As much as I enjoy everything that Europe has to offer, sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere further afield, and somewhere really special.

My requirements were simple.  I wanted a stunning beach and pool resort with top of the range facilities and excellent all-inclusive food and drink options.

It wasn’t long before I was told of St James’s Club, Morgan Bay in St Lucia.  Ideal for couples, families, weddings and honeymoons this is the ideal location for those wanting to get away from it all.

I was amazed to discover there are no less than six restaurants available, each with their own menu and distinct concepts.  Usually I am a little wary of buffet style restaurants but only one of the six was a buffet and it was superb.

The Palms is in a wonderful airy building with classic Caribbean architecture.  Every night we dined here we were treated to something new and exciting including fresh fish and meat grilled to our liking as well as ribs, mexican and even Indian food on one occasion.  The Palms has something to offer everyone.

Bambou Restaurant is set right on the water’s edge with stunning views of the Caribbean ocean.  Here we enjoyed some fantastic Asian fusion dishes and also some wonderful classic Caribbean food.  Bambou also serves afternoon tea at 3pm; an indulgent but great way to top up before dinner!

Morgan’s Pier was one of our favourite restaurants in the resort.  Set on a long pier stretching out into the sea this serves some great seafood and steaks.  We loved some of the more unusual dishes such as the spicy chicken and we also really enjoyed the way the menu changes every few evenings to keep enticing us back!

The star of the show has to be Le Jardin.  A for a small surcharge this restaurant offers some superb fine dining.  It’s really lovely to have a reason to get dressed up smartly at least once during the holiday, and this wonderfully air conditioned restaurant is well worth it.  The pianist made the atmosphere particularly romantic and atmospheric, our food was first class, consisting of fine wine, and fantastic steak.

The Plum Tree bar and Grille is set right next to the kids pool, making this a really convenient spot for families to eat without any hassle.  It serves kids favourites from chicken nuggets to pasta and open all afternoon.  

Finally the Tree Tops restaurant is set among the wonderful trees up on the hill side right near our room.  Specialising in pizza and pasta we loved the simplicity.  The service was superb, as they let us both heavily customise our pizzas, adding several more cheeses and meat toppings!

The resort also offers some fantastic gym facilities for those that might not want to put on the pounds at all the great restaurants.  Featuring a full gym with an excellent variety of equipment that will please the most fit and active of guests.    There’s also a good range of fitness classes including Caribbean Dance, Aerobics and Pilates to name a few.

In addition the Spa offers some superb massage and beauty treatments that are out of this world.  I liked the way there was a massage specifically for couples so we could both enjoy it together rather than separately.

The resort also offers some great facilities for kids aged between 2 to 11, to let Mum and Dad have a break for a while.  There are several playgrounds dotted around the resort along with kids pools and children’s centres.

Activities include face painting, jewellery making, volleyball, sand castle building, movies, crab hunting and loads more.  I think a lot of the kids won’t want to leave!

One of my favourite things about St James’s resort is the selection of watersports available.  At no extra cost we both took full advantage of sailing hobie boats, going on the banana boat ride (several times a day!) and even waterskiing!  All part of the all inclusive, this really was good value for money.  The staff on the beach at kind, patient and happy to teach you anything you’d like to have a go at.  If they can teach me to sail then they can teach anyone!  

The beach at St James’s Morgan Bay was an idyllic paradise.  Never a shortage of sunbeds, it was perfect for lazy afternoons.  It’s also very near the main pool, so it’s easy to chop and change as you like.  There were always enough sunbeds.  The sea was always warm but not always clear due to the sand beds, but this never bothered us.  Most afternoons people would gather and play beach volleyball, and every day we saw guests enjoying aquasize in the pool.   

We found there enough pool activities planned without being overwhelmed.  The swim-up bar pool was a great way to spend a lazy afternoon too, lounging back in the pool drinking the cocktail of the day, or beer or wine!  

We found that Guest Services did a superb job in helping guests book onto tours.  St Lucia is such a beautiful island with so much to see and do.  If you’re the active type you won’t be bored in St Lucia!  Situated in the lobby, Guest Services were friendly and efficient when it came to booking tours.   We heard some excellent stories from guests that went on the famous zipline adventure (you need a head for heights!) and also the wonderful Sunset Cruise.

In total we had a fantastic time at St James’s Resort, Morgan Bay.  We are already planning to go back!   It’s the perfect spot for families or couples and ideal for weddings and honeymoons too.

You can book your trip to St James’s club via all the usual holiday websites or directly via the hotel:
http://www.morganbayresort.com/

Finally, at around 90 minutes transfer time from the airport, we were worried we might not enjoy the trip.  Thankfully we were guests with St Lucia Airport Shuttle and had our own private, air conditioned car.  

Our driver gave us an entertaining tour of the island and even gave us some local beer he’d kept cool for us.  He was also happy to stop whenever we wanted up on the hill tops for photos!  It really was one of the best transfers I’ve ever had.   Their adventure division, Real St. Lucia Tours also offer trips and tours of St Lucia.

You can book your transfer online:
http://www.stluciaairportshuttle.com/ 
or book trips and tours here:
http://realstluciatours.com/