This was our first trip to the caribbean and I was a little unsure about which hotel as they all seemed to have flaws here and there. But upon arriving at Smugglers Cove late at night they welcomed us in with their traditional rum punch and that was it we were hooked!

The resort is beautiful and it is clear they take pride in keeping the whole place clean and well kept. The gardens and flowers all around were a clear sign of that.

We were upgraded to a one bedroomed suite which was lovely, it was clean and very well presented. At the time the resort was undergoing development and redecoration but to be honest it hardly impacted our stay at all.

The food was great and so was the service. There were 4 restuarants however they seemed to shut each restuarant once a week which did cause a few complications when you had to pre-book your choice the night before as spaces ran out quick. All 4 restaurants were great and it was nice to alternate between them.

Evening entertainment was so so, nothing to rave about but nothing to complain about either.

Nice choice of pools, there is a separate section for adults only which was quieter. Perfect for the non-family orintated. We did have some children jumping in the pool but staff we quick to inform them they have two pools to play in on the lower level.

Beach not so good im afraid, if your looking for the white sands then this isnt for you. The beach is very small and is a dark dirty coloured sand. Not a problem really but the resort doesn't have enough sun beds on the beach itself and you werent allowed to take beds from the pool. Put it this way, if you hadnt got your bed on the beach by 6.30am you werent going to get one!!

But aside from the tiny things that niggled at me, my husband and I had a great time and really enjoyed the experience of St Lucia. A trip to Pidgeon island is a must, and just try and climb to the top of the peak...its a killer..but the view is amazing!!!

Hope this helps makes your choice.

We stayed at ASC for 8 nights with a group of 37 others aged 6 years to 79 years, and all but one of us loved it!!! Need I say more??

We where upgraded on arrival to beach front suites, bathroom hot tub is fab!!!! Some of the standard rooms where better than others, but they are all due to be brought up to the same standard though. Only down side was the fact they had a fridge, but cold not provide anything to go in unless you purchased it at the shop, which is a rip off!!! Instead we got a taxi into Rodney bay, $10 return, and stocked up there, worked out alot better, and chance to get out and see St Lucia.

The food was amazing, plenty of choice, and if you ask they will make you anything, and adapt the menu to suit you as much as they can, especially the little ones. Personallly I loved the italian by day and Waterside by night, and we tended to go the cove for breakfast, oh and you don't need to book days in advance for the restaurants, I booked one morning a table for 17 that night, for 8pm. The only down side to food is the restricted times of the restuarants and there is no snack bars, but you eventually get yourself into a routine to get round this.

The pools and beach are fab, not much in the way of games or entertainment, but we were in a big group so we made are own!!! Best thing is you don't need to get out at 6am for sunbeds!!! Th kids club was great to, they only went now and again, but loved it when they did. Watch out when snorkeling, my Dad saw a 6ft long Baracuda, which spooked him a little!!

As for our wedding, Lorna the co-ordinator is amazing, nothing is too much trouble, and everything is possible. I had taken extra's for the tables and had a specifc theme for the day and Lorna ensured it all came together. She took everything from us and set up the tables and everything. It really was fabulous I would not change a thing. They collected the bridesmaids first in a little golf buggy then came back for me and my Dad, I went down the isle to the wedding march but played by the pan steel band (worth every penny they even let you have ago!). After the ceromony, toast, cutting of the cake it was off for the photo's, which are amazing and then to the waterside for private dining, they had set the whole back half up for us, the staff where so attentative, it really was the best. Just when we thought it couldn't get any better, the evening show was great and had the whole wedding party up and involved and finished with a first dance for my new hubby and I.

This really was the best wedding I could of imagined and a great holiday, role on next year for some more SHOTS!!!!!

If you have read some reviews on here that have left you thinking why have I booked a holiday here then please dont worry. I am a fan of action holidays and have been to florida on many an occasion with my wife and children and it has always been my families No.1 holiday destination. Not anymore. Almond Smugglers Cove caters for everything, if you want to lay on the beach or by the pool all day do it. If you want to try your hand at many different watersports do it. If you want to go on excursions and see some absolutely gorgeous sites, then do it. The resort caters for everything, wedding couples, couples in general and families young or old. The staff are just so friendly you'll feel by the end of your stay that you've known them forever. The resort is exceptionally clean. The grounds are beautiful with all different types of flowering plants where ever you look coconut palms outside your door, banana palms and mango trees all over the resort grounds. The restaurants are excellent although if you are a steak and chips person you are out of luck. The bars serve everything you can think of and probably some drinks you've never heard of. The 4 pools are excellent with two being adults only. The accommodation is basic in its fitments but very spacious and very clean. The beds were extremely comfortable.
There isn't a lot more I can add except that I cant wait to get back there and neither can the other 15 people who were in our party. Roll on 2010.

We felt we needed to write a review about our stay, we being Me, my wife both 30 and our 2 and half year old boy.

The resort is lovely albeit it quite a distance from the airport. We paid for the private transfer and it is well worth it! The mini bus drivers are generally crazy drivers but private cars are a little more sensible. Had nice welcome on arrival with drinks and a nice cold towel. My wife had booked a suprise upgrade to the room, so don't know what the standard rooms are like but the suites are very nice.
Now there are a lot of people going on about star ratings on here. Our impression was quite good, okay its not a uk 4 star but for St Lucia it is. Just take a look at where the locals live and you'll understand why.

That being said there wasn't anything at fault with the room unless you're picky, might have been a bit of mildew in the bathroom corners but generally was well finished and clean. Yes we had ants, not many but they seem to come with the island. Also had a nice little gecko that was outside the door most of the time. Word of warning watch the edges of the paths, for some reason they are higher than the garden to the sides and it would be easy to twist an ankle after too much Rum punch.

Restaurants: Cove - Wasn't impressed, slow service and kids buffet was same everyday (lunchtime and teatime) and was very often all eaten by the adults. Waterside Grill - Excellent, very good service, very good food selelction inc for children and lovely to sit by the water. Italian (can't remember name) - Service a bit slow, food very good. Our suggestion, if you like fish, book the Waterside and don't even bother with the others. Look out for Jonathan there especially if you've children he is very friendly and makes time to entertain them (worth a tip).

Around the pool - Its slippery when wet and yes there are some trip hazards, but nothing more than you get any most other hotels we've stayed at. There are 4 pools at present, 2 adult and 2 general, which is great. This gives a nice divide for couples wanting a nice relaxing time and more lively family areas. Pools were always cleaned every morning and until some less considerate families used them for cleaning sand off were in good order. The bottom in some places was a bit rough and I can see how some kids, if they were in the pool for long periods would get sore feet. There were more than enough sunbeds although the hotel wasn't very busy in general.

Only used the sports desk for borrowing a kayake a couple of times but the staff there are very friendly.

Bars - Wasn't impressed, most of the staff didn't have the St Lucian friendly nature.

Kids Club - Staff were friendly enough and our little boy went 4 mornings and got on okay. They are not fantastic at encouraging the children to stay at first but once they get to know the child they would make them feel very comfortable even when our son was the only child there!

We had a couple of minor problems while we were there, both were sorted out pretty well one being dealt with by the manager himself.
Trips - Enjoyed the pirate ship (brig unicorn) and our little boy even at his young age enjoyed the day. Didn't see anyone looking green the ship doesn't seem to roll like most do. Castries Shopping, was okay but don't get your hopes up about getting some nice local craft gifts as we didn't really see any. Recommend getting some west indies hot sauce, mmm its hot!

So all in all couldn't complain as we had a lovely time and was very sad to leave.