Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa

Bay Gardens Beach Resort is in a beautiful location, and the beach itself is truly lovely — soft sand, clear water, and gorgeous views. The setting had so much potential to make this a wonderful getaway. Unfortunately, the resort itself did not live up to the surroundings. I had high hopes for Bay Gardens Beach Resort, given its reputation and location, but unfortunately my experience fell far short of expectations. The biggest disappointment was the restaurant service. Every meal — whether lunch or dinner — was a test of patience. We regularly waited hours for food and drinks, only for them to arrive cold. Staff often ignored our table, and we constantly had to chase someone down to place an order or even get water. The menu was extremely limited, with the same items repeated day after day. Most of the options were not appealing, and the dinner menu in particular was very poor. Dining, which should have been a highlight, quickly became the most frustrating part of the stay. The property itself also showed a serious lack of upkeep. The pool was consistently dirty, and the surrounding floors didn’t appear to be cleaned regularly. Our room was not well maintained — the shower was never cleaned daily, so sand built up quickly. Fixtures and furniture looked rusty and old, giving the room a neglected feel rather than a relaxing, tropical retreat. To make things worse, there were far too many mosquitoes inside the room, which made it uncomfortable to spend time there. While the location itself is beautiful and the beach nearby has a lot of potential, the resort does not live up to the standard it should. With better management, proper cleaning, and staff training, this could be a fantastic destination. Unfortunately, as it stands, both the service and the facilities left me extremely disappointed, and I cannot recommend it in its current state.

My stay at Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa in Saint Lucia was decent, though it fell short of expectations — and I’m someone who came in with reasonable expectations. First, booking through the website was a nightmare. It constantly refreshed and kicked me back to the beginning whenever I made any progress. Worse, I was charged an additional $1,000 for a second guest — despite there being no clear option to indicate or add another person during the booking process. That charge came as a complete surprise. The front desk staff did what they could within their limitations, but the resort clearly suffers from poor management and training across the board. Upon arrival, our TV wasn’t connected. We had to manually fiddle with an exposed wire and an old cable cord to get it to work — something that should have been checked and fixed before anyone stepped foot in the room. The toilet situation wasn’t much better. You have to hold the flush button down for 20 seconds just to get a partial flush, and even then, tissues often remained floating. The water in the shower and sink never stayed consistent, often jumping from hot to cold mid-use. Dining was hands down one of the worst parts of the stay. The breakfast and dinner buffets were a disaster. Food was put out in small amounts and never at the same time — so if you wanted a cohesive meal (say, bacon and pancakes), forget about it. But nothing tops the poor service from the wait staff. Many acted as if doing their job was a personal inconvenience. Disorganized, inconsistent — multiple members of my party had to wait 10 minutes just to be seated, and not because of a long line, but because the servers simply couldn’t be bothered. Everything is done manually; they write down names and room numbers in a book, then spend several minutes flipping through it to confirm you haven’t already eaten. The whole process is outdated and inefficient. The only real positives were the direct access to the beach and the housekeeping team. The rooms are thoroughly cleaned each day, floors mopped, towels replaced, and beds made. However, I did find four questionable orange stains on my bed sheet — which were changed after I complained. One note of warning: even if you put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door, it will be ignored. Staff entered our room anyway, cleaned, and put the sign back inside as if nothing happened. Overall, this resort left a lot to be desired. With some amenities not working, inconsistent service, outdated systems, and average dining, it fell short of what I expected for the cost.

It was a very peaceful and serene stay. The staff were very accommodating and there were nice activities to take part in.

We were there during carnival week. Hotel was at full capacity but you’d never know, still pretty quiet, always got our preferred sea view seat at breakfast and dinner. Many of the guests were playing in bands so got up close views of many gorgeous costumes. Only downside was we reserved a garden view room. We were warned that because they were close to the construction of their new resort we might hear the banging. This actually wasn’t the problem. Garden view rooms are tiny. The patio faces the construction which obstructs the natural light from coming into the room. So whether or not the curtains were opened or closed it gave the feeling a of small dark closet. At reservations choose sea view or pool view or ask not to be put in Starfish (building 4).

Bay Gardens is not just a known place in Rodney Bay, but a regional name of fame. The Destangs have well managed to make it a household name in the wider Caribbean. Its Rodney Bay location is a lovely spot to spend holidays, with frequent shuttles to the beach (5 min). Looking for luxury? Not your spot, this is for a decent Caribbean feel with true flavors. Great food with a local touch to it. And Rodney Bay in general can't go wrong - a fan.