Curated by: Lucas Santos & Ben Dumas
Travel Period: March 2017
Traveled With: Just Us
Typical Weather: 80 degree days and 70 degree nights, passing showers in the morning.
Getting There: NYC - St. Lucia direct on Jet Blue - 4.5 hours - Approx. $400 each round trip
Getting Around: Taxi's and Water Taxi

St. Lucia is an island of unspoiled beauty in the Eastern Caribbean.  We were lucky enough to visit two of the most beautiful hotels on our long weekend in St. Lucia.  Both were in the Soufrière area, on the west side of island sandwiched in between the iconic Pitons.  After a long winter in NYC, St. Lucia was the perfect way to spend the end of March.  The first part of our trip was spent at Jade Mountain, which is one of the most impressive and special places we've ever been - paradise.  Then we made our way over via a short water taxi to Sugar Beach Viceroy which also proved to be amazing.  This trip was all about treating ourselves, getting some sun, and truly relaxing.  

SUGAR BEACH

STAY

Sugar Beach Viceroy - This was our second stop in St. Lucia and it definitely stood its ground after we stayed at Jade Mountain where our expectations were set very high. Both resorts are very different and have their own charm. Sugar Beach is the only white sand beach on the island and it gives the resort an exclusive, special touch. The resort is much larger than Jade Mountain, with 88 rooms in the property, ranging from garden view premium luxury cottages all the way to beach front bungalows and multi-room residences. We stayed in room 306, which was a premium luxury ocean-view cottage. Our room had its own private plunge pool and was a short 5 minute walk to the beach.  

Hotel Details

  • Just like Jade Mountain, every room comes with its own dedicated butler who can help you with any questions or reservations you may have during your stay.

  • In our opinion, the residences or the beach-front bungalow are the best accommodations on the property, but they come with a hefty price tag. For those traveling in larger groups or with family, we'd recommend the residence since it feels like a home away from home with all the luxury resort details.

  • The 100's room clusters are the best in the property as they are the largest rooms and the closest to the beach. Residence #106 was our favorite as it was directly in front of the private adults-only beach and pier bar with its infinity pool blending in with the ocean in the background.

  • The property has 4 restaurants and just as many bars so its easy to switch around during your stay.

  • The hotel will coordinate a car service for your airport transfer, which comes out to around $70 and takes approximately one hour.

SEE & DO 

  • Rainforest Spa - Definitely plan a couple's massage at the resort's Rainforest Spa. Ask for the room with the private natural spring plunge pool, called "Busera." Before your spa appointment, we'd also recommend walking around the Rainforest trail (5-10 minutes) to check out some of the massive trees in the property.

  • Snorkel - There are some great coral reefs along the edge of the Petit Piton to the right-hand side of the beach. We loved doing this and would recommend it over a full on scuba or snorkeling half-day boat ride.

  • Glenconner Beach - This is the private beach to the left-hand side of the main Sugar Beach. You have to walk over past the adult-only pier and there you'll find this secluded stretch of beach. This is where Viceroy Resorts will be building the new for-sale only residences, but when we went it still felt like it was a while's away.

EAT & DRINK

  • Great Room Restaurant - This was by far the best dining experience we had on the island. It compares to any of the top tasting menu restaurants that we've been to in NYC. We treated ourselves to this on our last night and it was just perfect. They also have a local jazz duet that plays from 8-10pm just outside the restaurant at the Palm Court Lounge. We loved the truffle risotto, the mushroom trio, the seared scallops, and the langoustine salad!

  • Bayside Restaurant - This was a nice post-sunset early dinner situation. They have daily musical performances (steel drum band being one of them) which makes the entire atmosphere feel that much more beachy. The seafood bisque was out of control good - definitely recommend this!

  • Beach Front Bayside Bar - When you're at the beach, the servers will come to your beach chairs and take your order for the Bayside Bar. The best thing they had on the menu was actually a chicken spring roll from the kids menu. BASIL TWIST is the best drink in the whole world, holy shit. We ordered it virgin and naturally added our own vodka because Sugar Beach is ridiculously overpriced.

  • Cane Bar - We came here after dinner since its the only spot that stays open past 10pm and has a great party vibe on the weekend. They also have some great Asian/Sushi dishes to snack on if you're still hungry after dinner.