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

kellyrobin

By kellyrobin,
in St. Lucia

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cruisingforsix

cruisingforsix

Posted
Posted

We did Cosol last year and would probably not do it again for several reasons, there are other tour operators who offer similar toursyou might want to check out. we did see some beautiful and interesting things. and if you are expecting a lunch ,don't you get to sample foods set up on tables outside. our driver was distracted for most of the trip and seemed to get engaged towards the end of the day. the snorkel part of the tour was a little scary and got off to a rough start with a guide screaming at the boat driver. our boat was a row boat with a motor and did not look like it was in the best shape. one life jacket for about nine people including a child. we ran into some people from our trip who had taken a different tour and were eating a delicious lunch at the snorkel spot between the pitons.

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AllenF

AllenF

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I think Cosol might be experiencing some growing pains his tour has gotten so popular that he has had to contract out to some guides who are not as good as him and his brother so that might explain some of the hit and misses lately and the large caravans of 10 or more vans. Most of the complaints seem to be of the the other guides he uses when he has a large number of people.

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mjyanne

mjyanne

Posted
Posted
I think Cosol might be experiencing some growing pains his tour has gotten so popular that he has had to contract out to some guides who are not as good as him and his brother so that might explain some of the hit and misses lately and the large caravans of 10 or more vans. Most of the complaints seem to be of the the other guides he uses when he has a large number of people.

 

We've done his tour 4 times. Not sure if everyone realizes this but everyone goes to the same sights. Afterall, there are only so many things to see if the few hours in port.

 

Also, all taxi drivers in St Lucia are trained as tour guides (some better than others). Cosol has always enlisted other drivers as needed so he doesn't have to turn anyone away.

 

I agree that the fewer ships in port the better the excursion. We did his tour with as few as 25 and as high as 77. The 77 crowd did make for a more rushed atmosphere but I'd bet the people would be there whether or not they were with Cosol.

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lindalo5032

lindalo5032

Posted
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Someone recently posted about their tour with Cosol and stated that the A/C in the van did not work well.

 

We will be there in September (we are the only ship in port that day) and have signed up with Cosol. However, I am concerned about the A/C issue. Would hate to be in a hot van all day.

 

Has anyone else had a problem with the van they were in on a Cosol tour not being sufficiently cool?

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fengshuibabe

fengshuibabe

Posted
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My sisters and I (ages 40-43-45) booked a tour with Cosol roughly 18 months ago. We loved it so much, I recommended him to a friend and his wife (ages 35ish) who also agreed it was great fun. On my tour, there was a stop that we were able to snorkel near the Pitons...at a hotel beach area. Very nice but the jellyfish were moving in so we exited. I am not sure if this part was stopped because his tours have gotten so popular.

 

Why is the tour great? Cosol talks the entire time, telling stories, history, funny anecdotes, and is smiling and laughing with everyone--they say attitude is everything. He is high energy and wants to be sure everyone gets their moneys worth. We enjoyed the stop at the banana plantation where he quickly explained how banana farms work and his role there at one time. He gives the background of each of the food preparers that you get to sample, and while there is rum punch to drink along the way, don't feel like it is one drunken van ride--it is your choice if you drink and how much--and the tour is just as fun sober as when tipsy.

 

My sisters and I thought it was a very in-depth, true look at St. Lucia with someone who has spent his life here and is passionate about helping his island's economy and youth. If I were sailing through again, I would not hesitate to take his tour nor to refer him to my best friends and clients!

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joesimcox

joesimcox

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Can anyone give me some recent feed back on Cosol Tours? Or any other suggestions for St. Lucia??

 

Toured with Consol earlier this year. Yes he is that good. The tour is the best organized and covers all the best spots between Castries and Pitons. Consol had several vans on tour that day and he travelled along to make sure everyone was happy.

 

I have been to St. Lucia and the Caribbean dozens of times and this is the best tour for St. Lucia.

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mrssharpy

mrssharpy

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I wish I had all day to type a reply about how UNBELIEVABLE Cosol's tour was!!! We had another driver - "Baptist" - and the day was beyond incredible! The van was extremely air conditioned. The driver was incredibly kind, laid-back, helpful, and willing to stop whenever we wanted for pictures or whatever.

