Some vacations keep a special place in your heart, and to say that is the case of my Summer 2013 holidays is a major understatement. After months of stress, too much work travel and a lot of hours spent at my desk, I was desperate for some time off, time to spend with my little munchkin just playing around and relaxing. I had wanted to visit the Sugar Beach on Saint Lucia, previously Jalousie Plantation, for a very long time, and eventually booked us for just under two weeks of utter bliss.
I’d heard this was a beautiful place with luxury service in a fabulous setting, so my expectations were, quite simply, sky high. We arrived early on a Sunday afternoon, skipped the usual check-in stop at the reception desk (at the Sugar Beach, check-in is done in your room) to be greeted by our butler, who took us up a short flight of steps to our little villa, which included a large suite with a bright and wide bathroom, a walk-in closet (we all know how much I love those), a little bar area, and, amazing perk, a tropical garden with our very own pool… The furniture is all white, like the walls, doors, and shutters, everything designed in pure island style, and within a couple of hours I felt myself relax in this blissful environment. In all honesty, they had me at ‘no check-in’ (after a long-haul flight from Europe, with a toddler in tow, you’ll be grateful for any shortening of the formalities and barriers between you and the beach).
The resort is small, with cottages and villas nested in the lush rain forest between Saint Lucia’s famous two pitons, on the site of an 18th century plantation. The location is totally iconic, with breathtaking views whichever way you look with the most glorious little crescent of white sand right in the middle. The beach is dotted with the most comfortable beach loungers I’ve seen, and the huge coconut straw umbrellas are big enough to shield you from the tropical sun all day long. I think if that if paradise does indeed exist, it should be part Sugar Beach part Rue Saint-Honoré…
We ended up spending many days on that beautiful crescent beach, enjoying the warm water with hardly any swell at all, meaning Little Monsieur swam very happily for hours on end. He did however insist in a little splash in our small pool at the villa at the end of each day, and his squeals of delight were all we needed to know he was just as happy as we were at the Sugar Beach.
Food is equally lovely, with breakfast served on the terrace of the main plantation house, and a choice of settings for lunch and dinner as wide as you want them. We never felt over-crowded, and the guests were a nice international mix of honeymooners and families with children. There is a spa up on tree houses in the middle of the jungle behind the original sugar mill buildings, I did spend a pretty fantastic afternoon there getting pampered to the singing of tropical birds (and maybe mosquitoes,… maybe).
When we did venture out of the resort, we visited the Soufrière region, where the sulphur springs, botanical gardens and gorgeous waterfalls left us in awe of the wonders of the island. Little Monsieur, barely two and a half at the time, really enjoyed himself during these visits and when we got to the mineral baths at the sulphur springs he was adamant he wanted to apply the full body mud mask on himself, and swim in the warm bath, and so I had to give in and jump with him, despite being a bit cautious at first, seeing as the water is quite hot! We all came out with super soft skin, although each pore seemed to have absorbed a tiny bit of the iron-sulphur powder mix which wasn’t quite washed out by the baths cold showers and almost had to be scrubbed out in the comfort of our bathroom later that day… The swimsuits we wore that day still have a grey tinge to them, all these years later… In Castries, the capital, we enjoyed the colonial landmarks and the beautiful arts and crafts market, although all in we were very happy during this holiday to just chill most of the days.
We’re a little far from the Caribbean at the moment but I am sure that we will be back, this time bringing Little Madame with us, to enjoy the beauties of this very special place. After all, I missed the hikes (this holiday was before I discovered my love of a, ahem, fitter life), and just that beach is worth getting on a plane for.
With love, S.
A Styled Life 