Anse Chastanet Resort

Anse Chastanet Resort occupies a private estate of roughly 600 acres on the south-west coast of Saint Lucia, close to Soufrière. The land runs across two valleys down to two soft-sand beaches, Anse Chastanet and Anse Mamin, and its slopes look out to Gros Piton and Petit Piton, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Both bays sit inside a marine reserve, with coral reef starting a few metres from the sand. The resort takes an eco-minded line: vegetables, herbs, fruit and cacao for its kitchens come from its own organic farm in the hills above Soufrière.

Each of the 49 rooms is individually designed; most climb a flowering hillside, while twelve sit in a tropical garden at beach level. Some have no fourth wall at all and open straight onto the mountains and sea, and the furniture is handmade from island timbers. The resort is best known for diving from its own beach dive centre, for private biking and walking trails through the old French plantation of Anse Mamin. Some 100 steps separate the beach from the mid-hillside, and a complimentary shuttle runs whenever guests ask. Its sister hotel, Jade Mountain, stands on the same estate.

• Scuba St. Lucia, a PADI 5 Star dive centre right on Anse Chastanet beach: shore dives on the house reef (more than 150 fish species, depths of roughly 6–43 m), night dives and, from three dive boats, trips to the walls beneath the Pitons, Superman’s Flight, Coral Gardens, Jalousie, Piton Wall, Turtle Reef, Fairyland, Grand Caille, the wreck of the Lesleen M and Anse Cochon; nitrox, equipment and underwater camera hire, and courses from a first try-dive to Divemaster and Assistant Instructor
• The Reef Life & Renewal programme: coral nursery snorkels with marine biologists, the PADI Reef Rescue specialty, lionfish removal, and fish, turtle and coral identification courses
• Snorkelling straight off the beach with complimentary gear; guided boat snorkel trips to nearby reefs at a charge
• Complimentary windsurfers, Sunfish dinghies, sit-on-top kayaks and paddleboards; Prijon sea kayaks with tuition and guided coastal trips from Kayak St. Lucia at a charge
• A tennis court with equipment and complimentary clinics twice a week
• Bike St. Lucia: around 19 km of private jungle trails on the Anse Mamin plantation, Cannondale bikes, a skills area with an instructor, the ruins of an 18th-century sugar mill and a river swimming hole
• Complimentary guided estate walks on local history and plants, an Anse Mamin plantation walk and birdwatching that includes the island’s endemic species
• Open-air art classes, a Creole history class, chocolate tastings, truffle-making in the Chocolate Lab, a Saint Lucian rum mixology class, cooking classes with the chef and visits to the organic Emerald Farm, about 20 minutes away
• Trips on the resort’s sailing yacht and a jazz-and-champagne sunset cruise aboard the double-decker catamaran Miss Babsie
• Excursions: the Sulphur Springs and mineral baths, rainforest hikes, a climb of Gros Piton, zip-lining, deep-sea fishing, whale watching, horse riding, island tours, helicopter tours and day trips to Martinique or the Grenadines

Guests have direct access to two soft-sand beaches, Anse Chastanet and Anse Mamin, each about 400 m long and linked by a coastal path and the resort’s shuttle boat. Both have palm-thatched huts, loungers and towels, and beach butlers bring drinks, chilled towels, sorbet and fruit, and can arrange a foot massage. The water in the bays is calm and clear, with the reef beginning about 9 m from the shore. The Piton Pool Suite has its own private pool.