Soco House

We found the airport at St Lucia very easy and encountered no delays at all. We landed at 3.15pm and were in our private transfer at 3.50pm! I did hear other guests say that they had a 2hr queue at immigration as three planes had landed close together. Maybe worth checking as you can book the Fast Track lane. The transfer is very long and bumpy at times. If you get car sick you will definitely need a tablet for this one! Took 1hr 50 going (busy time) and 1hr 15 returning. Nothing is ever perfect on a holiday and I would agree in part with a lot of other reviewers comments. However I always like to look at the positives and on the whole we had a really good time. The overwhelming strength of this hotel is the staff - new general manager Edmund is a tremendously nice man, forever smiling and eager to listen. I truly believe he wants to improve the hotel and hope he does. His assistant, Cindy, was also thougherly charming and helpful. Any small issues we had were resolved without any fuss by Anika on the front desk. She was fantastic. Bar staff and are on the whole happy and a laugh, led by Charles and the lovely Desma. I thank them for the BBC cocktails! I wonder if hotel management slightly misread the age and wishes of the guests? surely the bar music (and restaurant music) is far too loud? Or is that just me being old & grumpy! Our room was cleaned by Frances and she did a great job, however on the days when she was off things went a little awry but nothing major. Our courtyard room was at the far end on the left and absolutely perfect: away from the bar and noise and 20’ from a cabana and pool. Room layout is a little strange with regards to plug points. If you can pack a small extension lead it may be worth it for hair drying in front of a mirror! Possibly the best thing the hotel do is provide a cool box for the beach (I agree with a previous comment that 10am is late and there is no reason why this couldn’t be brought forward to 9am). It’s a 5 minute stroll to the beach which is considered as one of the best on the island. It really is lovely with no beach shoes required as the sand is perfect and no stones going into the warm water. When you arrive you are looked after by Shawn. What a star he is and he doesn’t even work for Soco House! You wouldn’t know it as he treats the Soco guests brilliantly. I wonder if Soco quite realise what an amazing ambassador he is for the hotel? I said nothing is ever perfect and there are two main issues at Soco - one they are really trying to resolve and the other they don’t seem to care about. So: the food is on the whole excellent, no buffet here and a good and varied menu. We enjoyed the quality and presentation. A couple of meals weren’t to my taste but that’s fine. Wait times however are an issue. Again, a previous review got it spot on: some days it was fine but on others (I think when staff call in sick or the rota is bad) delays can be too long. Most people don’t want a leisurely breakfast.

I am currently here with my husband. What is the matter with people leaving bad reviews. We have had and are still having a wonderful time. The hotel is spotlessly clean. The pool and bar area are lovely. We have not encountered unfriendly staff at all. The Doctor and Party Charles have been so entertaining and such a laugh. All the food we have eaten has been lovely, fresh and tasty. The menu changes every few days. There is fresh fruit and other juices, you only have to ask. The restaurant manager is lovely and always friendly and welcoming. OK, there is sometimes a wait taking orders and getting your food, but just be patient as when it arrives, it is worth the wait. We did encounter the Moana Lisa's last week. Don't let any negative reviews put you off. We love Soco House, and it's wonderful team. There are too many to mention, but each and every one of you has made our holiday. Thank you, Edmund, from the bottom of our hearts. Karen and Chris Webb

We returned to Soco House having had an incredible holiday last year, this year was even better. I guess it’s the mind set of the visitor but we just loved everything about the place. Here we were in paradise surrounded by lovely people and we understood the St Lucian vibe. The only thing we disliked was the few guests that should not have been there. Complaining about anything they could…literally it was their mission to complain… One guest actually complained that the beach was too sandy and the sea too salty! I kid you not. I truly believe that if you treat people the way that you want to be treated then maybe you may have a better experience. The Hotel is spotless, the food was amazing and the chefs are superb. Yes sometimes the breakfast was a slight delay but we didn’t mind that as we were chilling and in no rush. If you are going on an excursion then you only need to inform the restaurant and staff and they ensure that you are served first. Our room was cleaned by Francis who was so lovely and accommodating. If we needed extra towels, toiletries then we just asked her and they were delivered. Anika on reception was a ray of sunshine, always smiling and happy to help. Randy, Henry and all the guys on the door were so polite and friendly. Desma on the pool bar would call good morning every day and have your favourite tipple waiting for you. And as for the ladies in the restaurant, I found them all to be friendly and polite. Special shout out to Tamara (the biggest smile), Preschella, always happy and the lovely Leana (one love) who went above and beyond for us. The restaurant manager Sefphra (sorry if misspelt) was always welcoming and professional. He had an amazing sense of humour (just ask Tamara 🤣). Sean on the beach is just a lovely guy, nothing is too much trouble for him. Last but not least, is the lovely Edmund who should be very proud of his staff and of course, himself. Sorry if I’ve missed anyone but there were so many staff that we appreciated but didn’t get names. So the morale of the story is …, you get back what you give…… One Love ❤️ Soco House xxx Sam & Mike#onelove

