We booked Villa Beach Cottages having seen the reviews here at Trip Advisor. The positive reviews are well deserved in our opinion. The negative ones are probably the result of a mis-match -- someone looking for a resort/hotel experience. Ignore the bad reviews unless you require glitz and glitter, or want to spend lots more money.

Location: On the beach. That means ON THE BEACH. You walk out of your master bedroom onto a lovely patio, take a few steps across a wonderfully designed deck with a small waterfall and pool, and walk down 6 or seven steps into the Carribean. The beach (sand) is narrow, as described in other reviews, but the deck above provides complete privacy after bathing, and you cannot get closer to the water without being in it. We loved this aspect of the facility. Up north, on the west side, close to supermarkets, shops, restaurants, other beaches, if you want some variety (the beaches differ widely in surf, snorkeling ops, sand types, etc). About 90 minutes drive to the Pitons south of there. Very secluded when we were there because of the slower season. Weekends and holidays include local families on the beach, some kids having a great time, so we enjoyed that, and then our privacy as well, retreating up onto the deck of the property for sunning on those days. The water is calm for swimming most of the time, but there is a little dip at the shore, which makes the surf sound fierce at times. The type of sand, and the pounding of the surf, we assumed, accounted for the muddiness of the water on many days. It was this way all the way up the norwest beaches until you get onto the northeast side, where there is a protected beach we visited. The Southern beaches have the dive sites and clearer water because of their locations. This is not a snorkeling beach.

Ambiance: Quaint styled, with thoughtful attention to visual detail on the outside, making it very appealing to sun there. Master bedroom just beautiful, with plantation-style furniture of top quality, french doors to patio, never-want-to-leave kind of room. Living/dining/kitchen area was dark (needs and will be getting additional lighting according to owner). Back bedroom quiet, in spite of proximity of street, adequate, not as charming as master, but completely fine. Oddly no artwork on the walls, save one painting in Master bedroom. No full length mirrors. No mirror in back bedroom. Felt that this unit was so new that they were still adding things.

Comfort: a/c in bedrooms, which drifts into the living area. We were downstairs and were totally comfortable and ran the a/c as needed. Our unit was new, everything you need in a kitchen is there. Bathrooms are not fancy, but sleek, modern and well done. No tubs, but big, open showers with great rainshower heads.

Service: Spectactular. The staff is polished, professional, while still being extremely friendly, helpful, and giving a home like feeling. (We visited several other 'high end' hotels, and didn't find the staff as helpful, nor as professional. This was surprising, since Villas Beach Cottages is an informal and small). The owner, Colin, is delightful, brilliant, giving a detailed welcome, with a map which he will marke according to your questions.

Security: We felt safe in St Lucia, but kept our doors locked, being practical. There is always a security guard patrolling at the condos. Seemed more than adequate to us.

Activities: Colin sent us in all the right directions. We loved the Toraille waterfall, the mineral springs, the aerial tram (we didn't do the ziplining, just the 'gondola' up into the rainforest for an hour -- awesome), Pigeon Island food festival, Cas en Bas for sunrise on east side. There is so much to do in St Lucia, we would need a month to do the things we really felt we missed due to lack of time. A week is not enough for this island.

People: St Lucia has the most friendly people we've met in the Carribean. Everyone tries to help you out. You can't stay lost for long, because someone will direct you, or find someone else who can. Even while driving people are extra polite, giving way when they have the right of way. You really feel the love. This is in sharp contrast to some other islands we have visited, including the USVI.

Food: We never ate at the place next door. We ate mostly at the apartment (being vegetarians). Had lunch at Jalousie Plantation "Bayside" one day. Sandwiches. Okay food. Gorgeous location under the Pitons. Had dinner at "Razmatazz", by far the worst Indian food we've ever eaten -- don't go there, it's bad. Had snacks,sandwiches and coffee several times at "Rituals", a Starbucks knock-off up the street which has good quick take out for taking on exploring trips. We didn't have time to have a meal at the famous and recommended Dasheens at Ladera, but stopped on the way to the airport and had drinks. The setting alone is a must visit. They were holding a cooking class at the time. This place is out of the world beautiful.

I'd recommend Villa Beach Cottages to anyone who wants privacy, quiet, good swimming, easy location, friendliness, comfort, a new condo with kitchen.

