Not sure if this is quite the right place for this as the Villa Cleopatra is (I think) one specific villa let by Cleopatra Villas at The Harbour in Rodney Bay. However, it's all part of the same gated development and most of my comments are relevant to all CV villas in The Harbour.
This is a lovely place to be based in St Lucia. The location is great (in the north of the island, some 90 mins by cab from the international airport) - Reduit Beach is just a couple of minutes walk away, Your villa will face onto the harbour, all of the best Rodney Bay restaurants are within 2-10 minutes walk and the small pool on the property is almost always quiet. Three different supermarkets are all within a 3-5 minute walk.
We stayed at 14a The Harbour for 4 weeks. The villa itself is great - big, comfortable and with a gorgeous deck just in front of the water, complete with sun beds, chairs and a hammock. The beds are a little soft and the lounge furniture is just a little tired but it is all very comfortable. The kitchen is fine if you want to do a bit of self-catering but after a month where we mainly ate in (just our preference) we missed things like a better blender than the rather sad one provided, but this is being really picky. We were away from home for a month and there was nothing we had real difficulty in preparing.
The manager of the site is Robert Joseph, a thoroughly nice guy who clearly does a fine job of overseeing the place. The grounds team are in every weekday keeping the grass and vegetation looking great, the pool is always clean and any issues get sorted immediately and with no fuss (for us they ranged from a broken tin opener to, more critically, malfunctioning air-conditioning, all of which were addressed immediately). Kerstine, who is responsible for the upkeep of 14a (among others) is a star - a lovely lady who is unfailingly cheerful and happy to fit in her tasks around your needs. Robert will also offer advice on practical things as well as helping you arrange tours.
The place is secure. Two gates in and out controlled by key fob; security guards on at night (don't be put off by this statement - Rodney Bay is very safe to walk around after dark); room safes in the villas. Plenty of parking for cars if you hire (use the bus - cheap, regular and reliable!). Mix of holidayers and some permanent residents. Can't comment on what it is like in high season (we were there in November) but we rarely saw others around the pool or harbour front.
Other stuff -
(i) For Brits this is a electronics-charging delight as St Lucia's colonial heritage means that the power supply is as in the UK - 240v and 'square' pin plugs. Americans and others will need adapters.
(ii) If you want a gym, the best bet is Sportivo, just along the highway towards Gros Islet and above a pizza restaurant. I'll get around to doing a full review but in a nutshell this is a really friendly gym which does what seemed to me to be excellently run classes throughout the day. It also has an aged but working collection of resistance machines and a good set of free weights. Cardio equipment is poor - running machines are ok but just one poorly working bike and a space where the elliptical used to be. For cardio other than a class, run on the beach and swim in the sea!
(iii) Take (or buy) beach towels as the ones in the villa are for pool use only.
(iv) If you want to hire a boat (or if you sail to St Lucia) there is a private mooring a stone's throw from the villa.
- Also Known As:
- Villa Cleopatra St. Lucia/Gros Islet
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
-
Villa Cleopatra is a very large 6 bedroom villa, providing guesthouse type facilities. Full-time housekeeping staff look after the villa.
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