Calabash Cove

What is Calabash Cove Resort and Spa, and where is it?

Calabash Cove Resort and Spa is an adults-only boutique hotel of 26 suites and cottages on a hillside above Bonaire Bay, on the north-west coast of Saint Lucia in the Gros Islet district. It suits couples who want a small, quiet base with a private beach, a spa and easy reach of Rodney Bay.

The address is Bonaire Estate, Marisule, a residential stretch of coast north of Castries and south of the main resort strip at Rodney Bay. The land slopes down towards a small private bay, so the layout is stepped rather than flat, with suites arranged so that most look out over the Caribbean Sea. This is the leeward side of the island, where the water is generally calmer than on the Atlantic coast, and the evenings finish with a sunset over the sea.

The hotel is listed as open and bookable by the Saint Lucia tourist board and by several UK holiday sellers, and we found no sign that it has closed or been renamed. Small hotels change their facilities and policies from season to season, so confirm current details with the resort or your travel agent before you pay a deposit.

If you are comparing parts of the island, our hotels in Saint Lucia page sets out how the north, the west coast and the south differ, and it is worth reading before you decide where to base yourself.

Calabash Cove at a glance

Calabash Cove Resort and Spa is on Bonaire Bay at Marisule, in the Gros Islet district on the north-west coast of Saint Lucia. The nearest town is Gros Islet, with the Rodney Bay resort area a short drive north and the capital, Castries, a short drive south. The nearest airport is George F. L. Charles Airport in Castries, while most UK flights land at Hewanorra in the far south, a long road transfer away. The style of stay is a small adults-only boutique hotel of 26 suites and cottages above a private bay. It suits couples, honeymooners and anyone who wants quiet and privacy with a lively district within reach. Every suite has its own hot tub, and the hotel has a spa, a pool with a swim-up bar and a secluded beach. Breakfast is a daily buffet and other meals are à la carte, so confirm any meal plan when you book.

What are the rooms like?

Calabash Cove is built around a short list of room types, all made for two people and all with a king-size bed. The Swim-up Junior Suites open close to the pool, the Sunset Ocean View Junior Suites sit higher up the slope for a longer view, and the Water's Edge Cottages are the largest rooms, positioned near the shoreline.

Every suite has its own hot tub, which is the detail that sets the hotel apart from a standard resort bedroom. Many suites also have a private pool. Each room has air conditioning, a minibar, a flat-screen television, a private balcony or patio and a bathroom with both a shower and a bath. These are the sort of details that matter on a honeymoon or an anniversary, when you may well spend an afternoon on your own terrace rather than at the pool.

With only 26 rooms, the hotel never feels crowded. You will recognise the same faces at breakfast by the second morning, and the staff tend to learn names quickly. That personal scale is the reason many guests return. It also means the hotel can fill up early for the popular months, so book well ahead if you have fixed dates.

When you reserve, ask which category you are being offered and where it sits on the hillside. A suite beside the pool is convenient and sociable. A suite higher up gives a broader view and more privacy but involves a short climb, and the resort can tell you which is which.

What is the beach like?

The hotel looks over Bonaire Bay, a small private bay with a secluded beach of pale sand. It is not a long public beach with vendors and watersports huts. It is a sheltered cove that belongs to the hotel, which is exactly why couples choose it. Sun loungers and parasols are set out on the sun terrace and on the sand nearby, and the outdoor pool and a poolside snack bar make it easy to spend a whole day without going anywhere.

If you want a longer stretch of sand with more going on, Reduit Beach at Rodney Bay is a short drive along the coast. Our Rodney Bay guide explains what the bay offers, from the marina to the restaurants along the road behind the beach, and the photograph on this page shows the coast just along from the hotel.

Activities can be arranged through the resort or through local operators rather than run by a large entertainment team. Kayaking, sailing, deep sea fishing, horse riding and a trek up the Pitons are the usual suggestions. If you are a certified diver or want to try it for the first time, our guide to diving in Saint Lucia explains where the best sites are, most of them further down the west coast, and how operators collect guests from hotels in the north.

What is the food, drink and spa like?

A breakfast buffet is served every day, and lunch is à la carte. In the evening the main restaurant, Windsong, serves international à la carte dishes. Drinks are served at the C-Bar and at the swim-up bar in the pool. For a small hotel that is a sensible range, enough to keep a short stay interesting without feeling like a canteen.

Because the hotel is small, the menu is smaller than at a large resort, and a week of dinners in the same room can feel repetitive for some guests. The answer is to dine out once or twice. Saint Lucian cooking is worth seeking out, with fresh fish, green fig and saltfish, breadfruit and local cocoa all turning up on island menus, and our food and rum guide explains what to look for. Rodney Bay has the widest choice of restaurants within a short taxi ride.

The spa has views over the ocean and offers massages and treatments, and there is a small gym with cardio equipment. A couples massage in the late afternoon is the obvious plan, but the spa is also a good rainy-day option, because the showers on this coast are usually short and followed by clear skies.

