Collecting Experiences in St. Lucia

Ooh St. Lucia! What a treasure chest of an island you are!

Boy were we ever happy to unpack each and every bauble you had on offer. We chose St. Lucia for our xmas holiday because…

1 – I have wanted to see those prominent mountains called the Pitons with my own eyes for years and years. And

2 – I believed the island would fill our family’s preference for an active vacation.

Check and check! With A+ for delivery on the side.

St. Lucia is an experiential island. I cannot imagine ever tiring of the simple experience of encountering those Pitons – Gros and Petit – from afar – up close – somewhere in between – from the water – or on foot – at sunset and at sunrise and all day long – they are the defining part of your St. Lucia experience. If you do nothing other than sit on the terrace of your choice somewhere in or or near Soufriere and gaze at The Pitons you will have had a spectacular, memorable, and dare I say spiritual time in St. Lucia. While our schedule did allow for healthy snatches of time for this pursuit, we built in as many active experiences as we could. Because that is how we roll.

Here are some of our favorite experiences in St. Lucia with some hotel & dining experiences for your consideration. Experiences can be selected based on how your group rolls.

Experiences to Collect

Snorkeling! Our surprise favorite experience? The abundance of snorkeling on this island. If you love snorkeling and discovering a huge variety of underwater life, St. Lucia is your island. We went for the Pitons, but it was the abundance of daily snorkel experiences that made me really love our time on this island.

Tet Paul Nature Trail! Perfect starter hike for any group. About one hour and a terrific orientation to the island, its history, its flora and fauna abundance, and just some stunning and varied views of those Pitons I just mentioned and will continue to mention.

Hike to Superman Falls!! Our house came with a driver who was always at the ready to help us coordinate activities. One morning we requested a hike with some heft to a waterfall. Ask and you shall receive. The heft was less in the hike, but more so in the quite remarkable content that was delivered by our guide Wayne. His enthusiasm for the knowledge he was sharing was contagious and endearing. We snacked on literal fruits of the jungle as we made our way to the waterfall – coconut, cocoa beans, tumeric to go, and more. Was delightful! Rained the whole time and we barely noticed. Happy to share Wayne’s number if you want to nab some jungle snack time with him.

Hello Gros Piton. In our family it is not enough to gaze at a mountain. If it is there and we are allowed to, we feel compelled to climb it. So we did. There was some question mid mountain “why is this a fun thing to do?” It is for sure a slug up and then back down that hill. Super steep. Very bouldery. But it had to be done. 2 hours up and 2 hours down. The view? Worth it and we went early so we had this hard earned view to ourselves (def go early and try to go on a Tuesday or a Thursday as Sandals takes folks there mid morning by the busload on M, W and F!!). We loved it for the day of challenge, but more so for the experience of looking at that glorious Gros Piton in a whole new way after the climb. Respect. Lots and lots of respect. You have no choice but to get a guide or two for this one.

GO see the island from the water. I think any island trip would not be complete without some time on the water. For our time on the water we went with a private catamaran cruise hosted by Mystic Man, who I cannot recommend enough. Just sincerely such a pleasure. Hearing of our snorkelling obsession the captain brought us to spots we could not reach on foot, at one point popping us into the middle of a giant and seemingly never ending bait ball (what!!??) and we were able to linger for as long as we wanted. Magical. Such a treat to visit the stunning Marigot Bay by boat while sipping the rum punch concoction that was handed to me. Sunset with some yum snacks, champagne and the Pitons that I can’t shut up about in the background? Vacation bliss.

Experience as Many Waterfalls as you can. I am a waterfall chaser from way back. We have Walk & Talks because I wanted to prove to as many people as possible that Central Park has waterfalls. Well you know what else has waterfalls!!?? Yes! St. Lucia!! So many waterfalls. Warm waterfalls! Colorful waterfalls. Mud infused waterfalls. Refreshing waterfalls. Waterfalls in the middle of a jungly Botanical Gardens. You could spend days chasing waterfalls.

We allocated parts of a lot of days and one full day to this endeavor. The full day went in this order: Mud Baths! A Warm Waterfall – Piton Falls! Touraille Falls as our “refreshing” waterfall ie freezing cold, but truly in fact it was refreshing. Concluding with Diamond Falls, inside the oh so lush gardens of The Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens that just made you feel oxygen infused by simply walking through them.

