Coconut
Bay Review
By Sue McGarvie and Blaik Spratt
Clinical Relationship Therapists, Romance
Travel Writers
We’ve both had a few friends who decided to
skip the big production and head down south to get married. No
seating arrangements to organize, no huge expense of feeding
extended relations, and no church ceremony for couples who have
rarely darkened a church door. Getting married in a simple ceremony
on a beach (whether you elope or drag immediate family down with
you) has the advantage of having your honeymoon start immediately.
As well, you can enjoy the breathtaking view of turquoise water,
lush vegetation, and a sunset of pinks and purples that beat any
kind of man-made decorations.
Most resorts in the
Caribbean
offer weddings – usually under a simple trellis overlooking the
water. Sometimes they are set apart from the rest of the resort, but
we’ve found many are wedged between the jet skis screaming in the
background and beach walkers tromping by. We know this first hand
because we’ve accidently stumbled by a few beach weddings ourselves
in the search for interesting seashells. We’ve even attended (well
sort of; more like politely and distantly crashed) a number of Caribbean weddings at resorts we’ve reviewed. We have sat
off to the side in our bathing suits, peeked around the corner at a
few, and were one of the cheering hoards waving from a distance at
others. With only one
exception, all of the weddings we saw were first time brides dressed
in traditional gowns that had chosen a service in a warmer, more
exotic location. We lamented about where did the older first-timers
(and as a couple in our 40’s we say that tongue in cheek) and second
marriages happen down south? How do you find a place where you can
bring kids from a previous marriage, (or rowdy nieces and nephews)
and still have that sensual feel of a Caribbean
honeymoon? How do you accommodate four generations of attendees,
without getting into the wedding politics you flew away to avoid in
the first place? Where can you have a fun wedding that can still
become serious and memorable when appropriate?
We
found that The Coconut Bay Resort and Spa in
St. Lucia known for its great water
slides and adventure excursions was the perfect venue for elegant
and romantic second weddings. We were surprised too.
Coconut Bay is a large resort on the south end of the
Caribbean island
of St. Lucia. It
is located a mere three minutes drive from Hewanorra International
Airport.
It sells itself as “two worlds in one”. The family friendly
side called Splash is home to the island’s largest water park, with
a large slide and three pools. The resort also has a fully
supervised kids club where you can drop
off the kids for planned activities throughout the day and pick them
up tired and happy. There were also cotton candy machines, unlimited
ice cream, teen adventure groups, a paintball area, and they were in
the midst of constructing a go-cart track. It was essentially heaven
on earth for the kids we ran into. They even offered an outdoor,
full length, supervised kids movie (complete with popcorn) during
evenings so that the adults could have a quiet dinner. The resort
seemed very safe, and the couples we spoke to with kids had no
worries about letting their kids wander the Splash grounds
unsupervised. Off the
resort but still nearby, many excursions and activities await more
adventurous travelers. All of them safe,
designed for families and most enjoyable.
On the opposite side of Coconut Bay
is Splash’s alter ego. A huge, private, adult-only area called
Harmony which was designed for couples seeking romance and
relaxation. There were intimate cabana beds, hammocks, a very social
pool bar, and lots and lots of beach to spread out and find solitude
on. We took in people serenely reading and met a number of people in
the “over 60 set” who had found their own coconut palm to lounge
under. It is also home
to the Kai Mer Spa, the biggest full service spa we’ve found
anywhere in the Caribbean. With outdoor (but private) showers for two,
secluded couples massages, and well trained estheticians (body
snatched from the destination spas in the north part of the island),
the spa was terrific and well worth trying. The spa was also
surprisingly reasonably priced, and a perfect place to get dressed
for a tropical wedding.
Harmony is
also where the large wedding gazebo is located. The gazebo has a
nearby reception hall that can seat 60 people for dinner, along with
a dance floor to host a good-sized reception if you come with an
entourage. It is secluded and the resort does an excellent job in
keeping the wedding private. However, for couples who want even more
privacy during their vows, the resort is building a second wedding
location at the Cape
Moule a Chique Vieu
lighthouse a few minutes drive outside of the resort in Vieux Fort.
The lighthouse is the second highest in the world, and the view is
spectacular for a wedding destination.
It has a view of both the turquoise water of the
Caribbean Sea
and the darker Atlantic water. You can also easily see the
coastlines of half the island. Banana and sour sop trees surround
the lighthouse point.
Coconut
Bay
is planning the first weddings there in September of 2010, and we
think it will be as breathtaking as a sunset wedding for brides who
are hoping for a one-of-a-kind matrimony service.
Coconut
Bay
does a moderate number of weddings throughout the year as compared
to some other resorts where individual wedding services have a
“turnstile” feel to them. We were quite touched about how hard the
St. Lucian staff really tried to make each wedding unique. Janell,
the petite, bubbly wedding planner was very determined in making
sure any wedding was exactly how the bride desired it to be. We
witnessed her pulling together a wedding in less than 24 hours. She
said she takes pride in arranging weddings in 24 hours provided she
has at least one working day. That means a full legal wedding
license and international registry, minister, sunset boat ride;
romantic wedding reception, spa service and attention to detail with
a one-day turn around. Forget the long engagement, we joked about
how a proposal, engagement, trip south and “I do’s” for a happily
ever after can happen in less than 48 hours. Of course, all this is
then followed by a fabulous honeymoon vacation.
So if you’ve
been too busy to plan the nuptials and are trying to find a tropical
wedding location where you can bring everyone down easily (including
the kids), consider Coconut Bay, St. Lucia.
It is a perfect location for
a multitude of family generations to gather, for any occasion.