ULTIMATE HONEYMOON SUITES
From butlers to plunge pools, St. Lucia’s resorts have it all
The Landings in Gros Islet
Recently renovated, the Landings in Gros Islet is an excellent choice for weddings where the guest list includes groups of close friends and family, because it offers 87 one-, twoand three-bedroom villa suites, along with three restaurants and two bars. The ambience is elegant, with lots of marble and a yacht-filled marina, and the service is both polished and friendly. In-suite chef and butler services are available, and some suites have private pools. Rack rates start at $426 a night.
Jade Mountain
If your budget edges toward stratospheric, there’s Jade Mountain, a cliff-hugging complex near Soufrière that took more than 1,000 labourers several years to build before it opened in 2006. The open-air restaurant commands a sweeping view of the Pitons; after lunch, unwind in the colourfully tiled infinity pool. Above the restaurant, the aptly named Celestial Terrace is a popular wedding spot. Bring your platinum card; the cheapest suite in the off season goes for $1,415 a night, and the jaw-dropping Galaxy suites, with an open fourth wall overlooking the ocean, start at $3,472.
Anse Chastanet
Not surprisingly, many couples spend a night or two at Jade Mountain while their guests stay a bit closer to sea level in the resort’s less expensive sister property, Anse Chastanet. The latter isn’t exactly a Motel 6; hugging the lower reaches of the steep slope, the luxury resort offers three restaurants and two bars (plus a beach bar and grill), as well as complimentary kayaks, guided hikes, yoga classes and more.
Open-air rooms are available. Rack rates start at $491 a night.
Sugar Beach
Sugar Beach, a Viceroy resort near Soufrière, blends multiple styles into a luxurious whole. The ginger bread-trimmed lobby, with its portrait of Queen Elizabeth, makes one think the sun hasn’t quite set on the British Empire. White-panelled villas with overstuffed furnishings call Cape Cod to mind (if Cape Cod cottages came with butler service and plunge pools). The spa treatment rooms — thatched buildings connected by wooden walkways — are pure Robinson Crusoe. And the Sunset Deck is one of several stunning wedding locales on site. Rack rates start at $554.