St.Lucia

This hotel is located on 243 hectares of land in the southwest of Saint Lucia, around and above the gray sandy beach of Anse Chastanet. The location of this hotel is one of the best in the area. To get there by land you need to drive 10 minutes on a very bumpy road from Soufriere. There is also a water taxi service from the hotel to the city.

One of the most distinctive and individual hotels in the Caribbean, Anse Chastanet is located on the steep jungle-covered hillsides above the beach of the same name. For the architect, the main idea of ​​his creation is that everything should be integrated as much as possible into the stunning nature. However, there is no swimming pool here, which needs to be taken into account if this is important to you.

The staff is cheerful and casually friendly – many have been at the hotel for a long time. The service here, although informal, is nevertheless of high quality. The hotel offers a lot of entertainment. Water sports include sailing boats, kayaks and windsurfing equipment, as well as a first-class dive centre, with excellent snorkeling and diving available in the marine sanctuary just off the beach.

A large, intimate spa with five treatment rooms is located behind the beach, but you can also get treatments in the smaller spa at sister hotel Jade Mountain, above Anse Chastanet. Anse Mamin, a second, much quieter beach that is also part of the estate, is a five-minute (free) boat ride away, and beyond this beach you can explore jungle trails on mountain bikes. Other activities include yoga, walking tours of the estate and tree-to-bar chocolate tours—there’s a chocolate-making laboratory on Jade Mountain.

The 49 private bedrooms come in a wide range of styles and prices, but all have in common the lack of a TV or radio. The idea is that you are communicating with nature and/or your partner. Choose from one of the most charming cottages halfway up the hill, with wraparound balconies, basket lights and floral murals inside.

Or push out the boat and sleep in a premium luxury room on the hillside with views of the Pitons flowing into the water through the missing fourth wall (You sleep under a mosquito net to keep the bugs out). Also consider the Piton Pool Suite, the only room with a private plunge pool, and the Beach House, a luxurious air-conditioned cottage with a private garden located just behind the beach. All rooms feature stunning local art, bathrobes, tea/coffee making facilities and luxury toiletries.

There is a lovely tiled roofed beach bar and beach restaurant, Trou au Diable, which serves salads, burgers etc during the day and Caribbean/Indian fusion food in the evenings. On the hillside is the fine dining Treehouse Restaurant, which serves “tropical world cuisine”, and Emeralds, a vegetarian restaurant with much of its produce sourced from the resort’s organic farm. Breakfast includes a buffet (including smoothie of the day) as well as cooked-to-order hot items.

The hotel is tucked away in the rugged southwestern part of the island, near the pretty fishing town of Soufriere, once the island’s capital. The hotel is at the end of a long and bumpy road that requires a 4×4 drive. The owners intentionally kept it that way for security and privacy reasons. It is a 60-minute drive from Hewanorra International Airport, but there is a helipad on site for those who want a quicker transfer. The estate itself is reminiscent of a private island: it covers an area of ​​243 hectares and includes two beaches and the Anse Mamin valley (a historic cocoa and coconut plantation), which can be explored by mountain bike or on daily guided walks.

The building’s bold, futuristic design makes it one of the most striking structures on the island: a curved monster that towers over the southwest coast and is breathtaking when viewed from the air or sea. It was designed by hotel owner Nick Trubetskoy, an architect from Canada, who began designing it in 1975, but the final tiles were laid only in 2006.

The interior has the feel of a Bond villain’s lair, with minimal decor of concrete, stone, steel and tropical woods, decorated only with lush green plants and foliage. Each of the bedrooms, which are partially open and have huge dramatic doorways, are accessed by their own long walkways or bridges that intersect with each other. Ambient sound also sets this place apart from others: with no walls and a jungle paradise just outside the hotel, there is a constant background hum of birds, insects and frogs from the moment you arrive. Completely unique compared to other high end resorts.

Each room has a designated “Big Duomo,” a butler on speed dial 24/7 who can do anything from unpacking luggage to organizing Python excursions. The service is impeccable, with four staff per guest, all friendly and knowledgeable but never intrusive.

Facilities, some shared with sister resort Anse Chastenet, include a gym, scuba diving center and spa. A standout facility is the chocolate production laboratory, which has recently been renovated and updated to produce, for example, full-size chocolate bars infused with coconut flakes, salted cashews and fruit peels. There are plenty of other activities available too, including yacht trips, sunrise yoga on the rooftop terrace and vegan cooking classes, all of which feel select and personalized with small groups and knowledgeable staff.

