St. Lucia Instagram Recap + Hotel Review

I know you guys are probably tired of St. Lucia pictures, so I promise that this is one of my last posts! At the bottom of this post, I've included a review of St. Lucia and the resort (Anse Chastanet). All of these instagrams (plus a few iPhone snaps!) were from the trip and either show the resort, our room, or the resort's beach. Enjoy!

cut-out coral dress // sun hat (only $38) // Jeffrey Campbell wedges

blue striped romper, similar here // sun hat (only $38) // Baublebar tassel earrings

the view from our room, the Piton Pool Suite

During the trip to St. Lucia, we stayed at Anse Chastanet Resort (you may have heard of their sister resort Jade Mountain!). After reading thousands of reviews, we decided on Anse Chastanet because it was reasonably priced compared to a lot of the other St. Lucia resorts, and the views were absolutely stunning. (Do some research beforehand - some resorts don't have the best view of the Pitons.) I'll break up this review into categories... if you have additional questions, please leave them in the comments!

Room: We stayed in the Piton Pool Suite and loved it. This is the only room in the entire resort with a pool (in fact, there is not even a public pool, just beaches) and it was the perfect size. The room also had an amazing view of the Pitons (the mountains in St. Lucia) as you can see from the above photo! Many of the rooms have the fourth wall missing... our bedroom was closed in with four walls and a screen door, but our balcony/living room didn't have a wall, which I loved. There was mosquito netting around the bed, and the staff came in and lit a mosquito coil every night before bed so that we didn't have to worry about bugs. I was a little worried about the lack of air conditioning, but honestly I did not even miss it! There were two fans in the room and I was comfortable the entire time. It was actually so comforting falling asleep to the sounds of crickets and the ocean waves, and waking up to the sun rising behind the mountains!

Food: Hands down some of the best meals I've ever eaten in my entire life! We went with breakfast and dinner plan (called MAP on their website), so all of the breakfasts and dinners were included during the trip, and lunch was a la carte. This was definitely the way to do it - it ended up being a lot cheaper, since the food can be kind of expensive. For breakfast we dined in the Treehouse (literally - it looks like a treehouse!) and I ordered pancakes or waffles every single morning - they were amazing. In addition to ordering a meal off the menu, there were two buffet tables with fruit, pastries, bagels, etc that you could eat from too. Be careful though - there are a lot of birds that will try to steal your breakfast! There were water guns at every table so that you could squirt the birds if they got too close. I also loved the Treehouse for dinner. At night it's very romantic (especially the lower Treehouse) because candles are lit everywhere. A three course dinner is included in the MAP plan - all of the dinners I had were amazing, including Mahi Mahi, grilled chicken, pasta, soup, and salads. Everything is made fresh from a nearby farm, and when it comes to your table it looks like a work of art! For lunch, the Jungle Grill (located on the private beach Anse Mamin) made the BEST BURGER I HAD EVER EATEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. It was called the Caribbean burger I believe - it almost melted in my mouth - I don't think I can even put into words how good it was! When I got back home, I was seriously heartbroken that I couldn't have the food anymore - it was one of the highlights of the trip. Also, be sure to order the Piton beer! I loved it :P

Beaches: Anse Chasanet Resort has two beaches, the main one and a more private one that is a 15 minute walk away. The beaches are absolutely breathtaking - I was so surprised that the sand was a different color than what I am used to (it's black!). There are straw huts along each beach, and a towel man shows you to a hut and then puts out towels for you. If you want service (like, a fruity drink or some french fries!) all you have to do is stick your yellow flag in the sand, and someone will come to your hut to take your order. I liked the second, more private beach Anse Mamin slightly better - there are some huge rock formations at the end of the beach that are absolutely beautiful. You can also snorkel, paddleboard and kayak right off each beach - all the equipment is right there and free to use. 

Activities: There is SO much I wanted to do at Anse Chastanet, that I couldn't fit it all in during the few days I was there. There's a yoga class every morning, boat rides, sunset cruises, jazz cruises, snorkeling, kayaking, jungle biking, bird watching, windsurfing... you name it, they probably have it. I never felt bored for a second... although, I will say that my favorite thing to do on vacation is just sit in a chair and read a book (which is what I did a lot of the time!). 

Transportation: We booked a helicopter from the St. Lucia airport to Anse Chastanet on the way there, and on the way back we took a shuttle. We were so happy we did it that way! The helicopter ride is very quick - 15 minutes tops - and was such an exhilarating and amazing experience. It was the perfect introduction to St. Lucia and it also got us to the resort quickly so that we could immediately check-in and change into bathing suits. Taking the shuttle on the way back was nice because we got to see more of St. Lucia and had time to prepare for the flight home. Although, I will warn you - it was a very bumpy ride, with winding hairpin turns at times. It also is an hour long drive, so it took a lot longer than the helicopter, but it isn't as expensive. 

Downsides: The only few downsides I could think of were that there was no TV (which was also a positive, but I did miss it at night!) and that walking around the resort could be pretty strenuous at times. There are 130 steps down to the beach... which is fine on the way down, but can be very difficult on the way back up! Even the walk from breakfast to our room included walking uphill and going up a lot of steps. I feel like I am in pretty good shape, but I can see how an older person might have trouble getting up and down the stairs to the beach. (There was also a shuttle to the beach if you didn't want to take the stairs - we never took it, though!) 

In conclusion, I would HIGHLY recommend Anse Chastanet. It's the perfect destination for a honeymoon, anniversary, romantic trip or even if you wanted to take a girls trip with friends! I honestly can't say enough good things about it, and I have been in a funk ever since arriving in Charlotte - I miss it so much!

Let me know if you have questions! xoxo