Anse Chastanet

Rooms

This is what you want St Lucia to be like - bright, jazzy rooms, magnificent views, the scent of spice, overhanging leaves the size of dinner plates, occasional raindrops hammering on your balcony like a steel band.

Top of the hill are the treehouse-like Premium and Hillside Deluxe rooms. Each one is different and has something fun and quirky about it - a tree poking up through the terrace, risque art on the walls, or a missing wall. Expect wooden trellises dividing a comfy living area from your bedroom, tropical hardwood floors, and flower-filled shower bathrooms big enough to really wallow in. Note you'll need plenty of insect repellent here (and bite relief for if it fails) though there are mosquito nets.

Lower down the hill are octagonal, whitewashed cottages with wraparound balconies and blossoming vines. In these, the bright Standard rooms have garden views while Superiors, which are a little larger, usually have views of the Pitons and the ocean. We absolutely loved their simple charm, emphasised by the naïve art on the walls and the pretty hand-painted ceilings and friezes. And we loved the fact there was no TV - it felt like pure escapism.

At the water’s edge are the large, airy Beachside Deluxe rooms. These are the most conventional: built in a 2-storey block, you’ll find louvred doors to throw open onto a private patio, and air-conditioning for cold air enthusiasts.

We haven't seen the Piton Pool Suite or The Beach House for ourselves yet, but they look like the ultimate romantic hideaways: the former sits secluded on the hill with epic views from its infinity pool; the latter is surf-shack-chic set in a private tropical garden steps from the beach.

When booking a Standard room, you could be located on either the hillside or at beach level - the category is based on 'run of house' principle, which may lead to a complimentary upgrade to Superior or Beachside Deluxe location, at the resort's discretion. If you get the choice, ask for a Hillside.

Features include:

• Fan
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• Toiletries
• WiFi

Eating

With 3 really good restaurants and a variety of menus to choose from, dieting isn’t on the cards. The Treehouse restaurant, which serves breakfast and dinner, is built at the top of the hill. The theme is tropical world cuisine, and puts a St Lucian spin on fine dining: think chilled Voodoo Soup (a curried red bean, peanut and chilli gazpacho), baked aubergine with a creamy mango dahl, or mahi-mahi with a ginger root sauce and crab mousse. Bag a table on the terrace to look down into the glorious gorge below and to get the best of the treefrogs’ night-time performance.

You can also dine from specialty menus at Treehouse. The Balawoo menu focuses on the sea-to-plate, farm-to-table philosophy. We were really impressed by the small plates on the entirely vegan Emeralds menu, including crispy gnocchi in a peanut and apple sauce.

More casual options are Trou au Diable on the main beach and Jungle Beach Bar at Anse Mamin (lunch only) for laid-back grills, salads and St Lucian specialities. At Trou au Diable, you can also dine from a special Indian menu, Apsara, an East-meets-West Indian fusion selection served every day except Tuesday, when the beach restaurant is transformed into a party venue with a cocktail reception, flambeaux along the beach and steel bands.

For a really unique dining experience, try the lionfish dinner. This invasive species is destructive to the reefs and native fish of the Caribbean, so the resort "eats them to beat them". The multi-course degustation menu will serve you lionfish as sashimi, citrus ceviche, then grilled or stewed in Creole flavours.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Coffee maker
• Organic produce
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Wind down in a big way - laze under a thatched beach umbrella and just listen to the waves
  
• Borrow snorkelling equipment, sunfish sailboats, kayaks and windsurfers (all free to use), or learn to scuba-dive
  
• Spend a day at the Kai Belte Spa - indulge in a couple’s ritual, an aloe body wrap or concentrate on problem areas with soluble collagen-infused masks
  
• Play tennis before 8am or after 6pm (complimentary use of racquets). Any other time, it’s too hot to run around! Or bike through the 8 miles of rainforst trails
  
• Catch a water taxi to Anse Mamin - a gorgeous, secluded little beach with its own bar and grill
  
• Take a walk through the tropical estate with the hotel's resident guide, a walking Wikipedia of all things botanical, or attend yoga classes on the beach, morning and evening
  
• Get married - Anse Chastanet’s been voted into the World's Top Ten Most Romantic Resorts by travel industry leaders. There’s no wedding chapel, you choose your own location for the ceremony: the Treehouse, a beach, the old colonial plantation, a nearby waterfall, even on the coral reef
  
• Walk into Soufriere for markets, bars, cafes, the fine botanical gardens and a lovely quayside. Further afield, enjoy rainforest hikes and ziplining
  
• Drive down to Choiseul, the island’s not-for-profit village co-operative that sells leatherwork, weaving, ragdolls and pottery

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Plantlife / flora
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Scuba diving courses
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Windsurfing
• Yoga

Kids

Children under 10 aren’t accepted because of the open rooms style. Over-10s are welcome and made much of by the family-friendly staff.

Best for:

Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

Extra beds can be put in all room categories

Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Anse Chastanet rambles up from the beach to midway up a hillside. It’s 1.5km outside Soufriere on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, 45 minutes' drive from the international airport and an hour from the domestic airport.

By Air
Hewanorra International is where you'll land, unless you fly in from a different Caribbean island, in which case you'll jet into George F L Charles. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports. Remember there is a departure tax; if it’s not included in your air ticket, check how much it is before you spend all your money!

From the Airport
Most people hire a car for their stay. Alternatively, the hotel can arrange a transfer by watertaxi or private car, you can jump in a taxi, or you can fly from the airport to Anse Chastanet by helicopter!

By Car
For car hire, see our car rental recommendations. You will need to obtain a temporary St Lucia driver’s licence purchased from the Immigration Office upon arrival at the airport or at the car-rental kiosks when you pick up your car. In addition you have to be over 25 years old and show a valid driver’s licence from home.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to St Lucia and getting around