This is not a fancy resort, with lots of hotel services, a rockin' bar, or anything like that. For that, look elsewhere.

For comparison, we have stayed, in the last 8 years at Ritz Carlton in St Thomas (lovely -- but horrible people outside the resort), private home in St John, condos in Grand Cayman (now the Ritz has come there, so the charm is gone -- they have 1000 employees), Wyndham in Puerto Rico, Westin in the Bahamas, etc. So we have something to compare to when we say that this hotel offers good value for the money, and is well run, albeit simple. Think "home away from home". Very nice place. We'll go back.

The cottages are the most well outfitted cottages we’ve ever stayed in down to the blender. However there is no sharing table for departing guests to leave salt & pepper, sugar packets, uncooked pasta, etc for arriving guests and the room does not have any food items including coffee packets for the coffee maker so bring whatever you might need. The hotel store has very little but the island does have large fully stocked supermarkets. We also ate very well at the restaurants that were recommended to us including Coal Pot near Castries and Edge near Rodney Bay. Both not to be missed! We used the local bus which comes every 2 minutes and I don’t think we even waited that long! It was very cheap mode of travel and an interesting experience to be with locals going about their day. The one restaurant within walking distance (immediately next door) is okay especially for takeout.

The hotel had two pools (one medium sized and one very small) and plenty of deck space just above the beach for lounging. We borrowed the hotel’s 2-man kayaks to paddle out to Rat Island and to another nearly deserted beach. We were not able to get reservations on the Brig Unicorn which looked like a lot of fun. It is booked by cruise ships so if you are interested make advanced reservations. We did book through the hotel a private water taxi ride down the coast to the Pitons. The boat itself was a very modest powerboat and probably as small as you’d want to consider for an ocean excursion but we stayed very close to shore and explored places like Marigot bay which with its personal tour was a big advantage to the sailing ships that cruise down farther from shore. We stopped at a great snorkeling spot on the return trip (at a beach that is the departure point for a combo bike tour and snorkel).

All of the hotel staff was great. Colin, the hotel owner, was happy to give an introductory overview and make sightseeing and restaurant suggestions. He did launch into an extensive talk about his most famous guests and the ones that have returned most often which we didn’t need since we were already sold on the place.

We had nothing but favorable impressions of the hotel and we’d recommend it to anyone. The only thing to consider is that you’ll need to hire a car, take a taxi, or ride the bus to get to restaurants or stock up at the grocery store.

We've been coming for 22 years to St. Lucia - this being our 8th "home coming" to Villa Beach Cottages. We can assure you that this wonderful place has a way of snuggling deep into your heart and pulling you back to the sincere warm welcome(It's like a big hug with 1000watt smiles from those lovely very capable young ladies Neva, Nadia and Tania at the reception desk).
Colin(owner/manager), no matter how busy, always takes time to greet each guest with a "welcome to St. Lucia and Villa Beach" chat. He's an absolute fountain of fascinating information and as he speaks, you can almost see what he is telling you in vivid technicolour. He leave you in awe and wanting to know more and is, as one of the free posters available at the tourist information centers reads - "Yours to discover"!
He and his hardworking staff, went those extra miles to minimize the guest woes of those unforeseen delays and interruptions during constructionthat can happen in any country.
The rooms are more like small apartments, spotlessly kept by housekeeping (Clara's "Good Morning" to us, is like a beam of sunshinebefore she starts, as with all the others). The kitchen, complete with fridge, stove, microwave, dining table and chairs, opensto a spacious sitting area with cable TV, phone, comfy couch and chair, complete with a large spacious bedroom with a door to a very roomy bathroom, also with access from the common sitting area.
Meal times are no longer a chore in this dreamy setting - with a cross section of excellent restaurants to choose from. an absolute high point is Sunday Brunch in Laborie at "Debbie's Place" for tantalizing home cooked local dining. Or, with a short walk on the new sidewalks and overhead pedestrian crosswalks, head down to the little mall complete with a well stocked grocery store and its separate local green grocer.
The cozy veranda or balcony offers another small table and chairs where you can sit watching the setting sun listening to the waves lap against the shore and hear the breeze rustle the leaves of the coconut trees just five feet in front of your little haven.
We pinch ourselves the first few evenings, (and we still do it after all these years), to make sure all this magic is real. Hard to believe that the beautiful sandy beach is about the distance from your front door to across the street back home.
The grounds are kept immaculate. With a flick of his trusty rake, St. George has whisked away any stray leaves that dared to fall on the ground, or into either of the pools, and seeing the unobtrusive security guards making their rounds dat and night shows the extra attention to the guests well being as they greet you with a courteous nod or engage in genial conversation.
Colin's "dream" of his expansion is sparkling. The suites - a marvel of rich beauty, a waterfall that cascades into a small wading pool and then into a larger swimming pool, a balcony or veranda giving you a true blue ocean view - all enticing you to make your stay into a perfect holiday.
We can think of no better place to rejuvenate - one's mind - from the toils of the past year, one's body - from the labours of work(or, shovelling lots of snow!), and one's spirit - to invigorate us for the months ahead and get us through to spring.
Even the "Grinch" would have thawed his heart, felt it grow and glow, click his heels and want to return to Villa Beach again and again.

