East Winds Inn
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Pool area
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Deluxe bedroom
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Cottage and gardens
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East Winds Inn ariel view
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BBQ night at East Winds Inn
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Restaurant at night
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Signpost
- Category
- All-Inclusive
- Island
- St Lucia
- Location
- Labrelotte Bay, Gros Islet
- Prices from:
- US $525.00/ room/night ? view all rates
At a glance
Set in very pretty gardens that slope gently down to the calm waters of Labrelotte Bay, is a small and elegant enclave in the relatively busy northern part of St Lucia. With just thirty rooms in cottages scattered around delightful grounds, it has an air of tranquil trustiness and it attracts a discerning clientele, so it is something of a surprise that it turns out to be an ‘all inclusive’. But East Winds, reliably smart and low key, manages to free itself from most of the limitations of the formula. It is certainly the most elegant of the all inclusive hotels in St Lucia.
- Best for:
- All-inclusive, Beach, Weddings & Romance
- Who for:
- Well-heeled guests, some honeymooners
- Not for:
- Families with young children at certain times of the year – the hotel has quite a mature atmosphere
- How to get there:
- Direct flights from Europe, UK and USA/Canada
Key features
Good example of a small St Lucia hotel, 30 rooms and a ‘mini-suite’ in attractive tropical gardens. A St Lucia all-inclusive hotel but without the usual ‘all-inclusive’ atmosphere.
Style:
Low-key elegance in a calm, quiet tropical setting
Client Profile:
Quite a strong British clientele, but otherwise a mix of ages and nationalities
Journalist’s Review
In Depth
East Winds Inn is a small and elegant retreat near the northern end of St Lucia, just 31 rooms in cottages and a small block ranged above their own secluded section of beach. Its setting on quite a small property with lovely gardens gives it a delightful sense of intimacy. The atmosphere has the personableness of a family-run hotel but the refinement of an extremely low key club.
The first impression of the resort though, at the end of a drive along a ropey residential road, is one of delightful calm and tropical tranquillity. The cottages, which contain the rooms, stand scattered in lovely sloping lawns among the trunks of enormous trees – mango, casuarina and massive flamboyants – and surrounded by the profusion of colourful crotons and sprays of golden palms.
It is a very pretty walk down from the Reception, on linked walkways through the foliage down to the front, where the pool and dining room are hidden in a forest of greenery. There are over 100 plants in the gardens and they are catalogued to help you learn more about them. Eventually you emerge at the pool and the Club House bar, then the open-sided dining room which looks onto the beach. There is a nice stretch of sand shaded by trees and small nooks and arbours in which you can hide away for a drink or a meal.
The cottages themselves, trimmed with gingerbread fretwork and topped with traditional Caribbean shingle tiles, are made of local stone or stucco painted a light green to complement the richer green foliage of the gardens. Inside they are unfussy but comfortable. They have terra cotta tiles or a red-painted concrete floor with low beds, king and twin, and quite simple but perfectly nice furniture. To add a little off-beat character, the showers, circular, are faced with local stone and set down below the level of the bathroom. The rooms can be air-conditioned if you would like, but with their tall wooden ceilings and louvres they can also be opened up to get the best of the natural ventilation. All of the rooms have some outside space, usually secluded by greenery.
The atmosphere at East Winds is convivial. It is a beach resort yes, and so you may be in your bathing costume under one of the arbours on the beach, but you are likely to be rubbing shoulders with a well-heeled and amusing clientele. In the summer it sees a younger crowd, often honeymooners, but the winter sees a wealthy, slightly older crowd and there is usually a strong British contingent.
It is all quite unlike the run of the mill all-inclusives for which St Lucia is generally known. In fact the words all-inclusive belie the nature of the inn, but there is just no other good way to describe its formula. ‘Full board with Champagne and fine wines thrown in’ doesn’t quite have the ring to it. East Winds manages largely to outstep the limitations of the all-inclusive format. Firstly it is not a huge, heaving resort typical of the mould, with crowds pushed through an ongoing diet of entertainment. It does run a fairly tight ship, with lunches in buffet style and a set dinner with quite a short, if generally tasty, table d’hôte menu, but East Winds offers a choice of good wines at dinner (from a cellar of 9000 bottles), which they import themselves from France, Spain and Italy, along with Champagne. If you want something extra-special then they can provide it (at extra cost), but there shouldn’t be a need for it. All in all the inn keeps a low key and elegant atmosphere. It’s just that you don’t have to sign for anything, which itself is convenient, and you are not faced with a huge bill for extras at the end of your stay.
East Winds Inn is in the north of the island, a short drive from all the activity of Rodney Bay, in case you would like to head out into the fray and party with the best of them. Not that many of the guests do. They are generally content to stay in the tranquil surroundings of the inn and the beach.
