see you in st. lucia
I have been so remiss in adding this post and as I reflected on this as the year ends, I realized it’s because this was my last international trip of the year, and I just wasn’t ready for it to end.
My husband planned this trip in its entirety (with the help of our favorite travel agent Desired Destinations 4 U) as a 40th birthday bucket list adventure for me. It was delayed (Hey COVID!) for a year, but absolutely worth the wait.
If you don’t know by now, I’m a planner. This whole website began because my love of planning and recounting my travel is almost as great as my love of travel itself. However, my husband decided in addition to the present, the element of surprise was something I would get to enjoy as well. I must admit, at times I struggled with this, but like so many other things I learned that when I let go of my expectations, I had an incredible experience.
This trip began with a very special flight, where I crossed Platinum Medallion status with Delta Skymiles! We were already first class on our departing flight, but the new status, which immediately went into effect, assured an upgrade on the return flight as well. Delta has also upgraded their meals into cute little prepackaged and germ friendly options. After departing our uneventful flight, we made it through customs with little issue. It is important to note, St. Lucia is taking COVID very seriously. You must show a negative test and proof of vaccination to enter. If you are fully vaccinated, you receive a wristband that you must keep on during your entire stay to enter any public facilities. While you can quarantine for 14 days upon entering the country if you aren’t vaccinated, it seemed difficult to get around if that was the case. Customs was a little crowded, so I would recommend traveling on a weekday if possible.
Once we cleared and got our luggage it was time to head to the resort. The roads in St. Lucia are mountainous and can give even the most solid of stomachs motion sickness. Luckily, we didn’t have to worry about that because we had the option to take a helicopter transfer to our resort, the lovely Cap Maison. Something about hearing “The chopper is waiting” just makes you feel like Diddy (or Love or whatever he’s known as these days). It made a 1-hour trip about 10 minutes and was totally worth it. You also get a scenic view of the island during your transport.
As we arrived at the Cap Maison, it had very old Hollywood vibes. Beautiful fountains, amazing landscape and just an air of opulence. Check-in went smoothly and we were quickly taken to our accommodations at the Saman House. This villa, generally reserved for larger groups, was ours for the length our stay. Four bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a full kitchen and a majestic infinity pool overlooking the grounds, you can’t find a better place to stay. It was truly our own private oasis and frankly we could have stayed holed up there the entire time, particularly because they delivered room service in record time.
We did venture out though to have dinner at the world renowned The Cliffs restaurant. The view is breathtaking, even at night as you watch the waves rush up to Rock Maison below while you dine. The cuisine was excellent, with many different options to choose from. Because this is the only restaurant on the property, I was very happy it was good. After a great meal, we found out there is no entertainment on the property and the island was under a strict curfew, so we spent the evening enjoying our private pool before turning in. My husband did his homework and brought mosquito coils, insect repellant and a mosquito repellant device in our luggage. They were welcomed because the mosquitos are EVERYWHERE once the sun goes down.
The next day, I had to work for a few hours, but the Saman House is equipped with a full office, so it wasn’t too bad. We spent the day at the beach at Smugglers Cove. Possibly one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, it’s largely secluded and the perfect place for sunbathing. Lunch and cocktails at The Naked Fisherman made the experience complete. For those that are interested, there are some great photo ops in and around this area. Throughout our stay, we saw several photo shoots taking place on the path leading to this area of the beach.
One of the main attractions at this resort is the famous Rock Maison, it takes MONTHS to get a dinner reservation here, so we were planning to have a breakfast instead. Unfortunately, our breakfast was rained out and I was quite disappointed because the champagne zip line this place offers was something I looked forward to on the trip. The amazing staff at the Cap does not want any guest to be dissatisfied, so they quickly jumped into action. They arranged for us to have drinks at the Rock Maison and moved our breakfast to brunch in their gazebo. The gazebo overlooks Smugglers Cove and provides a scenic background for my quite belated birthday celebration. We ended the day with a heavenly couples massage on our patio and another fantastic dinner at The Cliffs. Seriously, I never tired of the food. It’s important to mention, we opted for the all-inclusive package, which was a bit pricey. However, because we like cocktails, it seemed to be a good value.
