by Brian Major
Last updated: 1:00 PM ET, Tue March 28, 2017
[IMAGECAPTION] PHOTO: The Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa is designed to accommodate families as well as luxury-focused guests. (photo by Brian Major)
The all-inclusive, 455-room Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa opened officially this past week following a February "soft" launch.
The new resort is Saint Lucia's largest, designed for a broad slice of vacationers, from families to wedding and romance guests, to upscale travelers who prefer an adults-only experience.
A family-focused section features a water park and kids' club. There's also the Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia, a resort-within-a-resort featuring its own infinity pool deck, private stretch of beach and beach bar. Finally, Diamond Club accommodations emphasize luxury amenities and services.
Some controversy has accompanied the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa's arrival.
Saint Lucia's first new major resort in years joins a competitive hospitality marketplace featuring several other well-recognized boutique hotels and all-inclusive resort brands.
Earlier this month, Saint Lucia tourism stakeholders recently expressed concerns regarding "poaching" of experienced staff following the soft launch. For their part, Royalton officials are moving carefully, saying this week the resort is operating at around 30 percent of normal capacity as a full staff contingent is hired and trained.
"You haven't had a hotel of this size open in Saint Lucia in some time," said Jordi Pelfort, managing director of Blue Diamond Resorts, Royalton's parent firm. "It's a process. I hope we will be at our expected level very soon, but right now we are happy at what we have."
He continued, "It's a resort with a lot of product differentiation. You can come here with small kids and have an awesome time. We have an adults-only section that can accommodate people from ages 20 to 60, and they will have a phenomenal time. So I really think we're suited for a lot of people."
The new resort is expected to profoundly impact Saint Lucia's tourism sector. Sunwing Travel Group-owner of both Royalton and parent firm Blue Diamond Resorts-operates airlines, tour operators and travels agencies in Canada and the US. It plans to bring thousands of new visitors to this (at-times) under-the-radar Caribbean destination.
Here are five reasons to visit the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa right now before the crowds grow bigger:
Sun and Fun:
The spacious, sleek-looking property is located on a relatively small but intimate and attractive stretch of beach. Nearly every public area and room faces the beachfront.
Although they are located in different parts of the property, the Hideaway Infinity pool, resort pools and the Splash Pad water park all face the beach, located in a picturesque, calm-water Caribbean Sea cove that features beautiful sunsets. A water sports and excursion desk operated by Nexus provides beach activities.
Close connections:
An on-property Nexus Tours office can arrange a variety of off-resort activities on this lush and mountainous island: From visits to the Pitons UNESCO World Heritage Site to catamaran trips, dune buggy and mountain-biking excursions and guided trips to the Friday night street party in nearby Gros Ilet.
Fab facilities:
Guests in all sections can rent beachfront cabanas featuring plunge pools, full food and beverage services, stocked refrigerators and in-cabana televisions.
The Royal Spa is a full-service facility providing an extensive menu of health, wellness and beauty services. It features a hydrotherapy circuit plus a variety of massage, body and facial treatments.
The supervised kids club for ages 6 to 12 features a Kids Adventures program while a Hangout Teens Club offers guests ages 13 to 17 a place to make friends, play video games and enjoy on-resort outdoor activities.
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