Jalousie Beach

[MVTcher]

What can I expect at Jalousie Beach?

[dolfndreams]

Just back from my third time and each time I worry about the loungers (for the cruisers only one section available and the loungers are in poor condition.

 

However I have to say had a great time and the snorkeling there was the best we had all of our stops. Be sure to have your snorkel gear if you like that sort of thing. I think there is some to rent also.

 

We did luck into a lounger towards the end of the 2 hr stay but they were missing part of the slats. We made it work especially since we spent most of the time snorkeling. Again beautiful snorkeling with lots of fish and different corals.

 

One hint is to definitely have water shoes here. There is a very rocky entry as I discovered my first time visiting; a much better experience when you aren't wincing all the way into the water.

 

Have fun

[reedprincess]

What can I expect at Jalousie Beach?

 

Not sure what you mean? It's a beach, you can expect sand and ocean. If you mean what sort of facilities - perhaps ask about those. The resorts provides free loungers and palapas for day visitors to the far right. They also rent the more comfortable loungers if you like. You can also plop your towelling gear down anywhere along the beach you like -except on resort property - as all beaches in St Lucia are PUBLIC. You can swim along the shore, rent water toys if you like, snorkel in the designated snorkeling area. Beach bar and restaurant are open to the public if you like. Basic beach experience.

[amibelle]

I really enjoyed our time there. The snorkelling was wonderful (bring your own gear). The chairs were ratty, but functional. We were there with a tour and arrived early so got chairs. If you're arriving later you might need to just use your towel. There is shade available as well as washrooms. Our tour served lunch and drinks, so I don't know what the amenities are for food. I'm not sure your plans there but if you're looking for snorkelling this place was great. This day with the Jalousie Beach Excursion was one of my favorite things on our trip. St Lucia is beautiful and swimming under the Pitons was amazing.

[amibelle]

Pic from beach chair of Jalousie Beach in the shade on snorkelling side and a pic facing the dock. (these are my first pic post, so wish me luck) lol

[MVTcher]

Thank you for the info so far.

 

I am looking at Spencer Ambrose Beach Break. I was wondering where can you rent snorkel gear? Is it through the resort that is near by? Also, where do they set up / serve the food?

[santa24]

Thank you for the info so far.

 

I am looking at Spencer Ambrose Beach Break. I was wondering where can you rent snorkel gear? Is it through the resort that is near by? Also, where do they set up / serve the food?

We did the beach break with Spencer. He loads all his tours for the day onto his boats/catamaran and to be honest it was disorganized. By the time we got to the beach, there weren't any free chairs left. We were to spend several hours so we opted to rent the padded loungers from the resort and although not cheap (we paid $20 per chair) we were extremely comfortable for the time we were there. Food was set up behind the free loungers on a couple of tables and you were encouraged to get it promptly because they wanted to pack it up again before you knew it. Spencer's other tours arrived and they didn't have chairs and the areas were a little more crowded but no matter. The problems arose when it was time to leave. Extremely disorganized! You would think this was a new operation. Thought we would be leaving first but everyone was to load back on the boat they came on, no matter what tour you were on. We should have been back at the pier for 3 pm, we got back at 4:20. We were on the catamaran and had to stop twice on our return to pass beverages over to a couple of his other boats. All through this Spencer was unfazed. I don't like such a late return...too close to all aboard for me. We have decided not to use him again.

[happymanitee]

Thank you for the info so far.

 

I am looking at Spencer Ambrose Beach Break. I was wondering where can you rent snorkel gear? Is it through the resort that is near by? Also, where do they set up / serve the food?

 

When are you going? We are taking his Beach Break tour on our cruise towards the end of June. I have heard the complaints about disorganization on this board before, but I've also read some great reviews. I'll let you know. I can't wait!! Those pictures of the beach look amazing!

[2PinaColadas]

We are taking Spencer's beach break in two weeks. I will write a review when we get back. Reviews tend to be really good or really bad. I want to see the Pitons and my DH loves to snorkel so this seemed like the best tour for us. Plus, no time on a van.

[MVTcher]

We are taking Spencer's beach break in two weeks. I will write a review when we get back. Reviews tend to be really good or really bad. I want to see the Pitons and my DH loves to snorkel so this seemed like the best tour for us. Plus, no time on a van.

