Anse Chastanet
Written: Mar 15 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Breathtaking scenery, above and below the water!
Cons: Difficult to get there
The Bottom Line: A one-of-a-kind romantic experience with incredible diving, luxurious privacy and breathtaking views.
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| jprice12's Full Review: St. Lucia |
My husband and I honeymooned at Anse Chastanet, on the western coast of St. Lucia. We had the experience of a lifetime - picture a luxurious "Swiss Family Robinson" experience. The resort is built on a hillside, with only 49 rooms. The rooms are farther up the hill than the restaurants and bars. Walk down about 100 stairs and you reach the beautiful "salt-and-pepper" volcanic sand beach(you will get used to climbing the stairs everyday, but this aspect of the resort makes it not for everyone). There is a 5-star PADI dive shop on the beach which will cater to all of your diving needs, whether you are a novice or expert. The people who own the dive shop are American and are extremely friendly and knowledgeable.
Our room was an experience in simple luxury. We had a "superior room" which is what the resort considers to be mid-range. It was 20 ft. octagonal with a king-size bed in the center, complete with mosquito netting (cool!)and a view of the bay and Pitons from the bed (if the louvers are open). We also had a sitting area with two chairs and a side table with fresh flowers and fresh fruit, a small refrigerator and coffee maker and plenty of storage space. The ceiling is vaulted and painted sky blue with clouds and star on it. You will enjoy just laying on the bed and feeling the breeze of the ceiling fan on your face as you look at the ceiling - sounds crazy, but it felt so relaxing. All of the doors and windows are louvered and there is no air conditioning - you won't need it! The breeze blows on the hillside enough to keep you cool during the day and just enough at night to give you the sleep of your life. Our bathroom was very adequate, but not overly luxurious. The best part about our room was the wraparound balcony. It wrapped from our front door, all the way around to our back door. We had views of the Pitons (the signature twin mountains of St. Lucia) from one side of the balcony and views of the bay from the other side of the balcony. Every view was spectacular! We spent many a late afternoon sharing a bottle of wine and fresh mangoes while watching the sunset on the bay before dinner. It was the most romantic setting.
There are even more luxurious rooms at Anse Chastanet, including one with a tree trunk growing through the gigantic shower and bath area, and another room completely open on one side to take advantage of the views of the Pitons. When we visit again, perhaps for an anniversary, we will probably choose one of those rooms, for variety, although we loved the layout of the octagonal room in which we stayed.
As far as dining, the main restaurant and bar are midway up the hillside and provide excellent views. There is also a restaurant and bar right on the beach, where dinner is served a couple of nights a week. We were on a Modified American Plan, which provided full breakfast and dinner in our room rate. Breakfast had lots of options, including eggs and various meats, as well as fruit and cereal. Dinner was more spectacular with 3-4 courses. Their soups were particularly delicious. We also enjoyed the option of taking our dessert or cheese plate (which the chef will wrap up for you) and taking a bottle of wine to the beach after dinner, to watch the moonlight dancing on the bay. We were however disappointed that there was not more seafood for entree selections. We have had more spectacular food at other resorts, namely Caneel Bay on St. John, USVI and Little Dix Bay, BVI, but all in all, we enjoyed our meals.
Now for the best part - SCUBA diving. We dove every day on our honeymoon because that was a big selling point for this resort - we wanted to experience the excellent diving we had heard about and we were not disappointed. It was my first time diving outside of my certification course, which I had just completed, so I was a bit nervous. Our dive master scheduled our first dive as a beach dive, where you start on the beach and swim out. This way, you gradually descend and before you know it, you are in 60-70 ft. of water. What gorgeous sights - beautiful brightly-colored corals, lots of silver, yellow, and blue fish - breathtaking! We also took a night dive, which allowed us to see lobster, seahorses, giant crabs, octopi, and many other nocturnal species. There are many boat dives that can be taken very near the resort on one of the two resort dive boats. There is a map at the dive shop that shows where they are - none are more than a 10 minute trip from the resort. The bay in front of the resort is a protected marine reserve, so that keeps the boat traffic down and the marine life preserved. It was an extremely pleasant place to dive and/or snorkel.
Night life is fairly low-key at Anse Chastanet. We listened to live music most nights, including an excellent steel drum band one night. Two evenings, dinner was served at the beach restaurant and the entertainment created more of a party atmosphere. We enjoyed the fact that we could do our own thing and disappear to the end of the beach and not feel like we were missing anything. The majority of guests at the resort are honeymooning or celebrating an anniversary and the atmosphere definitely lends itself to privacy and romance. If you are looking for lots of nightlife, this probably isn't the resort for you.
The only thing that I would say is a negative point at all about this resort is the amount of effort it took to get there. From the central U.S., we had to fly to Dallas, then to San Juan, spend the night, fly to St. Lucia and take a very bumpy, scary hour-long taxi ride to get to the resort. The roads are barely paved and are very narrow. We had been warned in advance, so we were prepared and it was actually more of a fun adventure, but some might not enjoy the trip much.
The staff will treat you like family (although they are very discreet and only appear if you need them). The diving is second to none. Anse Chastanet is pure paradise on St. Lucia. We highly recommend the resort if you are looking for a small, romantic, unique experience. I can't wait to go back!
If you would like to visit their website, go to:
www.ansechastanet.com
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
jprice12
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
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