Is Cosol in St. Lucia as good as people say??

[saree182]

This is why I recommend going with Herod...see posts on this board about his tour. Similar price, more personal tour. Instead of "some lady's" house, you go to his adorable momma's house. He makes sure to get his guests to the best places BEFORE the other large tours and even if several ships are in port you are able to have more personalized service. Go with Herod!!

[4 cruis'n]

I am interested in being shown the highlights of the island by a friendly and experienced person at a fair price. Past reviews say Cosol offers a good product. I guess it is my own comfort level that I am questioning when it comes to eating in someones home and needing to pay them a dollar to use their family bathroom as part of my vacation experience. We are currently booked with Cosol and reconsidering our plans. :confused:

[saree182]

4cruisin--That's why I recommend going with Herod. You didn't have to pay to use the bathroom at lunch. There were plenty of bathroom breaks along the way and we never had to pay. He offers exactly what you are asking for and his tour is way more personal to boot. Give him a shout.

[ellbon]

I am interested in being shown the highlights of the island by a friendly and experienced person at a fair price. Past reviews say Cosol offers a good product. I guess it is my own comfort level that I am questioning when it comes to eating in someones home and needing to pay them a dollar to use their family bathroom as part of my vacation experience. We are currently booked with Cosol and reconsidering our plans. :confused:

 

 

you do not eat in someone home.. tables with food and drink are set up at the first food break- second is for drinking.

 

i have no problem tipping for a clean bathroom..

have in Europe, Asia and many islands..

 

i also tip in America in several places.

[4 cruis'n]

you do not eat in someone home.. tables with food and drink are set up at the first food break- second is for drinking.

I understand from reading and seeing pictures (thanks to all that offer their experience) that you are not eating "inside" the home but you are visiting someones home as a tour stop. I am sure the person is very nice. The food sounds like it is an authentic sampling of island cuisine albeit homemade. I would say that most posts I've read so far glaze over the fact that it is not a public food vendor or resturaunt and consistantly comment that the tour is NOT about the food but about seeing the beauty of St Lucia. I appreciate knowing your experience while traveling to other countries...something my family has not done. We have never been to St Lucia and would still enjoy a tour rather than just a beach stop. Several are offered and most get very good reviews. Cosol has a good reputation and was quick to respond. I will have to see what options are available and discuss with my family.

[anubian]

I understand from reading and seeing pictures (thanks to all that offer their experience) that you are not eating "inside" the home but you are visiting someones home as a tour stop. I am sure the person is very nice. The food sounds like it is an authentic sampling of island cuisine albeit homemade. I would say that most posts I've read so far glaze over the fact that it is not a public food vendor or resturaunt and consistantly comment that the tour is NOT about the food but about seeing the beauty of St Lucia. I appreciate knowing your experience while traveling to other countries...something my family has not done. We have never been to St Lucia and would still enjoy a tour rather than just a beach stop. Several are offered and most get very good reviews. Cosol has a good reputation and was quick to respond. I will have to see what options are available and discuss with my family.

 

I have been lurking on this thread, just to get an overall opinion of this tour, however in reading the last few posts I felt I wanted to share my opinion. My family and I travel as much as we can; my purpose is to expose my children (and hubby) to other cultures and traditions. I have always found, through my own experience as well as others who have has similar experiences, that immersing with the locals and doing as they do makes a more memorable experience. I understand people's hesitancy about going to someone's home that you don't know, but why are you going to the island at all if you are hestiant to learn about cultures and tradtions first hand. Someone mentioned Herod's tour and that he takes people to his parent's home. Granted both parents educators and may be well versed, however they are still natives of the island who are showing their hospitality to the GUESTS of the island. So I am not sure what the difference would be. Personally I think either tour is going to provide a extrordinary experience to those who are willing to step out the box a little. I will be going on the Cosul tour with my 5 children and hubby. I am so looking forward to interacting with anyone willing to talk to us and share their history and daily experiences. I want my memories to reflect the connections that I made.

 

PS...regarding paying for using the bathroom: I am 40 years old and live in the Philly area and I remember that some 5 and Dime stores used to have little coin thingys that you have to put a quarter in to use :rolleyes:...Paris has them too if I recall correctly.

 

With all that said, go with your comfort zone but hopefully it won't hinder what you could truly experience. :)

[sarar]

Took the tour last Thursday. YellowBird was our guide and driver. Fantastic!!! For $65 you get a full tour of the island, you sample homecooked local specialties, as much rum punch beer water and soda that you want. Wait until you taste the bread hot from the oven! You will see the waterfall, the volcano, vistas from lookout points island wide and for me, most importantly you have plenty of time to snorkel between the two spectaular pitons. You arrive at the white sandy beach via water taxi. Bring your own snorkle gear or rent it but don't miss out on some of the most wonderful walk-in snorkeling in the southern caribbean in a unique setting. This alone is worth every penny of the $65 and then some. I give Cosol 5 Stars*****

 

 

I agree with you Jerseasal, Yellowbird was fantastic and so was the tour.

