wonderful holidays caribbean st lucia

accommodation

anse chastanet

What were Caribbean hotels like before trade winds were replaced with air-conditioning, and when you sat watching the sunset instead of cable TV? You can still find out at Anse Chastanet Resort on St Lucia’s unspoiled southwestern coast where soft silver sands dip into the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean. 

This romantic hideaway offers 49 individually designed rooms in a unique hillside-beachside setting. The Canadian architect owner Nick Troubetzkoy has taken great care in creating a resort in harmony with its natural environment, taking full advantage of the amazing scenery. It offers luxurious, stylish accommodation set against the dramatic backdrop of the Gros and Petit Pitons.

Nestled within a 600-acre estate with two beaches, Anse Chastanet is a destination in itself, with many facilities and activities available. The beaches border some of the islands’s best coral reefs for snorkelling and scuba diving, and part of the estate is a lush tropical forest with the 18th century remains of an old plantation and 12 miles of private estate trails to explore by foot or bike. 

The coral reefs begin just metres from the beach, so if you just want to snorkel there’s still plenty to see and almost all diving is from the shore. Divers are often charmed by the fact that the fish don’t appear bothered about the human presence; within minutes thousands of multi-coloured fish are swimming past your visor – or even nibbling at your toes!

The less actively inclined can ‘simply do nothing’, lie on the beach or enjoy therapeutic body and beauty treatments offered by the spa located at beach level. There’s also a casual beachside bar and restaurant and a panoramic hillside terrace where breakfast and afternoon tea are served daily. Dinners are a romantic candlelit affair with a daily changing menu celebrating tropical world cuisine.