My wife and I stayed at Boucan in a Luxe Pod in early December 2012. The room was very nice and spacious, featuring wood floors, a huge terrace, very comfortable bed with mosquito net, and large bathroom with enormous walk-in shower and double vanity. The view of the Pitons from the terrace was beautiful, and the open-air nature of the space allowed all the night sounds of frogs and insects to lull us to sleep. Each day, there was a complimentary array of nuts and chocolate. The room had near total visible privacy. I cannot understand why someone would choose one of the standard rooms, as they are obviously smaller, less private, and located in a tight cluster more resembling camp housing rather than resort lodging.

There were several drawbacks to the Luxe Pod rooms that I hope the hotel improves over time. The first is unlikely to change - the rooms are all situated near to the road (perhaps within 400 feet of the main road) and near to the main driveway through the facilities. Power lines are visible from both the rooms and the restaurant, and rather often one can hear noisy vehicles passing by. The furniture on the terrace is mostly useless because it is so uncomfortable. The furniture is all constructed with wood slats out of teak or some other tropical hardwood. There is a large daybed, without any cushions - no one would sit on this because it is basically a platform with wood slats. There are also two chaise lounges of the same construction with pads, but the pads are so thin that it is way too uncomfortable to sit in these chairs for more than 30 minutes or so. This is the only seating in the entire room. There should be large deep cushions on all the furniture, large pillows to sink into, and at least two regular armchairs so that one does not have to recline in order to relax on the terrace. Another frustration was that the wireless internet reliability and speed was poor. We could not download files, browse the web reliably, and the signal was intermittent. A final drawback is that we could hear our neighbors as if they were staying in our room - flushing toilets, running water, conversation. Not at all private, and annoying. We watched a movie one night on our laptop, and were concerned that we were bothering our neighbors - not relaxing - we knew we could hear them, and figured they could hear us. My personal feeling is that the hotel would be better off situating the lodging within a more secluded area of the resort, with security, and featuring rooms that are more spread out. Transportation by golf cart to the restaurant and parking area could be provided.

The resort facilities are basic. The restaurant is very good, but as others have noted, the service staff is ill-trained (better at dinner) and the menu is dominated by chocolate. Also, everything seems to come with this artful swoosh of creamy mashed potatoes on the plate - both expected, and delivered cold every time. We didn't really mind any of this, but the food is not so sensational and the service kindof sucks, so it dilutes the cool factor of having everything made with chocolate, unfortunately. Breakfast is an exceptional value, and is included in the room rate. The swimming pool is beautiful, and there are two separated seating areas in the sun. However, like the rooms, the pool is even closer to the road and there is substantial vehicle noise on a regular basis. The hotel website noted that there was bar service at the pool, and gave the impression that someone was stationed there all the time. There is a bar there, but no one was staffing it. I had to go upstairs to the restaurant to request service, and when I did, I received a comment from the waiter that "he looked down and didn't see anyone who needed anything." That's not really a five-star level of service. He was very attentive after that, but the pool should be constantly visited by service staff so that guests can order what they want when they want it.

Overall, St. Lucia is the best Caribbean destination to which we have traveled. More natural beauty, great snorkeling, and beautiful beaches. However, we were quite disappointed in the public access to the beaches. It seems that the nicer beaches are occupied by resorts, which will not rent their lounge chairs to you. While you can put down your towel anywhere, the only beach chairs available for rent are crammed into small patches at the far end of the beach. I'm writing now specifically of Jalousie Beach at the Viceroy Hotel. The same is true at the Anse Chastenet beach - and a terrible, terrible restaurant to boot. The beach access in both of these locations is very difficult and only accessible by car. One can only access Jalousie Beach by being driven by golf cart down a long steep driveway by that resort's hotel staff, and then driven back up again to your car (or to the shuttle if you took this from Boucan). Tipping is, of course, appreciated. We walked it the first time, but it is just way too far - and once you get there, there is one little section where outsiders can get a chair. It's not nice unless you're staying at the hotel. The other public beaches do not have chairs available for rent, and in fact we have heard that there are security issues. We did not enjoy going to the beach much because they are so difficult to access. Unless you are staying in a beach-front resort, going to the beach is a very discouraging proposition.

We went to Dasheene one evening at Ladera across the street from Boucan, and were unimpressed. Dinner for two was $150, and the food was a 5.5 out of 10 - my wife is a vegetarian, and ordered a $30 vegetarian entree that was essentially deep fried and layered with fat. This restaurant is truly probably one of the best restaurants on St. Lucia, and the service was heads and shoulders better than Boucan, although the food is vastly overrated.

Upon check out at Boucan, the staff was unable to print my statement because they rely on a small ink-jet printer at the desk. They did email it to me with an apologetic message, although the staff really should have a laser printer available to them. I found the entire greeting and front desk experience to be a total amateur hour.