 

I was on the P&O Ventura, and went on this Cosol tour with you. Didnt any of your photos come out? I have been looking for them on here.

[zerd]

The day we will be in St. Lucia there will be 5 ships in port. I have read negative reviews when it comes to more than 3 ships in port at the same time. Has anyone had a positive experience when there are 5 cruise ships in port?

[levon10]

My wife and I used Cosol tours this past August and it was the best tour we have ever taken. It was a long day but well worth it. You see the island, sample their food, drink some liquid ******, snorkle and toward the end of the day are served the best homemade bread I have ever had.

[BroncosFan2010]

The day we will be in St. Lucia there will be 5 ships in port. I have read negative reviews when it comes to more than 3 ships in port at the same time. Has anyone had a positive experience when there are 5 cruise ships in port?

 

As I posted before...I would caution those of you planning on doing this cruise IF you have many ships in port. I did the Cosol tour in March and there were 6 ships in port. There were over 200 people on this tour and about 25 vans. We had 10 people in our van, and it was somewhat crowded. The tour started about an hour late because of all the people and we were literally HERDED into vans for a drive. We did not have a good driver, and he was quiet for most of the tour. We had to cut out one of the options because of the late start, so we were unable to go to the beach. The sights were SO crowded that we felt very rushed. There was not a lot of food because of all the people, so we were hungry most of the tour. The bathrooms often had long lines and cost $1 to use. Be sure to bring singles.

 

I think this tour COULD be enjoyable had we been the only ship in port. There were just too many people to get to see all the sights and enjoy the food. To add insult to injury, Cosol kept telling, no, DEMANDING that we come back to Cruise Critic and post good reviews. It was very off putting.

 

I know that so many people have had a great time on this tour, but I want to warn people to CHECK THE NUMBER OF SHIPS IN PORT before you book. If there are more than 2-3 ships, you may want to find something else to do, especially if you don't want to feel like a herd of cattle all day.

 

St. Lucia is a beautiful island, and DH and myself will be returning there in August. We will be finding a beautiful beach and avoiding the island tours this time.

[rld]

i will also just go to a resort for the day the next time st lucia is a port for me. i went with cosol tours. i felt very rushed and felt like i was part of a production for how many people they could take around the island and return to the port - collect - and on to the next production. as the above post says, we were told to go tell everyone that cosol is the best. some fellow cruisers went with spencer ambrose and had a great relaxed tour. i would choose spencer for your tour.

[bonnieg]

"200 people on this tour and 25 vans"

Then what would make this different than a ships tour??? I hope I'm not butting in here. I just returned from my 9th trip to St. Lucia. We have a timeshare at Windjammer Landing. I have probably taken every tour and excursion there is to take on this island. I have used numerous companies and drivers. With that being said, my favorite driver and tour guide is Hugo from Hugo tours. He's one person, with a beautiful, smooth driving van, a wonderful personality, and very knowledgeable about the island. We have been using him for all our transfer/tour needs for the past 5 yrs. I know Coscol is very popular with the cruise excursion crowd and I have never taken his tour so I can't comment on them, but keep your options open. There are other drivers/tour guides on the island that you might be able to have a more personalized service. Here is a link to him.

http://www.hugotoursslu.com/index.html

[flahagan]

BonnieG, since you're so familiar with the island, maybe you can answer my question. Where can we go for a day (cruise ship) if we get carsick on winding roads? What about the north side of the island - is it as curvy as going to Soufriere?

We could take a taxi at the pier and just go to a few places nearby, if we knew the island better. Can you suggest any places to visit where we could at least get a taste of the island? We're only in Castries from 8 - 3, then the ship sails to Soufriere to pick up passengers from ships tours.

Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

[bonnieg]

Flahagan, The north side of the island is not curvy, but it's also not as lush as the south. Have you considered a boat tour to the south by catamaran or the Brig Unicorn? The Pitons are an awesome sight viewed from the water. There are also private motor boat tour operators. We have hired boats to take us to the south of the island and drop us off at anse chasenet beach for lunch and snorkeling. It used to cost $350 for this trip, but with gas prices higher, I was recently quoted $450 for this trip. The boats fit 5-6 comfortably. If you do not want to do a boat trip and would like a relaxing day at a beach then you can take a taxi to Marigot Bay which is very picturesque. There's a public beach and restaurant (Doolittles). It's about 30 min from castries and I think around a $30 cab fare (I can find out the exact fare if you are interested). You can also have the taxi stop at Caribelle boutique (batik) where you can shop. The view from there overlooking castires and the cruiseships is beautiful. It's a very pretty ride, not that curvy. You will also pass banana fields.