When traveling, I like to experience as many things as possible in a new location. Because of this, I typically like to change resorts during my stay. Our resort had an opportunity to split your time with a sister property, so halfway through the trip, we headed to the Ladera Resort. One of the most well-known resorts on the island, the Ladera provides a unique open air concept room within a jungle like atmosphere. We boarded a water taxi for the trip which I highly recommend. During your transfer, you can tour the island, capturing many pictures of the famous Pitons from great angles. We also saw the black sand Anse Chastanet Beach and a bat cave. The taxi deposited us to a waiting car which took us to the Ladera. Upon arriving, you’re taken through a series of safety precautions before entering the property. The walk to the open-air front desk, felt like traveling through a botanical garden. We were quickly taken to our room, despite arriving ahead of published check-in.
It’s hard to describe walking into the Ladera suites, but there’s something surreal about walking inside to go back outside. Our suite faced the Petit Piton but had an excellent view of both landmarks. With a private pool, 2 bedrooms and bathrooms and loft overlooking the spacious living area, again, the suite was made to keep you satisfied. They don’t call St. Lucia the honeymoon capital of the world for nothing, the romance is unmatched.
We planned to spend our day off property at a few tourist attractions. The resort offered a tour that allowed travel to the Sulphur Springs, waterfalls and botanical gardens. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and willing to interact with the guests, including taking pictures. We were able to view the Diamond Waterfall, made famous in the film Romancing the Stone as well as walking into the Toraille Waterfall. Though FREEZING, it was a very fun experience. The Sulphur Springs and volcano was a little disappointing, given that it rained the entire time we were there. Still worth a visit though.
Once we made it back to the Ladera, we relaxed in our suite enjoying the view until night fell. Once it gets dark, it’s critical to keep your lights low as to not attract critters. We found this out quickly, when our pool light attracted a bat, which instead turned out to be an extremely large moth. We quickly dressed by the light from our mosquito coils and headed to the Dashenee restaurant for dinner. Friday is the party night as the front room of the restaurant turns into a club, complete with DJ. The liveliness was much different than our time at Cap Maison and a fun way to spend the night. The Dashenee is another famed St. Lucia restaurant with many island favorites on the menu. Everything was very good, but my favorite was their lobster extravaganza. Totally worth the upcharge from the all-inclusive menu with some of the best lobster risotto I’ve ever tasted. After another abundant meal, we headed back to the suite, a bit concerned about what may be waiting for us. The first night felt like a campout with animal noises fueling the soundtrack. Quickly, I got used to living in an ecosystem and drifted off.
No filter, the night sky from the Ladera Resort
Because Ladera does not have a beach, the resort offers a shuttle service to the neighboring Marigolt Beach for those that would like to partake. The weather was gloomy, but we still wanted to see what the beach had to offer and boarded the shuttle to find out. The beach is very close to the Sugar Beach at the Viceroy Hotel, though it was closed due to COVID. You have an option to rent chairs and an umbrella for $20 and order food and drinks from the Harmony Restaurant. After Smugglers Cove, this beach was a bit of a disappointment and quite rocky. Add in the suboptimal weather and I could have skipped this stop. The bright side was decent snorkeling at the base of the Pitons.
Due to the strict island curfew on weekends, we spent all the time at the resort. We were able to take our return COVID tests at the health clinic onsite for a small fee. We had the chance to hike the Ladera trail to view the Pitons more closely. Since the known tourist trail, the Tet Paul Nature Trail, was closed, this was a close second to experience the views. We explored the full resort, enjoying the cauldron natural hot tubs, many pools, outdoor library and workout station. During this part of our trip, it rained almost every day, but there is something almost spiritual about watching the rain hit the Pitons. The evening ended with another unbelievable meal at the Dashenee restaurant.
Finally, after six glorious days, it was time to head back to the States. We took a car to the airport and after all our methods of travel, this was the worst for motion sickness. Once we arrived, we were able to clear customs in about 30 minutes. While waiting for the flight, I was able to purchase souvenirs which had been somewhat scarce on other parts of the island. Pricing was comparable so I would recommend waiting to purchase unless you make it into town or have something specific you like.
My newly acquired Platinum Skymiles status found us upgraded to First Class which included my first Delta One flight. I can’t wait to take advantage of that service on a longer flight in the future, with the fully extendable beds and upgraded food and beverage service.
St. Lucia is a bucket list trip of a lifetime. The hefty price tag can make it tough, but this one is worth every penny, with majestic views, world class resorts and memories that will burn a beautiful imprint on your mind.
My motto always, thanks Skandalous Kreations fot the shirt!