This review is going to be LONG! But it's going to be thorough...

Firstly, East Winds is a hidden gem and during my stay couldn't stop talking about how happy and impressed I was with everything...so here it is - a THOROUGH review (in no particular order) from a 32 year old honeymooner on East Winds:

FOOD - REVIEW:

DINNER: Unbelievable. When I checked out the menu online before our holiday, I was a bit apprehensive that because the menu was so extensive, that the quality wouldn't be very good. I was entirely wrong. Firstly, the menu online is long because East Winds is trying to show you the large variety of food they serve throughout the week, specifically for each day. What I mean by that, is the menu changes each day meaning each day food is bought and prepared daily to maintain amazing quality and freshness. Dinner menus are separated into 4-course servings: 1) small appetizer; 2) another slightly larger appetizer; 3) main course; and 4) dessert. For each course (minus dessert), a meat, fish, and vegetarian option is offered. I am not a vegetarian but dabbled in all sorts of options and was blown away by the exquisite taste and preparation of the food. This isn't "inclusive" food that's boring, bland, or sloppy. This is fine dining with beautiful ingredients thoughtfully prepared and creatively blended for a world class dining experience. On top of this is an extensive list of worldwide wines of excellent quality. Like the dinner menu, the wine list changes each night to compliment the food freshly being served that evening.

BREAKFAST: Is fairly standard each morning but again, delicious. Staples include some cereal; porridge; yogurt; scrambled eggs; toast; croissants; fresh fruit; beans; bacon; the most amazing sausages; and a chef on stand-by in an open-air concept kitchen ready to prepare pancakes; French toast; or eggs any way you want them at your request. The coffee is made from an insane coffee machine and out of this world. The most amazing part of breakfast is that the serving staff will offer you a therapy drink of fresh fruits and vegetables to start off, or a smoothie to get the necessary vitamins into your system straight away.

LUNCH: Like dinner, lunch changes daily but is less extensive in options - but still with enough variety of satisfy any craving. Some days would be bbq'd shrimp, tuna, chicken, or beef on a large giant grill; paella with fresh muscles; a variety of salads; and delicious single-serving desserts to pick from.

DRINKS: There are two bars serving a variety of cocktails including daily specials (the almond colada was my favourite!) local beer (Piton - light and crisp!), Heineken, and anything else your heart desires.

FOOD - TIPS:

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at set-times each day which means...if you miss it, you miss it! There is a light-fare menu you can pick panini and salads from any time throughout the day but if you are aware of the meal times, it's best to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner at the allocated times because the food is worth it.

Dinner is a formal affair and men are expected to wear trousers and shoes (no shorts or sandals for men). Women? We get off easier with no formalized dress code, so dress up and enjoy yourselves!

DRINKS - TIPS:

Your room will come stocked with your chosen drink options ranging from wine, beer, water, sparking water, coffee machine and kettle for tea, etc. You can always make sure to be refreshed by using your mini-fridge for these things. Your room will be restocked with drinks each morning. There is also a pool with a self-serve bar stocked with everything you'll need to make a cocktail or grab a soda, water or juice.

BEACH - REVIEW:

The beach at East Winds is stunning. It doesn't have a 'resort' feel at all but feels like you're on your own private stretch of sand. No matter which cabana you chose, your views will make it appear as if you’re the only person on the beach. The water is warm, calm, and the sand is soft. With a bit of shade, you could doze off for our hours listening to the Caribbean waves crash on shore. It's incredibly quiet and other guests as well as staff are very respectful of everyone to not disturb your peace. There are also huts with clean beach towels each day so you don't need to bring your own beach towel. There are also two hammocks on each side of the beach for some fun reading as well – plus some wooden lawn chairs to watch the sunset (around 6:00pm each night).

All beaches in St. Lucia are public so while the beach in front of East Winds feels entirely private, you will be sharing it with locals who may be going for a refreshing swim, or doing a bit of fishing.

Finally, because this beach feels so quiet and private there aren’t any people trying to sell you trinkets or bother you. You are left alone to relax and enjoy yourself.

All in all, each day we spent at the beach I couldn’t help myself from commenting how happy I was with East Winds because it didn’t feel like a resort – it felt like a private oasis. A hidden gem.

BEACH - TIPS:

People tend to wake up early at East Winds and grab a reclining chair on the beach right away and then head to breakfast. To avoid missing out on a better-located chair (i.e.: one closer to the sea), get up early and place a towel on a chair to 'claim' it; however, each reclining chair is beautifully positioned so you are never more than a stones-throw away from the water :)

There are signs warning you of sea urchins but if you stay away from the rocky areas in the water, you'll be fine. The majority of the beach in front of East Winds is soft sand. I never once felt worried about sea urchins and didn't think they'd be a problem - so long as I avoided swimming around the large rocks.

POOL - REVIEW:

I didn't use the pool because why would I? I'm in the Caribbean! I wanted to spend as much time by the sea as possible. The pool isn't large, but it's very relaxing with a self-serve bar and reclining chairs surrounding it.

