If you're planning a trip to St. Lucia, let me tell you all about why Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is a fabulous choice for families and why you should head to the island, and more specifically Coconut Bay with kids.
When I think of a dream vacation, I usually think about time away with my husband where we can relax without our two young children around. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love and adore my kids, but traveling with them can be a tad stressful. However, this has all changed since our visit to Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia.
When Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa invited me and my 6-year-old son to visit I was thrilled, albeit a little apprehensive. Traveling out of the country with a child seemed a little overwhelming at first. Would air travel be easy? Would we be safe? When our trip got rescheduled to the week of spring break, I realized that my husband and daughter could come along too. All I needed to do was book their flights and we were ready for a family vacation to a serene island resort. But, would it truly be relaxing and worth the effort and cost?
Without further ado, I’ll tell you that the answer was, “Absolutely, yes.” Usually, when I travel with the kids, I call it a trip, not a vacation. After all, a vacation is relaxing. A trip with kids usually isn't. This, however, was actually a vacation and I think we’ll all be talking about it for years to come. When you're set up for success, it's hard not to have a good time, and Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa really sets its guest up properly.
Once you check into the resort, you’ll be given a weekly newsletter that lists all the special events and happenings during the week. Here you’ll find the times for the Pirate Night (there’s also a special Pirate’s Night Dinner at CocoLand), movie night, and more. There are also meet and greets with the resort mascots, Coco and Loco, in the resort lobby.
Here are 6 reasons you should visit Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in St. Lucia With Kids
View of the Splash Wing of the resort.
1.) Family-friendly accommodations. As I mentioned in my post about what to expect when you visit Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, the resort is split into two wings: the adults-only Harmony wing and the family-friendly Splash wing. I absolutely love this. Unlike when we visit other hotels and resorts, I wasn’t constantly shushing my kids in the room. I knew that we were surrounded by other families with kids.
Our room was in the Splash Concierge Premium Ocean View category (floors 3 and 4 have may have an ocean view) and had one king bed and one day bed with a pull-out trundle. It was the perfect set-up for our family. Be sure to check out my full Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa Room Review for more details and LOTS of photos.
2.) Family-friendly dining options. There are 9 different dining options to choose from at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa. Some restaurants are a la carte or you can visit the buffet.
The resort's main restaurant is Coconut Walk, a buffet with several stations. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner here every day of the week (the only exceptions are when there is a theme night and the buffet might be shifted outside so guests can enjoy the atmosphere and outdoor entertainment). For breakfast, there is a smoothie bar, a crépe station, an omelet station, and much more. During lunch, you can grab a grilled panini, custom sandwiches, and salads. At dinnertime, you can enjoy freshly tossed pasta, custom stir-fry, carving stations, and more.
Fresh coconuts right from the resort grounds.
The a la carte dining options are wonderful and I would recommend dining there as many nights as you can. We enjoyed our meals more in the a la carte restaurants since we thought the food was a bit better and it was more intimate and quieter.
You can check out more details about the food and dining options in my post about what you can expect at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, but I'll mention it here again that we loved Silk, Calabash, and Seaside. The servers went above and beyond to make our kids comfortable and even provided food that wasn't on the menu, like the chicken nuggets above that my kids requested at Silk.
3.) CocoLand Kidz Klub. I am all for checking my kiddos into the kids club. They feel like they’re at a super cool kids-only camp and we get a little extra rest and relaxation. It’s a win-win in my book!
Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa has 3 CocoLand Kidz Klub programs divided by age groups: 3 and under, 4 to 7, and 8-12. This isn’t just “babysitting” though. This is a full-on camp with an educational program called CocoLand SCOUTS (which stands for Seeing, Crafting, Observing, Understanding, Tasting, Saint Lucia). Kids receive a cool CocoPak once they register which is a fun backpack that’s loaded with a workbook, scrapbook, water bottle, t-shirt, and hat.
If you’re traveling with an infant or small toddler, you’ll be pleased to know that babies to 2-year-olds have their very own infant room that is air-conditioned with cribs, playpens, and age-appropriate toys. Parents are given a complimentary local cell phone so they can stay in touch with the Kidz Klub while their children are there.
Hours for this age group are 9 AM to 5 PM, seven days per week. Additional babysitting services are available for a fee if you need to make use of those.
While they’re at CocoLand Kidz Klub, children have access to a mini zip line, mini rock climbing wall, and kids-only water playground. The Kidz Klub also hosts a slew of kid-friendly activities, like movies on the lawn, that you can register your children for.
4.) A very cool waterpark. Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is home to St. Lucia’s largest waterpark. CocoLand Waterpark has slides, a Splash Plunge Pool, a lazy river and more. We spent quite a bit of time there and had a ball. In fact, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa was chosen as both the Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Choice winner of the 2019 Islands All-Inclusive Award in the “Best Pool” category for the CocoLand Waterpark.
Check out this video to see my family enjoying CocoLand Waterpark!
5.) The Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa Petting Zoo. My kids were thrilled to learn that there was a petting zoo on the property, and even more excited when they heard that there were two new baby goats to meet.
The Petting Zoo is located a little bit away from the main resort and you'll just have to cross the soccer field to get there. Check out my walking tour of the Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa to see more!).
There were several goats to pet, chickens, turtles, horses, and more. Of course, the baby goats Mango, and Tango stole the show!
Be sure to ask the front desk for tokens so you can get some food to feed the animals in the petting zoo.
Paintball is available for an additional fee.
Also of note, for additional fees, you can also partake in paintball at The Zone, which is right by the petting zoo. There is also Kitesurfing and Windsurfing at the Surf Shack. This is a world-renowned safe area to learn to kitesurf if you're interested.
6.) Spa services for kids only. The Kai Mer Spa (additional fees apply for these services) now has a children’s menu for those kids wishing to partake in spa services. You can pamper your little ones, ages 5-18, with a manicure, pedicure, facial or massage. The spa uses special products for kids from FarmHouse Fresh Organics that are cruelty-free, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and most are vegan and/or gluten-free too.
We had a really fantastic trip to Coconut Bay in St. Lucia and felt totally safe the entire trip. The fact that the resort is just a 5-minute drive from the airport (and the resort provides free transportation for you) made me feel so much more at ease. There were so many things to do on the resort property but if you’d like to do even more you can book excursions for an additional fee. I'd definitely recommend a catamaran and snorkeling tour!
Let me know if you have any questions about traveling to Coconut Bay with your kids!
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