Anse Chastanet

What were Caribbean hotels like before trade winds were replaced by blasts of air-conditioning when morning exercise was a walk on the beach and not hot water aerobics, and when you sat watching the sunset instead of cable TV? You can still find out at Anse Chastanet Resort on St. Lucia’s unspoiled southwestern Caribbean coast. Ever since architect Nick Troubetzkoy first purchased the first 14 hillside units, and throughout the expansion and renovation that followed, design in harmony with nature, complementing the island’s natural beauty, has remained his focal point. The 600-acre site is a lush garden of tropical foliage bordering one of the island’s best beaches, where soft silver sands dip into the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean. A second beach, Anse Mamin, belonging to the estate is just around the corner and can be reached by the Resort’s water taxi. St Lucia’s trademark green peaks – the Gros and Petit Pitons – make for a dramatic backdrop. No two rooms at Anse Chastanet are exactly alike. Twelve beach-level units are tucked away behind the coconut palms, just steps from the water’s edge and the resort’s renowned SSI Platinum Pro/PADI dive facility.Perched on the hill are Anse Chastanet’s original rooms; cheery white-washed cottages with wrap-around wooden balconies. These octagonal-shaped “gazebos” offer splendid views of the Pitons and the sea, framed by an abundance of flourishing blossoms. Chairs and beds are covered in madras prints – a traditional island fabric of bright plaid woven with the same colors as the ginger lilies, anthuriums, and bougainvillea found in every room.Further up the hill are Anse Chastanet’s deluxe suites, where Nick Troubetzkoy’s architectural imagination can best be appreciated. Roomy is hardly the word to describe them. Immense is more accurate. And the sense of space is even further enhanced by the fact that as little as possible is between guests and their natural surroundings, with entire walls open to the vistas. Indeed, it’s even hard to say where the inside stops and the outside begins: a flamboyant tree drops its red-blossomed branches gently over the balcony in one room, and the veranda of another was actually built around a red gommier tree. And the famous showers-with-a-view in the premium suites are a unique luxury of Anse Chastanet.While the sensuous seclusion of the rooms provides some guests with the perfect excuse for lolling away the day on the balcony, others head out to partake of the many activities on offer; snorkeling, scuba diving, tennis, sunset sailing, jungle biking, “kool kayaking” or a nature walk among the ruins of a colonial plantation.The less actively inclined “simply do nothing,” lie on the beach or enjoy one of the therapeutic body and beauty treatments offered by Anse Chastanet’s spa, Kai Belté, located at beach level.There’s also a casual, beachside bar and restaurant and a panoramic hillside terrace where breakfast and afternoon tea are served daily. Dinners are a romantic candlelit affair with a daily changing menu celebrating Tropical World Cuisine, with musical backdrops provided by local entertainers.Anse Chastanet guests can enjoy the following waters ports daily and on a complimentary basis:SnorkelingWindsurfingOcean KayakingSunfish Sailing SCUBA ST LUCIALocation, location, location! This is the fundamental attraction Anse Chastanet resort has for traveling divers. It is in the heart of St. Lucia’s very best diving: the entire region surrounding Anse Chastanet is vested into an award-winning marine reserve (SMMA) which has been established since 1995 to protect the pristine beauty of St.Lucia’s coral reefs.Scuba St Lucia is an SSI Platinum Pro/ PADI Gold Palm Dive Center and DAN (Divers Alert Network) Partners in Dive Safety facility, located at the south end of Anse Chastanet beach. Founded in 1981, Scuba St.Lucia has established itself as one of the world’s top diving destinations. Scuba St.Lucia offers great diving and comprehensive facilities for divers of all levels. Click here for information regarding CCR / Rebreathers.Perfectly set up for both beach and boat dives, Scuba St. Lucia offers guests gear storage; a well-equipped scuba store; three compressors; rental dive gear, and an underwater Photo and Video center. Nitrox is available. For the ultimate St. Lucia experience, consider the INFINITY POOL SUITES AT JADE MOUNTAIN. Located high on Morne Chastanet, overlooking the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea, Jade Mountain is a resort within a resort at Anse Chastanet. Expect grand sweeping spaces, with your sleeping and living areas and an extravagantly sized infinity edge pool – one in each sanctuary!- flowing into one another to form an amazing floating platform with the 4th wall missing entirely – the result being a stage-like setting from which to embrace the full glory of St. Lucia’s twin Pitons and the shimmering Caribbean Sea – a view you are not likely to ever forget. Click here to visit Jade Mountain. Photos and video courtesy of Anse Chastanet and Scuba St. Lucia.