 

Is your DH bringing his own snorkel gear or does he plan to rent it there? I am still unsure of the rental situation at the beach.

[reedprincess]

Is your DH bringing his own snorkel gear or does he plan to rent it there? I am still unsure of the rental situation at the beach.

 

You can rent from the water sports Shack on the beach...varies by hour or by day. Very easy to spot.

[IndyCapt]

We did the beach break with Spencer. He loads all his tours for the day onto his boats/catamaran and to be honest it was disorganized. By the time we got to the beach, there weren't any free chairs left. We were to spend several hours so we opted to rent the padded loungers from the resort and although not cheap (we paid $20 per chair) we were extremely comfortable for the time we were there. Food was set up behind the free loungers on a couple of tables and you were encouraged to get it promptly because they wanted to pack it up again before you knew it. Spencer's other tours arrived and they didn't have chairs and the areas were a little more crowded but no matter. The problems arose when it was time to leave. Extremely disorganized! You would think this was a new operation. Thought we would be leaving first but everyone was to load back on the boat they came on, no matter what tour you were on. We should have been back at the pier for 3 pm, we got back at 4:20. We were on the catamaran and had to stop twice on our return to pass beverages over to a couple of his other boats. All through this Spencer was unfazed. I don't like such a late return...too close to all aboard for me. We have decided not to use him again.

We had a similar (disappointing) experience with the Jalousie Beach Break tour with Spencer. First of all the beach area is very small. The few chairs available were in poor condition. If you're not among the first group to arrive, you're out of luck unless you want to pay the extra for the more comfortable loungers down the beach a ways. There are even fewer palapas to use. The scenery is great between the Pitons and we were told by several that the snorkeling is very good there. The problem was just too many people crammed into a very small beach area with the staff taking several of the loungers for themselves instead of leaving them for the guests! Our departure was also extremely disorganized/late. As the previous poster said you would think they would have this all figured out...part of our problem was our boat had an engine problem which required us to travel at a slower speed once we finally got going and we had to make a pit stop along the way for Spencer's friend/mechanic to come aboard and try to fix it. This made for a much later return to the ship than we were comfortable with...based on our experience in total, we won't use him again either.

[pghsteelerfan]

We are taking Spencer's beach break in two weeks. I will write a review when we get back. Reviews tend to be really good or really bad. I want to see the Pitons and my DH loves to snorkel so this seemed like the best tour for us. Plus, no time on a van.

 

We did Spencer's Jalousie Beach break in May 2013 mainly for the same reasons, to see the Pitons, snorkel and be able to enjoy the beautiful beach for several hours without feeling "rushed". There was an excursion we could have booked through the cruise line that was very similar but that would have arrived at the beach later and only allowed an hour and a half to snorkel, swim, get pictures or just enjoy the beach and that was just too rushed for us. Spencer's tour allowed us about 5 hours at the beach and lunch was provided. We really enjoyed our day and the beach is just so scenic. Like you, I'd seen some really good and some really bad reviews. Overall, I had seen more good with detailed descriptions, especially of the "Jalousie Beach Break", so I booked without hesitation. From our personal experience with the "Jalousie Beach Break", I'd recommend it highly. Everything was organized with set times for everything and we did have a cooperative group that were on time and didn't cause delays, so that always helps with time. We were the first group to arrive at the beach that morning and were back at the ship with almost an hour left to browse the cruise center shops before we had to be back on board. I hope you have a great experience like we did.

Edited March 10, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[nator555]

I was disappointed. This beach is not a typical Caribbean beach...it looks more like a fresh water lake. You need water shoes since there are tons of rocks. The water wasn't clear enough for me so I didn't go in. I also didn't like the fact that the beach was so small and was crammed with people. Once all of the beach chairs were taken there wasn't even room to put your towel in the sand. The best thing about this beach is the view. Luckily this beach stop was at the end of a tour for me. The rest of the tour was great.

[fedexretiree]

We hare taking Spencer's beach break in two weeks. I will write a review when we get back. Reviews tend to be really good or really bad. I want to see the Pitons and my DH loves to snorkel so this seemed like the best tour for us. Plus, no time on a van.