Experiential Dining Opportunities

Trou au Diable Restaurant on the beach at Anse Chastanet at where our table was surrounded by water on three sides. Just lovely. It was at this very first lunch we discovered our new favorite mid day routine: lunch with a snorkel chaser. After that first lunch we never left the house without our snorkels – and if lunch was near the water? Then we were in that water FOR HOURS. So easy! So accessible! So gorgeous.

Harmony Hotel at Paradise Beach. Our rubbery limbs climbed the stairs to our post Gros Piton Hike/Climb lunch. Casual spot overlooking an aptly named beach. Given that the cure for everything is in fact salt water – our substantial post lunch snorkel was the ideal activity for our addled muscles. Seriously another gorgeous snorkelling spot.

The Jungle Grill Hamburger Hut at Anse Mamin This one was the husband’s idea. Way to go Don. He had heard the best burger spot on the island was at a beach you can only reach on foot. Random but okay. One should have to hike to lunch on a regular basis. We loved this casual spot tucked underneath some palm trees at picnic benches overlooking the sea. It had a “stranded on a dessert island feel” with a burger stand. YES! Best kind. I had a perfectly satisfying chicken sandwich with sweet potatoes on the side. Service was EXCELLENT and FUN!

Treehouse at Anse Chastenet (the sister property to Jade Mountain). Best meal of the trip. Gorgeous setting. As the name suggests you are surrounded by trees. If I cannot have a grand sweeping view of a Piton, I will definitely go with a tree ensconced setting.

Rabot at The Chocolat Hotel A MUST for the chocolate lover in your group. Chocolate is infused into the menu anywhere and everywhere it can be including the super creative cocktail menu. Food was divine as was the view that made you kind of feel like The Petit Piton was one of the guests at your dinner table. A quiet and powerful guest, but definitely part of the action.

The Pavilion at Chenin Blanc. Jewel of discovery this one (and right below our villa so we could walk there!). Teeny tiny hotel (6 rooms!!) and we scored what felt like a private dining experience for 10 in our own private spot on the terrace. Fantastic food and service. Super memorable and fun experience to grand finale our St. Lucia dining experiences.

Elevated Lodging Experiences

Where you choose to stay on this island is such a mission critical decision for your group.
Do you want to be up close and personal with The Pitons or admire them from afar? Do you need a beach outside your door or prefer that as more an accent to your trip that you visit on the regular? Do you want to arrive and park it at your lodging of choice or use the lodging as your home base as you explore? Are you a group of two or a group of 22??

Here are our Best in class Lodging Choices!

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy – oh my – resort. All the words you can conjure for an idyllic stay in paradise can be used here. You can fill in the blanks with your version of paradise. I think it is the IDEAL spot for families seeking an interesting and satisfying beach getaway. Activities and restaurants abound such that you never have to leave the place because you probably won’t want to (but do go on that hike – especially the one with Wayne!!).

The room options on offer have something for everyone, from deluxe rooms to 4 bedroom residences with full kitchens and everything in between. You will never tire of being smack in the middle of those two Pitons I keep exhaustively mentioning. We had lunch here, which was divine! The service? Superlative! Our snorkelling experience after that – concomitant with all my other words for the place – special. We took the whole family back when they arrived from all over the world. Truly exceptional spot.

Jade Mountain – The rooms here are called Sanctuaries. You can read between the lines on that, but I am guessing that many a couple has checked into their sanctuary and NEVER left. I didn’t want to leave after stepping into my first one. Each Sanctuary is different, but boasts ridiculous views of guess what?!! Yes!! The Pitons. Personal beautifully tiled pools. How fun to wake up with a pool every morning!! Thoughtfully placed bathtubs, sitting areas, and open air star gazing opportunities. Each sanctuary is also intentionally missing exactly one wall – stunning – private – need to experience this spot someday. 30th anniversary Don?

More keen on finding a private villa for your group?! We have just the spot for you. Reach out!

Want to EXPERIENCE St. Lucia with your group? We can help!

Grab Your Group & GO is now a full service boutique travel & experience company! Last Spring Stacie became a Travel Advisor to fulfill my wish to take this group to experience destinations beyond Broadway. We will be rolling out group trips as my schedule allows. Journeys with GYGG will always include an abundance of shared experiences, memorable moments and FUN!!! SO MUCH FUN!

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