Last month I spent a week in beautiful Saint Lucia at the Royalton. I had been dying to visit Saint Lucia for some time and had been saving up my airmiles for this vacation. The island is extremely beautiful with tons to do but it is definitely one of the more expensive Caribbean islands. I felt extremely safe the entire time I was there as a solo traveller and would definitely go back to the island to have the opportunity to explore the island further.
The Diamond Club
Upgrading to the diamond club is a great way to upgrade your vacation if you can afford to do so. It certainly isn’t necessary but it was a nice upgrade. Some highlights that made me choose the diamond club experience for my vacation are:
- Butler service
- Private beach and pool
- Priority reservations at specialty restaurants
- Preferential room locations with the best views
- Spa services offered at 20% off
The butlers I had assisting me during my stay are truly what made this upgrade worthwhile. They made sure my room was always fully stocked with water, they made sure I always had a beverage throughout the day and brought my lunch to me on beach chair every single day. This made a huge difference for me because I like to spend as much time on the beach as possible so it was nice to not have to leave to get food or drinks.
The Rooms
The room that I stayed in was extremely spacious and had a great view of the pools and the ocean thanks to upgrading to the diamond club. My room had two queen beds with a soaker tub, walk-in shower and a small living room set up. As a solo traveller this was definitely more room than I needed but I think a family of 4 would be able to stay in this room comfortably without feeling everyone was on top of each other.
I had read some review prior to booking about some rooms being rundown or needing upgrading but I didn’t feel that was the case. There was definitely some wear and tear areas that could use some cleaning up but it wasn’t anything major. I do think they should change out the coffee table as it was a bit damaged and cheap looking but other than that I found the room quite nice.
The Restaurants
The Royalton has 5 different restaurants you can eat during your stay not including the buffet. You will need to make reservations in advance to ensure your table. I think I could have gotten away without making reservations on some nights as it didn’t seem like the restaurants were packed but I like to have things planned out so I always made a reservation.
Armadillo DC
I always look forward to a Mexican restaurant but I think my hopes were a bit too high for this one. The food was still good I was just hoping for something a bit more. I ordered the tacos and although they were half decent, they were definitely lacking in toppings, which I felt could have helped make a better taco.
Calypso DC
Calypso is another great option bringing tons of Jamaican flavours to the table. I actually tried quite a few dishes while I was here because I had a hard time choosing between entrees. Everything I had was very good and the menu is quite diverse so there is something for everyone.
Grazie Italian Trattoria DC
I am a huge Italian food fan but this ended up actually being my least favourite restaurant. There wasn’t anything special about the dishes they were serving and I found it lacked flavour. If you’re not a big Italian fan or you’d rather try some restaurants twice then I would suggest skipping this one because you won’t be missing anything.
Hunter Steak House DC
This was hands down my favourite restaurant. I don’t generally seek out steak but this was definitely the best meal I had while I was at the resort. If you’re not a big fan of steak they do have a couple other options for you. I definitely wanted to come back here but didn’t have the opportunity to before I left.
Zen Teppanyaki DC
This was another great restaurant experience and half the fun was definitely interacting with the chef and watching him cook the meal. I tend to be a picky eater but everything I had was very good. It offers good food an authentic teppanyaki experience similar to what you would find in Canada.
The Beach and Pools
I am obsessed with the beach and want to spend as much time on the beach as possible when I’m on vacation so it’s always super important that the resort has a nice beach area. The Royalton had a great beach area and the staff were great at cleaning up seaweed in the morning. I didn’t notice much seaweed until later in the week, which I was happy about as it can be quite smelly. There were tons of beach chairs so I didn’t feel the need to get up at 7am to reserve a beach chair like I’ve had to do at some resorts. I typically went out around 8-9 to reserve a chair and then would head to breakfast before making my way back to my room to get ready to hang out on the beach.
This resort had tons of pools to hang out by so they never seemed to be too crowded. I don’t usually spend much time by the pools unless I’m with a group of people that would like to. There was also a designated kid pool for young families to enjoy. You can also choose to upgrade your room to one with a swim out pool. I had definitely considered it so that I could swim at night but ended up deciding it wouldn’t be worth it because it was quite a bit more money.
Entertainment
Like most resorts, they had activities to participate in during the day and various performances in the evening. I was also there during the super bowl and they made sure to set up a large screen in the common area for everyone to watch. They had karaoke, various performers and a DJ party every single night. In the daytime there was fitness sessions, sports games and other competitions. You could choose to partake or just sit and watch.
The Staff
The staff at the Royalton were all extremely nice and helpful especially my two butlers, Mariah and Marlon. My butlers went above and beyond any expectations I ever had for them and they definitely made my vacation that much more enjoyable.
Would I Come Back
I definitely enjoyed my time here and would love to come back. However, would I come back for the price that I paid? No. This is a great resort with good food, friendly staff, spacious rooms and tons of pools, but it came with a pretty hefty price tag. At the price I paid, I did expect the food and entertainment to be better. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by cruise ships and my expectations are too high as a result. This is definitely a great resort but there is room for improvement.
