Bay Gardens Beach Resort is the perfect place for a easy-going, everything-you-need Caribbean beach holiday. The fresh-looking and colourful modern property, which is exceptionally well run, backs directly on to Rodney Bay Village’s Reduit Beach, the most popular stretch of sand on St Lucia. Beachfront rooms are just yards from the calm and inviting sea. Watersports galore are on offer from a beach hut by the hotel, and for those seeking some peace and quiet, water taxis will speed you across the beautiful bay to the coves on Pigeon Island.

The 75 rooms are spread over six brightly-coloured buildings. Deluxe rooms are spacious, with good facilities, including multi-jet showers in bathrooms, and a balcony or patio. Suites are very large, with a separate living room with a sofa bed and full kitchen, and are ideal for families.

The hotel’s facilities are really impressive for a property of this size. There’s a vast, lagoon-style swimming pool, with a sun deck in its centre, and La Mer Spa, offering a wide range of treatments. Hi-Tide, a jolly, casual beachfront restaurant, lays on buffet breakfasts, Caribbean/international fare at lunch and dinner, and theme nights such as Seafood Night and Steak Night. For a change of scene, evening-only Trios Caribbean Fusion Restaurant is smarter in style and there is a wide choice of places to eat of all styles and for all budgets in Rodney Bay Village, within strolling distance of the hotel.