breathtaking open-air rooms

 

Anse Chastanet stands as Saint. Lucia's only property with views of both the Petit and Gros Piton mountains. Spread across 600 tropical acres and flanked by two white-sand beaches, Anse Chastanet's 49 open-air rooms are either perched on the verdant hillside or nestled beach level within a tropical garden. Recent guests note that although the naturalistic setting is relaxing, you'll want to pack plenty of bug spray. Outside the guest rooms, Anse Chastanet offers a host of activities, from yoga to jungle biking. Scuba divers will be especially pleased to note that the area surrounding Anse Chastanet is a marine reserve. Meanwhile, those more interested in relaxing by the water than plunging beneath it can book a refreshing treatment at the Kai Belté Spa. To round out this nature-inspired retreat, guests have their pick of six dining options (including one treehouse restaurant). You'll find Anse Chastanet on St. Lucia's southwestern coast.

TRANQUILITY, ROMANCE, ADVENTURE

 

 

Not only do you get a World Heritage Site anchored by the twin peaks on land, the resort’s two crystal-clear bays are part of a designated marine reserve protecting miles of colorful coral reefs teeming with tropical fish. A dozen rooms are tucked in behind the coconut palms that line the beach and the remainder tiptoe up a flower decked hillside. To make the most of the panoramic views and the refreshing trade winds octagonal whitewashed cottages come with wraparound flower draped balconies and louvered windows. Anse Chastanet’s ever growing art collection provides a visual feast of its own. There are impressive wooden sculptures and plaques, earthy burlap compositions, painted “sky ceilings” and vibrant acrylic paintings invoking memories of Matisse and Picasso. And while the sensuous seclusion of the rooms provides some guests with the perfect excuse for lolling away the day on the balcony, others head out to partake in the many activities on offer; yoga, snorkeling, scuba diving, tennis, sunset sailing, sea kayaking or jungle biking, hiking and bird-watching among the ruins of an 18th century colonial plantation.

Anse Chastanet’s scenic location, classic Caribbean charm and legendary hospitality make it one of Saint Lucia's most desirable honeymoon hideaway resorts. Anse Chastanet’s rooms boast some of the best views in Saint Lucia, overlooking the iconic Pitons and Caribbean Sea. Readers of Caribbean Travel & Life magazine have on more than one occasion voted Anse Chastanet to be one of the Caribbean's Most Romantic Resorts and A&E television voted Anse Chastanet to be one of the The World's Top Ten Most Romantic Resorts based on a vote by travel industry leaders and journalists. Anse Chastanet has repeatedly been voted " One of the Top 25 Caribbean Resorts" by readers of Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines and Outside Magazine gave the resort the perfect “10”. Anse Chastanet's intimate size of 49 rooms ensures that your honeymoon, anniversary or wedding will be treated as the individual affair it should be, with the entire resort team helping you create memories of a lifetime.

unmatched luxury

 

 

Anse Chastanet enjoys one of the Caribbean’s most panoramic settings in a private 600-acre estate near the quaint town of Soufriere, Saint Lucia One of the Caribbean's most idiosyncratic and individual hotels, Anse Chastanet unfurls over steep jungle hillsides above the eponymous beach. For architect owner Nick Troubetzkoy, the core idea behind his creation is that everything should be integrated as much as possible with the stunning, natural surroundings. In this vein, Anse Chastanet has no swimming pool – if you want a swim, you go in the sea. Staff are cheerful and effortlessly friendly – many have been at the hotel for a long time. There's an informality to the service here, but it's high quality nonetheless. The hotel offers a great deal to do. A large, homely spa, with five treatment rooms, lies behind the beach, and you can also have treatments in a smaller spa up at sister property Jade Mountain, above Anse Chastanet. Anse Mamin, a second, much quieter beach that is also part of the estate, is a five-minute (free) boat ride away, and behind this beach you can explore trails through the jungle on mountain bikes. Other activities include yoga, walking nature tours of the estate, and Tree to Bar chocolate tours – there's a chocolate-making laboratory up at Jade Mountain.

The 49 individual bedrooms come in a wide range of styles and prices, but common to all is the absence of a television or radio – the idea being you commune with nature and/or your partner. I'd skip the air-conditioned Deluxe Beachside rooms. Instead, go for one of the more charming cottages half way up the hillside, with wrap-around balconies and basket-style lights and floral murals inside. Or push the boat out and sleep in a palatial Premium Hillside room with a view of the Pitons flooding in through an omitted fourth wall (you sleep under mosquito netting to keep the bugs at bay). Also consider the Piton Pool Suite, the only room with a private plunge pool, and the new Beach House, a snazzy, air-conditioned cottage with its own garden, directly behind the beach. In all rooms you'll find striking local art, bathrobes, tea/coffee facilities, and upmarket toiletries.

the perfect getaway

 

 

Plenty of options and variety. There's a lovely, shingle-roofed beachfront bar, and a beachfront restaurant, Trou au Diable, for salads, burgers etc. during the day, and Caribbean/Indian fusion cuisine most evenings. Up the hillside lies the fine dining Treehouse Restaurant, serving 'tropical world cuisine', and Emeralds, a vegetarian restaurant with much of the produce sourced from the resort's organic farm. Breakfast comprises a buffet (including smoothies of the day), plus made-to-order hot dishes such as pancakes, French toast and omelets. Anse Chastanet - one of the first hotels to be built in St Lucia - encapsulates the very essence of all that’s St Lucian. You get beach, you get one of the best dive sites in the Windward Isles, you get lush hillsides and you get perfect views of the Pitons. Yet you’re still within walking distance of the fishing town of Soufriere, with its markets and harbor, and just a short drive away from the rainforest in the island’s interior.