Beach & Swimming
La Brelotte Bay is a pleasant, quite narrow stretch of light grey sand that shelves gradually into the sea on the calm Caribbean side of the island. It is backed with sea almond trees and palms, and a walled, raised platform where you will find palm-thatch and shingle-roofed sunshades amid arbours of greenery. Guests hide themselves in these for the shade and to eat their lunch.
The hotel swimming pool, surrounded by loungers and sprays of golden palms, is set just behind the beach. There is a swim-up bar.
Sports & Recreation
A few watersports are available at East Winds. Snorkelling equipment, kayaks, aqua-view boards and canoes are kept at the front.
East Winds does not provide massage as part of their normal service, but they would be happy to help you arrange an appointment with a massage therapist. A new open-air 3,000 sq ft Yoga and Fitness Pavilion was added in 2009.
Staff
It is the continuity of staff that makes so many Caribbean hotels and inns the places that they are, and mean that so many guests return to the same hotel, often the same room, year after year. The staff at East Winds are a good example of this, and many of them have been there for years. In the dining room waitresses Christine and Deborah are accompanied by the delightfully named Chrisanthemus (who more usually goes by the nickname Mousy), and the bar-tender is Jacob. The chef is Frenchman Franck Chevrier. East Winds is managed by Gareth Leach, a Welshman who has spent a lifetime in the travel trade and has been in St Lucia since 1990.
The Rooms
Set in cottages scattered around the gardens, all the rooms at East Winds are surrounded by greenery and have some outside space. They are simple rather than sumptuous, but very comfortable. It is quite possible to spend quite a bit of time in them. Most guests do. They have tiled or polished concrete floors and steeply pitched wooden ceilings and all the necessary amenities such as safes, fridge and irons.
There are three categories of rooms and a mini-suite. Eleven are superior, set in the rondavels, hexagonal buildings that stand close to the beach and dining room. The deluxe rooms are in the pretty garden bungalows that climb higher up the gradually steepening hill. Some are built two rooms to a cottage with separate entrances but connecting doors. Lastly, set in a building slightly to one side of the resort (a former private house), there are three rooms and a mini-suite, all decorated and furnished in similar style to the rest of the resort.
Dining
The dining room looks right onto the beach from a deck under a palm-thatched roof. All meals are served there. Breakfast and lunch are usually served in buffet style, but at dinner there is a four course table dhte menu with three or four choices per course. The food is extremely good and is accompanied by a selection from around 40 good house wines (all included in the price of course) from around the world.
Weddings
East Winds do weddings well but you must book in advance through a tour operator/wholesaler or a local organiser such as St Lucia Representatives. The hotel does not deal directly with guests for wedding arrangements and youll also need to pay the fees for the hotels basic wedding package through your tour operator or the local organiser. The plan can be tailored to suit by whoever you choose to organise your day but includes: all legal fees payable locally, Marriage License & Certificate, return taxi fare to Lawyers office, Registrars Attendance fees, decorated location for the ceremony, Brides bouquet, Grooms Buttonhole, Wedding Cake (one layer), a bottle of champagne, special champagne dinner at the hotel for bride & groom on evening of your choice and 24 photograph prints including negatives. The package cost is US$800 year-round from 01 May to 31 October.
Available Additional Options:
36 Photograph Prints (including negatives) US$225 (6x4), US$400 (6x8)
Video (35/40 minutes) - US$300
1 Hour Steel band US$225
Each Extra bottle of Champagne US$75
Any other services not listed above cannot be pre-booked through East Winds Inn but will have to be booked directly by the guests on arrival or through their local Tour Operator Representative (including but not limited to services for hairdressers, beauticians, make-up, manicure, pressing of suits and wedding dresses, etc.).
Children
Children are welcome for most of the year, but because of the inns sedate atmosphere at the height of the winter season (through January to end of March) no children under sixteen are accepted at that time. There are some adjoining rooms and some options for two adults and two children to stay in some of the rooms.
Useful Hints
East Winds combines well and contrasts marvellously with Ladera, a hilltop hideaway in the unspoilt south of St Lucia, as a two-centre holiday.
Practical Facts
Annual Closure dates: Open year round
Dress Code: Elegantly casual
Facilities: Flamboyant Room restaurant, Bamboo Lounge, Sunset Bar and a swim-up bar. Small boutique/gift shop. Shuffleboard, table-tennis, croquet, French boules, a fitness pavilion, selection of free board games as well as an extensive free library of CDs and DVDs (for rooms with TV) and books. Free water sports: canoes, kayaks, aqua-view boards and snorkelling equipment. Beach and pool chaise-loungers are freely available in adequate number. Free-form fresh-water swimming pool.