We spent two glorious weeks at Villa Beach Cottages- two adults and two children aged 7 and 4. We found VBC on Trip Advisor as we were struggling to find a small beach front self-catering complex. It looked good, the reviews were excellent and we had very efficient and friendly communication with the staff before our trip. So we were hoping for the best - but it exceeded our expectations in every way.

From our arrival tired after the long flight to our departure the staff (as mentioned by everyone else) are fantastic. Neva, Nadia and Tanier (Reception), Jennifer (our housekeeper) and Colin (Owner). They kindly allowed us the use of a cottage for our last day as we had an evening flight.

We had a new ground floor two bedroom apartment. It was huge, spotless with excellent facilities (down to a muffin tray!). Jennifer provided daily cleaning. Beach towels were provided as well.

Our terrace had a gate (good for those with small children) and looked out onto the new pool (complete with waterfall) and the sun loungers. One stride beyond and you were down the steps onto the beach. Apart from a couple of days when the sea was a bit rough the bay was calm and near deserted. You could have an undisturbed swim in either direction. We did visit other beaches (Marigot Bay, Reduit and Anse Chastenet) and though the sea was clearer you shared the beach with others (especially Reduit – classic rows of lobster red Brits, Yanks and Canadians filling the beach space - avoid!) and swimming was limited due to the boats.

We arrived late and were glad we had asked for the welcome pack ($US 40) to which we could have added more provisions. This was sufficient until we could walk to the supermarket (keep walking until you find the footbridge - don't cross the busy road). which is large and has an ATM inside. We found other ATMs at Castries but those in Soufriere did not accept Maestro. We also went to the Wharf next door which was basic but perfectly good food and very friendly staff, good with children. We also went to Jacques a couple of times which has a lovely view over the bay - better than that of the Coal Pot - and the food is about the same. Nadia's sister, Persia, babysat a couple of evenings and the kids really liked her.

We travelled around the island using the cheap, safe and frequent minibuses. They stop anywhere on the road for you - one person to a seat. We also used the services of Mr Charles to take us around. He is great company - witty and knowledgeable. We also hired a jeep. The main roads are fine. The lesser roads e.g. to Anse Chastenet, needed a 4x4. Anti-sickness tablets were useful for the kids - they not only felt OK on the long trips, they slept! Travel (apart from the mini buses) is expensive.

We visited Castries (great presents at the spice stall), Soufriere and the volcano, Pigeon Island, Font Doux, and the La Sikwi Sugar Mill estates. We also bathed in the Toraille Falls and the mineral baths at Diamond Falls. There are changing facilities at each venue. VBC engaged Lloyd to take my husband to the start of the Gros Piton walk where he picked up a guide. Walk took about 5 hours up and down – anyone who has walked up peaks in the (English) lake district would find it OK.

Other minor points. I am glad the kids had sun-protective swim gear as it enabled them to stay in the pool for hours while we read! We found it useful to use a mosquito spray in the evenings as we did get a few bites. Also, the culprit for the persistent evening chirp is a coqui - a tree frog.

We would love to go back - perhaps combining the visit with a week at Colin's plantation house La Dauphine – when he has installed the pool!