Best Boutique Hotels in Gros Islet, Gros Islet Quarter

East Winds Inn doesn't try to compete with the mega all-inclusive resorts on St. Lucia. Instead, the intimate, 30-room, upper-middle-range all-inclusive caters to guests who want to relax in a quiet location without constant attention. It lacks amenities such as a gym and spa but offers a laid-back vibe among lushly landscaped gardens. Guests hide out in air-conditioned, cottage-style rooms, snorkel the reefs from the lovely gold-sand beach, and lounge at the pool, where they can also mix their their own cocktails at the swim-up bar.

This 95-suite upper-middle-range resort delivers on location -- it's steps from Reduit Beach and close to Rodney Bay Village. A stylish swim-up bar services a lagoon-style pool ringed by palm trees and cushy white loungers and day beds, which are spaced far enough apart for privacy. The resort offers three restaurants, but the most intimate is the Beach Shack, an open-air pavilion right on the beach. Some of the spacious suite-style rooms have terraces with dead-on views of the sea, but the rooms do show hints of wear and tear with scuffed floors and spots on the rugs.

Coco Palm is an 83-room budget-oriented boutique hotel with style and service you'd expect at higher priced, beachfront hotels. It features a huge free-form pool, French Caribbean style decor, and the option to book with or without an all-inclusive plan. Rooms are cheerful and tropical, and some have terraces with pool access. While not on the ocean, it is a short walk to Reduit Beach and close to the amenities of Rodney Bay Village, St. Lucia's entertainment district.