All 29 romantic “sanctuaries” are open-air, with at least one wall missing (the top-end Galaxy suites are missing two), yet feel private thanks to architectural angles that also protect them from the elements. All overlook the Pitons and have sweeping panoramic ocean views. What makes the rooms stand out is that most have private infinity pools (24 of the 29 rooms have them). The scenery is deliberately kept to a minimum so that the architecture, natural stone and, above all, the views are the focus.

Rooms feature four-poster beds and a pillow menu to ensure a restful night’s sleep. Everything you might need is provided, from yoga mats and comfy lounge chairs to Illy coffee machines and a well-stocked wine refrigerator. The minibar includes a complimentary bento box, which is replenished daily with three different types of delicious snacks. Insect repellent is provided, but the rooms and surrounding vegetation are sprayed regularly, so you won’t get a single bite, even though the room is outdoors.

The bathrooms are huge with giant sunken bathtubs and full-size Voya toiletries. There are no TVs in the rooms – why would you need a TV with such a view?

The hotel’s open-air restaurant, Jade Mountain Club, is located on the top floor of the building. It is an elegant and tranquil space with exceptional views. The menu features herbs, nuts and vegetables grown at Emerald Farm, an organic farm 20 minutes away.

Breakfast is also served here, not a buffet, but an à la carte menu. Many guests choose to dine in their rooms, which have spacious dining tables. The estate’s sister hotel, Anse Chastanet, has four other casual restaurants, but the quality and service at Jade Mountain Club is incomparable. The adjoining bar serves excellent cocktails next to the beautiful shallow pool and ocean views.

If you can tear yourself away from your chic plantation-style room, you’ll be rewarded with island adventures ranging from beach volleyball and water sports to horseback riding along the coast and ziplining through the jungle. You’ll want to explore the towering Pitons (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the 40 hectares of rainforest that surround them.

At the end of the day, you can even unwind St. Lucian style, enjoying a banana and coconut treatment at the treetop spa or enjoying an expertly curated rum libation at The Cane Bar.

There are places to lounge around the resort, but The Palm Court Lounge takes relaxation to new heights with huge swinging daybeds overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Personal butler service is provided with every booking. This means you can head to one of two white sand beaches as soon as you arrive, while the butler unpacks your luggage, makes dinner reservations and brings you a fresh mojito.

Water sports abound, including scuba diving, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking.

The Rainforest Spa Resort features seven treehouse-style treatment pavilions set amidst dense tropical foliage. Signature treatments include bamboo massage and hot stone therapy using local ingredients such as bananas, coconuts and cocoa butter.

Active people will want to use the butler service to book one of the signature excursions, which range from culinary tours of nearby farms to hikes to the Gros Pitons, one of two impressive volcanic cones.

There is a kids’ club where little ones can enjoy treasure hunting, crafts and coconut bowling. Additional amenities at the hotel’s soothing spa include a relaxation pavilion, an earthen steam dome and a shower room with nail services.

The 96 luxury rooms, decorated in white, come in four forms: free-standing luxury villas and cottages scattered up and down the steep hillside, 11 sugar mill rooms with private gardens located near the center of the resort, and 8 luxury rooms. beachfront bungalows that open directly onto the sand.
Each room has a private plunge pool, four-poster bed and furnished outdoor area with stunning views of the ocean or Python.
There are also 18 one- to four-bedroom private residences offering true home comforts, including fully equipped kitchens, large sun decks and swimming pools.

Lunch and dinner on the beach can be enjoyed at the thatched Bayside Restaurant.
The Bayside Bar serves tapas daily, and the Pier Bar on Glenconner Beach (the second stretch of white sand at the southern end of the resort) serves small bites and snacks for lunch. The Great Room’s menu features Caribbean cuisine, where you can dine by candlelight in a traditional plantation setting. The Cane Bar, a chic bar serving aged rum and an Asian menu with fresh sushi and sashimi, features a professional rummelier.

St. Lucia’s only resort, Rodney Bay Village, is a 10-minute drive away. The views, especially from the Cliff at Cap restaurant, are stunning: on a clear day you can see Pigeon Island on the coast and Martinique. Cap Maison’s does not have direct access to its “own” beach. Instead, you walk through a door at the side of the house, then descend a set of 92 steps to reach Smuggler’s Cove, a beautiful 75-metre-wide beach of tan sand, surrounded by cliffs and jungle. The hotel has a bar/restaurant, sun loungers and water sports, but the locals also come here (all beaches in St. Lucia are actually public).

