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When you have a chance to go to Saint Lucia, you immediately say yes.  We had a chance to go with friends on a fantastic trip, and spent four amazing days in Saint Lucia.  I hadn’t heard much about Saint Lucia, other than that it was in the Caribbean, and I was really impressed to find that it’s much different than your quintessential caribbean islands with light blue waters and white sand beaches.  Saint Lucia is more of a mountainous, rocky, jungle island, although it does have beautiful deep blue waters. Here’s a summary of our four day trip to Saint Lucia.

Day 1.

We got incredibly lucky and got to fly with our friends on a private plain that they chartered. We flew from Austin first to the Florida Keys, where we stopped to refuel and have a little lunch.  It was a surreal experience to be able to sit in the co-pilot seat as we landed, the pilot and I visiting as he was landing the plane.  He explained everything that he was doing, as we listened for direction and comments from Air Traffic Control.

Once we had fuel in the plane and in our stomachs, we got back on the plane and headed out.  All in all it was almost a full day of travel, we left around 10 in the morning and arrived in Saint Lucia as the sun was setting around 6 pm.  Saint Lucia sits in the Eastern Caribbean time zone, which is two hours ahead of our Central Standard time.  By the time we cleared customs (which took a while because of all the wine we had with us!), we got in a van that took us to the Rodney Bay Marina where our home for the next three days and crew were waiting to greet us (did I mention we got to stay on a yacht?).  The yacht was beautiful, the crew was so friendly and accommodating, and our hosts were incredibly generous.  We all got settled in and were treated to a fabulous dinner on the yacht where we then played card games late into the night.

Day 2.  The next morning we all woke up at a leisurely hour and had a relaxing breakfast on the yacht.  The crew got everything ready to take us to where we’d be posting up for the rest of the day and overnight.  As we made our way out of Rodney Bay Marina and into the open water, I was taken aback by the deep blue color of the crystal clear water. Since Saint Lucia is volcanic and mountainous, the sea bed gets steep pretty quickly, giving the ocean an astounding cobalt blue color that glistens like a sapphire in the sun. We traveled to a beautiful cove where we anchored the yacht and hung out and swam all day.   Once you get to more shallow rocky waters, the colors open up into more cerulean and aquamarine tones.

After swimming and lounging all day, we decided to go to Anse Chastanet for an afternoon cocktail.  Anse Chastanet is a world renown resort and spa situated among 600 acres of a tropical goodness.  Some of the resort’s rooms boldly exhibit their astounding vistas of the Piton mountains by eliminating the fourth wall all together, allowing its guests to be one with nature.  The hotel boasts two dark volcanic sand beaches, the one where we posted up was called Anse Mamin. I enjoyed one of their signature drinks, the Stairway to Heaven, made with Seventh Heaven Liquor (made with ginger and bois bandé–a supposed aphrodisiac), rum, coconut cream, and orange juice–it was incredibly delightful and the perfect drink to enjoy on the beach.

Day 3.  Day three was full of fun and adventure.  We started out by taking the yacht’s boat to a beach at the bottom of Saint Lucia’s famous mountains, the Pitons.  The Pitons make up a World Heritage Site in Saint Lucia, and the two mountains, Gros Piton and Petit Piton are the island’s most photographed landmarks, situated near the towns of Soufrière and Choiseul on the southwestern coast. There, we met with two gentlemen that would prove to be the ultimate guides as they escorted us up the steep, steep mountain.  We separated into two groups and climbed the Gros Piton, the second highest mountain in Saint Lucia after Mount Gimie, at 2619 ft (768 meters). Although it’s higher than the Petit Piton, it’s considered to be the “easier” to climb, and if you can complete the 2 hour ascent, you will be awarded with some of the most breath taking views of the island (I made it about a quarter of the way up).

After working up quite the appetite, we took the boat to Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort for lunch.  The resort is stunningly beautiful, with its white sand beach, 100 acres of surrounding lush rainforest, and stone white clapboard cottages and beach bungalows that languidly dot the beach. We sat outside at their Bayside Restaurant, feet in the sand, and relaxed as we had lunch and drank in the incredible view of the bay.

For any clients that I get to book at this resort (it happens to be a great option for honeymooners or those celebrating an anniversary), I can add in the following VIP amenities at no cost:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
• Daily full breakfast, for up to two in room guests
• $100 USD Equivalent Resort or Hotel credit, to be utilized during stay (not combinable, not valid on room rate, no cash value if not redeemed in full)
• Early check-in/late check-out subject to availability
• Complimentary Wi-Fi

After lunch some of us hung out while the others took advantage of the excellent snorkeling that the resort has on one side of the beach.  They have sectioned off a marine preservation area located at the foot of Petit Piton, so it’s perfect to see a variety of fish, and beautiful coral.

After hanging out for a bit, we got in a van that took us to the sulphur springs in Soufriere, one of the hottest and most active geothermal areas in the Lesser Antilles.  The guide first took us to an area with a small waterfall and two luke-warm water pools.  I had never experienced hot springs before, much less see the water pouring out of the side of the mountain.  Next the guide took us to the Black Water Pool, a much hotter spring that contains rich minerals and clay that claim to reduce stress, cure rheumatism, psoriasis and other skin ailments. The water temperature clocks in at 102 degrees farenheit or 39 degrees celsius, which (for me) felt really hot on the skin.  One of the popular things to do is to exfoliate the skin with the hot clay, then take a restorative and purifying dip in the hot black water.

As if that wasn’t enough, we were then treated to Saint Lucia’s cool and exhilarating fresh-water Toraille Waterfall.  There’s a wading area below the waterfall where one can hang out, and it’s relatively close to the street so it doesn’t require a hike and it’s something that can be done in 15-20 minutes.

After a day chock-full of activities, we headed back to the yacht to enjoy a delicious dinner, sunset, and more card games.

Day 4. On day four we raised anchor and made our way to the lovely Marigot Bay and docked at the soon to be open Capella Marigot Bay. We got off the yacht and walked around the marina for a bit, but since the resort wasn’t open yet there wasn’t a lot of action going on.  We decided to take the boat’s “toys” out for a spin: two wave runners we had at the top of the yacht, and two paddle boards that we took over to Marigot Beach Club and Dive Resort where we hung out for the rest of the afternoon.

After a few hours of sun and fun, we went back to get cleaned up and ready for our last dinner on the yacht.  The food the entire trip was incredibly delicious, and this meal was no different–they pulled out all the stops and totally wowed everyone.  After dinner, we got on the boat’s dingy and drove it across the bay to the Rainforest Hideaway, a great bar and restaurant that plays jazz music and features a European/Caribbean fusion menu and serves fresh, local ingredients.  They had wonderful live music playing while we enjoyed some cocktails by the water. I asked the waitress, who has worked there for several years, to bring me a fun and delicious cocktail, and she brought me what she called “Sophie’s Surprise”, a deliciously refreshing cocktail that included beer, lime juice, vodka, and other juices.  It was quite the hit.

The next day we headed out on the boat towards the side of the island where Hewanorra International Airport is located. The boat dropped us off at a marina where we then got on a van that drove us 15 minutes to the airport.  We had a full day of travelling ahead of us, we landed in Austin at close to midnight that same day, but the whole trip was entirely worth it, we had a blast!  I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to have taken such an amazing trip, and I look forward to visiting Saint Lucia in the future.

If you’re thinking about going to Saint Lucia for your honeymoon, anniversary trip, or just for fun, feel free to reach out to me here.  I’d love to help plan your trip, give you some fantastic hotel options and ideas on what activities you can do, as well as how to make the most out of your trip.

 

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