 

If you do decide to go to the north part of the island, then Pidgon Island is nice. Rodney Bay is pretty, but public beaches in the area are not that tropical.

[flahagan]

Bonnieg, thanks for the advice and suggestions. Unfortunately, we're not in port long enough for the Brig Unicorn, and the cost of the private boat tour is out of reach for us.

 

Good to know about the roads in the north though, and also about Marigot Bay. I'd definitely like to see it.

[ckap]

Is it $65.00 plus tip. and what is the web site to book. Thanks

[ValerieJo]

We are doing this tour in a couple of weeks. :D However, I have a question about swimming. I understand that we will be stopping to swim and snorkle. Do you wear your bathing suit under your clothes or is there a changing facility? Do we need to bring towels as well?

 

Thanks.

[tps58]

We are doing this tour in a couple of weeks. :D However, I have a question about swimming. I understand that we will be stopping to swim and snorkle. Do you wear your bathing suit under your clothes or is there a changing facility? Do we need to bring towels as well?

 

Thanks.

 

 

We did Cosol last Sunday. Only two ships in port with one each side of the dock. There were two vans for OV, 9 peeps in each. Adrian was our driver. We really enjoyed the day and would recommend Cosol.

 

Re the beach, the boat trip and snorkelling were the best bit. There is a small changing facility but you only have a corner of the beautiful beach with limited shade. The snorkelling was the best I've ever done (in my limited experience though).

 

I've just posted some pics here :

 

A you see they did a great job getting the old MiL on the boat. She *loved* it. We really enjoyed Cosol, especially as a way to taste the island with limited time. Can't comment whether there are better tour options, especially if many ships are in port.

 

Cheers

 

tezza.

[ValerieJo]

We did Cosol last Sunday. Only two ships in port with one each side of the dock. There were two vans for OV, 9 peeps in each. Adrian was our driver. We really enjoyed the day and would recommend Cosol.

 

Re the beach, the boat trip and snorkelling were the best bit. There is a small changing facility but you only have a corner of the beautiful beach with limited shade. The snorkelling was the best I've ever done (in my limited experience though).

 

I've just posted some pics here :

 

A you see they did a great job getting the old MiL on the boat. She *loved* it. We really enjoyed Cosol, especially as a way to taste the island with limited time. Can't comment whether there are better tour options, especially if many ships are in port.

 

Cheers

 

tezza.

 

Thanks for the quick response. Your pictures were awesome! I can't wait.

[cruising to paradise]

We did Cosol with Baptist on our 1/30/10 cruise and felt it was on of the best tours we ever went on. We enjoyed everything about the day.

[Haysiedaze]

Cosol got 22 of our Cruise Critic Roll call in one bus on his tour last week. This tour is outstandfing and well worth the money. The isalnd is beautiful. Silvia our guide, and Dameon our driver took excellent care of us insuring all of us had plenty to eat and drink.

 

The food stop is at a home but it is held outside in the driveway. The view there is spectacular and the food good. The bathroom was $1 but that is to cover the cost of water that has to be trucked up the mountain in order to flush. The bathroom was clean. I didn't mind paying the $1.

 

As for the windy roads the fresh hot bread and cheese near the end of the tour helps keep your stomach settled as you go over the mountain back to the ship. The timing is perfect for it.

 

This was a very professionally run tour.

[lv2travel]

Just got back from Victory 2/28/-3/7. Went with Cosol Tours and had "Yellow Bird" his

brother for our guide and he was fantastic! This tour covers a lot of different aspects

of St Lucia from banana plantations to beautiful beaches! Make sure to request a stop

for that WONDERFUL hot bread and cheese on the way back!!!!!!

[KiwiCamel]

Could someone tell me how to check how many ships will be in port when I am? I was planning on booking cosol, but I understand he is getting more and more popular.

[English_in_Spain]

Could someone tell me how to check how many ships will be in port when I am? I was planning on booking cosol, but I understand he is getting more and more popular.

 

You can try this site

http://cruisett.com/ports.php?PortID=119&date=19

but I find it very inaccurate so don't base too many decisions on it.

[QQK]

http://www.slaspa.com/userpages//2009-2010%20Cruise%20Schedule%20-%20updated%20March%204,%202010.pdf

 

Oh no, there will be 4 ships total on March 25 :( I too booked with Cosol and hopefully the experience won't be too bad.