DESTINATIONS CARIBBEAN | SAINT LUCIA
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Windjammer Landing’s beach; hot stone therapy at the resort’s Serene Wellness & Spa; live music in Jammer’s Bar; overwater relaxation
PRESCRIPTION: NATURE The surroundings are certainly easy to appreciate on this teardrop-shaped island. Carved by volcanic eruptions and cloaked in rainforest, Saint Lucia boasts some of the Caribbean’s most jaw-dropping vistas, topped by the soaring twin peaks of the Pitons. On the northwest coast, Windjammer Landing embraces this dramatic landscape, its 130 whitewashed villas studded like pearls across 60 acres of lush grounds that tumble down the hillside towards Labrelotte Bay’s horseshoe of golden sand.
Delving deeper into the mist-cloaked valleys on a day excursion, we pass banana plantations and various trailheads – hiking is huge here, and runs the gamut from a precipitous, scrambling ascent of Petit Piton to the easy-going 45-minute Tet Paul Nature Trail. Our driver, George, displays laudable clutch control on the plunging, corkscrewing roads, depositing us safely at Sulphur Springs. Formed by dormant volcano La Soufrière, the site’s steaming geothermal waters may smell unenticing (think eau de rotten egg), but its mineral-rich ‘miracle mud’ is said to aid everything from circulation and sunburn to sleep. After I’ve slathered on a full-body mask and let the nutrients sink in, nature provides a power shower and invigorating plunge pool in the form of Diamond Falls – 15 metres of cascading fresh water in the Botanical Gardens. When the dip inevitably works up an appetite, nearby Harmony Beach Restaurant, part of the newly opened, adult-only Paradise Hotel, dishes
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TRIED
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resort refurb Contemporary island chic
Fresh from a $12 million refurbishment, Windjammer Landing is a masterclass in contemporary Caribbean style – a backdrop of crisp whites accented with pops of Caribbean blue and natural rattan furniture. The lobby’s framed fan coral artworks and anemone-shaped chandeliers make a smart first impression while I sip a welcome cocktail of fruity rum punch. The coastal-cool aesthetic continues around the main pool – including outdoor sofas strewn with coral-patterned and nautical-striped cushions – and the restaurants. Sitting sleekly on the beachfront, meanwhile, are the new Point Residences.
These two or three-bedroom villas are flooded with natural light from floor- to-ceiling windows and maximise outdoor living with private infinity pools and vast terraces (I even had a one-on-one Pilates class on mine), plus a dedicated concierge desk and guest lounge adding to the aura of exclusivity. This refresh by Apple and Iron Concepts and G&G Interiors shows that more than 30 years after opening its doors, Windjammer Landing isn’t resting on its laurels.
up wholesome lunches of organic local vegetables and freshly caught fish.
DEEP BREATHING Saint Lucia’s natural wonders are a tonic for mind and body – which Windjammer Landing leans into with its revamped wellness offering, notably the Underwater Breathwork programme. First, we learn a series of breathing techniques while sitting on the resort’s sun-
drenched dock, before heading to Pigeon Island’s coral reef with scuba instructor Eget Martyr. I know that breath controls buoyancy in diving, but these exercises bring a new awareness to the power of each inhale and exhale, magically letting me levitate off the sandy seabed and float towards the sunlit shallows. Closing my eyes in the big blue, I adopt a lotus position, let the Darth Vader hiss of my respirator fill my ears like white ²
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