Lara-Jo HougHting,

ChurChill YaCht Partners St. Lucia, aboard the 124-foot (34-meter) Palmer Johnson Lady J

We started off one of the mornings with a sunrise hike going up along the Tet Paul Nature Trail. It was easy enough, pretty simple for all kinds of people, and we went up to an area where you could actually see the Pitons in the distance. You could do those put-your-finger-on-the-top-of-the-mountain photos, which was fun. Our guide pointed out all the flora and fauna, and then we went back to the yacht and moved to another anchorage.

A tender took us to shore, and we drove about 600 feet up to Jade Mountain Resort. It was like no place I had seen before. It was exquisite. Very special, very organic, very healthy with a beautiful view of the Pitons and very good service—just absolutely magnificent.

After lunch, we went to a chocolate factory, and the head chef taught us how to make our own chocolate bars. We were tempering the chocolate ourselves, and we laughed a lot. We made our own truffles and customized chocolate bars for our loved ones. How often do you get to temper chocolate? It’s not a natural thing that you can just do it. You have to learn the technique. It’s like going to a painting class when you’ve never painted before. We wrapped the chocolate and everything. It was really fun.

Then we went to the Ti Kaye Spa, which is also up in the mountains overlooking Lady J, anchored in the bay. It was all alfresco. All the windows were open, and there was a hole in the floor so you could look down at the water while you got a massage. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

After the spa, we ended up on the sundeck of Lady J in the Jacuzzi, drinking Moscow Mules and watching the sun set over the Pitons. It was just absolutely spectacular. After that, we had a seven-course food-and-wine pairing aboard the yacht.