Luscious St Lucia – private villas in Caribbean islands

Those in the know give the cruise ships and hotels a wide berth when they visit St. Lucia. Instead, they choose a villa.

It’s not unusual to see as many as six cruise ships lined up in the deep harbour of the Caribbean island of St Lucia’s capital, Castries.

The island’s stunning scenery is what attracts them: palm-fringed beaches, lush forest-clad hills and, in particular, the dramatic twin peaks of the Pitons – coastal mountains soaring 2,000 feet up from the sea.

But cruise liner guests have only a few hours to ‘take in’ the island before moving on to another part of the Caribbean, and so the hidden gems of this 27 mile long, 14 mile wide paradise are missed.

Likewise, those ‘all-inclusive’ resort and hotel deals may look tempting, but they isolate people from their surroundings. Even if you do venture beyond the resort or hotel, you won’t want to spend extra on meals and drinks already paid for in the inclusive price. This state of affairs is hardly rewarding for you and does little to help the island businesses which depend on visitors.

A private villa costs far less per person than a cruise and guests are treated to a genuine glimpse of Caribbean island life, its cuisine and hospitality. Villas to rent in St Lucia are plentiful, usually have their own well-maintained pools in extensive tropical gardens, and are often next to a secluded beach.

When you are based in a private villa you can plan your days exactly as you want: relax with a cool drink for as long and as often as you like, eat what you like when it suits you, have the villa pool to yourself all day long – or go for a swim in the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

And when you’re finally ready to explore, the island awaits you. There is a huge variety of things to do on the island, from sport (golf, tennis, sailing), plantation tours and mountain climbing to watching silk screen artists at work.