Complimentary: Fruit basket in room on arrival, Weekly Manager's Champagne cocktail party with canaps, Picnic Hampers for excursions. (To be booked by 5.00 p.m. of the previous day).
Included in the rates: Full breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and 4-course dinner. Buffets and grills are one of the Hotel's special features, at breakfast and lunch. In the evening silver service and twice weekly barbecue and buffet (including special Friday night Lobster grill).
All restaurant and bar beverages by the glass: wine, beer, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks (all from international brands). Champagne is served in the evenings at the Sunset Bar and Bamboo Lounge, year round.
Not included in the rates: Laundry and dry cleaning. Local and International telephone calls. Cigarettes and cigars. Babysitting (available on request). Any other items not specifically included.
Children: No children under 16 accepted between during 06 Jan-31 Mar. Cots, highchairs, kettles, sterilisers, baby monitors and baby sitting services available.
Accommodation: 31 rooms
Room Types: All rooms have a terrace/patio, choice of twin beds or a king size bed, en suite bathroom with shower, direct dial telephone, clock-radio, in-room safe, hairdryer, speed ceiling fan, coffee/tea making facilities, fridge (stocked daily with soft drinks and beers), complimentary bathroom toiletries upon arrival. 11 x SUPERIOR ROOMS: are all "rondavels" of a large hexagonal shape with a walk-in shower and adjoining walk-in wardrobe/service area with a small bar-sink unit and have a large semicircular shaded patio. (Maximum occupancy 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children U12yrs). 16 x DELUXE ROOMS: are air-conditioned and located in more recently built garden-bungalows. Spacious bathroom with "His & Hers" basins and a wide semi-open-air shower, small "lobby" with a spacious wardrobe and dressing table. Wide covered terrace with wet bar. Remote control cable TV and DVD player. (Maximum occupancy 3 adults or 2 adults and 2 children U12yrs). 3 x OCEAN VIEW ROOMS: with air-conditioning and located in one wing of a recently renovated "cottage" at the front of the property, closer to the beach with sea-view from a small "traditional" balcony. Smaller in size than the other units but with a private open-air lounge with cable TV, DVD player, and a pantry. (Maximum occupancy 2 adults). 1 x OCEAN VIEW SUITE (Mini-Suite): air-conditioned and located in the renovated cottage. Ocean-view with a small separate sitting room (and its own cloakroom) and with a large private sun-deck terrace with an extra out-door shower. Cable TV and DVD/VCR. (Maximum occupancy 3 adults)
Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express
Locality
La Brelotte Bay is in the northwest of St Lucia, just south of the tourist heartland of Rodney Bay. There is plenty to do there by day (on the beach) and night, when the street heaves with people out enjoying themselves. Beyond Rodney Bay is the Cap Estate, the location of a number of villas and the homes of wealthy St Lucians and the leading golf course on the island. Pigeon Point is well worth a visit both for the historical aspect and for the beach. Restaurants in the area include The Great House in the Cap Estate and any number of restaurants if you are prepared to brave the Rodney Bay strip. Try Buzz and the Charthouse. In Castries the Coal Pot has an excellent setting and offers excellent French food.
Meet & Greet
You are quite likely to arrive at Hewanorra International Airport in the far south of the island. If you are travelling independently then the taxi ride (for two people) from Hewanorra to East Winds takes just over an hour and costs US$100 including meet & greet, chilled towels and bottled water, when arranged by East Winds. If you have the choice it is far easier to fly into George Charles airport at Vigie, which is about 15 minutes away. If you would like to be taken care of from the minute you arrive at the airport, with a range of services that can include helicopter transfers to Vigie, a concierge service is offered by St Lucia Representatives.
If you are travelling with a travel organiser then you should be met at the airport and your transfers arranged. Please check at the time of booking.
Getting Around
Taxis are readily available through the reception at the hotel and although many private minibuses pass on the main road (quite a long walk from East Winds) they are not that suitable a way of getting around the island.
Hiring a car to explore is easily arranged. If you are not travelling in peak season and you don't think you will want a car for more than a day or two, hotel reception will be able to assist you. Otherwise, we recommend you book in advance via your travel organiser or direct with Cool Breeze Car & Jeep Rental or Drive-A-Matic, who will deliver to the property and issue your St Lucian driving licence, price EC$54. Vehicles can be returned at the airport or be collected from the property at a pre-arranged time on your departure day.
Be aware that around Christmas and New Year, and at the Jazz Festival in May, there can be a shortage of cars in St Lucia, so you are advised to book well in advance. Also book early if you want one for a week or more because the pre-booked rates can be better.
East Winds Inn offers bookings via the following accommodation:
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Tropic Breeze
A small and knowledgeable UK tour operator with a good depth of accommodation in the Eastern Caribbean, from the BVI down to Tobago.
