CARIBBEAN SAINT LUCIA DESTINATIONS


I


t’s hard not to fall for Saint Lucia. Everything here is fresh – mangoes straight from the tree, cinnamon straight from the bark, fish straight from the sea. You can smell it, feel it, taste it. Just as powerful are the landscapes – verdant jungles flanking volcanic beaches, bright green palms edging cobalt waters, jets of steam bursting out from bubbling craters. After just a few days spent at


the iconic Jade Mountain resort I was fully seduced, accustomed to waking up in front of the Pitons and a mirror-flat stretch of blue every morning, as the birds chattered away and the trees rustled with a warm, tropical breeze. Here are my highlights from the west of the island.


◗ GO DIVING It’s a known fact that Saint Lucia offers some of the best diving in the Caribbean, with everything from dramatic drop-offs to sponge-covered shipwrecks to entice serious divers as well as complete beginners. The diving school at Anse


Chastanet can take qualified divers (including non-guests) out to all of them – including Anse la Raye, the Piton Wall and Turtle Reef – and offers intro sessions as well as Padi courses. I embarked on a night dive and


it was spectacular – think coral speckled with luminescent green, fish shimmering fluorescent blue and water glowing psychedelic purple under our UV light so that it looked like some sort of


I embarked on a night dive and it was spectacular – think coral speckled with luminescent green


underwater disco (I imagine this is how Nemo lets his hair down). Even without the UV light it


was spectacular, with lobsters, lionfish, parrotfish and turtles gliding among mustard-yellow tube sponges and burgundy clumps of coral, providing an intriguing glimpse into how this universe changes come twilight.


◗ TAKE A HIKE Saint Lucia’s lush, rainforest-clad landscapes make the island a dream for hikers, and among its most talked-about trails is the climb up Gros Piton (the larger of the two mountains), which I decided to tackle. This steep, rocky trail meanders through a long stretch of damp, shady rainforest opening out at various points with scenic lookouts. It’s fairly strenuous and slippery at times, so clients need a good level of fitness, but those who make it to the peak are rewarded with glorious views – a vast stretch of opal peeping through the trees, clouds floating around you in a sea of mist. It takes four to five


29 November 2018travelweekly.co.uk43


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80