Questions About Cosol's Tour

I am signed up for Cosol's tour and I would like to know about the beach portion. Will there be a facility to change into swimsuits? Will there be snorkel equipment available to rent, if so for how much? Thanks for any input!

Yes, there are changing facilities at the beach and snorkelling equipment can be hired. I don't know how much as we took our own and let it in the van when we had our stops.

You can also rent sunbeds and have something to eat at the beach but to be honest it's not worth it. The sunbeds are horrifically expensive and the food is quite pricey too. You're only there for about 60 to 90 minutes and there are shady areas to sit if you don't want to swim or sun yourself. You're also quite stuffed from the many stops you have with Cosol and doing taste tests! He has an ample amount of rum punch, beer, soft drinks and bottled water (all very cold) so just take off a bottle of water with you at the beach stop.

It's a lovely beach (Jalousie) in a jaw dropping setting and there is a long boardwalk dividing the water into two parts. You swim to the left and snorkel to the right.

We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of Cosol's tour and know you'll have a good time too. We were with his brother Yellowbird but kept meeting up with Cosol and their cousin on our stops. Great guys with great sense of humours!

You can find info and pictures here http://www.thejalousieplantation.com. Also, you can read all the recent threads about Cosol's tour - there is a lot of information about this beach there.

Thanks for the link to Jalousie. It does look lovely. But others have posted that they were not treated very well when they were dropped of.

Did you get that feeling. And, if so, why would Cosol continue to have this as part of his tour if that is how people feel.

As you said, read the other threads for that info.

Thanks in advance

:) :)

But others have posted that they were not treated very well when they were dropped of.

I can't comment on other people's experiences, but everything was fine when we took Cosol's tour and went to Jalousie. His vans drive right down to the bottom to drop you off and you get the little shuttle van back up to the carpark at a preset time where he'll be waiting.

We had a really nice hour or so snorkelling or sitting under a shady tree admiring the gorgeous beach and scenery. We didn't hire loungers as they are very expensive and it wasn't worth it for the time we were there, but we could have done without any problems if we so wished. You can also rent snorkel equipment if you want and get something to eat or drink - although you never need to with what Cosol feeds and waters you with!

Anyone we spoke to at the beach was pleasant and friendly, and a couple of people in the water gestured me to go over to them where there was a particularly good spot of snorkelling.

If there was any awkwardness with Cosol's tourists I'm certain he wouldn't take people there. He is very proud of his island and is keen to present its best face at all times. It's a gorgeous place!

I also don't really understand what whoever said that was talking about. We had a really great time, and I agree with Mim - if there was a problem, Cosol wouldn't use that beach for his tours. His priority is his guests' satisfaction at all times, you will find out! He drove us right down to the beach, and informed us before we got out of the van about the high prices. (It IS a Hilton resort, after all) We had brought our own snorkeling gear, and didn't bother with chairs. There are also changing rooms, which we weren't sure about ahead of time and had our suits on under our clothes. When it was time to go, Cosol came back down and got us right where he had left us, but we didn't leave before he passed out cold drinks again for the ride back.

I am the one who started this thread and I am now back from my cruise!! Cosol's Tour was a highlight of the trip...he is the best. I also don't know what people are talking about at the beach...we had no problems. We were dropped off and many of us changed in the provided restrooms and had a great time there. I highly recommend this tour!

Hi Laura29, I'm glad to hear you thoroughly enjoyed Cosol's tour. We've tentatively booked him for February. I just wanted to ask you about the roads. I've read a lot of comments about people getting carsick due to the windy roads. Did you or anyone on your tour have that problem?

Any info much appreciated....:) Diane

Del88,

The roads are quite windy and steep. No one got sick on our tour...but I did get a slight stomach ache (not a big deal). If you or anyone in your group gets car sick...make sure you sit up front or something.....Cosol is a great driver, but there were not many staight or flat roads. Best of Luck!

I was on Cosol's tour last week and let me tell you, it was quite a worthwhile experience. He is very proud of his island and does he very best to make sure you have plenty to eat, drink and shows you as much as possible. We were lucky enough to have Cosol as our driver and he is very knowledgeable. As previous posters have mentioned, the roads in St. Lucia are very hilly so if you're prone to motion sickness, I'd suggest taking a bonine before getting in the bus.

While on Cosol's tour we tasted: breadfruit balls, banana ketchup, bananas, Pitons bear, johnny cake, local fish, local cheese and fresh baked bread. He also had plenty of water, soda, etc. for everyone to drink.

Cosol's tour is definitely a GREAT value for the $$ and I highly recommend it!

Angela

I was on Cosol's tour in May, and let me tell you if you go to St Lucia his tour is an absolute must. It was one of the top highlights of our cruise!

Those guys are amazing how they know so much about their island and the places they take you in a days time. I highly recommend it also and would never tour with anyone else in St Lucia!!

:p

Hello;

We are Considering using Consol's tour when we port there the beginning of March.

We will be traveling with our two children (4/6) and were wondering if this is something that would be good for them.

Any opinions?

Thanks!