What is near Calabash Cove?

Calabash Cove is a quiet base with a lively district within reach. Rodney Bay, a short way north, has the island's main concentration of restaurants, shops and bars, and the broader Gros Islet area stretches up to the northern tip of the island. Gros Islet town is known for its Friday night street party, a weekly gathering with food stalls, music and dancing that visitors and residents both attend.

The most rewarding day trip in the north is Pigeon Island, a historic site and park connected to the mainland by a causeway. It has old fortifications, walking paths and views across the channel towards Martinique, and it suits a gentle morning followed by lunch back at the hotel.

For a drink or a meal outside the hotel, the Saint Lucia tourist board names several beach bars in the north. Spinnakers Beach Bar on Reduit Beach is known for seafood, house cocktails and sunset views over the bay, and it sits a short drive north along the Rodney Bay strip. Callaloo Beach Bar and Grill, near Gros Islet, serves casual Caribbean dishes and light lunches beside calm water. On Pigeon Island, Jambe de Bois serves simple Caribbean dishes and fresh seafood. Our guides to beach bars and sunsets and where to eat in Saint Lucia list more, and it is wise to check opening days before you travel. The Friday night street party at Gros Islet is a weekly event with reggae, barbecued chicken and seafood, craft stalls and rum punch.

Beyond the beach, the district offers golf, sea trips and cricket. At Cap Estate, the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club is listed at about 7.5 kilometres from the hotel, and our page on golf in Saint Lucia explains the options. Activities listed for the hotel include kayaking, sailing, deep sea fishing and horse riding, and our guides to deep sea fishing and sailing and boat trips show what to expect. The Daren Sammy Cricket Ground lies in the same district, and cricket culture explains why the game matters so much here. Heading south, Castries has the harbour and the cathedral, and beyond it Marigot Bay, where Roots Beach Bar is a relaxed place for sunset drinks, makes a longer day out.

A hire car is useful but not essential. Taxis and organised tours run from the hotel, and the roads in the north are easier than the winding coastal route to the south. Allow time on any journey, because Saint Lucian roads are narrower and slower than most UK visitors expect.

That mix is why Calabash Cove works as a base. You can spend a morning on the water, an afternoon on the beach or at the spa, an evening at a beach bar and a Friday night at the street party without a long drive, then return to a quiet hillside and a private hot tub. The north has the island's densest choice of places to eat and things to do, while the hotel itself stays calm. Only the Pitons and the southern rainforest need a full day out, and organised tours cover those.

Is Calabash Cove good for a honeymoon?

Yes, for the right couple. The adults-only policy, the in-room hot tubs, the private pools and the small size all point the same way. If you want to arrive, switch off and spend most of the week at the hotel with a few trips out, it is a very good fit. Our honeymoon in Saint Lucia guide explains how couples plan the wider trip, including legal paperwork for a ceremony on the island.

It is less suited to families, because no children are accepted, and to travellers who want the view that put Saint Lucia on postcards. The Pitons are in the south, a long way from this coast. If the twin peaks are the point of your holiday, look at Sugar Beach or one of the other southern resorts. If a quiet north-west bay and easy access to Rodney Bay is what you want, Calabash Cove fits.

Another option is to split the trip. Spend the first part of the holiday on the west coast at Ti Kaye Resort and Spa, which is also adults-only and sits above a quiet cove, then finish at Calabash Cove for a few days of hot tubs and pool time before the flight home.

How do you get there, and when should you go?

Most UK flights arrive at Hewanorra International Airport at the southern tip of the island, which means a long road transfer to the north-west coast, so plan on a good part of a day for arrival. Smaller regional flights use George F. L. Charles Airport in Castries, which is much closer to Marisule. Our getting here guide explains both airports, the transfer options and what to expect on the road, and it is worth booking a private transfer in advance after a long flight from London.

Saint Lucia is warm all year. The drier months from roughly December to May are the busiest and most settled, while the summer and autumn bring more rain and fewer visitors. Our best time to visit guide explains the seasons so that you can pick the right month for your budget and your tolerance of showers.

Before you book, check four things with the resort or your agent: the exact room category, whether breakfast or a wider meal plan is included, the transfer arrangements from your arrival airport, and the current policy on adults-only bookings. Then pack light clothes and a cover-up for the evenings.

Planning St Lucia holidays around Calabash Cove

Calabash Cove is one of the places to stay in St Lucia we cover in detail, and the right choice depends on the kind of stay you want. Our guides to luxury hotels in St Lucia, all inclusive resorts in St Lucia and family resorts in St Lucia help you compare it fairly.

To build the rest of your a holiday in St Lucia, check the best time to visit St Lucia, flights to St Lucia and our St Lucia itineraries. Couples can read about a honeymoon in St Lucia or weddings in St Lucia as well.

Questions travellers ask