As it say a cluster of romantic hideaways a unique experience................but it is much more thanks to the owner Monica -this is what we imagine paradise to be like . We arrived by jeep it is advisable -Benny the jeepman.picked us up at the airport drove us to the hotel and we had the jeep to nip down to Anse Chastanet beach with .go out for a meal ,drive into the rain forest or tour the island just as the mood took us. Total relaxation but it was mainly up to Monica and how she ran her business It started when my sister in law and her husband couldnt make up their minds whether they were joining us or not .No worry you can have a sofa bed no extra charge if they come .This was very generous and laid back of Monica infact they didnt come along but wished they had after hearing about our trip they are going over in December .Now the next big decision to cook or not to cook ........breakfast ........... With a kitchen with enough utensils to cook for 10 hungry people we had the treat of Arlette and her girls to cook our breakfast for us in our own cottage .Freshly squeezed fruit juice ,eggs tomato garnish .fresh bread homemade perserves and even a slice of cake should the whim take you. Complimentary seemed to be Moncia's favourite word As was the Sunday brunch .Now this was no ordinary brunch this was served with champagne. What a holiday experience . This lady sure knows how to give you the first class holiday .Apparently we found out she had managed some of the best hotels on the island in the last 20 years. Monica seemed to have a radar that she would appear if you needed something it was brilliant .Ok so if you have been to St Lucia 20 times you get to know the run of the place but it was our first trip and we felt we got so much more out of it because Moncia was able to steer us in the right direction every time . Three cheers for Monica

We are obviously in the minority here but Crystals was definitely not for us. We would have given the property a 1 star however we have since corresponded with the owner and understand that there is a different philsophy here.

We planned our St. Lucia vacation for over a year originally booking at Ladera. However I could not justify paying over $500 / night (non-inclusive) so we found Crystals on the internet and after using our bible, Tripadvisor, and reading the glowing reviews, we booked a cottage for the week. We still had some trepidation because of some of the negative reviews but we were up for an adventure and decided to stay.

We arrived on a Saturday evening and checked into the Mango Cottage. At first glance, everything seemed terrific - eclectic furniture, private plunge pool and large bedroom upstairs. However, to us, the accomodations were not quite right. The sinks were a little grimy, the bathroom was very small with no place to put anything, there was absolutely no pressure in the shower, the toilet seat was loose, half of the bulbs were burned out throughout the cottage and switches and outlets didn't work. The bed, which is a small queen, if that, was okay but we had many bites each night through the mosquito netting, which made sleeping very difficult. The only view of the Petons was from a window across the bedroom. It was a beautiful view but you could not enjoy them without standing at that window. Our secluded porch and pool were nice but with no views at all.

After two days, Monica (the owner) was nice enough to let us move to the Papaya Cottage, which was supposed to be occupied, but the guests cancelled at the last minute. This had a huge deck and the most amazing view of the Petons and entire rain forest. Truly breathtaking. The inside was again very ecletic however dark with kitchen light bulbs out, lamps set up with no outlets to plug them in and no reading lamps in bedroom. I had to jump on the counter to try and change the bulbs in the kitchen so we could at least see what we were doing and move a lamp into the bedroom so I could read. The bathroom was larger and good pressure from the cracked shower head (spraying water everywhere) however the toilet seat was loose again and the shower rod, which is held up by a nail and block of wood, fell on my head as I was getting into the shower. We were also visited by a few cockroachs in the shower. No big deal - just letting you the reader know. The living room was large with big white couches but they were dirty and we did not want to sit on them.

After the second night in the Papaya (now Wednesday), my wife had two dozen or more bites on her knee as well as all over her legs and hands. I also had bites on my neck and everywhere else. At that point we needed to move because my wife was very upset. That afternoon we threw our clothes in our suitcases and left for a Sandals resort up north.

We were able to tour the a few of the other cottages while we were there. All the cottages had large refrigerators except for the Mango and Papaya, which had little bar refrigerators, which made it impossible to buy a lot of anything to cook or drink.

Monica and Martin are very nice and were very generous. They hosted the initial night's cocktail reception as well as one a few days later and they made breakfast for us Sunday morning and dinner (with fresh vegatable provided by other guests) another night. They had a gallon of drinking water for you when you arrive (we were advised not to drink the rainwater) and she has tea, coffee, sugar and cream ready though some cottages were not stocked upon the other guests arrival.

If you have read any of the negative reviews of Crystals, you will see Monica's defensive responses. She responded to us in much the same way. She did not think the bites we received were anything more than sandflies, which after more investigation on our part, could be true, but the ugly clumping of bites on my wife's knee was more than we could take (my wife had at least nine bites on one finger alone). We explained the other issues at both cottages and she had a reason for each of them - loose toilet seats, just need tightening; bulbs out, she removes them to create a mood (burned out ones??), no pressure in shower, it's rainwater and sometimes there's no pressure, no sugar or coffee - oh those girls. A very slack attitude. None of these things were terrible alone but added together, we didn't feel that we should need to deal with any of them on our vacation.

The overall lodging problem with St. Lucia is that you have to either spend $500 plus at a nice resort or stay at another type of lodging. Sandals was very expensive, but everything was included. One dinner at Ladera was $200 so that would have been even more. Anse Chastenet was $425 / night and nice resorts farther up north (Discovery for one) were around that range and a little more too.

I stayed at the Mango suite for two nights and wished it could have been longer. The Mango is more a large first-class private apartment than a suite of rooms for two with private sun deck and plunge pool at a mid-priced Caribbean holiday hotel. Above the large kitchen, dining area and sumptuously furnished sitting room is a very large, well appointed bedroom that has an unobstructed view of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea. Wow! (see photo) No complaints about cleanliness or room service either. In fact I thought the hotel was well maintained and clean throughout.

There is a pleasant dining and bar area where guests can and do socialise. Martin and his wife, Monica, are great hosts and I found the staff relaxed and completely themselves.

Crystals is different, with style. I found it refreshingly unique and completely relaxing. I unreservedly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a hotel that is private and secluded but not too far off the beaten track to be able to enjoy getting out and about to experience, with 4X4, all that St Lucia has to offer.

I could go on, but I have read the reviews, so I would only be repeating what other guests have already written who also appreciated the very special charm of Crystals.

Everyone has their fairy tale wedding but we would like to share the location we choose for ours ...It was very special .. We have wonderful photos taken by Bill Mortleys son to remind us of our day but it was our hosts Monica and her husband Martin that made it so special with their thoughtfulness,not forgetting the lady who married us Imogene Mitchel. We stayed a week at Crystals before the wedding and had a wonderful time dodging the rain showers .eating at the niciest restaurants in the area ...our favourite being the Mango Tree on the Stonefield Estate and going every day to the beach at Anse Chastanet. Monica works very hard and she thinks of every small detail to make your holiday the best .She is very knowledgeable of the area and as we were only there for a short time was invalueable as we hits the best things to see and do The accommodation was very clean ,spacious and private.The views are out of this world and the back drop for many of our photographs -We truly recommend Monica and her team at Crystals to be an ideal place to get married or for your St Lucian holiday . We didnt want a conveyor type wedding that often happen in the bigger resorts Crystals ticked all the boxes for us Also if you are looking to hire a jeep try Benny on www.stluciajeeprentals.com Monica recommended him to us he picks you up at the airport drives you to Crystals so you dont have to worry about getting lost or finding it in the dark drops you and the jeep off and returns on time to take you back to the airport to get your flight home. Also remember to go to the Fond Doux Plantation it is the botanical gardens and has a working cocoa plantation which Prince Charles visited on his trip to St Lucia the flowers are beautiful and the food is good there too