Still here and disappointed all the way around. 1. room is fine but not amazing. Wish there was a jacuzzi or tun 2. no fresh fruit. We are on an island full of mangos, and we have not one on the menu. 3. one restaurant, one menu so no options... really. Good luck if you are a vegetarian. They are unwilling to change up proteins especially if you cannot eat pork. 4. Alcohol is not premium no legit. The bottles are constantly refilled from unmarked ones. The drinks look pretty but it's all sugar 5. they offer only OJ for breakfast... NO OTHER JUCIES!??! One day, it even looked and tasted like Tang. Remember that as a child? 6. no entertainment at all 7. the beach is nice but it's across the street and the entrance is two city blocks away. The water is clean but it's not a spectacular beach. I was hoping for more. 8. The food is often cold and it takes them a while to come with the next course. 9. Front desk staff were talking about a guest, in a derogatory way, they did not realize I understood what they were saying. Rather shady of the staff to be so cruel to guests. Without us, they would have no work. The AI version does not come close to the negative reviews... which all true. Go elsewhere.... you will thank me for it.

I'm unsure how some people have given 5 out of 5 reviews!! This hotel has a lot to improve on. If we'd have received 'the cheap deal' (which we found out about too late), we still wouldn't have been happy. Unfortunately, we were the 'naive' ones who booked with BA and paid full price which it definitely was not worth. This is more of a 3 star hotel at best. I was surprised at BA for endorsing this hotel. The positives - The entrance and reception area are quite nice, with a decent pool/pool bar and the restaurant is pleasant. I thought the food was good quality and we had a choice from a menu. This was changed every 2 days. The ability to take a cool box with drinks was a nice touch. There was a live female singer in the lobby one evening who was very good. Now the negatives - Mainly the hotel staff and service were the worst I've ever experienced in a hotel. The only friendly staff were, (Charles, 'Doctor', and Safraz, the restaurant manager). Also, Shaun who looked after us at the beach, was amazing, very helpful and really made our week. The rest of the staff were rude, unhelpful and looked at us liked dirt whenever I asked (politely) about anything. Most looked VERY uninterested. We are polite people and always treat people with respect, unfortunately, this was not always reciprocated. There was a female restaurant manageress and receptionist (both with short hair), who were particularly rude. When we walked in to the restaurant, generally, there wasn't a nice welcome, no smiles, no 'we'll be with you in a moment'. (Safraz was the only exception to this). Then there was the delay in food, now when we're on holiday, I'm not in a rush, I don't mind waiting but when it's 1.5-2hrs for a breakfast & lunch, it gets a bit silly and it 'eats' into your actual holiday time. Most people want access to decent coffee first thing in the morning and this was supposed to be available in the reception bar area, without having to go into the restaurant. However, even from as early as 7.30am it was empty and not refreshed. Then at breakfast coffee is served to you (in small cups) which you had to ask for and for further top ups. Asking for orange juice proved to also be a problem and also had to ask for. This would then be served in a tiny glass and never replenished. ( I'd suggest a self service bar for fruits, yogurts, toast, teas coffees...this would help with the waiting times). The hotel in general needed an update, the lounges and pool beds were very stained, ripped/broken. Thank goodness the beach was only 5 min walk from the hotel. The toilet seat in the lobby was always broken, despite me reporting it twice. In our room, (108) the sheets didn't fit the bed, which meant we seen the grubby mattress underneath. We reported this to the head cleaner, she said she has reported it many times but nothing has been done. Our shower, although powerful, wasn't adjustable and it just hit the back of the screen so you had to have your back to the screen to