POOL - TIP:

The pool closes each night at 6:00pm to be cleaned so if you are looking for a late night swim, you won't find one at the pool! You'll have to head to the sea :)

ROOMS – REVIEW:

This isn’t a hotel necessarily, but a resort and guests are put up in their own private bungalows that are located throughout a very manicured and beautiful tropical garden with stone pathways. Each bungalow comes with a large King-sized bed, outdoor patio with stocked mini-fridge, coffee and tea machines, and small sink. Rooms are spacious with beautiful wooden furniture, high ceilings, air conditioning, and (most importantly) screens on the windows to prevent bugs from getting into rooms. Bathrooms have double sinks and a beautiful sunken-walk-in shower that makes you feel like you’re showing outdoors. Each room has a plasma-screen TV with a variety of channels.

My favourite part was each evening (while you’re at dinner), East Winds staff will shove a document under your door outlining the weather forecast for the following day including a list of activities to participate in, and a “fact of the day” about the island and people of St. Lucia. It’s the little details that East Winds pays attention to that really make a huge impact on guests. We felt spoiled.

East Winds also stocks each room with bug spray to help with any insects that might bother you – it is a tropical island, after all!

WILDLIFE – REVIEW:

The property has a variety of small wildlife that was really enjoyable to see and listen to. Each morning we’d be woken by beautiful birds singing joining us for breakfast while we drank our morning coffee. Little lizards would scamper across the garden grounds while you walk to the beach, and in the distance you would hear roosters welcoming the start of each day. Nighttime would bring little frogs singing and hopping around cutely. The sea had some fish you would see from time to time, but from everyone I spoke to in St. Lucia they’ve never had a problem with sharks (which is a relief to someone like myself who enjoys watching Shark Week on tv each year!)

ACTIVITIES - REVIEW:

East Winds does a fabulous job of making sure guests have ample opportunity for entertainment. Each day they provide a different excursion guests can participate in – should they choose to. These activities cost money and are added to your final bill which you pay at the end. As a honeymooning couple, East Winds treated us with a relaxing massage and a private dinner on the beach.

Activities include: 1) boat-trip to see the famous Piton mountains; 2) shopping trips to the main city of Castries and visiting local artist studios; 3) rum distillery tour – which I HIGHLY recommend everyone to do! It’s inexpensive, the rum is delicious, and the price is a steal; 4) sunset cruise around Rodney Bay and Gros Islet; 5) snorkeling around Rodney Bay – again, highly recommend this!

Some activities are free to participate in like evening cocktail lessons, cooking classes, garden walking tours, etc.

If you miss one of the activity options or want to do something different just speak with reception and they’ll arrange a driver to pick you up and take you on whatever excursion you want to do that day. We wanted to hike Gros Piton so we had a driver pick us up and drive us to the mountain. He stopped at many different look-out points and even took us to a waterfall after to cool off in. It was 100% well worth it – but be warned, the hike is fairly challenging but most challenging of all is the extreme humidity and heat so start your hike early!

There are a variety of activities you can do from the beach as well that are provided by East Winds such as taking out kayaks, paddleboards, little boats, snorkels, etc.

ENTERTAINMENT - REVIEW:

Live music accompanies dinner each night. Some nights it’s a piano, other nights it’s local steel drum musicians, singers, or local artists. Each night the music was exceptional and fun – making you want to dance!

My husband and I were celebrating our honeymoon. We are in our early 30s and I will mention that the demographic at East Winds is quite a bit older than us, but as honeymooners we didn’t mind at all. We actually really enjoyed the peace and quiet of this hotel because the demographic is older. If you’re looking to get drunk, party, regret hangovers and have tacky sunglasses tanlines from passing out in the sun with a margarita in your hand – then East Winds isn’t for you. Club Med in Mexico is. If you’re looking for a romantic holiday to recharge your batteries, connect closer with the people you love, and truly soak in the culture and peace of St. Lucia, then East Winds is for you. It’s an unbelievable hotel that focuses on wellness and a holistic balance of fun and peace. It was perfect for us as honeymooners. The most romantic trip we’ve ever been on.

SERVICE & STAFF - REVIEW:

I left this category to the end because it was the one category of our trip that needed the most attention. I don’t even know where to begin expressing how utterly impressed and grateful I am for the East Winds staff. The staff at East Winds spoils you- almost to the point that you feel guilty! I said to my husband, “we’re not rich, we’re not famous, we’re just normal people – but we are being treated like we are something very special!” it was amazing. I have never in my life experienced such incredible service. And it wasn’t just their amazing attention to detail that impressed us most, but their unbelievable sincerity in everything they did. Staff learned our names, learned the food and drinks we liked, joked with us, danced with us, accommodated us when we wanted to stay up late and have more drinks or eat more food. They laughed; they smiled; they told us stories; and were interested in hearing ours! I have never in my life – on holiday or back home, met more sincere, generous, genuine, kind, and friendly people. The staff at East Winds was the cherry on top of our holiday. St. Lucia is a BEAUTIFUL country with an abundance of things to do that balance relaxing & adventure nicely. The people of St. Lucia are out of this world friendly. But what made our trip so memorable – so unbelievably special – so unbelievably wonderful – was the staff at East Winds. I can’t thank East Winds enough for making our trip so memorable and I owe that happiness entirely to the amazing East Winds staff. Each and every one of you made an impact on our stay and I will never forget each and every one of you. The world needs more St. Lucia!

