Yes, jet skis right on the beach, right next door at the Rex. The front desk at the Royal will be very helpful in booking any excursion you may want to take.

We are going from 16 May to the 24. Really looking forward to it. Doesn't seem to be many people on the forums going to the Royal

We'll be at the Rex St Lucian from 2-9 April. I gather Royal, St Lucian & Papillon are all next to each other.

A response to an earlier question about the location was that it was perfect for beach/restaurants/bars (that might mean 'noisy' of course!). Conflicting comments regarding staff/cleanliness but overall we expect it to be 'past it's sell by date' (shabby), so I'm not exactly delighted, but at least it's only for 1 week.

Yours has a higher star rating so should be better.

My boyfriend and I are heading to St. Lucis on 4/28 -- just staying until 5/2 but really looking forward to a great getaway. We have never been to St.Lucia and would love to hear of some great places from those of you who have been there or are going there soon.

We are staying at Royal by Rex.

The booze and fag addict hubby and I will be at the Royal by Rex from 9th - 17th May. Have heard the hotel and grounds are all non-smoking, so please keep a lookout and say Hi to BigAl when you see him strolling along the beach at all hours. p.s. he's the bigun with the beard, fag in one hand and scotch in the other! Happy holidays to you all.

Hi guys

Family and I are due to stay at the Rex St Lucian from 23 May for 2 weeks. Even though some of the reviews have been pretty bad, we are still looking forward to it very much. It pays to do your research though, we are travelling all inclusive and at other hotels and resorts around the world, all in has meant all in. Apparantly, all in at the St Lucian means all inclusive when it suits the hotel. I will let you know if this is true.

juliebigal: I've stayed at the Royal several times, you can smoke anywhere on the grounds there pretty much...your hubby doesn't have to walk the beach to have a smoke.

Okey - Have you been this year?

I've checked my booking form, it states that from 2006 smoking is banned in guest rooms, restaurants and all public areas, whether this includes the grounds I am not sure (what does public areas cover?- is the beach a public area?!?!).

Others may like to take note of this, I will do a review when we return and confirm where smoking is allowed.

Juliebigal: Yes, I was just there this past February, so about two months ago, and never had an issue smoking anywhere. They even provide ashtrays in the room, although we usually went out on the patio, so not sure about that brochure. It's rare to find any area on the whole island that you CAN'T smoke in. Obviously, there's some, but few and far between. The only part of the Royal that I would think they're talking about being non-smoking is the nicer restaurants (sorry, can't remember names, Chic or something). Everywhere else was totally fine. Have fun. Let me know if need any other info.