We arrived and were so happy to be in St. Lucia. Our accomodations were very nice and reasonably priced. However, the staff seemed annoyed that we were there. Further, the service in the restaurant was sub-par at best, with rude staff and extremely overpriced food. The sister hotels which are walking distance are fantastic, especially the Bay Garden Beach Resort. The concierge at Bay Garden Beach Resort assisted us tremendously although we were not guests at the Resort (she arranged for transportation around the island, providing a driver that was absolutely wonderful). The concierge at Bay Garden Hotel was non-existent and/or of no assistance at all. We will go back to St. Lucia and will stay at the Bay Garden Beach Resort.

Bay Gardens Hotel remains one of the few personally run, genuine good value hotels on an island increasingly dominated by US-style resorts. It's spacious, has lovely gardens and is well-located - just round the corner from the Mall (for essential supplies) and within strolling distance of the main Rodney Bay restaurant strip.

Staff are friendly (though front desk can be a bit brisk at times), the two splash pools (especially the one away from the central courtyard) are quiet and underused. Rooms are spacious and comfortable (but avoid 117-119 which have limited view).

There's an hourly shuttle down to the Resort on Reduit beach (only a 15 minute walk anyway); you can get local mini-buses into Castries or up to Gros Islet and the Marina.

My only complain would be the price of 'extras' like breakfast. Top tip here: they do a Continental breakfast for 21 ECD against 45 ECD for the full buffet . It's the same but without the cooked bit - but they don't tell you about it. You have to ask for it and make sure you only sign for the lesser amount!

We have just returned from a weeks stay at the Bay Gardens Hotel in St Lucia. Lovely hotel, very friendly staff especially the Head Housekeeper who greeted us with a warm smile every morning. The rooms were excellent, we had a standard room equipped with fridge and tea making facilities. The maid service was also excellent. The breakfast buffet was also very good. The hotel is near to all the nearby amenities - bank, supermarket, nightlife, beach etc. The hotel also provides a free shuttle bus which takes you to Reduit beach daily on the hour. I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone wishing to visit St Lucia. Already planning our next visit!!

We spent a week at Bay Garden Hotel in Feb/08. Great little hotel; attentive staff, great breakfast buffet, lovely pools (which we had all to ourselves). Our room was clean but in need of a little facelift (no matter; we only slept/showered there). What a wonderful island - easy to explore, felt very safe. Many shops carried decent wares; we were delighted to bring home many lovely things. We got rain everyday (liquid sunshine) but only kept the place fresh and lovely. There is so much to do; it's not necessarily a laze-on-the-beach-every-day kind of place although we did manage to do that too. The restaurants we visited served excellent fare (although some were pricey - as much as $140 for 2 persons). Get a front row seat on Friday or Saturday night in Rodney Bay and watch the local kids impress one another - some things are universal! Friday night JumpUp in Gros Islet was fun and also felt very safe for the tourists.
So, in essence, if you crave a slightly different vacation enjoying a variety of activities in a safe place with an interesting history and engaging people, then this is the place for you.