My husband and I just returned from a 10 night stay at Windjammer-Landing. We absolutely loved every minute of our stay. We booked the honeymoon package many months before our wedding, so a lot was included. Our experience at WJL was great!
To start the vacation off right, we had transfers provided to us by the resort through ZD's Touring Services because of the honeymoon package. The ride was smooth and very different from most of the other reviews. We didn't think it was horrible at all. If you get car sick- just look straight ahead! We stopped at Dennery for a Piton Beer and pictures. We also stopped very close to the resort for another picture opportunity. Before we knew it, we were at the resort being greeted by extremely friendly people.
We were given rum punch and helped by a sweet man named Linden as soon as we walked into the lobby. They were getting our room situated since we arrived earlier than check in time. They told us to get a bite to eat at Jammer's by the beach. We were thrilled that the meal was delicious, since so many of the reviews say food is just okay.
Once our villa was ready (20b), which was right after we were done eating,we headed up. We were thrilled that our villa was just a short walk to the reception area, where the pool, beach and restaurants were located. We loved the fact that we didn't need to take the shuttle to our villa- but if you do- they are prompt and always there. We usually only used them to go to Papa Don's- or to take a ride to the top to take in spectacular views! The villa was beautiful. Ours was newer than a lot of the others. It had granite countertops in the full kitchen, a beautiful and very private plunge pool, great view of the sea, and most importantly a very cold, working air conditioner in our bed/bathroom. The kitchen, living and dining room were open air which was really neat. Just don't leave fruit/food out, the birds ONLY fly in if you have food out! We couldn't have been happier with our accommodations.
The food was amazing at the resort. We ate at all of the restaurants at Windjammer since we had the AIl Inclusive plan. Breakfast at Dragonfly was always good. We did the buffet each day! Jammers and Embers are great for a day at the beach. I especially liked their chicken caesar salad. Our favorite spot for dinner was Papa Don's. I love Italian food and it was always delicious. All of the servers and bartenders are kind and attentive, no matter which restaurant you go to! When you go to the bar- try the Loverboy!
We found the reviews that said "the pool is small" silly. There are 3 pools at Windjammer. One near the reception area, one in front of the Hibiscus Suites, and one right next to Papa Don's. Isn't three pools enough!? We loved the one by Hibiscus- no one was ever there and the view was beautiful.
The only thing we found confusing about our All Inclusive plan was tipping. The exchange rate from US $1 is Eastern Caribbean $2.70. The resort included the 10% service charge and tax in our AI plan, but there was still a tip line (The tip goes directly to the waiter, where as, the service charge goes to resort, etc. The waiters and bartenders truly deserve a tip for all the hard work they do). All the books tell you 10% is appropriate for good service in St. Lucia- but because the conversion confused us the first 2 days- we were writing what we thought was 10% but they convert it to EC- so really the waiters and bartenders were given next to nothing. We felt really bad! Here is an easy way to tip at Windjammer- Just look at the bill and find the 10% service charge and write the exact same amount as the service charge in the tip line.
We did a lot of excursions and also activities at the resort. To start- take advantage of the watersports at Windjammer. My husband did the waterskiing which he loved. We both did a tube ride which was so fun! They do this or the banana boats each night at 4 pm with sign-ups at 3. We did the 11 am snorkeling trip 3 times and the 2 pm snorkeling trip once. Sign up only 15 minutes before trip leaves. Each time, we went with Nicodemus. He is such a great guy and very friendly. He will show you fish he sees and anything else exciting! At 11 am, Nico takes you to a small cove just past the resort and at 2 pm he takes you to Rodney Bay, as long as the sea isn't too choppy. We loved this- not too many colorful fish but still a lot of fun! We also kayaked and used the paddle boats at the resort which was great. The sunset cruise was included in our package and it was great fun... just don't drink too much rum punch- it is a killer. We also had a couples massage through our package which we would totally recommend! Lastly, a chef came to our room to cook a dinner at our villa. It was such a sweet experience. Peter and Mary were so kind and the food (courtesy of Dragonfly) was so yummy.
Other excursions we booked through Jammers tours in the lobby were the ATVing trip- this was okay. The ride wasn't great since we do this at home. It was still fun but the road going to the beach was a little dirty and so was the beach area. The ATVs were not in the best shape either. We enjoyed hiking to the top of a hill at the beach area once we got off of the ATVs and seeing a spear fisherman! The tour guide was great also. We did SNUBA diving, which was fun but scary at first. You go to Pigeon Island to do this. Instead of diving with your tank, it floats above you in a small raft with a long tube that follows you. No training required. We couldn't get the hang of hit at first but one we did, we enjoyed it. Don't put too much weight around your waist. This is what we think caused our concern. It is a short dive- 30 minutes or so. Next, we went ZIPLINING/RAINFOREST CANOPY ADVENTURE midweek which was amazing. We would recommend doing this! Lastly and by far our favorite was the SOFRIERE LAND AND SEA TOUR- this is NOT the tour the resort recommends you to do. Jammers recommends the Jammers Day Sail through Endless Summer Cruises, but the Sofriere Land and Sea tour IS listed on the Jammers excursion list... they just don't push this one at all. It begins with an open air jeep ride all the way to Sofriere. You get to be immersed in the island and culture, which is what we loved. You can stand on the seats and take in the sights. Just make sure you duck for trees limbs and bring rain gear! Along the way we stopped at Bongo's fruit stand to eat fresh fruit. We stopped at a waterfall in the rainforest for a dip and pictures. We got to stop and walk around in the town of Anse La Raye to take pictures and see how the locals live. At certain points of the ride, you get to see the Pitons from the jeep, which were spectacular. After this, you stop at the Sulfur Springs for a quick tour (Believe me... a quick tour is all you want at the Sulfur Springs- Don't take a tour of strictly the Sulfur Springs!!!!!). The last part of the jeep tour brings you to the amazing resort Ladera, where you have lunch at Dasheen Restaurant. The view is out of this world- smack in the middle of the Pitons. The food was also out of this world! Once you are done at Ladera, you go to Sofriere to pick up the catamaran to ride back to Windjammer. On the way back on the catamaran you stop at Anse Cochon to either go swimming or snorkeling (you need to bring your own gear or rent for 5-10 bucks from a local... kind of nasty snorkeling gear...not clean in my opinion). You also cruise through Marigot Bay. The Jammers Day Sail tour the resort recommends, takes you down on the catamaran, you go on a bus to the sulfur springs, a waterfall, and a buffet lunch at a cocoa planation, then back again on the same catamaran sail we got from Sofriere (We just jumped on the catamaran everyone from the Jammers Day Sail was on). We would recommend the Sofriere Land and Sea tour for a more local perspective. (Not to mention there were only 6 of us on the jeep tour for the first half of the day versus like 60 on the catamaran!) It was a little pricer than the Jammers Day Sail, 140 pp verus 100 pp, BUT going on the jeep tour and eating at Ladera are worth the 40 extra per person. Think of it this way- just going to Sofriere via a taxi is $180 roundtrip... plus if you want to eat at Ladera, add at least $100-150. It really is a value to do this tour! We also went to THE EDGE in Rodney Bay for our last night- it was delicious. Service was slow, so allow 2 hrs of time if you arrange for the taxi to pick you up! (Greg Lionel was an amazing taxi driver-{--}. He was sooo extremely kind and we would recommend him highly.)
Well, I officially wrote a book but I wanted everyone to know, who is considering booking at Windjammer or anyone who already has and is looking at reviews like we did before we visited the resort and island, that the bad reviews are unfounded in our opinion. We had an amazing experience and wouldn't trade it for any other!