Cap Maison’s exterior is reminiscent of the Spanish Caribbean, with arches, courtyards and fountains, attractive Latin American tiles and terra cotta urns, and meticulously manicured tropical gardens with springy lawns and colorful flora throughout.

The hotel is privately owned by a local family. There’s an elegant, compact spa and gym, two pools (the main one overlooking the cliff top, the other in the courtyard), and down in Smuggler’s Cove, free water sports equipment (kayak, bodyboards for relaxing surfing, Hobie Cat, tubes).

The hotel consists of 49 rooms, suites and villas spread across 10 two-storey whitewashed blocks. Cedar floors, louvered shutters, bright colors in cheerful pillows and beautiful hand-painted Mexican tiles in the bathrooms, as well as terraces with wicker furniture, are all done with taste and elegance. Garden view rooms are fairly modest, while ocean view villa suites have luxury kitchens, a private pool and a rooftop terrace. Some properties are more private than others.

Led by the highly experienced British-born chef Craig Jones, the open-air Cliff at Cap restaurant is a strong contender for the title of best restaurant in St. Lucia. Far-reaching sea views compete for attention with innovative Caribbean/French cuisine. There’s a serious wine list on offer (wine tasting evenings are regular), and drinks can be enjoyed on the Rock Maison, a wooden terrace on a rocky outcrop at the base of the cliff, where champagne is delivered in a basket via a ZIP wire. Breakfasts served at the Cliff at Cap are buffet style in high season and à la carte in low season.

Cap Maison has a second restaurant, The Naked Fisherman. On a terrace just behind Smuggler’s Cove, it doubles as a beach bar, but the food is far more sophisticated than the casual setting suggests. It is open at lunchtime and sometimes in the evenings.

Tucked away at the end of a street of local houses, this place feels secluded. The windows offer views of the Vizhi Peninsula and the Castries Basin. The capital’s craft markets are just 15 minutes’ drive away. Drive the same amount of time in the other direction and you’ll end up at Baywalk Shopping Center or Rodney Bay restaurants.

This place definitely has the wow factor. Upon arrival, you enter through a high lobby with high wooden rafters into the restaurant, which overlooks the sea. It feels like you are on the bow of a ship. The rooms and cottages are shaded by lush vegetation. Mangoes, custard apples, orchids, pineapples, ginger lilies, guavas and, of course, calabashes huddle together on the hillside.

This is a boutique resort with only 26 rooms, so during your stay you will get to know the staff like family. The trail leads to a small, secluded beach with a small wooden pier (great for a private dinner or massage). Try homemade products at the spa: papaya for anti-aging, lemon salt and ginger for circulation.

Enjoy a morning workout in the gym overlooking the sea, or head to the bar after your workout. If you have a good book, you will find many magical places to sit and read it. Take a tour of the garden and learn about the healing powers of plants or watch a Dolci woodcarver at work. Enjoy local musicians performing in the restaurant every evening from 19:00.

Even the entry-level rooms (Sunset Ocean View Junior Suites) have sea-view balconies and elegant four-poster beds with mosquito nets. The bathrooms have spa baths and the colors are bright and cheerful.

If you like swimming, opt for a swim-up junior suite, or for privacy, stay in the distinctive wooden Balinese-style cottages (Water’s Edge Cottages) with a living room, bookshelf and private veranda with hot tub, sun loungers and outdoor shower.

The hotel has one impressive restaurant offering an interesting fusion menu with daily changing specials. Local products are used as much as possible along with vegetables, fruits and herbs from the garden.

Sit at the bar at sunset with a cocktail and admire the stunning sky, or sip a fruity cocktail at the swim-up bar. Breakfast offers a pleasant menu of international dishes and St. Lucian specialties.

The resort is part of a 34-hectare beachfront estate in Vieux Fort and is a 3-minute drive from Hewanorra International Airport. The capital of Castries is 90 minutes’ drive north. To see the island’s famous volcanic peaks, the Pitons, it’s a 15-minute drive to the village of Laborie, where the spiers are a 30-minute cruise away.

The atmosphere is quite calm, without children or loud music disturbing the peace. The centerpiece of the compact monastery is the central pool, bar and restaurant, but they are quieter than you might expect, largely because Serenity’s villa-like suites have private pools and butler service, making their upkeep virtually unnecessary.

Each suite is assigned a butler who will take care of everything: from excursions and SPA treatments to picnics on the beach.

