Client Blog: Anthony introduces his adult children to Anse Chastenet in St Lucia

My wife and I first visited Anse Chastenet in the spring of 2023. We've loved visiting St Lucia since we first went as a family in 2016, and as part of an earlier visit, we'd been on a snorkelling trip to Anse Chastenet Bay. A friend had also told me that Anse Chastenet was a very different sort of resort - much closer to nature - which greatly appealed to us.

Our stay in 2023 was excellent, even after the drive along the approach road to the resort, which is frequently mentioned in traveller reviews! We enjoyed the exceptional snorkelling in the bay without needing to travel from elsewhere on the island. The dining and service were second to none, and our room was on the hill, effectively part of the rainforest.

The experience was also a refreshing contrast to more traditional resorts - no TV, no air conditioning, and far fewer facilities built from concrete.

Following our visit in 2023, we decided we wanted to return to Anse Chastenet with our now grown-up children, and we booked for February 2025. It goes without saying that we again had a fabulous time, made more special because we shared the experience with our children. I think we appreciated and understood more about Anse Chastenet the second time around, getting more of the feeling of the resort.

Our children were absolutely blown away by Anse Chastenet and all that came with it.

Susan had also stayed at the resort and used her contacts there to secure two fabulous adjoining rooms for them looking across to the Pitons, whilst we stayed in 12A Calabash, which was like being in a massive bird-watching hide downstairs with the bedroom and bathroom upstairs.

Thanks so much also to Susan for the kind gift left in our room. We polished it off in no time! Cheers!

What was different for me about 2025 was that I gained a deeper insight into the hotel and how it's part of the community, the history and the environment near Soufriere and not simply a resort that has been built on some land in St Lucia.

The hotel has virtually no glass and has open windows, but I also discovered that the paving in the resort is made from local clay and local ground shells. There are carvings all around the hotel produced by a local artist who befriended the creator of the resort 50 years ago.

The former plantation adjacent to the main hotel accommodation provides both a facility for walking and cycling but is also fundamental to the experience of the hotel. It allows guests to gain an understanding of the challenging history of the island and the conditions faced by the slaves. This history lives on in the hotel, as some of the former sugar cane boiling vats are used in the hotel restaurants.

Much of the produce served in the hotel is locally produced at the hotel farm or bought from local providers. I can seriously recommend the beer, which is brewed by the hotel - especially the Admirable IPA, which is produced in barrels previously used for rum!

This time we did the Chocolate Experience at Jade Mountain, the sister hotel to Anse Chastenet which was great and very intimate. I cannot believe all the chocolate consumed in the hotel and on sale is made in a very small room!

We had the Lionfish dinner, which was great again; Steph, Nick and Amy climbed Gros Piton; and Steph and Nick also went to a church service in a local village near Soufriere with one of the waitresses, which was lovely.

We went on the early morning birdwatching with Meno, one of the staff known as "Father Nature". It was wonderful, though I did wonder how they'll replace him when he's too old to do it!

There's an unrivalled level of intimacy at the hotel. A local artist also provides an informal class twice per week, which provides a different perspective on the beauty of the scenery.

This is a special place. Whilst Anse Chastenet is luxurious and guests want for nothing, it doesn't offer all of the modern creature comforts of other resorts. What it does have is a soul, which comes from the special relationship the owners have had with the resort for more than 50 years. It represents the essence of St Lucia and the local community.

Thanks Susan – we had a wonderful time.

Anthony