The Ginger Lily Hotel

In Depth

Amid the mad activity of Rodney Bay, Ginger Lily is a beckoning oasis of calm. The road becomes quieter the closer you get to the small hotel and then you turn into a small car park via a set of pillars. The colour scheme of the hotel is established immediately, yellow walls, mid brown louvers and gingerbread trim, and a typically St Lucian red tin roof topped with spiked finials. A steeply pitched gable stands ahead of you, beneath which you enter the hotel, through two more pillars and a portico, into the breezy foyer.

The foyer is light, with ceramic tiles on the floor and white walls. The Reception desk is to your right and there are sofas on the left, at the centre of which stands a table with a vase of bright yellow and red ginger lilies. It gives a good introduction to the easy-going prettiness of the small hotel. Beyond here, you walk straight out into the main courtyard. This is nicely enclosed and when you are on property you will no doubt spend quite a bit of your time here. At the centre of the courtyard lies the pool – on the floor of which you will see a ginger lily of the name.

To the left of the pool is a line of trees, palms and bananas against a fence marking the northern edge of the property. At the rear of the courtyard are the rooms, in a staggered series of buildings set behind plants and flowerbeds. They are dressed in the same bright yellow as the front of the hotel, with lots of natural wood and red tin roofs, and they each have a terrace or balcony that gives you a view over the pool area. Next to the rooms is a gazebo and then on the right is the dining room, which is surrounded by decking. The dining room is open for breakfast only, but it stays open as a bar until 11pm so you can get a drink around the pool. It has a pretty West Indian style with wooden chairs and brightly coloured madras seat cushions. The bar is set on the rear wall. Although it is possible to sit inside, tables are also set out on the main deck and so many people end up eating outside under parasols.

You reach the bedrooms via a path that leads along the fence beyond the pool and then enter them from the rear. They carry names of flowers and trees from St Lucia – Star Jasmine, Oleander, Ixora and Margueritte. Steps take you upstairs to the four Upper Deluxe Rooms. The four Superior Deluxe Rooms are on the lower floor. All the rooms at Ginger Lily are large, but they feel particularly so on the upper floor because the ceiling is vaulted into the triangular roofs. They have white ceramic tiles, light walls and a bright colour scheme. The main bed is queen size, but there is also a single sofabed in case you are travelling as a family. All rooms have some outside space, overlooking the pool and some have a hammock. On the lower floor the terraces are partly screened by flowers so you will have some privacy from the courtyard.

Finally, if you would prefer a little bit more space, then there are three one-bedroom Executive Suites at Ginger Lily. One is accessed from behind the dining room and the other two from outside the entrance in the car park. They each have a separate bedroom and a living room with an extra bed.

Ginger Lily is ideally positioned to head down to Reduit Beach. It lies directly opposite ‘the Ramp’ and it is less than 100 yards away from the excellent sand. Facilities including a beach bar and watersports outlets right there. But the hotel is also a nice place to come back to. Guests find themselves returning to the hotel in the middle of the afternoon (before heading out again in the evenings). Ginger Lily is family run and so it has a personable atmosphere, with a friendly feel. The ‘footprint’ of the hotel is not particularly large, but it is nicely sectioned off and so it is nicely private and has a certain intimacy, enabling you to get to know the other guests. It makes a very friendly home from home while you are in St Lucia.