Just returned from a long anticipated trip to St. Lucia. We flew from Toronto via Air Canada into Hewanorra late Saturday afternoon and yes, the roads are terrible to the Jalousie Hilton. At first it wasn’t so bad because we were enjoying the scenery but then it started to rain and got dark and we couldn’t see anything. We just wanted to GET THERE. One hour later, we arrived at the Hilton to chilled towels, rum punch and a complimentary upgrade to a Villa Suite. They put me in a good mood until dinner at the Pier Restaurant which was expensive and not very good. This is the main weakness at the Hilton. The choices for dinner are limited and pricey and in the end only so-so.<br>However, in terms of service, location, upkeep, responsiveness and facilities, the Hilton gets 9 out of 10. Our villa suite was nicely laid out, with a good size plunge pool, mini fridge, air con, bottled water, tea, coffee, plenty of towels, bathrobes etc. The grounds are great with a nice beach area and pool.<br><br>Here is a short rundown of our stay:<br><br>Sunday: Breakfasts were always a buffet at the Hilton (and a bit pricey at $18 per person) but the Verandah restaurant is a lovely setting and they certainly had enough choice. <br>We took a water taxi with some other guests to go snorkeling at Anse Chastenet. The snorkeling was pretty good, you can walk in from the beach. It was interesting that the locals didn’t seem too impressed with Anse Chastanet. According to two boat operators I spoke to, why would you pay all that money for no pool and no AC in the rooms? Interesting take.<br><br>Had dinner at Bang, right next to the Hilton which was fairly reasonable and had good basic food. We met the owner, Lord Glenconner, who encouraged us to come back on Wednesday which we did.<br><br>Monday: Rain, rain, all morning and early afternoon. Against my wishes, my husband rented a jeep from Cool Breezes. We went out for a short drive to get oriented. We drove up as far as Canaries. The roads were not as bad but still very twisty. We stopped in Soufriere on the way back to pick up some groceries. Walking around the town wasn’t bad. It’s small and quaint. However, when we were driving out of town, we were hit up for money by a guy “directing”<br> traffic. We gave him some money and he demanded more! We made it clear that that was all he was going to get. He caused such a commotion in the road that we didn’t turn where he said and we ended up on a side road going toward the Diamond Falls. I didn’t want to go back so I told my husband to keep going and eventually the road took us back to the main road.<br>I managed to calm myself by a great buffet dinner/ party at Dasheene.<br><br>Tuesday: This was our day trip day to the north. We knew it would take time but we managed to drive to Pigeon Island, Castries, Rodney Bay and Reduit Beach. We liked Pigeon Island but found Castries to busy and clogged, and Rodney Bay very touristy. We stopped to have a drink at the Royal St. Lucian on Reduit Beach. The hotel has a gorgeous pool area but I thought Reduit Beach was very crowded. We passed through some small villages (Anse La Raye, Gros Inlet), and managed to navigate okay.<br>For dinner, the Hilton had a fish market buffet which was not bad.<br><br>Wednesday: This was our relaxing sail day. It didn’t start out so relaxing. Communication seemed to break down between the booking agent and the operators, so that some people were given wrong start times. Also, a couple who were booked on a half-day sail were told that the booking agent had made a mistake, and there wasn’t a half-day sail that day. Eventually, we made to the boat (a 37-foot Benteneau (I know the spelling is wrong).) The captain was not in a good mood, we had lost almost an hour. Also, the trip was designed to give you a choice of either bringing your lunch or eating at Marigot Bay. The one other couple we were with had brought their lunch (because they were on an all-inclusive plan). We wanted to eat at Marigot Bay. This caused more aggravation. The Captain said that we wouldn’t be able to go to Marigot Bay at all because of the delay, and that when we stopped at Anse Cochon to snorkel, we might be able to go ashore to the restaurant on the hill at Ti Kaye village. So the day sail didn’t start off very well for me. But it was a beautiful day and the snorkeling was good. It was clear that the Captain didn’t want to ferry us to the shore, so our sail companions graciously shared their lunch with us. We had a relaxing sail back and the captain started to warm to us. <br>Dinner: We went to Bang for their legendary floor show and had a good time. <br><br>Thursday: My husband went on a Jeep/Rainforest tour but because of a previous foot injury, I stayed at the Hilton and treated myself to a facial at the spa. The spa is quite good. I then went snorkeling at the beach and found that to be worthwhile as well.<br>Dinner: Went to Dasheene. Saw David Bowie and his wife Iman having dinner. (They were staying at Ladera, the rumor was). Dasheene is a great restaurant.<br><br>Friday: Decided to splurge a little a take a water taxi to Marigot Bay. It cost US$90 return. We had lunch at Doolittles. I was really happy we did this because Marigot Bay is beautiful. It was worth seeing. We had a good lunch as well.<br>Dinner: The Hilton had its Creole Buffet night with entertainment. It was okay.<br><br>Saturday: My husband had his complimentary massage at the Spa and we packed and vacated our room. Because our flight wasn’t until six o’clock, we hung out on the beach and had lunch at Bayside in the Hilton. The lunches were good at Bayside. Then it was time to go and face the long bumpy ride to the airport. We had a smooth trip home.<br><br>General impressions: Beautiful island but, in places, hard to get around. People were almost universally warm and friendly. Encountered a lot more panhandling/aggressive vending in certain areas. The Hilton was excellent but dinners are so-so. I think it’s a worthwhile island to see. I would encourage anyone who goes there to get out and see the island.<br>