping himself into the splits. It hurt just watching him.

 

 

The class was the best I have taken, before or since. I keep going to hotel aqua fitness classes, hoping for a similar experience, but it’s never even come close. Vernon is a true gem, and the resort is lucky to have him. Plus, I burned actual calories, so all the extra food and drinks I consumed sat better with me.

 

Complete Coconut Bay Resort & Spa Fitness Offerings

Here is a list of everything else guests can do to stay healthy while they’re consuming more than they normally would at the resort:

• Pilates
• Lazy River Iron Man race
• Power walks
• Body sculpting
• Tennis/pickleball
• Basketball
• Yoga
• Aqua Fitness
• Beach & pool volleyball

 

Sanctuary Spa

A spa treatment is essential for any mom getaway. But the thing about most hotel spas is the experience is dependent on the quality of the personnel that work there. I couldn’t imagine that the small island of St. Lucia would have the talent required of a high-end spa, and boy, was I wrong.

 

 

My masseuse seemed to have ESP (see my reaction in the video, lol). She was somehow able to look under my skin to see my muscles and touch and kneed them in the exact spot they ached, with the exact pressure they required. Magical doesn’t begin to cover how incredible it felt. She turned me into jelly.

The spa also has two steam rooms and two saunas. For those wanting to look a little fancy, there is a full-service salon.

 

 

Recreational Activities At Coconut Bay Resort & Spa

What is not listed at the resort as a recreational activity, and I believe should be on the top of the list, is the Sunlounger. This glorious queen-sized cushioned bed overlooks the Maria Islands and Anns de Sable Beach. The golden sand spills into the turquoise water, and as the sun blazes its trail across the sky, the Sunlounger can follow it.

 

 

This was our spot between activities and meals with a great book or our laptops. 

Non-motorized activities available are:

• Stand-Up Paddleboarding
• Kayaking
• Snorkeling
• Bocce ball
• Billiards
• Cricket
• Soccer
• Dance classes
• Darts
• Bingo
• Dominoes
• Water polo
• Paintball
• Kitesurfing and windsurfing are available for an extra charge

 

We did none of those things but saw others that enjoyed them.

 

Night Programs

We walked by the inside stage at The Cove, by Flip Flops, where families participated in games and dancing.

On the Harmony side of the resort, a raucous DJ-fueled foam party had adults jumping into the bubbly pool one night.

 

 

Another night, two DJs spun records at a silent disco where we wore headphones and could choose between the two tracks, literally dancing to our own beat. This was super fun and also amusing as people danced to such different recordings than what we were listening to. The last night, we participated in a rum tasting, the official drink of St. Lucia. 

 

 

 

Island Tours

The Adventure St. Lucia desk in the lobby is happy to book group or private tours of the island. Horseback riding is a popular option.

 

 

We took a group tour that started on a catamaran and took us around the island, floating through pastel blue water with pockets of teal. We cruised by the pitons, Gros Piton at 2,618.9 ft, Mount Gimie standing at 3,117 ft. high, and Petit Piton at 2,438 ft., which didn’t seem very petit.

 

 

Sunning on the bow of the catamaran and enjoying the smooth sailing on the net was surreal and a great way to shut down any pesky thoughts.

Our guides found perfect snorkeling spots at Anse des Piton Marine Reserve where I realized the underwater capabilities of my phone were sorely lacking. Visibility was great, and the clear water shared sealife like parrot fish, angel fish, and brilliant coral reefs.

 

 

Drive-In Volcano

We docked in the town of Soufriere, on the southwest coast of St. Lucia.

 

 

We got to see a few locals.

 

 

We boarded a shuttle that first took us to lunch.

 

 

Then we drove to Sulfer Springs Park, the only drive-in volcano in the world. This dormant volcano heats springs and mud pools harnessed inside concrete pools as therapeutic places for visitors and locals to soak and detox. This was ah-mazing and a bucket list essential for everybody to enjoy. There are four pools, and each gets a little hotter the higher visitors go up, as they creep closer to their volcanic source. We relaxed and let our muscles and joints bathe in the minerals. Then we got out and gave our bodies mud masks.

 

 

Visitors could experience this activity as part of a tour like ours or on their own for $10.

 

 

Toraille Waterfall

After we finished and rinsed off, we drove to Toraille Waterfall. A short walk along a paved road led to a gorgeous waterfall that falls 50 feet to a plunge pool where guests can take a chilly soak. It wasn’t cold cold but after the hot springs, we felt the difference. We came at a good time as there weren’t many others there. The cultivated grounds include a river and gardens that give it a tropical wilderness feel.

 

 

[ctt template=”8″ link=”bc0ff” via=”no” ]🌋 Every mom deserves her own volcano, waterfall, and luxury resort! I discovered paradise at @CoconutBayResort in St. Lucia – where you can soak in volcanic hot springs, float down a lazy river, and relax on a SunLounger without taking out a second mortgage. Perfect kid-free getaway or family vacation! [/ctt]

 

Cocoland 

An essential component of any family-friendly resort is a kids’ club. Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa has a 50,000-square-foot facility located in the Splash section of the resort. Mascots Coco and Loco make daily appearances, and kids get to visit the only petting zoo in St. Lucia, Coco Corral. There is also a weekly movie night for families to enjoy.

 

 

Cocoland Waterpark

Waterparks aren’t just for kids. The 1500-foot lazy river of the island’s largest waterpark winds its way around two water slides, one a 300-foot open-air waterslide and the other a 400-foot enclosed slide.

 

 

Oh yes, Terri and I hurled ourselves down each several times. No kids are needed to have adrenaline-pumping fun! Then we plopped ourselves onto an inner tube where we let the lazy river tide take us through the water park and under the waterfall several times. With cocktails in our hands, we caught up on all the things that happen as families grow and change. 

 

 

KidzKlub

There is no room on a mom’s trip for a kid’s club, however, this resort was so great, we both decided to come back with our families. “You’ve sold me on the resort experience,” Terri said as we walked to our Sunloungers. “Our vacations were five-week road trips across the United States.” Well, a little rest goes a long way!

 

 

One way to get that rest is for the talented kid’s club counselors to take over the entertainment portion of parenting for a bit. The Cocoland playground facility is 3000 square feet of fun. The playground includes slides, a pirate ship, and mini-ziplines. The staff is trained in child development and CPR. They will take any age up to 12 years old as long as the child is potty trained. There are night programs, too, but the kids must be three years old to participate. However, babysitters are available at $15 per hour. 

 

 

 

If you’re the Mom and agree that a volcano with all the perks would be the best present from your kids, just share this article with them. Or leave it open on your screen with big gold stars attached for anyone walking by to see. They’ll get the hint, and you’ll get the trip. You can bring them next time.

 

 

When You Go

 

 

Getting To St. Lucia

Los Angeles doesn’t have any non-stop flights from LAX to St. Lucia. The shortest connecting flight is a bit over 10 hours through American Airlines and is definitely manageable if you have a good sleep system set up. There are direct flights to St. Lucia from Miami, Charlotte, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Atlanta, New Jersey, and Chicago. Additionally, Toronto and Montreal also have direct flights.

An excellent discount site for rental cars and flights is Booking! We’ve literally saved hundreds using it.

 

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