I look forward to enjoying another holiday at East Winds in the future when my husband and I celebrate an anniversary milestone in our lives. East Winds is a gem.

My fiancé and I stayed for a week in November in a deluxe cottage.

I'll summarise first, to save people reading the whole review if they just want the gist!

This is a lovely, relaxing hotel. Do not expect raucous evening entertainment - the hotel is very quiet and would suit people who want some peaceful relaxation. The deluxe cottages are lovely, the beach is nice and the staff friendly. The food is very good for an all-inclusive. The bar is well-stocked. The spa isn't really a 'spa' (in the UK sense), but the massages were good. Overall, we enjoyed our stay, although we found it a little quiet - there were a few niggles that conspired to give a 4/5 - more detail below.

The cottage was lovely - I would absolutely recommend the deluxe cottage, as the refurbished bathroom is very nice and all the cottages are only a short walk from the beach. We asked for a mosquito net before we arrived - I would recommend this. I do not believe this option is offered unless you ask for it (chatting to other guests, they were surprised we had a net).

The staff are, for the most part, wonderful.

The food is generally very good - however, it wasn't quite excellent. The amuse-bouche was disappointing most days. We had a sweet potato crisp and some herb mayonnaise one evening, and a little puff pastry with the tiniest amount of tomato sauce another. In my experience, an amuse-bouche should be something a little unusual and full of flavour - these seemed to be afterthoughts. We were really looking forward to the BBQ lobster on Friday - unfortunately, it wasn't great (I wish I could say it was!) - the lobster was 'butter poached' beforehand and it had a really mushy texture and bitter taste. I have been lucky enough to have fresh BBQ'd lobster in the Caribbean before, and this was not a patch on what I have had previously. Breakfast is absolutely fine - we loved the cocoa tea, it would have been lovely to have this more than once during our stay. The pancakes are yummy. Overall, the food is very good for an all-inclusive. Additionally, the staff were wonderful when some other guests chose not to eat from the daily menu - the food is not British, so don't expect pie and chips - there is lots of fish and local fare, as there absolutely should be.

I cannot fault the alcohol selection and the bar staff are all lovely and seem very knowledgable. What would have been nice, especially given the cost of the stay, would be some fresh fruit for the daiquiris and juices - they seemed to use fruit syrups a lot.

Watersports are fine - the staff are brilliant, always willing to take you on a hobie cat or a kayak. I was consistently impressed with how helpful they were. They are a credit to the hotel.

We booked a 'private dinner' for our final evening, as a special treat. This is included in the all-inclusive cost and is a lovely touch. Unfortunately, on this occasion, we were forgotten after the main course - we waited 40 minutes for our plates to be cleared (and a drinks top-up) and then gave up. We ate our dessert in the bar.

The beach drinks service was really poor during our stay. We only managed to get one drink delivered to us the whole time we were there, despite using the flag that is meant to signal to the staff that you would like service. I must say that it is no trouble to walk to the bar - however, if a service is offered then it should be available.

We arranged for late check-out on the Wed (we departed on Sun) but when we called Sun morn to confirm, we were told it was no longer available. I'm sure there was some logic in the decision, but we were moved to an identical room just behind ours - which meant that we then used a whole host of new towels and toiletries. No help was offered with our bags, either - despite them being whisked to our room on arrival.

There is a good selection of excursions - we attended the sunset cruise, which we really enjoyed.

I have given very detailed feedback to the hotel, as they provide a form and ask for feedback when you check out - hopefully they will be able to remedy some of the niggles we found. If I could offer any advice, it would be to have a good read of the website and reviews to make sure this hotel is a good match for you. It is very quiet, which may not suit everyone. If, however, you are looking for a relaxing stay, this could be the perfect hotel for you.

My husband and I took our honeymoon in East Winds Resort (Gros Islet) in Nov of 2017. I was very impressed by nearly everything at this resort. Travelers should be warned of the 1 - 1.5 hour commute from the international airport (UVF) to the north side of the island where the hotel is. Allegedly the hotel can set-up and airport "transfer" for you, but that did not work out as smoothly for us as we might have hoped. The resort is gorgeous - a very jungle feel, where the gardens are not over-pruned, and there is wildlife everywhere (lizards, birds, crabs, lovely Caribbean flowers). The head gardener and his staff take pride in their grounds, and we loved that. We stayed in an Ocean Front room - the view out the patio door is exceptional. The room is quite small, and some cabinets and closets were quite awkward to open, but overall it was a wonderful room. The bathroom is updated and large. We loved the open rain shower! There is food and drink all the time, and it was absolutely top-notch. The staff as well.... so nice, and so accommodating! I never fought for a chair, or looked hard for a quiet place to retreat. We loved everything about it. I would most definitely NOT recommend this place for kids, for the entertainment sake (lack of) or for the happiness of the other guests looking to escape that. :)