Soco House Saint Lucia

My stay at Soco House during the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival was genuinely excellent from start to finish. What really stood out was the level of service. Vladimir, the manager, runs a tight ship but in the best possible way. He is present, attentive, and clearly cares about every guest’s experience. That standard flows right through the team. The staff are warm, welcoming, and consistently go out of their way to help without ever feeling forced or over the top. The hotel itself is spotless. Rooms are well kept, common areas are clean and comfortable, and there’s a clear sense of pride in maintaining the property. It gives you that boutique feel where attention to detail actually matters. Location-wise, it couldn’t have worked better for the Jazz Festival. Being in Rodney Bay means you’re close to everything, but one of the biggest advantages is the water taxis right at the bottom of the road. It made getting around easy, quick, and honestly added to the whole experience. All in all, Soco House delivers exactly what you want, great service, clean and comfortable surroundings, and a location that makes your trip effortless. I’d happily stay here again and would recommend it to anyone visiting St. Lucia.

Our stay at Soco House was exceptional from start to finish. The GM, Vladimir has a rare gift for hospitality ; effortlessly creating the kind of thoughtful “wow” moments that truly elevate a holiday experience. Warm, personable, and incredibly attentive, he made us feel genuinely cared for throughout our stay. We were visiting for the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, and the team shared fantastic local tips, including taking the 5 minute boat ride to the festival rather than traveling by car which would have taken considerably longer. A standout moment was the exquisite Italian dinner specially prepared for us beautifully executed and absolutely delicious. The room itself was elegant and inviting, with crisp white décor accented by vibrant touches of blue and yellow that perfectly reflected the spirit of the island. The housekeeping team was outstanding, maintaining the room to an impeccable standard every day. Thoughtful service, beautiful surroundings, and genuine hospitality made this a truly memorable stay.

We spent 11 nights at Soco House, it is situated a 5 minute walk from the beautiful beach. The hotel has lovely new sunbeds and parasols on the beach and supply coolers with drinks. Our room no 419 was a ground floor room with direct access to the pool and bar. The room was typical caribbean, white wooden drawers and wardrobe doors. The king-size bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was huge with a very powerful shower. The pool was clean and warm. The restaurant was ok, some days the service was perfect others not so, the manager is very hands on and is trying his best to improve the service. He is very approachable and will listen to any concerns you may have. All the staff are lovely, they are on Caribbean mode so nothing is done in a hurry, but you are on holiday so just go with the flow!! We loved our time at Soco house, enjoyed the slower pace of life and the beautiful beach. Thank you for a great holiday!!