They will love it! There is lots to see along the way, and plenty of stops to break up the riding in the van. I say definitely go for it!

The kids won't have time to get fed up sitting in a van for any length of time as you'll stop so often to get out and see and/or taste different things.

They may even be lucky enough to have a roadside stop where a man waits with a large python. He lets you hold it for a couple of $, which I did although the rest of party wouldn't get out of the van or even look at the snake!

We will be traveling with our two children (4/6) and were wondering if this is something that would be good for them.

 

Any opinions?

 

Thanks!

Firstly, we took Cosol's tour in St.Lucia last week and will write a fuller review shortly.

For now, though, I would say that this was absolutely one of the highlights of a fantsatic trip for us - Cosol is absolutely SUPERB and his tour was so much better than a tour organised through the ship which I went on in another Island. I think it was sensational, and the beach he takes you to is the best I have EVER seen - anywhere - and we got no problems from anyone at all. We used the showers, changing facilities and had ot buy beach towels. All with no problems.

The only HOWEVER here, though, is that I would not be sure if it's suitable for a 4 and 6 year old. You are in the van for a long time - with regular breaks - and even though it is air-conditioned, it is very much a "sight-seeing" tour, not a doing tour (aside from the beach). I would recommend this tour to everyone going to St.Lucia, but not for such young kids.

As for car-sickness? No problem last week, but some people might suffer from it, though Cosol makes sure that everyone is OK throughout.

To sum up - prior to writing my full review - this is a tremendous excursion, worth every penny you pay. Truly fantastic. But, for young kids? I really don't think so.

Based on comments I read here I booked a tour with Cosol before our trip on the Carnival Destiny last week. All I can say is that everything that has been said above is still accurate. We traveled in a 3 bus caravan with frequent stops. We were not in Cosols vehicle but our driver Adrian was very good and at every stop Cosol and his drivers always were providing us with a variety of beverages and foods to sample. We ate a variety of bread based food which I wondered if that was was partly for the purpose of keeping stomachs settled on the unbelievably steep and winding roads. The roads are in surprisingly good shape though given the topography. Cosol is constantly smiling and hustling around to be sure his guests are well taken care of. If you are not satisfied that you got your moneys worth on a tour with Cosol then you just have unrealistic expectations. This is Cosols living and he clearly knows how to run a smooth enjoyable operation.

I have a question, when checking out the excursions, I didn't see this listed. Just a sea and land one. Is this the one? Sailing with Carnival (by the way)

Thanks !

We are sailing on RCCL in November and this sounds awesome! How do i sign up, what is it called, PLEASE!!!????

It is not a ship excursion, it is a private one. Just go to Cosol's website, http://www.cosol-tours.com and it will give you all the information about the tour, as well as Cosol's email to contact him about booking. I highly recommend it, and you cannot beat the value for the price!

It is not a ship excursion, it is a private one. Just go to Cosol's website, http://www.cosol-tours.com and it will give you all the information about the tour, as well as Cosol's email to contact him about booking. I highly recommend it, and you cannot beat the value for the price!

Thanks so much! I just emailed him and am looking forward to this great tour!

Happy Sailing!!

Romy

I have read some say it is a bus and others say a van. How many guests are in the vehicle? Are they newer vehicles? I always want a window and have on occaision had to sit in the middle in a van which I find to be most uncomfortable. Thanks for the info

if you go to his website he has a picture of two of the vehicles he uses. The look a little smaller than 15-passenger vans. Cosol-tours.com

I'd imagine the tour size will determine how many people are on each bus. But I am curious as well if it is a max capacity group how many people would be on a "full" bus?

I have decided to go with Serenity Tours. They called me directly to see if I had any questions, etc. You cannot get much better service than that. I booked on the phone and will pay when I arrive.

I was a bit worried about all the comments about the winding roads and how fast they drive. Those vans scare me around turns especially if they are full.

There's going to be winding roads no matter which tour guide or type of vehicles are used. Have you read all the reviews about Cosol's tours? I don't remember anyone being concerned about safety, only motion sickness.

Have fun whichever you choose.

Romy

I don't remember any comments about fast driving - maybe I missed them, though. Our ride was pretty leisurely, but a few folks did have problems with motion sickness, not because of the driving - because of the roads!

We had 10 people in our van, including the driver, but there was plenty of room to stretch out, etc. It was small enough so that we could all hear Cosol talk, though. All the vans in our group were newer and ours, at least, was very comfortable. I saw other groups where people were packed in like sardines. I wouldn't have been able to stand that! What kind of vehicles does Serenity use?

I have read some say it is a bus and others say a van. How many guests are in the vehicle? Are they newer vehicles? I always want a window and have on occaision had to sit in the middle in a van which I find to be most uncomfortable. Thanks for the info

I just got back from my 7 day cruise. I was in St. Lucia on June 20th. I was in an air conditioned van, very nice and clean. There was 10 of us in the van. Adrian was my driver and he made sure we were ok throughout the tour. The roads are something else. I never been on so many steep and curvy roads. We realized those that got motion sickness to put them upfront with Adrian or in the first row of the van. That seem to work.