Inspiring St Lucia

I was lucky enough to spend a week in St Lucia courtesy of the St Lucia Tourism Authority. Their tagline for this beautiful island is ‘Let her inspire you’ and she certainly did! We visited lots of lovely hotels, went zip-lining, covered ourselves in mud at the sulphur mud baths, had a day on a catamaran and an evening party cruise.

We stayed for 3 nights at The Landings Resort which has its own private marina and a long sandy beach. The hotel has three restaurants and is well suited for families or groups as it offers one, two, three bedroom villas suites which are like luxurious home from home rather than standard hotel accommodation. The staff here are friendly and there are numerous water sports on offer.

We sailed down the West coast and visited the stunning Marigot Bay Hotel. This was a modern, contemporary property with amazing views from the rooms and just a gorgeous overall setting. We then hopped on a speedboat to visit Anse Chastanet, a romantic hideaway set in a lush rainforest overlooking a silver sandy bay. We visited its sister property called Jade Mountain. This is a real ‘wow’ resort! A unique and luxurious collection of just 29 suites overlooking St Lucia’s magnificent Pitons. This hotel attracts celebrities and those looking for something truly special! The innovatively designed hotel has won numerous awards including Best Hotel Room and I can see why! With their own infinity pools, living area and extravagant bathrooms and beds all occupying one huge space, the suites open out to the sea and mountains beyond and have no windows, just one open side!

One of my favourite hotels was Calabash Cove, a romantic hillside hotel offering exceptional cuisine and service with swim up rooms and a pretty garden path down to a small private golden beach.

We also dined at Cap Maison which is a stunning 5* hotel set on a bluff overlooking its crescent shaped beach. The Cliff at Cap is a well renowned restaurant offering top class dining and a huge selection of wines. There is a tiny private dining are down over the rocks called Rock Maison which even has a champagne zip wire! How fantastic is that?

We visited Rendezvous which was another favourite all inclusive boutique resort dedicated to couples only. The pools, rooms and restaurants were all beautiful and this hotel had such a nice feel about it.

We also visited The Body Holiday which is a wellness resort offering a unique personal experience with emphasis on well being. You can do as much or as little as you please here, surrounded by beautiful scenery, a huge spa and treatment area and dine overlooking the beach.

We saw Sandals Grande and Sandals La Toc both of which I would recommend for that all inclusive luxury experience. Sandals Grande even has over the water bungalows!

We then stayed 4 nights at Windjammer Landings. I was looking forward to returning here to see the changes having stayed here in 2013. They have added new beachfront rooms and a new restaurant. The resort offers rooms and one, two, three, four bedroom villas with private pools set on the hillside. Another hotel I was looking forward to seeing was the St James Club Morgan Bay. I had previously stayed here in the mid 90’s. Its been taken over and improved greatly. It’s a great 4* choice and offers so much to do and a variety of restaurants and a wonderful sandy beach.

We also visited Bay Gardens Beach Resort which has an inflatable assault course at sea – great for kids and teens, also Bay Gardens Inn, Harbour Club by Hilton, Starfish Resort, Royalton, Mystique Resort, Coconut Bay Resort and Serenity at Coconut Bay.

We had dinner at the Coco Palm Hotel and danced to a live singer before heading to the island’s famous Friday Night Street Party at Gros Islet which locals and tourist attend and drink and dance to local bands in the street. Certainly, an experience!

St Lucia is a beautiful island, green and lush with a hotel to suit everyone.