 

How was Spencers beach break tour

[HeavenIsACruise]

Booked with MysticMan Tours

6 of us

need 4 more for 10 minimum

anyone looking for an option

check out MysticMan website

anyone have experience with Mystic Man?

St Lucia April 12th

Edited March 30, 2015 by HeavenIsACruise
spelling!

[2PinaColadas]

How was Spencers beach break tour

 

 

We had a great time. There were several of us doing the beach break, so we did not have any other groups with us. I did not feel it was disorganized at all. We were met at the pier and walked to the dock. We traveled to the Pitons on a nice comfortable catamaran-- the guides gave us facts and history on the way. When we got to Sugar Beach, we did not grab a free lounger-- we went to the right and put our towels in the sand. The beach was much nicer there and it was only a short walk to get rum punch or Piton beer. The bathrooms to the left of the pool are MUCH, MUCH cleaner and the hotel staff let us use them. Lunch was good with noodles, rice, jerk chicken and some other items (really good HOT sauce-- flavor, not just heat.) My DH enjoyed the snorkeling. He took his own gear, but Spencer's crew had some too. On the way back to the ship, rum punch flowed freely and there was music and dancing for those who wished to participate-- nothing too loud or crazy, just some fun for those who wanted to let loose a little. We also went by Marigot Bay and a few other attractions on the way back-- several photo opps which I really liked.

 

Overall, we had a great day and I would recommend Spencer's Jalousie Beach Break to my friends. It was a lot of fun.

[MVTcher]

Came back from Jalousie Beach on Spencers Beach Break. Had a great time just sitting on the beach watching the tours come and go knowing we were there to stay awhile -Very relaxing. Our group was the first to arrive so we had the best pick of the complementary beach chairs. There was an option to upgrade the chairs for $20. We did not snorkel but heard many people talking how good it was. Spencer's excursion included lunch and drinks which were good. Overall, a very nice excursion. :)

[Cruzinbabe06]

Came back from Jalousie Beach on Spencers Beach Break. Had a great time just sitting on the beach watching the tours come and go knowing we were there to stay awhile -Very relaxing. Our group was the first to arrive so we had the best pick of the complementary beach chairs. There was an option to upgrade the chairs for $20. We did not snorkel but heard many people talking how good it was. Spencer's excursion included lunch and drinks which were good. Overall, a very nice excursion. :)

 

Thank you for coming back to post. Glad u had a good time.

 

Can you please go into detail about upgraded chairs for $20. Did someone offer? Or did you go over to the resort?

 

I would pay extra for that. We just want to relax in a padded chair, have some tropical drinks and take in the scenery.

 

Thanks in advance.

[pinkroses]

We had a similar (disappointing) experience with the Jalousie Beach Break tour with Spencer. First of all the beach area is very small. The few chairs available were in poor condition. If you're not among the first group to arrive, you're out of luck unless you want to pay the extra for the more comfortable loungers down the beach a ways. There are even fewer palapas to use. The scenery is great between the Pitons and we were told by several that the snorkeling is very good there. The problem was just too many people crammed into a very small beach area with the staff taking several of the loungers for themselves instead of leaving them for the guests! Our departure was also extremely disorganized/late. As the previous poster said you would think they would have this all figured out...part of our problem was our boat had an engine problem which required us to travel at a slower speed once we finally got going and we had to make a pit stop along the way for Spencer's friend/mechanic to come aboard and try to fix it. This made for a much later return to the ship than we were comfortable with...based on our experience in total, we won't use him again either.

 

We agree and we were with Herod's

Indy Capt. we sailed with you on the explorer in November. I "misplaced" your contact info. If you read this let me know. I will keep trying.

Sue and Bill

[pinkroses]

Booked with MysticMan Tours

6 of us

need 4 more for 10 minimum

anyone looking for an option

check out MysticMan website

anyone have experience with Mystic Man?

St Lucia April 12th

 

How did you like Mystic Man? We are looking into this company for November

[Getting out there]

Is Jealose beach easy to take a taxi to from Carnival? About how much? Is there a better beach to still see the pitons?