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Adventure and alternative accommodation in Saint Lucia

Adventure, indulgence and accommodation with a difference await clients in Saint Lucia, as Tom Parry discovers for himself on TTG’s first long-haul trip since the pandemic began

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Rabot Hotel
Rabot Hotel

Clinging perilously to the mountain’s sheer sides, I stretch out for the summit. I almost reach the top. As the Caribbean sun beats down, my grip begins to slip. I plunge sharply with a salty splash.

 

Saint Lucia may be renowned for its towering volcanic Piton peaks but on this occasion I’m traversing rather more sedate (and inflatable) heights at Splash Island Water Park, the Caribbean’s first open-water sports park.

 

A standout attraction for guests of all ages (who have free and unlimited use) at Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa, it boasts enough obstacles to climb and duck over to rival any TV game show.

 

My dalliance with the course has me questioning my lacklustre lockdown fitness routine as I swim ashore – to the amusement of my partner, Laura.

 

Yet I soon discover Saint Lucia has adventures to suit a variety of tastes and flavours as it continues to welcome back holidaymakers.

 

PARADISE PROTOCOLS

You can’t help but feel adventurous when travelling long-haul these days, and our eight-hour journey is the furthest I’ve flown since February 2020. It’s a real thrill to be back in Saint Lucia.

 

We arrive at the hotel to find guests relaxing on the white sands of Reduit Beach, upon which Bay Gardens sits, seemingly without a care in the world.

 

The hotel is keen to keep it that way, with a range of aptly named “paradise protocols”, including mask wearing in the resort, enhanced cleaning, sanitising machines seemingly around every corner and less self-service food than usual.

 

It’s an approach echoed across the island, and you feel a real effort from locals to look after their community and its visitors.

 

According to Patricia Charlery-Leon, UK director of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, data shows “negligible” transmission between holidaymakers and locals, while accommodation, transportation, entertainment and excursions must all undergo Covid-certification.

 

Visitor numbers “continue to grow”, with almost 3,500 Brits arriving in August and “really encouraging” figures projected for the winter sun season of 2021/22.

Tom Parry exploring the island on a segway tour
Tom Parry exploring the island on a segway tour

GREAT OUTDOORS

A real selling point of Saint Lucia is the abundance of Covid-safe outdoor activities to choose from. And after swinging our way through Sunday morning at Rainforest Adventures zip lining, we sample an alternative option for clients who prefer keeping two feet (and two wheels) firmly on the ground.

 

Just a 10-minute walk from Bay Gardens is Lucian Style Experiences, offering local Segway tours. Heading off on a two-mile countryside trail, our guide, Keyz, relates island facts, from how Saint Lucia changed hands 14 times between the British and French, to explaining the islanders’ love of country music, adopted from US troops stationed here during the Second World War. Stops at disused US army bunkers also make for intriguing interludes.

 

Away from Rodney Bay’s usual tourist hotspots, our tour feels like we’re on our own private secret expedition.

A PLACE OF YOUR OWN

Another way to give your clients a more personalised touch is staying in a villa. Originally developed as luxury homes, Water’s Edge Villas by Bay Gardens Resorts are the company’s newest properties and sit among the yachts and sailing boats of Rodney Bay Marina.

 

At 4,000-sq ft per property and usually housing eight adults across four bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, a well-equipped modern kitchen, pool and private waterfront terrace, it’s hard not to feel like Will Smith’s Fresh Prince strolling in to his new Bel-Air mansion as we arrive.

 

Jason Beaubrun, site manager and Bay Gardens’ business development manager, describes the potential for Brits to try villa stays in Saint Lucia, especially as tourism recovers from the pandemic.

 

“This is perfect for British visitors – they like to really get out and explore, and especially during the current environment, having your own space is important,” he says.

 

Guests can request groceries ready for when they arrive and supermarkets are a short walk away. The villa also has keyless entry, Ring doorbell security cameras, a Netflix-enabled TV plus a smartphone for contacting staff.

 

We find switching from the typical restaurant service makes for a refreshing and relaxed change, and the freedom it offers will no doubt appeal to families, as well as couples looking for more privacy.

CHOC-FULL OF FUN

Sweat drips from my forehead as Queen’s We Will Rock You plays from a nearby speaker and our guide Xystus sings his adapted version of the rock anthem: “Pound your, pound your, chocolate! Nothing will ever taste as good as this – you made it yourself.”

 

It’s a great ending to our morning at Hotel Chocolat’s Project Chocolat experience, set in the hills above Soufriere. Opened earlier this year within the 140-acre Rabot Estate – a Unesco World Heritage Site and Saint Lucia’s oldest working cacao farm – Project Chocolat promises visitors will “never think about chocolate in the same way again”.

 

Having explored the seedling nursery and walked the estate gardens where purple lychee-like cacao pods hang in abundance, we’ve done our “tree-to bean” chocolate theory and it’s now time for the “bean-to-bar” practical test. We set to work grinding our cacao into a paste with a pestle and mortar, melting in butter and sugar.

 

After pouring the mixture into a mould and leaving to set (we’ll be taking it home with us), we explore more of Project Chocolat with its artisanal street food and snacks, including must-try cacao-infused ice cream.

 

Tours at Project Chocolat are complimentary for guests like us staying at the neighbouring Rabot Hotel from Hotel Chocolat.

 

Originally opened as the Boucan in 2014, the property was rebranded in 2019 and now features 14 wooden eco-lodges including our Luxe Lodge.

 

Sitting atop stilts in the rainforest overlooking Gros Piton, the view is as sumptuous as the chocolate.

 

As you’d expect, food is where the hotel excels. The cacao bean is a part of each dish, and there are some quirky menu choices, such as white chocolate mash, while another highlight is the “Chocolate Genesis” dessert, a seven-part tasting dessert featuring incredibly rich 100% chocolate, 70% truffles and a melted chocolate drink.

 

More visitors will soon be able to get a taste of the hotel’s unique take on food as it is currently adding 11 more lodges, with hopes to finish in November, in time for the winter sun season.

 

“When Boucan opened, we had six rooms. We’ve grown and now we’re growing again,” hotel manager Chrys Allcee tells me. He adds that the hotel’s ethos will appeal to laid-back travellers with an adventurous streak.

 

“Here it’s all about recharging and reconnecting with nature. Yes, you might meet a late-night lizard in your room but it’s all part of the experience,” he smiles.

 

Until quite recently, a lizard visit might not have been to everyone’s liking, but after lockdowns have denied our wanderlust, it’s something clients seeking an adventurous yet indulgent return to long-haul travel will likely jump at.

 

That mindset – to try something different – has played a big part in our time in Saint Lucia, and with our chocolate now in our fridge at home, the memories of our time on the island will seem that bit sweeter for a while yet.

 

Book it: Caribtours offers seven nights at Rabot Hotel from Hotel Chocolat starting from £2,599pp sharing an all-inclusive lodge. The Villa Collection’s Water’s Edge Villas package (departures in July 2022 for eight adults, including British Airways economy flights from Gatwick) costs £8,232 total. caribtours.co.uk; thevillacollection.com

SAINT LUCIA

Smarter: Guests at Water’s Edge Villas can use all services at Bay Gardens, including non-motorised watersports and Splash Island. Shuttles can be requested to take guests to and from their property to the hotel.

Better: The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority has agent training available at saintluciaexpert.com, while Bay Gardens’ revamped site, baygardensresort.com, features new videos and virtual tours.

Fairer: Hotel Chocolat is dedicated to reducing waste, and they use every part of the cacao bean – from the pulp in cocktails to spare cacao nibs in wellness treatments.

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