by About two-thirds of the way into the ride, our driver Super Dave pulled over to the left and headed across the valley. The Pitons had come into view – and what a spectacle they were. Volcanic mountain spectacles covered in lush emerald, the Gros and Petit Pitons rise up like rockets on the southwest coast of Saint Lucia. A symbol of the island and a UNESCO World Heritage site, their connecting ridge sits above a nice, powder-soft bay that we headed over.
Taking off just before Soufriere, the island’s old town which gets its name from the French for ‘sulphur in the air’, we started to come into Sugar Beach and its 100 acres of former sugar and banana plantations. Winding through gardens and lush grounds where the white gingerbread houses were perched in trees like eagles’ nests, we bypassed reception and came to a stop at 108, our grand residence for the next few days.
We were assigned a dedicated ‘butler’, the excellent Markenzie, who was more like a special forces agent and was available at the end of the burner-style phone 24/7; besides comments that were so good looking, like ugly teenagers, we talked about little else during our stay.
Our terrace, framed like a postcard by the majestic Petit Piton, led down a private path to the beach below with glazed jade waters. There was a lot of it White Lotus Because of this, the feeling only grew when we got our preparations underway for the Manager’s Drinks on the South Quay, where guests gather every Wednesday to mingle champagne and canapés on the deck of the Sun.
Of course, Sugar Beach attracts the honeymoon brigade thanks to the hideaway feel of its rooms, each with its own private pool. But, there are also plenty of families – many multi-generational groups – of friends and solo travelers to balance the atmosphere.
After a big breakfast up at the old plantation house, everyone gathered on the main beach or at the pool to bag their sleeping bags for the day. The children played table tennis and croquet, while the younger generation got stuck into pina coladas. Further down the beach (all beaches in St Lucia are public), locals offered boat trips and water taxis, tourist necklaces and tees, and even mixed smoothies and rum punches from a floating bar.
Snorkels and masks were available to borrow from a pastel pink water sports booth to explore the marine sanctuary, a spectacular underwater display of tropical fish and intricate coral formations; and the more adventurous signed up for paddle boarding, donut tours and Hobie cat sessions. If you needed a break from the sun, you could take Sugar Beach’s new self-guided tour of its private art collection, which is full of indoor spaces and grounds – including outdoor sculptures by the likes of Tom Sachs and Daniel Arsham; or head up to the stunning rainforest spa for a coconut oil-fueled massage.
It’s a difficult choice – and I’m not usually a holiday person – to leave, but I highly recommend doing so. The local area is full of activity, from the gentle to the volcanic. Would you like a sunset cruise on a catamaran? Ask your butler to fix it. Do you fancy swallowing yourself in sulphurous mud or tasting chocolate? Ditto.
We may not have climbed the Pitons (we didn’t bring the right shoes, or the right mindset), but we did end up with an early morning guided tour of Tet Paul, a short, unchallenging walking track through sweet potato and pineapple groves that rewards its climbers. command. great view of the Pitons from above. A chance meeting on the beach led to another highlight: a morning spent at sea with Shashamane, who offer water taxis and tailor-made tours of the island’s various offerings.
After driving around the headland, we hopped off at Soufriere to go round the Saturday morning market, stocking up on sulphurous soaps, hot sauces and local spices. We stopped for a swim in the turquoise shallows near the Jade Mountains and trailed fishing lines behind us, crossing our fingers for a catch that we could take back to the Sugar Beach chef for lunch. There was no fruit on our rods, but it was a great morning.
And now with the food. The art in St Lucia is a testament to its history, each mouth bearing witness to its inhabitants over the centuries. The result is a proud melting pot of Creole, British and French flavors with Indian influences, all powered by the natural bounty of St Lucian ingredients.
During our boat trip, Shashamane wandered off to Paradise Beach Hotel to sample ‘the best roti on the island’: prawns wrapped in elastic dough and swimming in a turmeric curry sauce that colored our fingers. Back at Sugar Beach, my favorite spot quickly became the Jalousie Grill, where we feasted on grilled tandoori kingfish and garlic lobster with our toes dipped in the sand. Otherwise, we ran the gamut from casual to fancy, ordering steaks and salads to our front row beach suites, and tasting the best cuts of steaks on the Saltwood terrace, the hotel’s most elegant restaurant.
In the taxi on our way back to the airport, with Super Dave telling us stories about his spearfishing at night and the island recipes he likes to cook, I made a deal to return to St Lucia. To explore a little more, eat a little more roti and maybe even a Piton scale or two. Before bed, of course, in one of the four cloud-like Sugar Beach posters.
From £3,079 per person for seven nights at Sugar Beach Viceroy, including international flights to St Lucia; turquoiseholidays.co.uk