 

We saw every single thing I think one could put on a "wish" list for a day in St. Lucia...natural bridge, banana plantation (with an explanation & taste of fresh banana & coconut), stops for pics of the pitons, local homemade buffet for "breakfast" (johnny cakes, coconut candy, fried plantains, breadfruit balls, piton fish, mango, coconut, sugar cane...I can't even remember it all!!! - and constant supply all day of water, beer, rum punch), scenic views through small fishing villages, stop at soufriere volcano (only drive-in volcano), toraille waterfall which also has a botanical garden, stop by the "world heritage site" sign for the pitons, fresh cookies (stopped by in a small town to pick up), boat ride to Jalousie beach and time to hang out - we were encouraged to bring more water & rum punch with us over so we wouldn't have to pay for anything when we got to the beach (where The Bachelor took one of his "dream dates" in a recent season on tv), fresh baked bread & cheese for the return ride.

 

I canNOT say enough about the jovial, informational, over-the-top exquisite day Cosol provides!!! This tour simply canNOT be beat!!!:D

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lucyjlou

lucyjlou

Posted
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Can anyone tell me about the water taxi part of the tour? We are thinking of doing the tour with our 2yr old. Is the water taxi safe for a young child? Is it a large or small boat? Is the ride fast and dangerous for young child? Not sure what to expect. Thanks!

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Sweetest Sin

Sweetest Sin

Posted
Posted

I'd say it was maybe 20 foot open air boat with 4 or 5 rows of benches. I wouldn't say it was unsafe. If you aren't used to boats and how they can pitch and roll you may feel uncomfortable with how close you are to the water. And you may get wet! We had children and elderly and I never worried about anyone going overboard.

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  • 3 weeks later...
kpetcov

kpetcov

Posted
Posted
Someone recently posted about their tour with Cosol and stated that the A/C in the van did not work well.

 

We will be there in September (we are the only ship in port that day) and have signed up with Cosol. However, I am concerned about the A/C issue. Would hate to be in a hot van all day.

 

Has anyone else had a problem with the van they were in on a Cosol tour not being sufficiently cool?

 

Hey linalo5032! I see you will be on the same cruise as me! I also booked Cosol. Boy, I wonder how many people will be on this tour!

 

Come join the Serenade discussion thread for Sept 12th sailing here!: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1083040&page=16

 

Hope to see you there and register for the meet and mingle!

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  • 3 weeks later...
saxlover

saxlover

Posted
Posted

just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides

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Cosmic Rays

Cosmic Rays

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Posted
just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides

 

What was the cost please and how many were in the van?

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princessmargaret

princessmargaret

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just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides

 

For Saxlover or other recent St. Lucia visitors,

 

How was the relative lushness of the rainforest? This is not as dumb as it sounds. We took an island tour last February and St. Lucia was a experiencing a bit of a drought. A lot of places looked dry and crispy. Not as crispy as southeastern Pa right now, though; it's been a brutal summer here. We will be visiting the island again this February and wondered if it had recovered.

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cd2

cd2

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We have signed up for our Nov cruise and reading on the Roll Call, someone said all the roads on St Lucia are awful, winding, narrow, steep with no guard rails, so now I am a little nervous...Could someone who was on Cosols tour tell me if the roads are dangerous?

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Aletta80

Aletta80

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@Stokil: Are you sure you want to go IN the waterfall? All open water (rivers, streams, waterfalls) in St. Lucia potentially carries bilharziosis, and I wouldn't risk getting infected.

 

Check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schistosomiasis

 

BR,

Aletta

(also previously thinking about jumping in the waterfall before I read that...)

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smmountaingal

smmountaingal

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just did his tour last week. sooo much fun. great tour, and great food a beverages. plenty of food, bottled water, soda, rum punch, beer, and strong rum. ask for the blue bus. highly recommend this tour. great photo ops, beautiful beach and great tour guides

 

Did you return by boat or van?

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kpetcov

kpetcov

Posted
Posted
We have signed up for our Nov cruise and reading on the Roll Call, someone said all the roads on St Lucia are awful, winding, narrow, steep with no guard rails, so now I am a little nervous...Could someone who was on Cosols tour tell me if the roads are dangerous?

 

I wouldn't say they are dangerous. Just very winding. More so after the tour riding back to the ship.

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