Surrounded by tropical plants, the 36 suites (called sanctuaries) are decorated in a soothing palette of muted greys, blues, whites and greens, accented by natural stone floors and mahogany furnishings. The two-level floor plan features a main floor sitting area with a four-poster king bed and double closets a few steps up, and bathrooms with soaking tubs and walk-in showers a step up. Each suite is surrounded by a tall wooden fence and has a private courtyard with a plunge pool, a bar with refrigerator and a hammock suspended between two coconut trees.

Two luxury suites also feature an outdoor shower and a gazebo for al fresco dining.

The Greathouse Restaurant serves all three meals, including a creative breakfast menu. Minibars are stocked daily with wine, beer and soft drinks, and there’s a blender (complete with recipe cards) so you can make frozen cocktails.

The hotel is located on the chic northern end of the island, overlooking 200 meters of light sand beach (imported from Guyana). You’re fairly isolated here, but there’s so much to do on site that most guests rarely feel the need to leave the hotel. It is 10 minutes’ drive from the vibrant Rodney Bay Village.

The sprawling complex hugs the beach and rises above the green hillsides. Overall it has the modern, upscale look adopted by many Caribbean hotels: think pink sun loungers and parasols, teak decks and whitewashed walls. It features an open-air restaurant, club lounge and infinity pool. The atmosphere is lively and sociable, and the provision of single bedrooms and a communal dining area makes it a popular choice for solo travellers.

The level of service is impressively personal for a hotel of this size. In terms of equipment, the hotel is one of the best in the Caribbean. The award-winning spa is a mini-Alhambra-like spectacle, with 36 treatment rooms, a thalassotherapy pool, an Ayurvedic temple, yoga areas and a “body science” clinic. The daily program of activities and activities is extensive to say the least: there is a tennis centre, golf (driving, serving and putting nets), water sports galore, cycling, fencing and much more.

The variety of amenities and entertainment is what you really pay for at BodyHoliday, not luxury accommodations. However, the rooms have become increasingly comfortable over the years, with most featuring mahogany four-poster beds, one or two armchairs and bright color schemes. Bathrooms may have marble vanities and glass sinks. Amenities include a tablet with hotel information and Wi-Fi access, a refrigerator, tea/coffee making facilities and bathrobes. Please note that there are many single rooms with a garden view, but many do not have an outdoor area.

The food is good, all inclusive. In addition to the main restaurant on the beach, guests can choose from a pan-Asian dinner at the TAO restaurant, smoothies, wraps and sushi from the deli, as well as traditional English afternoon tea. Special dietary requirements are also taken into account. There is a large organic garden where scenic farm-to-table dining can be arranged for an additional fee. The extensive breakfast buffet at the main beach restaurant covers all the expected items, including eggs cooked to order any way you like.

Nearly every suite and residence overlooks Marigot Bay, a harbor seemingly carved into the volcanic rocks of St. Lucia’s west coast. It looks like it was taken from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie: lush forested slopes meet boat-strewn waters, and the grounds are replete with coconut palms, papaya trees and mangroves. There is a small public beach five minutes away by boat, which is shared with other hotels.

Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is over an hour’s drive away; Transfers by taxi, boat and helicopter can be arranged.

The resort’s large main pool (with bar) is surrounded by towering four-story guestrooms connected by open wood walkways and staircases with panoramic views of the marina. This impressive vertical layout follows the natural shape of the bay, with restaurants and bars primarily located at water level. The architecture isn’t typically Caribbean, but it has a real wow factor, and the harbor’s million-dollar yachts up the tone even further.

The Zoëtry SPA center is hidden in a quiet garden and has three treatment rooms, a small pool and a sauna. The two swimming pools are surrounded by luxurious cabanas and sun loungers. Free activities include yoga, meditation, cooking classes and body scrub making. Alas, the beach is not the white sand idyll you might hope for: it is open to the public and not very large in size.

This is a suites-only resort, and even the most modest junior suites have private terraces or balconies, king-size beds, and sitting areas. Bathrooms feature double sinks and bathtub/shower combinations. Toiletries are provided under the Bulgari brand. The beds are extremely comfortable and the in-room sound system is connected via Bluetooth. For the most impressive views, choose a Bay View rental, available in all categories. Upscale accommodation options include private plunge pools, large balconies, kitchens and butler service.

The resort is all-inclusive, with à la carte meals (including room service) and unlimited drinks. Breakfast is served in the resort’s main restaurant.

There are seven restaurants in total: six all-inclusive, plus one for an additional fee: Meraki. Its dockside setting and Mediterranean-style menu are superb.