We returned home a few days ago after spending two weeks at the Soco Hotel, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia. We had a lovely time there. In fact, we wanted to stay longer! Big ‘shout-out’ to all the staff there that made our stay very pleasant. Special mentions to restaurant supervisors Elker and Nadia, waitresses Larna and Annia, the waiter Akil and the hostess Cleopha. The bar staff were great too, especially Gavin and Yannell. Rose was lovely; we saw her not only working in the bar, but when it became busier in the restaurant, we saw her there waiting on tables too. Nazzia was great. (Take her some Cadbury’s Dairy Milk folks..) A big thank you to the management, Vladimir the general manager and Darvin, the assistant manager. On one night we went to the karaoke at a nearby bar (Royal Palm and Triangle, not too far along the road from Soco) and saw, or should we say heard, Darvin exercising his vocal chords! Vladimir was always around, smartly dressed and keeping an eye on things and interacting with guests and staff alike. In fact, once when the restaurant needed an extra hand, we saw him there clearing tables. Thanks also to one of the staff. Babo/Baba(?), who worked hard too. Thanks for the kind gifts you gave us. (You weren’t there when we left, but we left something for you with Rose.) Obviously a big personality needs a big ‘shout-out’ too… Eloise! ( Or is it Elouise?) Customer services. Friendly, attentive and welcoming. One of us is gluten free, the other pescatarian with a cheese allergy, but we could always find something that suited us. They even ensured that gluten free bread was available for us, most of the time. Whilst we are talking of the restaurant, it would be unbalanced and disingenuous if we didn’t mention the downside. Most of the staff try hard and are so friendly, but also, most of the time, there were things that went wrong. Think ‘Faulty Towers’. The service was slow, at times, sometimes painfully slow. You got things you didn’t order and you didn’t get things you did order! Sometimes you were forgotten about. But, we just took it all in our stride and just accepted that we were on holiday and sometimes these things happen. At times, yes, it was chaotic and completely inefficient, but you can either get miffed or just smile and have another glass of wine… We chose to do the latter. As the saying goes, “When in Rome…” Or maybe that should be, “When in Rodney Bay…” The hotel was clean and tidy. The cleaners, pool attendants, maintenance staff and gardeners worked hard to keep it that way. We hired a 4x4 Jeep for four days, from Drive-a-matic, and we explored some of Saint Lucia ourselves, going to Soufriere, The Pitons, Mount Tabac and Choiseul in one day. Another day we went to Dennery in the East, just to sample some authentic, basic charms of the non-tourist areas. We also went to Mamiku Gardens there. Another day we went to the north, Pigeon Point and Smugglers Cove. On the fourth day we went to Anse Chastanet, one of our favourite places. Absolutely gorgeous. Be aware though that it is a rough single track road on the side of a mountain with sheer drops. We drove through Canaries and Anse La Raye a few times, beautiful charming little places and well worth a visit. The Millenium Highway road from Castries to the north is fine and in fact far better than some roads in England I could mention! The main road around the island is circular, [mainly coastal] and is fine. They are doing repairs on it here and there, so just watch out for single lanes at road works that you and the oncoming traffic will share! Also, there may be few, if any, warning signs to inform you of such. You have been warned! Also, if you do go off road or go onto the smaller roads, please be aware that some are tracks, some quite rough with steep inclines. Sometimes there is no tarmac, just rocks, ruts and uneven places. Even in a 4x4 we decided to avoid some of them! Now, a note regarding some of the local drivers in St. Lucia. How do I put it, without upsetting some people? Words like careless, suicidal, crazy and reckless come to mind! We saw so many road collisions in the two weeks that we were there. On one day there were two separate smashes, just a couple of hundred metres apart. We did initially wonder why, on an island with a tiny population, (180,000 or so), there were so many police stations, fire stations and ambulance stations. Also, why were there so many police, fire and ambulance vehicles driving around. We soon found out why! We saw so many roads temporarily closed off due to incidents. Just please take care if you do decide to drive there. As for the beach, it is a short level walk from the hotel. There is an area of the beach reserved just for Soco guests, where you have umbrellas and loungers just for you. No charge. If you go to the beach, don’t forget that you can get a small cool box, which can hold up to six bottles of whatever is your favourite tipple. They are packed in ice and you just arrange this from reception. It’s part of your all inclusive package. Also, if you go away for the day, you can take a pack-up lunch with you. Just tell them the day before. We did this a few times. We had a catamaran trip arranged by “Barry on the Beach”. Everyone seems to know him. Lovely, trustworthy guy. Knowledgeable too. We were told he was “all over Tripadvisor” and a “go to” person. We would agree with this. Word of note here, one couple at our hotel, “met someone down town”, in the street, and arranged for a boat trip. They paid a deposit, a decent amount and guess what? On the day of the trip, no one arrived to pick them up. That man in the street has previous for bad service. In the end the guests spoke with Barry, who arranged - at short notice - to get them on a boat the next day. Just remember the normal rules of travelling please. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is! Stick with official companies, the hotel trip reps or Barry. On a Friday night we went by bus to the ‘Jump Up’ music party in Gros Islet. That was an experience not to be missed. Music, bars, dancing and street food. Local buses are easy to use and cheap. The whole area is pedestrianised, with police on road blocks and patrolling. Whilst in Saint Lucia, we went to a football match, a World Cup qualifier, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. It was a wonderful experience, even though St. Lucia were beaten by St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Incidentally, both teams of ladies and their coaching staff, were staying at our hotel for a few days. They were all really nice and friendly. Their singing was exceptional! We met some lovely people, other guests, on this holiday and they made it even nicer. We seldom go back to the same place twice – resort or hotel – but there are sometimes exceptions to this. We wouldn’t rule out returning! In summary, we had a fabulous holiday. A great hotel. Great value. Just please sort out the way the restaurant operates. Then four stars will become five…

This hotel is not a sprawling metropolis. It’s small. Intimate. Friendly. We expected a relaxing easy going holiday. We got it. Perfect for anyone who wants quiet. There’s no rush here. Staff are fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble. They are happy you came. And happy to make your holiday memorable. Every day the general manager walks his hotel, and wants to know you. Vladimir is a charmer! If something isn’t right he will try to address it. Food sometimes was too spicy for us, staff found alternatives for us. No buffet here. You are served at table, don’t expect fast food, it’s served to look good and taste good. Sometimes worth the wait. Plenty of sunbeds. A central small pool. A central small bar with other bars in hideaway spots. I assume for when it’s busy or there’s an event. The beach is 10minutes walk to the hotels own sunbeds. You can take a free cool box of drinks with you. The cocktail list is worth working through. But pace yourself they don’t spare on the good stuff. The bedrooms we had. Were ground floor. Courtyard. Comfortable. A nice bed. A/c. Bathroom with free toiletries. It’s super clean. (Thanks to Francis) A patio by your door. A nice touch. The bar is about 10paces , opens early. Rose and Gavin are firm favourites. We are mobility challenged. And loved the no steps and no buffet, unlike the crap you get at big hotels. We didn’t meet anyone who was unhappy with the hotel in any way. One or two food niggles that got sorted just to be honest. But being equally honest, breakfast is what you make it swopping the menu around to suit. Lunch never disappointed and evening, lots of fabulous meats, fish and salads. And you can ask for more if you want more. We loved our 11days. We will return!