We landed late afternoon and arrived at Rabot Estate just in time to enjoy a welcome cocktail as the sun went down with a glorious view of the famous Piton Mountains. We then checked into our room and were thrilled to learn we had been upgraded to a room with its own private veranda, the hotel is eco-conscious so doesn’t have air con but the rooms are partially open air and the temperature was actually perfect. After unpacking we headed back to the restaurant for dinner, the hotel is also a cacao plantation so all the food and drinks have some element of chocolate and the food was super tasty!
First day we were up early thanks to the 4 hour time difference and headed out for a walk on the estate, accompanied by a random dog who we affectionately named, Rum. We made our way to the highest point for an epic view before coming back via the cacao groves and lush jungle plants. After breakfast we spent the rest of the day chilling by the jungle infinity pool enjoying the sun, and a good smattering of tropical showers! Later we watched the sunset from our veranda with a bottle of rosé before dinner, lovely.
The following morning we set out for Soufrière, a small town 10min away to join our boat trip, I think we got lucky that nobody else had booked as we had it to ourselves! Our captain took us to a few different snorkelling spots which was great, and although we didn’t see loads of fish, the coral was impressive and we did spot a huge barracuda. It was also a great way to see more of the rugged and fairly untouched coastline including the exclusive Jade Mountain resort, plus the views of the Pitons were sensational. After the boat we had a quick potter around the ramshackle but very colourful town before coming back up the hill and popping to Ladera, the resort over the road from us to check out their view, which was less jungle and more Caribbean Sea but equally stunning. Then it was back to the pool where it was much hotter that our first day, before dinner at Dasheene featuring a sax player, a few games of Yahtzee, a very strong breeze and an 80s Kellerman’s vibe.
Friday morning we kicked off with a walk, run, swim and then took a taxi down to Sugar Beach which was stunning. White sand and palm trees framed on each side by the Pitons, and gorgeous clear turquoise sea complete with water hammocks. It’s actually part of a super fancy resort but all beaches in St Lucia are public, happy days. After some frolicking in the sea and a few games of bat & ball we went to the resort’s beach restaurant Bonté for a delicious late lunch of pizza and tacos. Later we watched the sunset as the pirate ships crossed the horizon while sipping a piña colada, we were even treated to some live music from a local band, a glorious day.
Our last full day here we opted to go all-inclusive and kicked off with Mimosas as you do. We also popped to Project Chocolat, part of the estate where you can do tours showing you how they make the chocolate, they have street food style dining, shops and a bar up there, but we went for their cacao infused soft serve ice cream! Then we spend the rest of the day eating and drinking our way through the menu, including an impromptu rum tasting after dinner. Before we left in the morning, we managed to squeeze in a hike up to the Tet Paul Nature Trail for a final epic view of the Pitons, we walked from our hotel so it was around 1000ft of climbing which was pretty tough in the heat but totally worth it. And that was part one done, we loved this hotel, a really relaxed vibe, great food and just the most idyllic setting. There’s a lot more you can see and do in this area, other hikes, waterfalls and even a drive in volcano but we were happy to spend a good amount of time chilling out.
Next stop was around 1.5 hours drive to the north of the Island and our hotel, Cap Maison. This was a scenic and rather winding drive and took us through the capital of Castries, which usually has a couple of huge cruise ships in the harbour so we were happy to pass through. It’s a different world up here, the hotel is like a sprawling Spanish villa with beautiful gardens, and it’s perched right on the cliffs with the sea below. While we waited for our room we went down to Smugglers Cove which is the hotel’s small beach and had lunch at the Naked Fisherman. Afterwards we checked in and spent the rest of the rather cloudy afternoon by the pool on the comfiest sun loungers ever! Dinner was The Cliff which is the hotel’s main restaurant, it’s fine dining and unsurprisingly heavy on the fish, they also had a pianist, fancy.
Next day was mainly spent by the pool and late afternoon we went down to nearby Pigeon Island, this was used a US naval fort in WW2. There are also some beaches here but we grabbed a quick lunch and then walked around the island, it’s not far but the 2 peaks are very steep, they do give you a great view of pretty much the whole west coast of St Lucia and over to Martinique in the north. Then we pottered down the beach for a couple of cocktails as the sun went down before heading home for dinner at our beach. This was much more relaxed and probably more our vibe, we both went for creole boards which is the local style of cooking and they were delicious!
After some drama during the night we were upgraded to an ocean view suite which was gorgeous! We spent sometime at the courtyard pool complete with floatation devices, and then popped to the beach so Dan could do some more snorkelling as this is a great spot. In the evening we had bottle of champers on our new balcony while the sun put on another glorious show, then went to the manager’s cocktail party and spent most of it talking to the owners which was super interesting. Back to The Cliff for dinner, the food is seriously good here, and tonight featured a guy playing a steel drum, we rolled home very full and a little tipsy.
First thing Wednesday we had a couples massage at the spa which was painful but very good! It was super hot day and the first day of total blue sky, featuring a delightful lunch at The Cliff as the sea sparkled then late afternoon we took a taxi to Reduit Beach for a few beers, meeting my friend Colin which was fun. Then a pizza at Amici in Rodney Bay and I managed to collect the charger I left at the last hotel as one of the tour operators kindly dropped it off for me! Our last couple of days were super relaxed, we didn’t even leave the hotel, did spend a significant amount of time trying to make friends with hotel cats. So that was St Lucia, the perfect mix of things to do and doing nothing. Loved both hotels, some fantastic food although service was mixed, too many cocktails and lots of epic scenery. Weather was a little changeable, but think maybe that’s better than it being boiling hot constantly and we saw so many beautiful rainbows. All in all a wonderful holiday and who knows, maybe one day we will be back to this tropical island paradise.
If you like Piña Coladas... 