Just got home after 10 nights at SoCo House. Overall we had a good time. We had a ground floor room which was very comfortable. Housekeeping was a bit hit and miss with replenishing the toiletries- we had to chase for shampoo/shower gel on a couple of occasions. There are not enough sun beds for all guests so towels start going out to reserve beds from 5am! Great if you’re an early riser - not so great for those who like to lie in whilst on holiday. The bar staff were generally polite and helpful - a couple were less friendly, and could do with a course on customer service. So, on to the restaurant - it is an a la carte restaurant for all meals. So there is no such thing as a quick breakfast or quick lunch. The service is mostly very slow. And some of the staff also need to be trained on good customer service. The quality of the food was generally good. There were some days when we struggled to find something we wanted from the limited menu. It is outdoor dining, and while we were there it was very hot every day, so every meal was a very hot & sweaty occasion. We would have done anything at times to have been able to eat in an air conditioned restaurant! There is a large covered area at the end of the pool that is not used - the hotel should consider converting this area into a snack bar. Tea/coffee machines, jugs of orange juice and iced water, and pastries/cereals/toast in the morning. And then pizzas/sandwiches/toasties etc at lunch. To meet the needs of guests that don’t want to spend up to 1.5 hours in the restaurant three times every day. In summary, I think our holiday was good value for the price we paid, but we would not go back. We would prefer to pay a bit more for better service and facilities.

After reading all reviews really didn’t know what to expect. A lot of things from other reviews I agree with but some people love to moan about everything! Hotel had a lovely feel and we enjoyed our stay but we got a great deal and not sure how I’d have felt if we’d paid more. I left feeling it’s such a shame as really could be a fab hotel but needs sorting out from the management- some great staff and some really rude staff who ignore you - food when served on time was great but service really was like Fawlty Towers which was a shame but at times staff had no idea of what was going on and dining was so badly organized it when they did get it right it was 10/10. Agree to get a sun bed you had to be up at 6 although beach is lovely and 5 mins away so not a problem. Never stayed at a friendlier hotel regarding other guests and met some lovely people. We stayed in a courtyard room opposite pool and bar area and didn’t find the music a problem at all. Personally I think it’s the managements failure who are not leading the staff and they will listen to complaints but just do t seem to be running the resort which is frustrating!! The staff who are good are excellent but the staff who are bad are the rudest I have ever come met!!!

Where do I start My husband and I had booked a 11 night stay On arrival first impressions were good reception very elegant Room nice but very close to the outdoor bar where everyone congregates all day and night with boom boom music so loud you can hardly here yourself speak 😂 Bar staff quite rude except desna, and often ignored you when they did acknowledge you it was with “what you want” Most staff I found rude not accommodating, it like they don’t want to be there? Meal times were like faulty towers if you got correct meal within an 1 hr you were lucky Food repetitive on a two day menu We ate out several times and had a much better expiriance. If you want a sun bed be prepared to be up at 6.00 am or you won’t get one After two days of sleep deprivation and a couple of rubbish meals we were ready to leave. Spoke to Edmund the hotel manager and things improved for a couple of days then went back to chaos No consistency with staff or service in the restaurant . Rooms comfortable , cleaned daily but often no towels left so had to go down to reception to ask which was irritating when coming back from the beach and wanting to shower This was truly not a relaxing holiday but we met some nice guest which improved our stay . Anika on front desk always had a smile and always eager to help, shame other staff members were not the same. Cindy also helpfull Unless things improved drastically I wouldn’t recommend or return back to this hotel if you want to go away and not have to complain about the essential requirements of a four star hotel this is not for you If you do book I hope you have a better time than we did

Plan the family holiday for me my sister and my brother when we arrived at the hotel it looks so stunning as we arrived white scene with blue background the rooms were quite nice and tidy but there was so many problems, blood on the sheets, no towels nowhere to hang your stuff in the shower we didn’t have water. The food was repetitive. We even ended up having grey mashed potato. Not sure where that came from. I’ve been to several parts of the Caribbean and never experienced this kind of cuisine. The staff look fed up and underpaid as most of them were looking for tips and always complaining . The parasol were broken they promote that you go into the cabanas which is 30 US per day. That is a lot of money on top of what you’ve paid. The manager is absolutely useless, he just walked around with Cheshire cat smile all day thinking I’ve got your money is too late. We have days where we have no cooling box to bring to the beach no bottles water, no Towels, We ended up after the third day having to buy food outside as the food was so repetitive and it looks like they were reheating the food. Made several complaints to the manager came over and offered us cabana, This is more like a two star three star hotel no way of four star hotel. So many of the customers were complaining during the holiday we met around 10 to 15 couples what came from Travel agent and they were making the same complaints of lots of Problems which they encountered one couple didn’t even have bed sheets, Another said she hadn’t had a shower for two days because there was no towels.