We will probably not go back to St. Lucia given all the other options. We would recommend to others that they visit once, but I strongly advise staying at the Viceroy and not at Boucan. While we did not experience the rooms or the restaurant at the Viceroy, the hotel has a beautiful position on the best beach, and the facilities are recently renovated. The beach chairs looked exceedingly comfortable, and this resort match what my expectations had been for our trip to St. Lucia - unfortunately, we booked Boucan instead. It was a good experience, but left me feeling like we could have maximized our trip by staying at Viceroy.

After doing a lot of research for something truly special within the Caribbean islands, I chose St. Lucia's Hotel Chocolat for my partner's big birthday celebration (can't mention the number, but it ends in a "0"). Neither of us could have been more pleased. From its unique location on a cacao plantation to its amazing views to the friendly service from the staff, this was exactly the type of "special" experience we were looking for.

We loved how everything was open air. Being from Florida, I know how humidity and/or bugs can sometimes be a nuisance, but that was not the case in St. Lucia. I didn't suffer a single bug bite (even without the mosquito netting), and the tradewinds kept us more than comfortable at night. I personally enjoyed the chorus of bugs, frogs and birds at night, but they're not for everyone, and the hotel provides earplugs for light sleepers.

What can I say about the view that others haven't already? Even though you see it from the pool, the restaurant, and your lodge, we never tired of it, and I have way too many photos of the Petit Piton (including one where we were lucky enough to catch a rainbow in front of it - what does it mean???).

I could go on and on about the cool open-air shower, the tasty deserts, the fresh fruit, and the Lucky Dube playlist, but suffice it to say it was a fantastic experience. It may not be for everyone due to its remote location, open concept, and heavy focus on chocolate (and Lord knows it ain't cheap), but for those looking for something completely different from chain hotels and all-inclusive beach resorts, Hotel Chocolat is a delightful option.

Yes, the island itself is the most beautiful we have seen in the Caribbean. Yes, the location, on a mountain hillside, with a magnificent view, was wonderful. Yes, everyone from cabdrivers to hotel staff was friendly. And yes, the food, most especially the presentation, was creative and flavorful. But there are some "No's," and some general recommendations regarding the hotel and the island. Despite many Tripadvisor recommendations from folks who I'm certain have NOT stayed in the "regular" bungalows, we still can't see why the "luxury" bungalows are worth a 50% price premium -- unless, perhaps, you plan to stay in your room the entire time, and love the extra walking and stairs it takes to reach those aeries. And we decided not to spring for the full meal plan, and are glad of it. I can't believe even a devoted chocoholic wouldn't soon tire of the ever-present cacao, meal after meal, dish after dish, beginning with breakfast. Our solution after two days: walk across the street to the Ladera resort (twice as expensive as Boucan for the cheapest rooms) to dine at their Dasheene (yam) restaurant, for a wonderful meal blessedly free of chocolate. The menu, unlike Boucan's, seems to change every day. And it has an even better view: the two Pitons + the bay -- we can't imagine a more spectacular view than sunset dinner at Dasheene. And salads where, unlike the case at Boucan, you don't have to ask for oil and vinegar on the side, in place of the standard white chocolate dressing. Hotel Chocolat does tell guests about the possibility of lizards and such in your room, and the occasional whiff of sulfur from the nearby dormant volcano --it keeps away the boa constrictors that appear to be limited to the northern end of the island, where the big resorts -- like Sandals -- and the cruise ships discharge day visitors. But they don't tell you about what they say, on being asked, is an island-wide problem: occasional problems with plumbing. Sometimes the island water administration turns off the water to resorts/private homes. I couldn't understand why, but it happened three times in the week we were there. As a result, most private homes have their own cistern, and Chocolat has its own 500-gallon reservoir, which must be manually opened to replace water not flowing from island pipes. The result: don't be alarmed if, on waking, the sinks and shower have no water (and, one morning, no toilet!). It starts flowing, eventually, and often minutes later. A notation on the printed note to guests would avoid panic calls to the front desk. Restaurant service is friendly, but mostly young and inexperienced. Dasheene's wait staff easily averages 10 to 20 years older, with service that reflects that experience. Take advantage of hotel-arranged cabs to nearby Sugar Beach, where free chaises in the shade are available, on a white sand -- imported from Trinidad because the last hurricane washed away the black -- beach, with tropical fish and corals nearby. Also a beach-side restaurant for lunch with great drinks and an amazing salad bar: shrimp, tuna, and more varied salads and dressings than you'd find in a month at Boucan, for $18. Save your receipt, because that's the only way the golf cart will bring you up to the security gate where most cabs leave you off. Otherwise It's a steep trek back. So would we come back to the island? Definitely. Would we recommend Boucan? Absolutely! But would we stay there again? Perhaps -- but we might try someplace new. We had a wonderful vacation, and thought both the island and the hotel were lovely, close to Paradise. It wouldn't take that much to bring the hotel even closer.

A stunning experience in every way.. The most breathtaking view of the Pitons as you dine, an innovative menu with cocao in everything, and I mean everything.. From the dill bread with cocao nib butter and chocolate balsamic dip to the chocolate ravioli.. Everything was absolutely delicious and beautifully presented. There is a wonderful wine list too and the opportunity to purchase any of their products from the table.. Fabulous!